Saugeen Shores Mayor Luke Charbonneau says the town has several priorities to focus on over the next four years following the recent municipal election.
Charbonneau, who was acclaimed for another term, says one of the priorities will include the new Aquatic & Wellness Centre on the east side of the Plex along Wellington Street.
Saugeen Shores council recently approved the conceptual plans for the centre.
“It is going to be a major topic of conversation in the very near future,” says Charbonneau. “We have needed to replace our pool for a long time and we are about to get that underway, so that is going to be a big issue.”
Charbonneau adds bringing affordable and attainable housing in the region also remains a major issue.
“Getting high-density buildings built, getting rent subsidies in place, working with partners like Habitat for Humanity and other local and maybe beyond local folks with expertise in housing to get housing of all shapes and sizes built and make sure folks at every income level can get into a home in our community,” says Charbonneau.
Charbonneau says another focus is on economic development and diversifying the local economy, as well as increasing the school capacity.
“We have a lot on our plate, we are a fast growing community and that creates a lot of opportunity and a lot of things to be excited about, and that means a lot of work in terms of planning to make sure we are building a community where everybody has a high quality of life,” says Charbonneau.
Charbonneau says following the election, he felt the town ended up with a good council with some returning and some new to the role.
“The only disappointment maybe in the election, which is something we share with most other municipalities was the turnout. It would sure be nice to see voter turnout higher in future elections and that is certainly something that I think we, along with other municipalities want to think about going forward and see if there are ways that we could encourage more people to vote,” says Charbonneau.
The voter turnout for Saugeen Shores this year was 38 per cent.
