• Protecting Water and Farmland in Simcoe County

BWG breakfasts with the Mayor

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In Agriculture
May 29th, 2015
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BWG Mayor Rob Keffer -BradfordTimes photo

By Miriam King, Bradford Times

The annual Mayor’s Breakfast, held at the Lusitano Banquet Hall in Bradford, early on May 21, was not only a networking opportunity for members of the Bradford Board of Trade, senior Town Staff, Council and the community at large, but an opportunity to hear more about the achievements and future direction of the municipality.

Deputy Mayor James Leduc spoke of the tide of public opinion that swept a new Council into office, in the last municipal election. “We heard the message, that the residents want to be heard,” he said.

The result has been a focus on public engagement, through the establishment of new Committees, and a series of monthly CAN Meetings, allowing residents to meet and question their Ward Councillor and Mayor, in an informal setting. “These meetings have been very successful,” Leduc said. “We want to make sure we hear our residents.”

He said that the new Council has refreshed the Town’s Strategic Plan, promising to create a “complete community, with opportunities for all,” and work in an “effective and efficient” manner to meet the needs of residents.

Council also brought in a budget containing a 0.59% increase in the tax rate, “without any cuts to services,” Leduc said. “Again that was a message from our residents, that taxes were out of control and too high.”

The Deputy Mayor touched on Seniors’ housing, affordable housing, arts and culture, traffic concerns – before introducing Mayor Rob Keffer, “a champion for Agriculture,and a protector of the environment.”

Mayor Keffer began his comments by focussing on the “Big Picture.”

“I think we can only talk about Bradford West Gwillimbury in the context of our Region,” the Mayor told the crowd. BWG holds a unique position, as the southernmost municipality in Simcoe County, with strong ties to York Region, he noted.

“We are somewhat GTA and suburban, as well as being a farming community,” Keffer said – facing problems of traffic congestion and rapid growth, as well as the need to preserve agricultural lands.

The Mayor spoke of the importance of reaching out to other municipalities and levels of government – including the City of Barrie, County of Simcoe; Federal and Provincial governments. He said he has been in talks with the Minister of Transportation, regarding better co-ordination of GO transit, and the Hwy. 400-404 Link.

“This kind of co-operation and collaboration behind the scenes is very important,” Keffer said, noting that the Town will be participating in the Federation of Canadian Municipalities conference in June, to work on “Big Picture” issues – including the federal government’s promise of $1 Billion in dedicated transit funding, starting in 2 years. “That is good news,” but there is a need for more details, on how the funding will impact smaller municipalities, the Mayor said.

“Together we can get so much accomplished,” Keffer concluded. “That is the big picture, that will take time and endeavor.”

Locally, the focus will be on getting infrastructure in place, extending servicing to the Hwy. 400 Employment lands, pushing for the 400-404 Link, and establishing new public forums on culture, the environment, diversity and heritage.

“I’m very proud of the very open, collaborative approach of Town Council,” Mayor Keffer said – responsive to both business and residents, focusing on “getting the little things right… and trying to position Bradford West Gwillimbury as a leader in Simcoe County.”

The next CAN (Community Access Networking) meeting will be held with Ward 3 Councillor Gary Lamb, on Saturday, May 30 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Danube Seniors Leisure Centre, 715 Simcoe Rd. All residents are invited to attend.

 Several attributes make Bradford unique, mayor says

By Brea Bartholet Bradford West Gwillimbury Topic

Bradford West Gwillimbury may be the most southern municipality within all of Simcoe County, but Mayor Rob Keffer believes it is just one element that makes our community unique.

“In some ways, we have more in common with York Region communities, like East Gwillimbury and Newmarket, as we share GTA problems like traffic congestion, commuting to and from work and growth,” he said during Breakfast with the Mayor at Lusitano Restaurant & Catering, Thursday.

“But we are also a farming community, Canada’s carrot capital and we share much of our farming community with King Township, New Tecumseth and Innisfil.”

Throughout the breakfast,  held in partnership with the Bradford Board of Trade and BWG’s Office of Economic Development, Keffer outlined some of the key factors to BWG’s recent growth and importance within Simcoe.

The blended feel of suburban life with rural roots now serves as somewhat of an opportunity for the town — offering incoming families and businesses a place to grow and develop with a small-town twist.

Keffer also pointed out the steps being taken to improve local transit within BWG and surrounding areas through GO service.

“The very first thing I did as mayor was write to the provincial Minister of Transportation about our traffic problems, including ways we can upgrade our GO station, integrate GO transit with our BWG bus service and work toward a link between Hwy. 404 and Hwy. 400,” Keffer said. He continued to point out efforts made to increase interest in BWG’s economy.

“Similarly, I have made a point of reaching out to the chief of staff to the provincial minister of economic development and have met with his parliamentary assistant, an MPP from Ottawa, to discuss how we can attract industry to BWG.”

Though he is merely six months into his term as mayor, Keffer is proud of the open, consultative and collaborative approach he and council have worked to bring to BWG, ensuring they are accountable and approachable in solving problems.

This year, council has introduced community access network meetings, allowing residents in each ward to meet with their respective councillors.

“Communications have drastically improved transparency and collaboration within our town,” Keffer said.

“I’m excited about our environmental forum, our arts and culture meetings and our diversity forums.”

Slowly but surely, BWG is taking the shape of its neighbours to the north and south. Though the downtown core still has room for improvement, Keffer believes residents are finally seeing major improvements, which now include revamps to businesses such as Evans and Evans, Skwarchuk’s Funeral Home and other downtown storefronts.

“We’re getting the little things right so you can grow your business and succeed in your goals,” said Keffer, nearing the end of his speech.

“And as a council, we will use the tools we have at our disposal to move the town in the direction we want.”

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