Facing a contested mayoral race for the first time since taking office, incumbent North Glengarry Mayor Jamie MacDonald is pointing to several major infrastructure projects as he makes his case for another term. MacDonald says he believes the election will ultimately be about what residents want for the municipality’s future.
MacDonald said he has heard criticism from one of his opponents about the state of the community, but does not agree with the assessment.
“I think it’s just some people who are interested in running,” MacDonald said. “Sometimes people say, ‘Oh, we need change,’ but they’re not really sure what that change looks like.”
If re-elected, MacDonald said infrastructure will remain a major focus for the next council. One of the municipality’s top priorities will be the Maxville Lagoon project, which he said can now move forward using surplus funding from the Alexandria Lagoon project.
The Alexandria project had a price tag of approximately $30 million. MacDonald said the province has allowed the municipality to transfer some of the surplus funds toward the Maxville project, which he estimated will cost between $11 million and $12 million.
MacDonald said the project is benefiting from “very favourable pricing,” and identified it as the municipality’s biggest infrastructure priority going forward.
Another major project on the horizon is the reconstruction of Alexandria’s Main Street.
MacDonald said he and other municipal representatives recently met with the province regarding the project, which he estimated could cost between $12 million and $15 million. The work would involve more than repaving the road, he said, with the municipality also needing to address infrastructure underneath the street that is more than a century old.
“That is another, you know, $12 million to $15 million project,” MacDonald said.
MacDonald also pointed to the Maxville Arena as a priority, saying the ice pad needs to be replaced and the facility upgraded. He said many of the municipality’s major recreational facilities were built in the early or mid-1970s, when provincial grants helped fund construction.
“They’re all coming due,” he said.
At the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry (SDG) level, MacDonald said Alexandria Main Street is also expected to be a major priority following the completion of County Road 22 between Maxville and Highway 138.
Maintaining existing county infrastructure is becoming increasingly challenging, however, he said, pointing to fluctuating costs for fuel and asphalt. MacDonald said the counties recently had to remove almost $1 million from its budget because of increased costs, although he expects the counties will still be able to complete the amount of work originally planned.
While infrastructure is a major concern, MacDonald said development also needs to be carefully managed as North Glengarry attracts new residents. The municipality needs “smart, sustainable development,” he said, rather than pursuing growth at any cost.
“We want to retain our character here. We’re a small rural community, and we still want to be like that,” MacDonald said.
At the same time, he said the municipality needs to grow in both Alexandria and Maxville. MacDonald sees particular potential for Maxville because of its location along the Highway 417 corridor, where neighbouring communities have experienced growth.
“We don’t want to grow too fast too soon, but we do need to grow in both Alexandria and Maxville,” he said.
Attracting families and working-age residents will also be important, MacDonald said. The municipality recently completed a marketing plan focused in part on attracting families.
MacDonald pointed to North Glengarry’s recreational opportunities and existing business community as assets that can help attract new residents, while saying the local business community also needs to grow.
MacDonald described the current council as having a good working relationship, despite disagreements that occur during council discussions. Communication between the municipality and residents is another area he said needs improvement.
“We don’t always agree, and that’s fine,” he said. “But at the end of the discussion, we’re still there to run a business.”
MacDonald said one of the shortcomings that has persisted over multiple council terms is communication with residents. The municipality needs to do a better job of telling residents what is happening, he said, while also recognizing that different age groups get their information through different platforms.
“We need to expand where we tell our story,” MacDonald said.
If re-elected, he said improving communication would be a priority for the next council.
MacDonald also reiterated his opposition to using the strong mayor powers available to him. He said the mayor’s role is to find common ground among council members rather than make decisions independently.
“I think I’m elected to lead council, but I’m not elected to make decisions on my own,” he said.
MacDonald said he believes residents expect council to debate and vote democratically on issues, with every councillor having a voice.
Looking ahead to the next council term, MacDonald expects the first source of debate will be the municipal budget. A new council will take office in November and will quickly face the process of reviewing the township’s budget, he said.
MacDonald cautioned candidates against making promises about tax increases before seeing the details of the budget.
“It’s easy, especially when you haven’t done a budget before, to say, ‘We’re going to do a zero per cent tax increase,’” he said. “Once council begins going through the budget line by line, however, the financial realities become clearer.”
MacDonald’s opposition to the Alto high-speed rail project also remains unchanged. North Glengarry council remains unanimously opposed to the project, he said.
“This is not good for rural Ontario,” MacDonald said. “I definitely don’t want to see it in my township.”
MacDonald said he will continue working with the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC) and other municipalities that oppose the project. Even if the final route does not directly pass through North Glengarry, he said he would continue to support neighbouring municipalities if they are affected.
“I’ll stand with the mayors and all the other municipalities that are against this,” MacDonald said.
The municipal election is set for Monday, October 26, with voters across North Glengarry heading to the polls to choose their next mayor and council.
