Municipal politicians, constituents concerned about economic development in the area

By Roberta Bell Orillia Packet & Times

COLDWATER  – Bolstering economic development in the region is going to be a challenge, but it’s one municipal politicians and their supporters hope to work with the provincial government on this year.

Simcoe County is large and the concerns of constituents living in urban and rural municipalities across it are not the same, Warden Gerry Marshall said Sunday during Simcoe North MPP Garfield Dunlop’s 15th New Year’s Levee at the Coldwater legion.

Marshall, also the Mayor of the Town of Penetanguishene, was one of about 350 local politicos and constituents who attended the annual meet and greet, where they not only aired their grievances, but chatted and socialized as well.

“Our relationship with the provincial government is a lot more complex than a lot of counties,” Marshall said.

Working together to get a handle on the various challenges the county faces as it grows is a priority, Marshall said.

He said he hopes the county is in a position to apply for development funding later this year.

Economic development is also on constituent Dave Tunstall’s radar.

Tunstall, who attended Dunlop’s annual meet and greet to show support, said that although the Progressive Conservative “continually works for the greater good of our area,” as the Opposition, Dunlop has his work cut out for him.

Building alliances with politicos form other parties is going to be important not just to attracting new business in the area, but drawing attention to Simcoe North’s other concerns, Tunstall said.

Dunlop, the critic for education as well as for training, colleges and universities, said his focus this year is going to be on his hefty portfolio.

After the levee, he said he’s heading to Windsor, where he’ll meet Monday morning with officials, students and staff from the university and college there.

“I’m just trying to get my head around all the different problems university and colleges are having across Ontario,” Dunlop said.

In the legislature, Dunlop said he expects issues that have been simmering beneath the surface following the 2014 election to resurface in 2015 – including the cancellation of GTA-area power plants that allegedly cost Ontario more than a billion dollars.

“They’ve been able to very cleverly distance themselves from that,” Dunlop said of the Liberal government.

But he said expects as they settle in, this time, likely for four years as a majority, it will come back up and people continue to demand financial accountability.

Another hot topic Dunlop said he thinks will be back on the table is the rising hydro rates.

“A lot of people are having trouble paying their bills,” Dunlop said.

The auditor-general, in her annual report, said that there is a problem with new digital-display smart metres that track people’s electricity use, he said.

One issue he said he doesn’t like to “play politics with” is health care.

“I think health care is something we should all work together on,” Dunlop said.

He said he’s concerned about under funding both Community Care Access Centres and medium-sized hospitals, like Soldiers’ Memorial in Orillia and Georgian Bay General in Midland.

Politicians need to pay more attention to the concerns of those hospitals, which have been on short leashes over the past five years when it comes to their budgets.

“They need more help,” Dunlop said.

Even small hikes in operation costs, including ones related to hydro and insurance, are starting to impact health care provision, Dunlop said he’s heard.

“We have to go back and pay attention to some of their needs,” Dunlop said.