Mississauga-fication
The changes Kaitlin wants to make to its plans in Wellington are so big that they require alterations to the County’s Official Plan. They are so broad and sweeping as to require a brand new zoning category for this community—Gateway Mixed-Use. It is a flashing red light. Where once developers paid lip service to the […]
Stories we tell ourselves
Are 11,000 new homes about to burst out of Prince Edward County soil? Are thousands of new homes ready to emerge clustered around Picton and Wellington? Remember when Shire Hall was ready to spend upwards of $300 million to ensure these folks had water when/if they arrived? Few believe this story any longer. Most never […]
Preferred water source
Is Picton Bay water safe? Those promoting a regional water plan (drawing water from Lake Ontario in Wellington and pumping it 20 kilometres to Picton) point to the vulnerability of the pipes that stretch 91 and 305 metres into Picton Bay, pulling water into the treatment plant. The water is too shallow, the Bay too […]
Making do
Beware of arguments that aren’t bolted down. Arguments that get tossed to the curb when circumstances or time render them silly. Only to be replaced by equally wobbly notions. It is an omen that we have entered the religious phase of the waterworks debate. We are required to summon faith rather than apply reason. When […]
Empty words
Six hundred residents filled the hall at the Wellington community centre in August 2024. Most had come out to urge Council to pause plans to vastly expand waterworks infrastructure in the village and beyond to Picton. “Population growth was vastly overstated,” they said. “The municipality had no experience managing a project to this scale.” “All […]
Misplaced priorities
It’s an odd look when politicians appear unaware they are in the business of politics. County council—made up entirely of elected politicians—spent time last week, eyes wide and unblinking, trying to award themselves a 38 per cent pay hike. A few days later, they listened to a consultant explain that Shire Hall can’t afford what […]
The incident
Picton doesn’t get Wellington. It’s part rivalry. Think Sparta and Athens. It’s part sibling indifference. You look after you, and I’ll take care of mine. Some of it is in the setup. Radiating circles of relevance/concern/interdependence tend to drop off quickly as you move away from the decision-making centre. It’s human nature. (Sorry, South Bay […]
See SPOT run
One of the more notable strengths of the County’s current senior leadership team is its demonstrated capacity to learn and adapt. These aren’t empty words offered lightly or to curry favour. This column regularly casts its lens upon the smouldering and festering bits of the County’s business. It is useful, therefore, for readers to know […]
Red flags
What some folks appear to be missing from the Prince Edward County Affordable Housing Corporation (Housing Corp) story is that failing to properly create and manage affordable housing threatens to jeopardize progress for a long, long time. Done badly—and managed badly—an eight-unit apartment block will become a massive and expensive headache this municipality can ill […]
So, build already
The Quinte Home Builder’s Association (QHBA) is sending a procession of emissaries to County council, urging quick approval of expensive waterworks infrastructure plans. Several QHBA members, each armed with a prepared script, have come to Council in recent weeks, essentially making the same pitch: Growth is coming, the County’s engineering department prefers a regional water […]