Comment
Consequences
It cannot be stated often enough. Nor loudly enough. A single developer controls the future of Wellington. A Toronto developer commands how, and when, another home or business is erected in Wellington. If ever. Shire Hall doesn’t decide this. Not council. Nor the market.
One developer holds the future of Wellington in its hands. Forever. Shire Hall has traded the village’s future for $12 million. Perhaps it’s time we took it back.
There hasn’t been a new home built in Wellington since the completion of the Twelve Trees project. There won’t be another. Jordan Yarrow was told it could be 20 or 30 years before he is allowed to build a single home on a single serviced lot he owns on Belleville Road in the village.
Not until the Toronto developer decides it is in its interest to do so will the municipality issue a new homebuilding permit in Wellington. And there is no sign that such a decision is imminent.
Housing starts in Ontario have fallen 25 per cent in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period last year. In Prince Edward County, new home starts are tracking at their lowest level ever. Resale home inventory is expanding with fewer buyers chasing more homes—152 more homes were listed for sale over the past 28 days, against 39 sales. Meanwhile, the land north of the Millennium Trail in Wellington remains undisturbed.
The truly galling bit is that Shire Hall won awards for the deal that gave Wellington’s future away. Mayor Steve Ferguson urged us all to celebrate the achievement in 2022.
“Our approach is being recognized as a model that other municipalities might want to consider,” said Mayor Ferguson in December that year. No one’s considering it now. (To be clear, this newspaper has long had reservations: “It is a terrifyingly wobbly premise—with huge consequences if it all goes wrong.” The Times, February 2023.)
It was a massive gamble. Shire Hall’s senior leadership was so focused on the potential prize that it didn’t sufficiently weigh the risk. It’s what gamblers do. They overestimate potential positive outcomes while underestimating the potential harm. Further, they tend to harbour the illusion of control— that they can influence and shape future events. Of course, it all went wrong. It usually does for high-stakes gamblers.
Now Wellington won’t see another home built until a Toronto developer says so. The ‘award-winning’ agreements have no end date. They extend into perpetuity. There are no provisions to compel it to build homes or give back the new homebuilding capacity it controls. Ever.
It was all so predictable. And predicted.
All three of the Shire Hall officials recognized by Mayor Ferguson for their ‘financing innovation’ are no longer with the municipality. A new leadership must determine what to do next.
Stop gambling is the obvious answer. Remind yourself every day that it’s ratepayers’ and taxpayers’ money at stake. Be prudent and respectful of their financial welfare. Be mindful of putting a greater financial burden on residents—knowing that it compromises who can live here. Understand—and I know they do—that the municipality is broke, owing more than it has assets to pay its debts. (Specifically, more financial liabilities than financial assets.)
Shire Hall’s only remaining recourse is to the pockets of residents. It can, and will, borrow more—but not on its own balance sheet. It is underwater. Shire Hall’s ability to take on more debt is based entirely upon the rich harvest of your wallet. Lenders will want to know just how much pain you can bear.
To that end, you will be told over the next few months that your taxes must rise to pay for a long roster of new and old expenses, missteps and debt. You will be urged in evermore earnest tones that property taxes, water bills, and other fees must increase to fund past choices. Plus some new priorities.
Never mind that the tax levy has catapulted fivefold since amalgamation. Never mind that the County’s tax levy has consistently increased at a rate of six per cent over every period (well above the cost of living) since the municipality was formed—including the last five years. Never mind that there are roughly the same number of residents living here as there were then.
You will, nevertheless, be told you must pay more. And maybe we should.
But not before we clear the air. Not before another election. Too many mistakes have been made in arrogance and haste. Too much risk has been taken on by weak and unserious council leadership. Too much of our future has been gambled away. It is time for quiet contemplation. Time for a slow and methodical review. An honest and humble examination of the available paths forward.
Shire Hall’s new leadership must not be rushed into more risky behaviour.
So when’s the Town Hall to get our financial situation out to the Public?
First, the “Community Conversations” promised by Mayor Ferguson should be reinstated. Three were held in the first year of office for this Council. Two for the second year. None for this year. Time is marching onward.
Second, a County-Wide Town Hall to report back to the entire community precisely what our financial situation is.
Third, NOPE – don’t see any of this happening before those who should be held Transparent and Accountable disappear from Shire Hall.
Fourth – Go on, Shire Hall, surprise us! Make a flippin’ liar out of me before the Candidates for our next municipal election start filing in May, of 2026! Please! I may even apologize for doubting you.
Do you think they might actually hold a Public Meeting to address our financial woes? Hoping so.
No. Not without a lot of noise from the Residents. Call the Mayor and All Members of Council and PUSH for that “Community Conversation” to occur before next May. After that, it will be far too late to get anything out of our elected officials for this four year term of office (or Shire Hall) until after next October when we have another municipal election. The way things are shaping up, the ones we want the answers from may not even be there. Too late.
Well now. To the best of my knowledge, Council has hired a full-time lawyer and, by the way, the taxpayers of PEC are paying for that privilege. Perhaps something could be done about that $12 million agreement with the Developer in Wellington – that is a paltry sum Council has given the residents rights away for. Had we even been consulted beforehand?
Of course Richard Parks rips the Times. They are attempting to reveal truth and get County property taxpayers to see that their taxes are being used to fatten the assets of outside interests and developers bent on turning the County into yet another GTA suburb.
The apple does not fall far from the tree, either, when you consider what another Parks writes in the Web site / printed publication that has laid claim to the title of the “newspaper of record” in the County. There is no “newspaper of record” in the County.
We really need a Community Town Hall discussion on this! Soon. Hopeful Council will do this for us.
What a timely and fortuitous comment, Michelle.
After the 2022 election where we (the Residents) elected our chosen Candidates to represent OUR interests as PEC Taxpayers (some on this Council had been re-elected, the Mayor being one of them), our Mayor announced that he and the Ward Councillors would be hosting “Community Conversations” in each and every Ward. It sounded like a wonderful idea at the time, and I (and no doubt many others) had high hopes for this occurring, early in this new Councils term, so we could get answers, face-to-face. On December 13, 2024, I had asked for, and received, the following status of these “Community Conversations” from our Clerk in Shire Hall, which I will put at the end of this comment.
There are still four “Community Conversations” left to go, and by my reckoning, only about a year and three months left to do it. Probably much less, as candidates will begin to sign up to run in our next October municipal election, in May, 2026 (which means that leaves approximately eight months for these “Community Conversations” to take place in any effective manner). So much for Transparency and Accountability which, as a few of us are already painfully aware, seem to have gone by the wayside in Shire Hall anyway. As there has been no further action regarding this “Pet Project” of the Mayors, I have serious doubts he intends on continuing – or perhaps even remembers, considering all the crap that has been going on in PEC with the previous Council ,and since this Council has been elected. This “project” seems to have disappeared in the residents’ consciousness as well. As in the “out of sight, out of mind” category. To be fair, our Mayor, past CAO, Council and Staff have had a great many “runaway fires” to get under control – some, as I am led to believe, are being perceived by the occasional Resident as being self-inflicted by the denizens of Shire Hall. I couldn’t possibly comment. During this Council’s term alone: the resumption of a conflict with neighbours on Ridge Road concerning the revival of a dormant quarry pit and lack of water and oversight; the continuing concerns and difficulties with Picton Terminals; two Warings Creek subdivisions detrimental to the Warings Creek watershed and, of course, the ongoing Wellington Water fiasco, to mention but a few. And yes, there are others.
As for the Status of the Mayor’s “Community Conversations”, I would suggest that the Residents start contacting their Ward Councillor(s). The five Wards who had already had their “conversations” conducted – well, they are most likely out of date by now, and perhaps those residents would like a followup. They may wish to weigh in, once again, on these “conversations as well.
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The Mayor has hosted five ‘community conversations’ at the following wards:
South Marysburgh (Ward 9) on April 20, 2023 (ad attached)
Athol (Ward 5) on May 31, 2023 – Link to Public Service Announcement
Hillier (Ward 6) on June 19, 2023 – Link to Public Service Announcement
Bloomfield/Hallowell (Ward 2) on February 29, 2024 – Link to Public Service Announcement
Ameliasburgh (Ward 4) on May 22, 2024 – Link to Public Service Announcement
The community conversations are an opportunity for the Mayor and ward councillor(s) to share ward-specific updates and information before opening the floor so that attendees can discuss topics of interest in their ward. The location and date of future conversations will be announced three weeks in advance on the website, calendar of events, and advertised in the applicable local paper.
“Community Conversations”? Thank you for that reminder! I’d really like to know what my councillors have been doing on behalf of our ward since they were elected. No updates have been given and they’ve almost reached the last year of their term. Would a quarterly one page broadsheet/update to our mailboxes from each ward councillor be a possibility? That would be one way to keep us connected with those we elected.
Richard Parks who left the County 4 years ago, rips the Times on Facebook. Prince Edward County Well Managed Group.
Big question is why didn’t any other Municipality enter into such an agreement?? Are we fools?
Everyone should contact their Councilors requesting a Public Meeting to get some answers and what the plan is to save us from increased taxes and water bills. Needs to happen ASAP!
This Council has a lot of explaining to do to the taxpayers. I urge them to call a Public Meeting at once.