WELLINGTON COUNTY – A vote on approving the spending of $40 million to construct new Public Works garages in Erin and Brucedale had one councillor questioning whether council needs to evaluate its priorities.
During the debate on a motion to approve the plan, Councillor Diane Ballantyne raised concerns about the lack of childcare in the area.
“It’s not that the garage projects are not something that we haven’t spoken about for a significant amount of time and that they are not needed, but I think we all know when we are running our own households that we have plans for a particular thing and something else happens and we might have to set those things aside for a little while,” explained Ballantyne.
Ballantyne says the province is not creating more affordable childcare spaces as it was expected to do, leaving many parents with no child care options.
“That need is palpable in our communities, and…it’s not just about being stressed a home with your children, it’s about your inability to participate in the economy,” explained Ballantyne.
Ballantyne would like to see council participate in a professionally facilitated “visioning session” to determine priorities for the County, beyond those outlined in the County’s strategic plan.
“I think having a facilitated professional to come in to help us understand, kind of like we were starting to do with Ride Well, a visioning session about how do we approach difficult decisions,” said Ballantyne. “Again in your household, you have conversations and you talk about your different priorities and you try to figure out where are your compromises.”
She would also like the County to start collecting data to see if it is meeting its goals. The motion to approve the spending on the Bprucedale and Erin garages passed with only Ballantyne and two other councillors voting against it.
