1) Why are you running?
South Bruce has for ten years been considered as a Canadian site to host a Deep Geological Nuclear Waste Repository (DGR). There are residents who support this idea, and there are those who are opposed. It continues to divide the community. Current council is willing to delay this decision for possibly years. I believe that a Willingness Referendum should be held as soon as possible to give every resident a vote to end this indecision. The referendum period of six or seven months, in which time the proponents and those opposed can present their views, should allow for adequate, focused discussion. I believe that democracies benefit from having a choice of candidates,
choosing those that best reflect their views. A life long farmer, additionally I have 15 years experience on Committee of Adjustment, and developing commercial property while living in Sarnia/Lambton. For the last 15 years I have enjoyed being a resident of South Bruce, living near Carlsruhe.
2) Are there any steps municipalities can take to ease cost of living concerns? If so, what measures would you support?
Much of municipal government is about the provision of services in one form or another to residents or businesses. As such the focus should remain on the cost effectiveness of services.
3) What are your ideas for economic development in your municipality?
Economic development occurs in areas of stability. The uncertainty of South Bruce hosting a mega-project in the community makes potential residents and businesses considering relocation uneasy. Resolving this uncertainty would benefit the community. Once a decision is made, either way, a new Official Plan requiring public consultation with the requisite zonings and by-laws changes would show that South Bruce was open for economic development.
Presently there appear to be long timelines in getting development decisions made in the community. While this involves both local and county administrations, streamlining these decisions would be welcome by developers.
4) Do you think the municipality has a role to play in the recruitment and retention of physicians and other healthcare workers?
The municipality does have a role to play in ensuring residents have access to healthcare. While there are no hospitals in South Bruce, it appears that there is a hospital within a 20 minute drive of all residents.
With a provincial shortage of doctors and health care workers, we may have to manage expectations in rural areas. Would a medical centre staffed by a nurse practitioner four or five days a week be better than a doctor’s office staffed two days a week?
5) What is your view on South Bruce being a potential host municipality for a deep geologic repository to store spent nuclear fuel?
My wife, Sylvia, and I have been landowners in South Bruce for nearly 30 years. The enjoyment provided by the natural beauty of the area and the people living here, some of who were family, prompted us to take up residence 15 years ago. It was a monumental decision leaving friends, family, and farms behind in Sarnia-Lambton. A primary incentive to relocate was the hazardous waste landfill and incinerator, one of two in Canada, and although miles away was visible downwind from the front door. We recognized that this hazardous waste site was permanent, and that for the benefit of our mental and physical health we didn’t have to stay.
As the last of our four children headed off to university, it was time to relocate to the Carlsruhe countryside. The last ten years we have heard the proponent’s experts sell the project. We have many studies, some of which indicate they are only best guesses, with realistic forecasts not available until after a decision to locate has been made. Until we have an opportunity to have focused, open and public debate, my previous experiences with hazardous waste management don’t allow me to support the project.