Mayor’s Breakfast

Mayor Robert Quaiff awaits his first inquisitor at his first Breakfast with the Mayor event, held at Miss Lily’s in Picton.

Mayor, councillors take questions over coffee

In the cozy back room of Miss Lily’s café in Picton, a handful of residents and councillors gathered Friday morning for the first Breakfast with the Mayor.

Mayor Robert Quaiff had promised during his election campaign last fall to hold the breakfasts at least quarterly, and he’s finally found the time, fielding questions and concerns about issues ranging from traffic to affordable housing to planning policies.

The breakfast began at 8 a.m. and ran to about 9:30 a.m. It was held in the style of a town hall, if more causal. Quaiff, along with some of his colleagues on council, including Picton councillor Lenny Epstein and Sophiasburgh councillor Bill Roberts, addressed questions raised by residents.

Roberts says the meeting is a good way to take the temperature, find out what concerns residents of the County and maybe even learn something new. Shelly Durnin and Jennifer Donville came to discuss the new gas station plans in Wellington.

Durnin, who owns the heritage property next door to the location of a future Tim Hortons drive-through, and Donville, who is a member is the Wellington District Business Association, represented a group of residents from Wellington concerned about the effect the new business will have on the residential homes that surround it and on the economy in the town.

They were also angry that the plans had been approved by council without any opportunity for public consultations.

“It’s not good for that community,” Donville told Quaiff. “I would like an answer as well, what the next steps are to readdress this issue with council because it went through really quickly and I don’t think most people are satisfied with the amount of community consultation. I think the whole plan needs to be revisited, because you can’t go back from this.”

Quaiff said he doubts the issue could be revisited at the level of council, because the proposed plan met the County’s requirements and was recommended by staff. He did suggest the current policies need to be addressed and changed if a plan with so much opposition could go through without violating the County’s official plan.

Despite the unsatisfactory response, Durnin and Donville got some useful information about where to take their grievance next, and council may revisit its planning consultation policies.

Quaiff says he intends to hold breakfasts with the mayor monthly in different parts of the County.