Columnists
From my seat at Shire Hall
I drive the same roads you do each day,
Down busted stretches shaped by Clearway.
I feel every rattle, every jolt, every bend—
Believe me, friends, I don’t pretend.
Wellington’s streets look rough, it’s true,
A patchwork puzzle we all crawl through.
Pipes to replace, systems to renew—
Important work, but hard on you.
From Shire Hall’s chambers, papers pile high,
Timelines, detours, reasons why.
I push for answers, clear and straight,
Because Wellington shouldn’t just…
sit and wait.
I’ve met with crews, I’ve walked the site,
Asked the questions morning to night:
“Can we smooth this section?”
“Can we speed this phase?”
Sometimes progress feels like a maze.
And still we bump, and still we swerve,
Past cones and trenches that test the nerve.
We all want roads that don’t fight back—
A drive, not an off-road track.
So here’s my promise, steady and plain:
When the dust settles, when we repave again,
Wellington will get the finish it deserves—
Smooth, strong, built to serve.
Till then, we endure this construction storm,
Grumbling, venting—that’s all fair and norm.
But know I’m with you, every pothole and delay,
Riding the same rough road carved out by Clearway.
Councillor Corey Engelsdorfer
Intro budget review was held tonight and not a single Councilor could breath the words ” Staffing Review”! It’s only 41% of the budget!!
Too many vested interests. Hopeless.
You get what you vote for. This is what was voted for, last election.
If you want change, then next election, actually vote for change.
I would like to add one more thing here…
Ask to see the completed Financial Statements – no additions allowed! – of each candidate BEFORE YOU CAST YOUR VOTE. These statements contain a list of those who are making financial contributions to your candidates, and these statements must be submitted by the end of December, at which point they go through an audit. Those results will be, by law, posted for the public through Shire Hall’s website. So far so good, right? Transparency and Accountability, and all that bumpf? Not so fast… The downside? The last election was October, 2022, and the results of the audit weren’t published until May, 2023. Being new to all this crap, I knew nothing of this until the Spring of 2024 – a little late to discover three candidates (two were elected) accepted what I feel are questionable contributions by developers active in PEC. And they knew it. Due to their complete lack of judgment, I no longer trust them, and according to them, I’m supposed to. Transparency and Accountability my A…
And one more thing. Ask if the candidate lives in the riding they are intending to represent. They don’t have to – they could very well live in Timmins. They may very well have strong ties here, and if so, they should be more than happy to tell you about it. If they do not live in the riding they are running for, ask what their connection is and how long they have had that connection.
Taxpayers don’t need to finance a Wellington Town Hall in dire need for another 2 years. Put it up for sale Councilor! Get on board with cost reductions.
Cost reductions? Much of the 11% increase in taxes being proposed in the 2026 Budget is for Staff. Not to mention (and God knows it’s not being mentioned!) the extra building (Edward) that we are paying rental on to house the extra staff. If we’re not cutting back on those little gems, how about giving this local residents Wellington Town Hall group the one, single year to get their act in gear before shutting them down and putting the Town Hall up for sale. It may very well be necessary, and I get it, and so does the Wellington Councillor. But so far all the money seems to be bleeding from us, into staffing, and not for what we want or need. Staff has increased immensely, but the population remains stationary. In 2025 there are officially 16,467 taxpayers in PEC.
‘
No. of PEC employees earning more than $100K:
2019 – 19 employees
2025 – 62 employees
No. of Directors at Shire Hall:
2019 – 2 employees
2025 – 10 employees
Note: 9 earn over $150K
Total PEC salaries:
2019 – 24.3m
2025 – 34.7m
Note: 40% increase in 6 years
It’s your taxes. Think about it.
I wanna rock and roll all night.
And party every (Consecon) day.
Councillor Gene Simmons
It takes real effort for a Councilor to listen to, and actually hear, what his / her constituents want.
And after they are heard, it takes real courage for the Councilor to move, second, and vote on motions that support those wishes — and also to oppose motions that do not support those wishes.
I suspect there are really no Councilors (including the Mayor) who have met the above criteria – because humans are not perfect. Nor should they be expected to be.
Some, however, do at least try. Councilor Engelsdorfer’s record on Council seems to be more aligned with the wishes of the majority of his constituents, than opposed to those wishes of the majority of his constituents.
I sincerely hope that there will be at least one person that will stand for election in each ward, and at least one person that will stand for election to the Mayoralty, that is NOT an incumbent.
And that they will put forth the effort to listen to, and hear, what his / her constituents want, and have the courage to move, second, and vote on motions that support those wishes — and also to oppose motions that do not support those wishes.
Let’s not let perfection be the enemy of good.
Per https://www.ontario.ca/document/ontario-municipal-councillors-guide/1-role-council-councillor-and-staff the role requires only:
4. It is the role of council,
a) to represent the public and to consider the well-being and interests of the municipality;
b) to develop and evaluate the policies and programs of the municipality;
c) to determine which services the municipality provides;
d) to ensure that administrative policies, practices and procedures and controllership policies, practices and procedures are in place to implement the decisions of council;
d) 1) to ensure the accountability and transparency of the operations of the municipality, including the activities of the senior management of the municipality;
e) to maintain the financial integrity of the municipality; and
f) to carry out the duties of council under this or any other Act.
These are not all equal priority, IMHO. Each voter must decide for themselves, which one of these can be sacrificed.
Thus far, a majority of Council members seems to have sacrificed a), d) and e).
Stop the sacrificing. Listen, hear, and then do what’s needed to balance all of the above.
That. Takes. Real. Courage.
I absolutely agree with this.
I will, however, add this – if the previous CAO hadn’t been in such a rush to increase the Sunshine Staffing levels in Shire Hall from 2019 until her departure in May of 2025, and backed by this Mayor for the entire time (which of course would increase the subordinate positions to attend to them), we just might have had the financial resources to fight Ontario Land Tribunals, and keep our historic Town Halls in shape. On behalf of all the residents.
Whining about Wellington roads again but wouldn’t support selling the delapitated Town Hall for much needed cash! So which is it, good roads or cling to a White Elephant?
Try reading this before you disparage the ONLY Council member I’ve seen actively trying to work WITH the riding he was elected to represent:
https://www.countylive.ca/wellington-town-hall-expected-to-be-up-for-sale-following-councils-final-approval/
Riding?? He’s a County Councilor for Gods sake. He balked on Wellington Hall so we could suck up more $$ into this building that needs to be sold.
A County Councillor. Absolutely, as are they all. Tell you what, Michelle. I’ll trade you the North Marysburgh Councillor for the Wellington Councillor.
Well done, and well said, Sir. Shire Hall and The County need more people like you.
Thank you.
I disagree. County needs reps that represent the County not ones who flip flop and don’t walk the talk. Another example of protecting their own turf as opposed to the Common Good.