Comment
Big forever things
Aletter arrived at the home of several residents in Wellington last month. A lawyer’s letter. Via registered mail. From Toronto. The law firm was writing on behalf of the developer who owns a vast swath of land north of the Millennium Trail in the village.
The letter announced that the applicant (the developer) was applying to “be registered as owner with absolute title to the property shown in heavy solid lines on the accompanying plan.”
On the accompanying plan, every property is shown in heavy solid lines, including private property— residents’ homes—on the east side of Consecon Street in the village. Indeed, each property owner saw their property outline highlighted in pink.
Surprise! Just before Christmas.
The folks along Consecon Street have long been anxious about the prospect of subdivisions rising from the farmfields backing their yards. They worry about construction. Noise. Trucks. Traffic. Privacy. Few worried, however that the developer was coming for their land.
Naturally, distressed property owners reached out to Shire Hall for advice. An explanation. Some comforting words. Anything.
Instead, they were told it was an issue between the developer and them. It was a legal matter, and Shire Hall couldn’t help them. They were instructed to get legal advice. Thank you. Goodbye.
Now—and I must stress here I am not a lawyer, nor do I offer legal advice—it appears after a careful reading of the five-page document that there is a cluster of old rights-of-way and easements along the bottom of the developer’s property, near the Millennium Trail, west of Wharf Street. It seems, and I am stressing my legal incompetence here, that the letter’s purpose is for the developer to assert ownership of long-forgotten bits and pieces of land on the developer’s property. It appears they are cleaning up some old anomalies on their land. The developer does not appear to be reaching out to claim land from neighbours. It does not appear to be asserting ownership of properties on Consecon Street. That is how it reads to this layperson.
Might there have been someone at Shire Hall who could have helped these folks? Shire Hall received the same letter. Might someone have reached out to explain the likeliest interpretation of the letter? Sadly, the answer is no. It fits with a pattern.
So we start the new year with a fundamental question: What is government for?
Is it to build expensive infrastructure for developers with your money? Is its purpose to sidestep environmental safeguards and agreements that protect sensitive waterways? Is it to grant land planning favours to insiders? Is it to burden ratepayers with debt?
Meanwhile, ordinary residents are left to twist in the wind—no longer part of the conversation. No longer relevant. Nuisances, to be ignored.
Your municipal government made a lot of big, forever decisions last year. Decisions that can’t be undone. Expensive, debt-burdening decisions. The risk to Waring’s Creek is forever. The burden of $50 million of spending for Wellington’s waterworks is now a permanent addition to water customers’ debt. A $100 million long-term care home may be needed— but it may be more than we can afford.
Here is the thing: Shire Hall did not and does not have a mandate to make such forever choices on your behalf. They didn’t ask you. They didn’t ask if you were okay with spending big, forever money to do any of this. They didn’t ask if you would take on tens of thousands of dollars in new debt. Or pay much higher taxes. There was no election and no debate fought on these issues. Shire Hall is freelancing without a mandate. Untethered.
Even when local government persuades itself that such decisions are necessary—a government that functions under basic principles of democracy knows that it must first get a mandate from the folks it serves. This is bedrock stuff.
Worse, Shire Hall isn’t particularly interested in your opinion. They really don’t like talking to residents. ‘Just leave a comment on a message board’ or stand around to gaze upon colourful engineering drawings on 30×24-inch foam core boards. Otherwise, you are an inconvenience to those who know best.
There is more on deck. Much more. $300 million to extend water to Picton. A $50 million rebuild of Highway 49. A $5 million loan to the gaping hole that is the County’s Affordable Housing Corp. Big forever money.
The brakes must be applied. Both feet. Hard.
Shire Hall can no longer feign surprise to learn that ordinary folks believe the system is rigged. It is meant to work for the powerful, the connected, and the special few, but not for them.
Let this be a year in which reform takes root. Let it be a year in which the machinery of County government begins to be pulled apart so that it can be rebuilt. Shire Hall no longer responds to the needs, aspirations and dreams of County residents.
It starts in 2025.
Have a look at this data and I invite anyone to tell me “Nothing to see here…” regarding the bloat and skyrocketing spending.
Just regarding County staff salaries alone.
Let’s start with the Ontario Sunshine list of people paid more than $100K annually in salaries:
(Reference: https://sunshineliststats.com/?page=2&provinceid=9&year=2024&n=countyofprinceedward)
You can change the year easily on that Web page and see the data for each year.
Below is a summary starting the year before Steve Ferguson became Mayor:
Ontario Public Sector Salary Disclosure – Sunshine List 2017 –> Employees: 14 Positions: 12 Sum of all salaries: $1,687,317.66
Ontario Public Sector Salary Disclosure – Sunshine List 2018 –> Employees: 15 Positions: 15 Sum of all salaries: $1,801,131.59
You can start to see it kick up below in 2019:
Ontario Public Sector Salary Disclosure – Sunshine List 2019 – Employees: 18 Positions: 16 Sum of all salaries: $2,163,684.26
And then an Urban Planner is hired as CAO in November 2019. Watch what happens next.
Ontario Public Sector Salary Disclosure – Sunshine List 2020 – Employees: 19 Positions: 17 Sum of all salaries: $2,244,237.94
Ontario Public Sector Salary Disclosure – Sunshine List 2021 – Employees: 20 Positions: 17 Sum of all salaries: $2,488,345.56
Ontario Public Sector Salary Disclosure – Sunshine List 2022 – Employees: 28 Positions: 27 Sum of all salaries: $3,470,856.68
Ontario Public Sector Salary Disclosure – Sunshine List 2023 – Employees: 34 Positions: 32 Sum of all salaries: $4,306,624.81
Ontario Public Sector Salary Disclosure – Sunshine List 2024 –> Employees: 46 Positions: 42 Sum of all salaries: $5,997,170.69
Keep in mind that this is ONLY the people who are paid more than $100K per year that work for the County.
And this does not include the overhead costs, such as vehicles, office space, computers, benefits, and other overhead costs, which usually run around 30-35% of salary.
That would be another $2 million or so, so $8 million bucks for 46 Staff Employees.
So, assume that we have about 5,000 properties paying tax here in the County, housing the approximately 25,000 full time residents.
That’s $1,600 PER YEAR on average for just these 46 employees.
Think you are getting your money’s worth?
The bulk of these high-paid employees’ work is generated by the initiatives and agendas of outside developers and consultants, including those that feature Order of Canada recipients.
Well past time for County people to “take back the County” before it is too late (although it may be).
There is no indication that anything will change. I am a lifetime resident of the County and have seen the death spiral with the implementation of amalgamation.
Municipal government was not perfect before amalgamation but in my views and opinion it did represent the people when elected.
I love where I was born and raised but I believe it’s time to move on. I have like many residents lost faith and trust in our municipal politics. Until they (council) treat their positions as a business driving accountability, effective communication involving public input and understanding loses with effective action planning, nothing will change!
This is just disgusting. We need to get rid of this Council, the Mayor, the CAO, and attend to a complete overhaul of the Staff – of which we have far too many. The downside -.the Residents will temporarily lose some excellent Councillors who are actually vocal for the Residents who elected them. Sorry “Disappointed”, but I’ve no intention of waiting until the 2026 election.
In order for reform to take root, the community must care sufficiently to actually act, and not just rant and rave.
There is nothing the community can do until there is a new Council elected in 2026. The existing Council is free to do what they wish, and what Staff tells them to do (or not do).
The “brakes” on current spending cannot be applied until there is a wholesale change in Council, with representatives who will put the needs of County residents and taxpayers first, and not the wants and agendas of outside interests, developers and consultants.
And that cannot happen until 2026 at the earliest.
The Times has my email address, and if anyone who shares my interests is interested in further discussing plans for the 2026 election, I would welcome a referral (although please do not publish my email in public, to avoid backlash from existing Council and Staff.