A United Community with a Bright future
In reviewing ACW strategic plans and speaking with residents while campaigning, Peggy identified the following OPPORTUNITIES for council's consideration.
Council & Town Hall Meetings
In response to residents wanting evening council meetings and access to council, move to an alternating hybrid schedule (daytime/evening) for regular Council meetings and introduce quarterly Town Hall meetings rotated at different locations throughout the township.
Safe Drinking Water
Create a Safe Drinking Water Task Force including resident representatives, councillors, suppliers, municipal and regional staff, Ministry of the Environment staff, and any other relevant representatives to review the ongoing drinking water problems in the township and recommend actions toward immediate resolution.
Access for Emergency Response Services (ERS)
Advocate for the creation of a cost-recovery bylaw providing the township authority to intervene in Emergency need situations on private roads to lakefront residential communities when the road owner is negligent in maintaining access for ERS vehicles. Examples of access impediment include: pot holes, roadway width, and snow clearing.
Open Highway 21 Immediately After Winter Storms
Work with our MPP, OPP, Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Huron Country to implement mitigation measures for snow drifting and develop a plan to keep sections of highway 21 open from Goderich to Amberley as much as possible follwoing winter storms and when it is safe to do so.
Cell and Internet Connectivity
Create a Task Force of residents, council and township staff to suggest immediate short-term solutions and priority locations to improve cellphone and internet connectivity while waiting for county-wide long-term solutions to be implemented.
Property Standards/Bylaw Enforcement Accountability
Review our bylaws and enforcement tracking system to improve accountability of service response to complaints reported.
Create a Business Improvement Area (BIA)
Encourage the formation of a Business Improvement Area (BIA) spanning the entire township to work with the Economic Development Committee on business recruitment plans and provide marketing and promotional support to ACW businesses.
Community Improvement Plan (CIP)
Utilize a CIP to support the physical conversion of a "village" building into a community-governed nonprofit shared space that is eligible to apply for federal and provincial economic development business "start-up" funding.
Develop Agri-Tourism Products
Leverage regional, provincial and federal business start-up and incubator grant programs to support the creation and promotion of agri-food and other rural tourism products and experiences.
Tourism Destination Marketing
Partner with Huron County and provincial and federal tourism agencies to expand and promote destination tourism opportunities in ACW.
Highway 21 Active Transportation Corridor
Support ACW's Parks & Recreation Strategy by advocating for the creation of a segregated Active Transportation Corridor along highway 21 between MTO Road and Point Farms Provincial Park. The corridor would connect with the G2G trail, airport, restaurants, 1,750+ residents, 103,909 (2021 data) annual park visitors, and golf course.
Youth Advisory Council
Create a Youth Advisory Council to be a voice inputting into Economic Development Committee discussions pertaining to youth employment retention, training, recreation and housing.
Highway 21 Safety Zone
Advocate for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation to assess highway 21 between Point Farms provincial park and MTO Road for consideration of a Community Safety Zone to reduce the speed in this corridor and install vehicle-activated warning lights on top of the hill at MTO Road intersection. This is a density corridor having high entry use from park visitors, four residential communities, roadside restaurants, airport service and tractor trailer trucks from highway 25 bound for Goderich.