Laurie Mortimer

I absolutely support Beeton having an arena. Where I struggle is with asking taxpayers, particularly at a time when so many households are already feeling financially stretched, to absorb an approximately 5% tax increase for this project alone.

The financial information presented to Council estimated the single-pad arena option at more than $44 million, with an equivalent tax-rate impact of approximately 5.47%. That’s significant, and it can’t be considered in isolation from all of the other needs facing our municipality.

So, would I support building that option today under the current financial circumstances? No.

That doesn’t mean I don’t support Beeton or believe it deserves an arena. Quite the opposite. I want Beeton to have a recreation facility that can serve that community for generations. I just don’t believe we should put ourselves in a position where achieving that one goal creates an unaffordable burden for taxpayers or prevents us from addressing roads, infrastructure and other priorities across New Tecumseth.

I would rather continue maintaining and repairing the existing Beeton Memorial Arena, provided it can be operated safely, while we work toward a more financially responsible path to replacement.

That means looking at future growth and the increased tax base it can bring to Beeton, development-charge funding where applicable, reserves, grants and funding opportunities from other levels of government. I would also want to revisit the project as our financial position changes rather than committing taxpayers to the entire burden today.

This is actually one of the reasons I support balanced growth across Alliston, Beeton and Tottenham. Beeton needs additional residents not simply for the tax base, but also to support its businesses, recreation facilities and community services.

I want a new arena for Beeton. The question for me isn’t whether Beeton deserves one — it absolutely does. The question is how we get there without placing an unreasonable burden on taxpayers.

Sometimes responsible leadership means saying, “Yes, I support the goal but no, I don’t support the way we’re being asked to pay for it today.”

I believe the best way to reduce homelessness is to work on both sides of the problem , helping people who are already experiencing homelessness, while doing everything reasonably possible to prevent people from losing their housing in the first place.

There isn’t one cause of homelessness, and there isn’t going to be one solution. The cost and availability of housing are certainly part of it, but people can also find themselves without housing because of job loss, family breakdown, mental health or addiction challenges, disability, domestic violence or simply an unexpected financial crisis.

That means our response has to be equally broad.

We need more attainable and affordable housing options, including different types and sizes of housing. We need to support programs that help people remain housed when they experience a temporary crisis. And for those already experiencing homelessness, emergency shelter is important, but ultimately the goal has to be moving people toward safe, stable, permanent housing with the appropriate supports.

New Tecumseth is fortunate to have organizations such as S.H.I.F.T. and CONTACT Community Services doing this work locally, and I believe the municipality should continue working cooperatively with these organizations and the County of Simcoe.

The County has primary responsibility for social housing and homelessness services, but I don’t believe that means our local Council has no role. Municipal decisions about planning, housing supply, development, available land and partnerships can all contribute to solutions. Council can also advocate strongly to the County and provincial and federal governments when resources are needed.

As for what I’m personally doing right now, I want to be transparent: I am not currently involved directly with a specific homelessness program, so I wouldn’t want to suggest otherwise.

What I am doing is trying to better understand the issue, the services already available in our community and where the gaps remain. If elected, I would want to hear directly from the organizations doing this work and, equally importantly, from people with lived experience of homelessness or housing insecurity before deciding what role the Town can most effectively play.

For me, success isn’t simply finding someone a bed for one night. It’s helping prevent that person from needing the bed in the first place and, when they do need it, creating a realistic path back to stable housing.

Thank you for this question. As a resident myself, I understand the frustration of watching infrastructure age while wondering whether enough of our tax dollars are getting back into the things we rely on every single day.

I’m running for Ward 3 Councillor, not Mayor, so I can’t promise that I alone can make these things happen. What I can promise is that I will use my vote and my voice at the Council table to make maintaining the infrastructure we already own a priority.

Roads are a perfect example. We need to get away from allowing roads to deteriorate to the point where the eventual repair becomes significantly more expensive.

The Town’s updated Road Needs Study is coming back before Council this fall, and I believe that will be an important opportunity for the new Council. I want to understand which roads have been identified as priorities, what condition they’re actually in, what the recommended timelines are and, importantly, what it will cost to properly address them.

From there, I want to see a realistic, properly funded multi-year plan based on condition, safety, traffic and need, one that residents can actually see and understand.

I also completely agree with you about a new high school. Education isn’t under municipal jurisdiction, so Council can’t simply decide to build one. But that doesn’t mean we should sit quietly and say it isn’t our responsibility. With the growth happening in New Tecumseth, I believe our Mayor and Council should be strong advocates with our school boards and the Province for the schools and other infrastructure our growing population requires.

And this connects directly to one of my biggest concerns about growth.

We cannot continue approving growth and then deal with roads, schools, recreation, water, wastewater and traffic as an afterthought. Infrastructure needs to be part of the conversation before and alongside growth, not years later when residents are already feeling the consequences.

There will always be competing priorities and limited tax dollars, and I won’t promise residents everything they ask for simply to get elected. What I can promise is that I will ask questions, look carefully at where our money is being spent, push for provincial and federal funding wherever it’s available, and advocate for taking care of the essential infrastructure we already have.

To me, that’s one of the most basic responsibilities of municipal government.

And ultimately, I hope residents won’t have to take my word for it. Over the next four years, they’ll be able to look at my votes, the questions I’ve asked and the decisions I’ve supported and decide for themselves whether I’ve represented them well.

I'm not sure why I have been linked to this question. I'm not an incumbent.

What I will say is I too have concerns about our roads and the winter maintenance and when setting my priorities should I be selected I will work together get answers and support the necessities and safety of our roads.

I don't think it should have been a one over the other. I personally believe all 3 items should have advance to the next stages to see what grants we could participate in? What partnerships could be made ie name recognition etc at a cost of course and to explore further costing. It was a real shame for how the council meeting was handled that day.

If elected I would bring it back to the table with hopes we're not too late and other elected members hopefully support it. After all your one voice and one vote amongst 8 other elected members. (We ) those selected to represent our communities and residents need to work together and find a common ground. This past council from my position, watching every meeting was not working together. It wasn't just one person they each brought good and bad over the 4 year period.

I don’t think there is a simple answer to this question, and I don’t want to pretend there is.

I understand the residents who say, “I moved here because I liked the small-town feel and I don’t want it to change.” I understand that because those are many of the same things I value about New Tecumseth.

But we also have to be realistic. Growth is coming, and much of the amount of growth we are required to plan for is being determined beyond the municipal level.

So for me, the question becomes: if we cannot simply say no to growth, what do we want New Tecumseth to look and feel like as we grow?

My vision is that Alliston, Beeton and Tottenham remain distinct communities, surrounded by the rural and agricultural landscape that is such an important part of New Tecumseth’s identity. I want neighbourhoods where people can walk to parks and trails, where families have enough room to actually live, where there are different housing choices for young people, families and seniors, and where our downtowns and local businesses continue to be part of the heart of our communities.

I want growth that is planned around people not simply around the number of housing units we can fit onto a piece of land.

That means realistic parking, safe streets and sidewalks, trees and green space, recreation, accessibility and neighbourhoods that connect with the community around them.

Most importantly, housing cannot continually get ahead of infrastructure. Roads, water and wastewater, parks, recreation, schools, emergency services and traffic all have to be considered as we grow.

And we need to be very conscious of who ultimately pays for it. At a time when many residents are already struggling with affordability, I have serious concerns about growth creating additional financial pressure on existing taxpayers.

Will New Tecumseth look exactly the same 20 years from now? No. I don’t think it is realistic for any candidate to promise that.

But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have a clear vision for what we want it to become.

For me, that means keeping the character and identity of our communities while building places where people of different ages and incomes can live, work, raise their families and eventually retire.

We can’t stop every change. But we can have a much stronger say in what that change looks like and make sure we’re building a community, not simply building houses.

My priority for New Tecumseth in the coming year would be managing growth responsibly while protecting affordability, accountability and the quality of life of residents who already live here.

I recognize that there are several important priorities facing our community, and it is difficult to identify just one. However, financial affordability is a serious concern for me. Many households are already struggling with the rising cost of groceries, housing, utilities and just about everything else. I have real concerns about continually increasing the burden on property taxpayers at a time when families, seniors and businesses are already feeling stretched.

The Town has responsibilities and infrastructure needs that can’t simply be ignored, but I believe every significant expenditure needs to be looked at carefully. What do we need? What can wait? Are there alternatives? Are we getting good value for taxpayers’ money? And what will today’s decision cost residents five or ten years from now?

Growth also needs to pay an appropriate share of the infrastructure and services it requires. We shouldn’t approve growth and then leave existing taxpayers continually trying to catch up with the infrastructure demands it creates.

At the same time, we need to address the everyday issues residents are raising roads, traffic and pedestrian safety, parking, accessibility, recreation and maintaining the infrastructure we already have.

The goal isn’t to stop change. It’s to manage it responsibly and make choices we can actually afford.

New Tecumseth should remain a community where people can afford to live, raise their families, retire and enjoy the community they call home. To me, protecting that affordability has to be part of every major decision Council makes.

This issue is very personal to me.

My dad became a quadriplegic when I was 15, so accessibility was part of my family’s life long before it became the conversation it is today. More than 20 years ago, my dad actually served on our local accessibility committee. He eventually became frustrated because many good ideas ran into red tape, jurisdictional issues and political hurdles. Too often, what should have been a practical solution became complicated enough that nothing changed.

More than 20 years later, residents are still raising some of the same concerns. That tells me we need to move beyond simply identifying barriers.

Accessibility is not just about whether a building meets a standard. It is about whether someone can actually live independently in their community. Can a person using a wheelchair or mobility device leave home, get to transportation, travel between Alliston, Beeton and Tottenham, access recreation, shopping, medical appointments and community services, and get home again?

If they can’t, then we haven’t achieved accessibility.

There will always be different jurisdictions, budgets and regulations involved, but those cannot become reasons to accept the status quo. I would want us to identify the specific barriers residents are facing, determine who has the authority to fix each one, establish priorities and then follow through.

And the people who live with these barriers need to have a meaningful voice in those decisions, not simply be consulted after plans have already been made.

I watched my dad fight for his independence and for better accessibility in this community. That experience has stayed with me.

Twenty years later, I don’t want to have the same conversations. I want to see measurable progress.

Connecting New Tecumseth means making sure everyone can be part of it.

I support making our traffic signals more responsive to actual traffic conditions.

We’ve all experienced sitting at a red light when there is little or no traffic coming in the other direction. As our community grows and traffic patterns change, our signal timing and technology need to keep pace.

I would support reviewing our signalized intersections to identify where updated vehicle detection, better signal timing or traffic-responsive technology could improve traffic flow. We also need to work with the County or Province where intersections fall under their jurisdiction.

Sometimes relatively small improvements can make a noticeable difference. Before looking at expensive road expansions, we should make sure we are getting the most out of the infrastructure we already have.

Yes, I think this is an idea worth exploring.

As our neighbourhoods grow and lots become smaller, residents need appropriate places to exercise their dogs. Rather than assuming the only solution is purchasing land and building new dedicated dog parks, I would support having Town staff identify existing public spaces that could safely serve more than one purpose at different times of the year.

That could include seasonal or temporary off-leash areas where the location is suitable, provided we consider things like fencing, nearby homes and playgrounds, field conditions, cleanup, liability and the needs of sports organizations that use the space.

I like solutions that make better use of facilities and land we already own. A pilot project at one or two appropriate locations could be a sensible way to determine whether this would work in New Tecumseth before considering anything permanent.