Bradford West Gwillimbury Mayor James Leduc addressed members of the business community Thursday at the Mayor's Annual Business Breakfast.
Held for the first time since the pandemic, the networking event highlights some of the key successes in town-related business over the past year, as well as provides an economic update on upcoming plans and initiatives.
Leduc said when he was on the campaign trail last year, COVID-19 was finally in retreat and after three challenging years, he had the opportunity to speak to people face to face.
"They discussed our challenges as a growing community and their concerns for the future," Leduc told the packed house. "I took these messages to heart and made sure that we would have a progressive vision and strategic outlook for the next four years that addressed the concerns I heard when I was ‘pounding the pavement.'"
He said one key element is an open and ongoing dialogue, adding that opportunities for public engagement will be a renewed focus of BWG during his mayoral term.
"I implemented a new Open House series called Community Access Networking (CAN), to provide opportunities for members of the public to speak directly to me, to Deputy Mayor Raj Sandhu and their local ward councillor," Leduc explained. "I encourage everyone to come out to these forums to ensure that any questions you have about your town are addressed.
"In my years of public service, I have always placed respect for the taxpayer at the forefront of every decision made about municipal services," Leduc added. "We have emerged from the COVID-19 emergency to a very different socio-economic landscape. New economic challenges have replaced the challenges of managing a pandemic."
After months of rigorous review and revisions, council approved a 2023 budget that includes a 5.63 per cent increase. Something the mayor called tough, but necessary.
"Safety and opportunity were two themes that kept emerging in discussions with our residents, and I intend to deliver on these," he stated.
The budget includes a new Fire Services Master Plan, a new fire training officer, 12 new firefighters in 2023 and an additional 8 firefighters in 2024. This new crew of firefighters will precede a second new fire station, to be built in the next few years.
"Sadly, we have seen the devastating impacts that a fire can have, when a dozen residents were hospitalized and more than 100 were displaced from the apartment complex at 114 Holland Street West in 2021. This could have been much worse, if not for the swift response time of our fire crews," lauded Leduc. "We need to ensure that our growing community maintains this rapid-response capacity. Our new investments in fire services will ensure that our residents, our homes and our businesses are protected."
The mayor also addressed the critical need for more affordable housing; a problem affecting municipalities across Canada.
"Working with our partners at the county level, I am proud of the investment of a 50-unit affordable housing project at 125 Simcoe Road," he said. "Construction is already underway, and will be the first step in redeveloping the Community Centre and surrounding lands into a new Town Hall and multi-purpose facility."
Lions Park will have a $500,000 investment to upgrade the Lions building into a new Youth Centre and Luxury Park will have a $700,000 facelift. The Danube Seniors Centre will be refurbished and receive a much needed $40,000 upgrade to the HVAC system, while the BWG Library will see an investment of $200,000 to design a Town Square.
"These local amenities are critical to the health and welfare of our residents, as well as keeping resident spending local," Leduc explained. "Too often, the lack of local amenities has sent residents – and their wallets – elsewhere. We want this spending in the pockets of our merchants."
Diversity, equity and inclusion will also be at the forefront of council's strategic agenda, to ensure that all voices are welcomed, heard and respected. In addition to the creation of a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, which is chaired by Ward 1 Coun. Cheraldean Duhaney, the first Black woman to sit on Council, Leduc said part of investments is the inclusion of a new cricket pitch at Joe Magani Park.
"Cricket is played and celebrated internationally, and this is a phenomenal opportunity to bring a new sporting amenity into town and welcome sports enthusiasts from our wider community."
Council's new Strategic Vision has five core priorities, which the mayor says "reflect our commitment to the themes of safety and opportunity." They include:
- Community and Traffic Safety
- Infrastructure and Upgrades for Major Access Roads
- Economic Development
- Downtown Revitalization
- Recreation and Leisure Facilities and Services
"We have a number of challenges ahead of us. We are going to hit bumps along the way. Growth and change are never easy, but we are putting the plans in place to ensure that Bradford West Gwillimbury is well-positioned to thrive, socially and economically," said Leduc.
He finished his comments with a reveal of the Town’s new website and the return of the Mayor and Council Golf Tournament, which will take place at The Club at Bond Head on June 16.
The Mayor’s Annual Business Breakfast is organized by the Office of Economic Development and was first held in 2007. In addition to the Mayor’s address, this year’s program featured speeches by CAO Geoff McKnight, Director of Planning and Development Peter Loukes, Manager of Planning Alan Wiebe and Economic Development Marketing Coordinator Michael Kemp. Economic Development Manager Michael Disano was Master of Ceremonies.