A Bridge at McClung Road:
Caledonia has one obvious weakness, that being, we only have one bridge in town. All traffic moving between the north and south sides of the Grand River within town must cross at a single choke point. If traffic is disrupted it creates chaos both for commuters and commerce utilizing the Argyle Street bridge. The Highway 6 by-pass was not designed to alleviate this problem. Despite being just 1.6 km upriver from the Argyle Street Bridge, it requires an 11.3 km detour just to travel 200 meters
McClung Road is 2.1 kms East of Argyle Street and is the first open area where a bridge can be built. In the future, a disruption in traffic on the Argyle Street Bridge could be handled by a detour that is less than 5 kms.
Why is long term planning so important?
We understand that local governments often move too slowly. For example, planning for the new Caledonia Fire Hall that opened in 2026 began in 2017. It took 9 years for the project to move from a draft plan to completion. A bridge at McClung road is expected to take twice as long, as it requires updating our Official Plan. Construction will not proceed without a financing plan in place. There are many challenges that need to be solved during this process and all of that takes time.
We need to act now or risk never seeing the changes we want.
Say ‘No’ to the MZO:
I support maintaining industrial land for future business growth and development opportunities. Saying no to the MZO isn’t about one development application. There is a bigger question about who decides the future of our municipality: our Local Government or the Private Sector. Municipal corporations are the only local public institutions established exclusively to work for the benefit of the Public. When the Private Sector makes the decisions, the Public has no input and may not benefit the same way a private company would. Furthermore, the Private Sector bears no responsibility or accountability, unlike elected politicians.
I believe the future of our county should be decided by our elected representatives after extensive Public Input and consultation. Should we plan for our future in a manner consistent with the Public Interest? Or should the Private Sector, driven by profit, be in charge? I believe government needs to be more effective and transparent.
Saying ‘No’ to control of urban planning by the Private Sector means saying ‘Yes’ to a future planned responsibly by leaders accountable to the Public.