Colborne Street bridge, cultural centre, and doctor shortage all addressed in information session by mayor to local club

Kawartha Lakes Mayor Doug Elmslie took his public information show on the road recently, speaking to about 30 members of the Lindsay Progress Club about key city projects.

Elmslie took time to address members’ questions about a wide range of hot button issues ranging from doctor recruitment to the need for more infrastructure and housing as Kawartha Lakes grows.

“As councillors and staff are immersed in what is going on, we sometimes forget that many citizens,” aren’t always aware in the same way.

In the information part of his presentation, Elmslie listed the building of 5,300 new homes by 2031, improvements to Colborne Street, the building of a new paramedic headquarters, the repair of the Elm Tree Road Bridge, the replacement of caste iron water mains on Glenelg and Pottinger Streets, a new roof on the Lindsay Firehall, improvements in municipal parking lots, repairs to the Lindsay library building and park upgrades at Sylvester, Pioneer, and Ops Parks as key projects on the go.

Elmslie further stated that the 60,000 square foot cultural centre, to be built somewhere in the Lindsay downtown core, is now at the costing stage and with anticipated grants from all levels of government could be open and in operation by 2029.

Elmslie received good news from Premier Doug Ford after he recently toured areas in the city affected by the ice storm.

“Normally, a municipality has to spend three per cent of its operating budget on disaster clean up to qualify for provincial assistance,” Elmslie said. “We won’t get there. The premier has promised to waive the three per cent after touring Kawartha Lakes. We will hold him to that and send him the bill.”

On the issue of harassment and threats to councillors and staff, Elmslie said the city has had to take a hardline with a number of individuals.

“We have issued no trespass notices,” Elmslie said. “They cannot come into municipal buildings. There is an ongoing criminal case before the courts involving one individual in particular. We cannot have our staff treated in this manner.”

The first question from the floor was about what the city is doing about attracting doctors to Kawartha Lakes.

Elmslie praised the hard work being done by the Kawartha Lakes Health Care Initiative in its search for primary care physicians. The mayor added that in Kawartha Lakes the city is providing top-up funding for afterhours clinics so that doctors working there will also see patients who are currently not rostered with a health care provider.

“The doctors are very appreciative of our assistance, and our program acts as a form of doctor retention,” Elmslie said.

To the next questioner, Elmslie confirmed categorically that the Colborne Street bridge will be constructed, despite entrenched opposition to the project in some adjoining neighbourhoods

“We need to get traffic moving,” Elmslie said, “especially with the anticipated growth in the east ward. Plans are in place and we have started to appropriate the land needed for this project.”

When questioned about the excessive amounts of provincial downloading to municipalities without sufficient funding for the municipality to act, Elmslie was enthusiastic about the work being done by the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus and other groups that are getting the ear of the province.

“We just had a day at Queen’s Park,” Elmslie said,” where we had the opportunity to meet with cabinet ministers and the premier. It was a really beneficial day for all involved.”

On the issue of improving traffic flow through Fenelon Falls, Elmslie acknowledged the challenge.

“It is problematic every summer,” Elmslie said. “It is even worse on long weekends. Some in Fenelon want a second bridge. We are looking at a bypass to the north of Fenelon Falls.”

Elmslie concluded the question section of the evening addressing the need for more infrastructure construction in Kawartha Lakes to service the new subdivisions under construction.

“The federal and provincial governments have to get back in the housing game in a serious way,” Elmslie said. “They have to stop downloading responsibilities without finances. Municipalities have a money problem. We need to have more money available for infrastructure for these new homes.”