Preserving rural character is key for Springwater mayor

AWARE News Networ 

About 150 Springwater residents packed into the council chambers Monday night to see their new council sworn in. In his inaugural address, Mayor Bill French picked up on themes from the election campaign to outline a program for the next four years – preservation of the township’s rural character, residential growth based on need, localized services, and improved transparency and communications, including appointment of the Ontario Ombudsman for closed meeting investigations and live video streaming of council meetings. He promised to address the threat of the Midhurst mega-development, protect the Minesing Wetlands and engage with First Nations and the Ministry of Natural Resources to reopem Springwater Provincial Park.

The following is the text of Bill French’s inaugural address:

Let me tell you a little about myself and then some comments on the next 4 years.

I was born and raised on the 5th of Flos. I attended St Patrick’s School in Phelpston, which formed my early character under the guidance of teachers like Madeleine Quesnell and the Pastor of the day, Fr. Morrison. I asked Fr. Jim Bussanich current pastor of St Patrick’s to provide our reflection as my faith life, which is still important to me today, began in Phelpston where I was baptized and confirmed.

Being raised on a farm certainly makes you understand that procrastination is not a good trait. You must make hay when the sun is shining.

Our family was fortunate that we had a hard-working father and an industrious mother and neither were afraid of a hard day’s work. I was also fortunate to have two older siblings, Bob and Pat. I was quite shy when I was young so they both encouraged me as I began my later schooling and guided me as I chose new avenues of adventure.

When it comes to my career, I can honestly say that I enjoyed every day of my 35 years full time employment. As I have gotten older I often reflect and wonder why that was, as I hear of so many people that are unhappy with their jobs. It was simple, I happened to always work for visionary leaders rather than just bosses.

I think of Ralph Snelgrove, the founder of CKBB and CKVR in Barrie. Then there was Jack Mattenley, the VP and GM of the station. Next was Allan Waters, the founder of CHUM radio that bought CKVR who supported my desire to start a TV Production company. Ted Delaney and Joe Garwood at Baton Broadcasting hired me on a hunch that I could make something out of a new venture they were launching. Because of their support and guidance the company AP Video International grew to be the largest company of its kind in Canada. The last position in my full time career was with Cinram International. Isidore Philosophe, the founder, over some fine scotch, shared his vision of what he wanted the company to be. In about 7 years we became the largest global supplier of prerecorded media.

In the last 10 years I operated a business consulting company and have enjoyed teaching business at Georgian College and was pleased to be asked and certified as a Kauffman Fasttrac Entrepreneurship Program Facilitator. A number of Springwater businesses participated in my pilot program

I am a life-long learner and still have a lot to learn, which I plan to do.

When you have a wife like Lorraine, who has been the cheerleader of my career for 46 years and you have 5 children who I am very proud of, it keeps you focused. My children not only teach me about life but also inspire me in the way they live their own lives, which keeps me grounded. They even point out some of my flaws from time to time. When you add the love and joy of 10 grandchildren, things can’t get much better.

The key to the success of any organization is Vision and Leadership. They must work hand in hand. Even though some say the Township is not a business, I don’t agree. We are a service provider to over 18,000 people and must meet your needs, and not just the things we want to do. I am hoping this concept will come to life over the next 4 years through the efforts of the 7 of us on council, our senior management and our staff.

All of us on council spent a lot of time knocking on your doors during September and October and with that knowledge I feel confident that we can go in a direction that builds on your vision of the future of Springwater.

Some of the things that resonated with me when I spoke with many of you, was your desire to preserve our rural character.

You told us that when it comes to residential growth, it should be based on a need rather than opportunism that benefits only a few.

You told us that you wanted localized services where you live, not in grandiose urban based centralized multiplexes that require you to always jump into a car and travel a lengthy distance to enjoy them. You more importantly told us that to live in our relaxed and nature-filled township, you would forego some of those big city amenities. That is your vision and I definitely share that with you.

You also told us that you want to be heard and be part of the solution and not just passengers on our journey into the future.

One of the first things we want to achieve is improved transparency and communication. It started in our last council and we can build on that. Some of the ideas that came forward were, an expanded question period at council meetings, more frequent council meetings, quarterly ward town hall meetings, more public meetings on major issues, and access through technologies such as live video streaming of council meetings. When it comes to closed meeting investigations, instead of a private township paid investigator you suggested using the services of the Ontario Ombudsman, which I support.

The big issue of course is the threat of Mega Development in Midhurst creating a new city the size of Orillia, destroying initially 750 acres of prime farmland and then potentially another 1100 acres. A change in direction will have a significant impact on many stakeholders and we cannot ignore that fact. With the support of council we hope to have the Ontario Government reconsider their special rule that has allowed it to proceed. This project will change the face of Springwater forever if allowed to proceed in its present form. It would be a complete paradigm shift from a rural centric municipality to an urban centric city and would become the poster child for urban sprawl in small town Ontario.

Everyone agrees that we will have growth, but we as the township need to control it and get back in the driver’s seat

We need your guidance and input in regard to what you want places like Elmvale, Midhurst and Hillsdale to look like 25 years from now.

You tell us your vision and we will try to take us in that direction and with your support we will get there.

I spoke to many farmers to better understand their needs, since agriculture is Springwater’s number 1 economic driver. Basically they asked to have red tape removed when they are conducting their business. For example one farmer reminded me that the original roads developed in our rural Ontario were designed to move produce to market and were not just based on traffic flow, which is the benchmark we use today. Another mentioned that to build a new silo or building the red tape is cumbersome. Some of that is regulated by higher levels of government but we need to help simplify the process.

When it comes to the Minesing Wetlands, one of the largest and most biodiverse ecosystems in the world, we not only need to protect it, since most of the wetlands are located in Springwater Township, we must protect it. We are already seeing the early indicators of its declining health with deteriorating water quality and loss of canopy cover.

As a township we are definitely late to the table, but we need to engage with our First Nations people and the Ministry of Natural Resources and become involved in the reopening of Springwater Park.

There are many things we need to do and we need to start now.

As a council, our journey will be challenging but by working together and remembering that we as a council need to be servant leaders to all of our residents, we can achieve great things going forward.

We have accepted a great challenge but all of us in this room have the responsibility of leaving a legacy that we can be proud of. We must become good ancestors and continue to do the hard work and stay focused on the Vision that our forefathers started over 150 years ago and that was to be a thriving agricultural area highlighted by a number of unique settlement areas, while at the same time being sensitive to our natural environment.

I know it’s not going to be easy, but I am excited to be your mayor for the next four years and I will work hard to earn your respect and support, as we unfold your vision for this wonderful township of Springwater.

In closing, as we approach Christmas, it is a great opportunity for personal renewal.

May God’s peace be with you as we enter this festive and holy season.

Thank you.