To the Editor,
I read your recent editorial regarding the postponement of the reconstruction of Main Street West with great interest. As someone who has spent considerable time reviewing the publicly available documents surrounding this issue, I agree with one important point: the Province of Ontario bears significant responsibility for the timing of the delay.
After decades of managing the former Canadian International Paper site, the province’s decision to proceed with thousands of truckloads of remediation material through the Main Street West corridor during the same construction season undoubtedly disrupted the Town’s reconstruction plans. On that point, your criticism is understandable.
However, I believe the editorial goes too far when it places virtually all responsibility on the province while completely absolving the municipality.
The Town’s 2025–2030 Strategic Plan acknowledges challenges in recruiting and retaining qualified staff, balancing long-term infrastructure projects with day-to-day operations, and maintaining organizational capacity as municipal responsibilities continue to grow. The same plan identifies road conditions as one of the most consistent concerns raised by residents during public consultations.
The Town’s Asset Management Plan paints an equally sobering picture. It estimates an annual infrastructure investment requirement of approximately $9.9 million while identifying sustainable annual funding of only about $3.1 million—a funding gap approaching $7 million every year.
In April 2025—one full year before the provincial truck-haul notice—Hawkesbury Council formally asked the United Counties of Prescott and Russell to assume responsibility for Main Street West, arguing that it functions as a regional transportation corridor rather than simply a local street. Council noted that Hawkesbury remains the only municipality within Prescott and Russell without a county road passing through its boundaries, despite local taxpayers contributing to the county road system.
That request itself demonstrates that questions surrounding ownership, responsibility and funding for Main Street West existed well before the Province announced its 2026 remediation schedule.
In fairness, there is little evidence that Council or administration mishandled the specific decision to postpone reconstruction once the provincial schedule became known. Staff evaluated alternative approaches, considered engineering recommendations, examined traffic impacts and ultimately concluded that postponing the full reconstruction until 2027 represented the lowest overall risk.
That appears to have been a reasonable engineering decision.
But saying the postponement was a reasonable decision is not the same as saying the municipality bears no responsibility for the broader circumstances surrounding Main Street West.
Official municipal documents describe an aging infrastructure network, significant funding shortfalls, staffing pressures and ongoing challenges in managing major capital projects.
Rather, it demonstrates that Main Street West is the result of years of shared challenges involving all three levels of responsibility: the Province, the municipality, and regional government.
Respectfully,
Michael MacDonald
Hawkesbury
