My Priorities
This web site is a work-in-progress. I will be adding more information about the issues and priorities that I think are key to our town's future over the next four years. I will also be adding my thoughts about the issues I hear as I meet and talk to folks across Carleton Place in the weeks leading up to election day.
Latest editions made on October 16.
Keeping Up with Growth
Our town is growing — and growing fast. In 2021, Carleton Place was among the fastest growing communities in the country. Over the previous decade, our population grew by 27%. The County forecasts we will grow by another 67% within the next 20 years. We need to ensure that key town services keep pace with this growing demand. Plans are already in the works for critical services like transportation, recreation, water and wastewater. But our library, community centres, and cultural/entertainment services also need plans for the future, so they can meet the demand we already know is coming. Our quality of life depends on this.
Better Transportation
We also need a practical and forward-looking plan to improve and support local transit and ride-sharing services both within town and between neighbouring communities. This means reaching out to the County and the Province, as well as our neighbours, to explore the best options. The town completed a formal Transit Feasibility Study in 2025 which was quickly followed by a similar study at the County level. The coming years will be the time to move onto "next steps" in this project. Economically responsible and accessible public transportation options are key to keeping life affordable in Carleton Place going forward.
Waste Management
With ongoing changes to how recycling and organic waste are managed in Ontario, the future of waste management in Carleton Place will likely become a priority over the next Council term. This will be especially true for organic and food waste, which currently account for a significant portion of the tonnage our town pays to pickup and haul to the local landfill (and which contribute significantly to our town's greenhouse gas emissions). Finding options for local residents that are practical and affordable will be my priority.
Affordable Housing
While Carleton Place has made some positive steps in the right direction on this issue, including support for secondary units and a Community Improvement Plan that offers incentives for new construction, we need to do more. I think we can do better by working more aggressively (and creatively) with the County, the Province, builders, and local building owners with under-used capacity. It's a (big) problem we share with so many other municipalities. We need to be more creative and more willing to explore different kinds of building options — like modular construction and pre-approved designs so the places people need to call home can get built faster.
Safer Streets, Trails and Walkways
In addition to the speed of growth, the leading issue many candidates are hearing on doorsteps is the same issue that I heard four and eight years ago — traffic, speeding and safety on our roads, trails and sidewalks. It's time to lower speed limits across CP and take measures to slow vehicles on residential streets. Yes, that means spending some money to replace posted speed limit signs, install some additional stop signs and crosswalks at busy intersections, and fix convergence points along some trails... but it's worth it. It's also time to conduct a neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood safety audit across the town to ensure traffic sightlines and street lighting are good, and to make sure sidewalks, trails and crosswalks are safe and accessible. Our roadways, trails and walkways should always be ready for everyone to use and enjoy.
Including More People in Town Decisions
I (still) think it's time to include more voices in the decisions that get made at our Town Hall. It's time for a review and, if needed, a renewal of our Advisory Committees so they can give advice where it's needed, but also serve as a connection between residents and decision-makers. I advocated for a new traffic safety committee in 2022, but did not get the support needed from the rest of Council to make it happen. If re-elected, I will renew my push for a review of our Advisory Committees. I will also seek to revive a long-dormant plan to establish Neighbourhood Community Associations in Carleton Place.
Protecting Our Natural Heritage
Carleton Place is surrounded by natural beauty. The Mississippi River and Mississippi Lake, woodlands and wetlands on our borders are precious assets. As more people come to live in and around CP, we risk losing these assets as developers look for new places to build. It's time for us to think about how to preserve natural places like Arkland Island, St. James Woods, Glen Isle, and the wetlands east of town and work with landowners, surrounding municipalities and the province to get it done.
Let's Not Forget Our Senior Citizens (response to a question from Inside Ottawa Valley)
As one of the country’s fastest-growing communities, there is a “growing need” for everything in Carleton Place, including programs, activities, and services for seniors. Some of these are on track to be addressed privately as the Town has a few senior-targeted facilities making their way through the development process at this time. But that’s not going to be enough. Senior-targeted housing, healthcare, and community services are the purviews of higher levels of government. What we need to do here in Carleton Place is ensure that all the facilities we build and the services we provide going forward get looked at through a seniors’ lens to ensure they are accessible and inclusive to our older residents. Ensuring that our seniors can (like everyone else in Carleton Place) participate, enjoy, and contribute to their community must be our goal.
Sharing Our Roadways
Whether it's seniors who rely on electric scooters or carts for mobility, kids looking for ways to get to school now that bus service has been taken away, weekend cyclists, snowmobilers, or ATV drivers; our roadways and trails are getting busier and keeping track of the "rules of the road" more complicated. With safety front-and-centre, the Town needs to find ways to make room for some of these more-affordable and accessible modes of transportation. A good place to start is with clear rules about what's allowed, where and when. Slowing things down (as in lowering speed limits on residential roadways) is another approach worth some serious thought. Parking also needs to be considered.
Clear Language for Better Communication
The current Council made improving the Town's communication channels one of its top priorities following the 2022 elections. While great strides were made, there is always room for improving communications. One place I think we should go is to adopt Clear Language Guidelines for all formal and mandated communications with residents, including the use of plain English. Councillors understand the intent behind the bylaws we approve, but the legal language used to write them, which is often all the public sees, is impenetrable. Including a clear-language version (or a clear-language summary) with every bylaw and every motion put before Council would help residents better understand the work that happens in the Council chamber.
North of the River
Over the next five-to-ten years, the north end of CP is going to experience some significant changes. Proposals for new apartment buildings on the Findlay Foundry lands, extensive new housing developments on either side of Lanark Street, and a re-imagining of the space currently occupied by the Aquatic Centre beside the Carambeck Community Centre will impact life on the north side of town. What about services? What about commercial development? We know there's growth planned for the south side of town along McNeely and around Highway #7, but we shouldn't forget about the neighbourhoods north of the river and along Townline Road when we're planning for the future.
More to come...