Wendy Gabrek

Thank you for asking. I appreciate the opportunity to explain my decision.

I certainly considered the consultant's recommendations and respect the work that went into it. However, those recommendations were one part of a much larger discussion about how New Tecumseth will accommodate future growth.

Something I think is important to point out is that our Town also has its own professional planning staff. These are qualified, experienced planners who reviewed and defended the planning rationale behind OPA 5. They had months to recommend changes and ultimately did not recommend a single one. I have confidence in our staff, their professional expertise and the report they brought forward.

Half of council agreed with me, and my vote was not required for the motion to pass. I used my democratic privilege to vote for OPA 5 as I'd done the entire way through the process. I never wavered, not even when it was the unpopular choice to do so and was even told by another member of council to sit down, as the Strong Mayor had his numbers – because I vote with integrity, no matter the personal cost. It's unfortunate that Strong Mayor powers need to be part of this conversation, especially my vote in particular, but it's been convenient for the oppositions stratgey.

Another significant factor in my decision was the reality that if we didn't make a decision, the Province could make one for us.

We're already seeing more decisions affecting our municipality being made outside of our Council chambers. With New Tecumseth losing a representative at County Council, the move toward an appointed rather than elected Warden, and the Province setting the direction for our long-term growth, I am increasingly concerned about how much local control municipalities are retaining.

For me, this was an opportunity to have a say in how that growth is distributed across Alliston, Beeton and Tottenham, rather than leave those decisions entirely in someone else's hands.

Recommending OPA 5 is just a start. It's a long term plan that will no doubt change and evolve over time, and we'll still need to advocate for the infrastructure required to support it, while protecting the character of our communities.

I understand that not everyone agrees with my vote, and I respect that. But I made the decision I believed was in the best long-term interest of New Tecumseth.

I also think it's important to remember that consultants are hired to provide professional advice, but ultimately, they aren't the ones who have to live with the long-term consequences of the decisions made around the Council table. We are. As someone who was born and raised in New Tecumseth and has lived here my entire life, I take that responsibility seriously. I want to see all three of our settlement areas considered in our long-term growth plans, with Alliston, Beeton and Tottenham each having the opportunity to share in the benefits of that growth, rather than concentrating it all in one area. That's something I felt strongly about throughout this process.

Hi there ad thank you for the question. I have had similar questions from Ward 2 residents who are disturbed by the train whistle late at night. Just today, I sent out an email to staff and council requesting additional information on what we can do about this. So long as stringent safety measures are met, the Town can appeal to the railway for whistle cessation at certain hours, at certain crossings. It requires the support of the railway and of Town Council. As I already have this ball rolling, yes, I would support this and have already taken steps to make the change.

I think that such a by-law would be wonderful but I'm not sure how realistic it is given the cost of goods and services, and the expectations people have around maintaining (and even adding to) existing service levels. With Development Charges not flowing in currently, taxation and user fees are supporting our Town. And, there are people amongst us that are not currently feeling the pain of inflation, recession, tariffs or fixed-incomes. Rather than a blanket approach to freezing taxes, I think it would be a much better idea to discuss an option to apply for an exemption from increases, or move certain services to a "pay per use" model whereby only those receiving the services are actually charged. This of course would also be costly for the municipality to organize and enforce and could create other imbalances or confusion. But it's a great question and one I think we could look at in the next term of council. Thank you for asking.

Water and wastewater aren't profit centres for the Town. We operate on a cost-recovery basis, meaning what residents pay goes toward delivering these services, maintaining our systems and planning for future repairs and upgrades.

Every municipality is a little different when it comes to how they get their water and what it costs to treat and deliver it. Here in New Tecumseth, we rely on a combination of wells and water brought in through a 57-kilometre pipeline from Collingwood. We also have three wastewater treatment plants to operate and maintain. None of that is inexpensive, especially when you factor in provincial regulations, testing, treatment and the people needed to keep everything running safely.

Something worth pointing out is that, before the recent rate increases, New Tecumseth actually had some of the lowest water and wastewater rates in Simcoe County and among comparable municipalities. Even with the increases, we're moving closer to the middle of the pack.

We also have a projected $141 million shortfall in funding for water and wastewater infrastructure over the next 10 years. That's a significant amount of money, and it's one of the reasons we need to build our reserves and plan ahead instead of waiting until something breaks and being faced with a much larger expense.

I know nobody likes seeing their utility bills go up. I don't either. But we also can't afford to fall behind on maintaining the infrastructure we all rely on every day. We've seen what happens in communities where corners get cut and that cannot happen here in New Tec.

Hi there. Thanks for the question. The current council had approved a zero tolerance policy for ALL motorized e-bikes and e-scooters in New Tecumseth.

E-Scooters are banned entirely from all streets, sidewalks and trails. No exceptions.

E-Bikes (unmodified) are banned from sidewalks, in-boulevard multi-use trails and parks, but permitted on roads and bicycle lanes so long as the rider meets the minimum requirements, including being over 16 years old, wearing a helmet, and keeping the device in good repair.

There is little that council can do to prevent parents, grandparents or users in general from buying these devices in the first place. Often they are purchased and delivered through websites. All we can do is enforce our rules and regulations, report sitings to the non-emergency line at the OPP and provide continued public education.

During 2027 Budget deliberations we can also advocate for signage, and dedicated police enforcement campaigns, as well as more education in schools and letters home to parents advising them not to buy these devices as they cannot be ridden in new Tec.

The conversation will continue on this, I promise.

I had previously answered a similar question twice. My answers are above. Thank you for the important question and please reach out for any further clarification.

I had previously answered the similar question above, however, in short the LinX Bus is controlled and operated by the County of Simcoe. New Tecumseth can (and has) made its desire for expanded bus routes and services (especially to and through Tottenham) known, but that need has gone unmet for the time being. With that said, and as the Town grows, transit and connectivity of all kinds will be front and centre for the next sitting of Council I'm sure. Thank you for the question.

I had previously answered the same question above. Thank you :)

I had previously answered a similar question above, but in response I want to assure you I am aware of the issues. I am hearing about this regularly from residents, and I see some of these issues myself.

We need to separate homelessness from criminal behaviour, because they aren't the same thing. But theft, property damage, open drug use and discarded needles cannot simply become something residents are expected to accept.

I would like to see greater police presence in areas where problems are recurring, better education about using the OPP non-emergency reporting line, and a clear process for quickly reporting and safely removing discarded needles.

At the same time, we need to work more closely with the County and agencies like S.H.I.F.T. to address the reasons people are living on our streets in the first place — housing, addiction, mental health and poverty.

We can have compassion for people who are struggling while still expecting our parks, neighbourhoods and properties to be safe.

As a Morrison Ave. resident myself, this one is very close to home for me, literally. I have conversations with residents about what is happening in the Park (and throughout the area north to Young Street) on an almost daily basis.

I want to be very clear that needles, drug paraphernalia and human waste in a public park where children play and walk to school are unacceptable. We can have compassion for people struggling with homelessness, mental health and addiction while also expecting our public spaces to be safe for everyone, so I've already taken some action. Most recently, I arranged to have the lower limbs of the trees in the park trimmed to improve visibility and remove areas that were being used to hide or stash items.

I would like to see increased police presence and patrols in the area, better education for residents about when and how to report activity through the OPP non-emergency line, and conversations with the neighbourhood about establishing a Neighbourhood Watch or similar community-safety initiative – a committee I will be suggesting to our new Mayor for formation.

At the same time, enforcement alone won't solve addiction or homelessness. We need our outreach, mental-health, addiction and housing agencies involved so people using the park can be connected with appropriate services.