Capacity crowd gathers to hear mayor, CAO, discuss community growth

Small town, big dreams event at Kindred

The Advocate and Kindred Coffee Bar partnered last night to host “Small Town, Big Dreams,” featuring Mayor Doug Elmslie and CAO Ron Taylor. With a capacity crowd of more than 125 people who showed up at Kindred, the evening focused on the projected growth in Kawartha Lakes over the coming decade.

Taylor said that 80-90 per cent of this growth will be seen in Lindsay with the population expected to increase from 25,000 people to 50,000. Elmslie acknowledged that current residents have concerns about how Kawartha Lakes is preparing for this growth and ensured the city is investing in infrastructure, such as the sewer system and water plants, to prepare for this.

Rhonda Gossen and her husband moved from Ottawa to Lindsay five years ago and attended the event to hear about these growth plans. “I was happy to hear that council is talking about being pro-growth,” she said.

While she wished that there had been more talk about specific plans, such as upkeeping the historical look of the city, she was pleased with the “good news on the healthcare side of things and police investments.”

Healthcare is a provincial and federal responsibility. However, with long wait times at Ross Memorial Hospital and a doctor shortage, Elmslie said the city has been forced to invest in healthcare, too.

Over the last five years the city has invested $35 million in healthcare, part of which includes a new medical centre in Coboconk that is planned to open early next year and helping clinics stay operational.

“We really like Lindsay and we care about it, we want to see it improve,” said Gossen.

Another issue discussed at the event, which was sponsored by The Riley Divorce & Family Law Firm, was how the city was planning to appeal to younger generations. Elmslie pointed out how previously people would move away from our community with no plans to return. Now, more young people are finishing school and coming back to Kawartha Lakes to settle down.

Daniel Deveau, a younger Gen Z (Zed) resident of Lindsay, felt that the evening addressed the concerns he had about having Kawartha Lakes appeal more to his age group. “I plan to grow a life here,” he said.

Deveau said after the conversation concluded he had the chance to speak with Ward 5 Coun. Mark Doble who talked about plans of bringing programs offered at Fleming College’s Peterborough campus to its Frost campus located in Lindsay.

Tich Stoutt, who moved to Dunsford to 2011, said this aligned with what she was hoping to get out of the event. “We (should) want to offer more to a younger demographic,” she said. She found the evening to be beneficial in understanding council’s mindset when it comes to growth.

Transit was a hot button topic, with many hoping to be better connected to larger cities like Peterborough and Oshawa. Elmslie said that the city’s transportation master plan will be released in the coming months with more details, and that the city has been in talks with an outside agency on this issue.

For Diane Duff, who moved to Lindsay four years ago, these are the kinds of issues she wanted to hear about. “I need to get involved in the community, and part of that is staying involved in the issues,” she said.

“I would’ve liked to hear more specificity (in plans),” Duff said. Now she has interest in attending council meetings to get more in-depth ideas of the plans the city has that were addressed at the event.

Elmslie and Taylor also addressed the issue of housing. Taylor said the city committed to building 6,500 new homes by 2031 and so far, has been hitting its targets.

Elmslie was pleased with the night and thanked the audience for being engaged and asking the questions they did. “I think it went really well. I was happy to do it, and I would do it again in a heartbeat,” he said.