Council needs to be ready to act if Brad Nieman, one of three candidates for the top job, is elected mayor.

“Affordability is the biggest issue now. We need to bring full time jobs here, so attracting small industry, that’s the hub. Everything builds out from there,” Mr. Nieman explains.

 “We’re 85 to 90 percent reliant on residential taxes. By attracting those small industries you diversify your tax base to lessen the burden on residential over time.” Small industry means 10-20 full- time jobs. He cites a provincial website listing industries to match to a region’s opportunities. Some of his examples for PEC include cold storage, food processing, microchips or anything tech-related.

To attract small industry, Mr. Nieman says, “you’ve gotta be open for business. We have to have land ready. We have to be ready to work with the provincial and federal governments, who are working to bring investors into Ontario. Eastern Ontario is the fastest growing part of the province. We need to be ready to say we’ve got the land, come on over and build here.

“What you want is a serviced area. So municipal water would be a good thing and if you can get it on sewer that’s fine too. So, if an industry comes to the County and says ‘we need five acres for our business,’ we say ‘yes we have five acres here and it’s ready for you. The zoning is done. All you have to do is build your building, hook into the service and you’re away!’ But if we say, ‘you have to go to planning to change the zoning, change this, change that,’ they’re gone, they’re not going to stick around.”

Commitment is key. “Once the business is here you’ve got to figure out how to work with them on a continuous basis: what do we need to do to make sure you stay here? You know, good infrastructure. ‘Are you looking to expand? What do you need and how can we help?’ But at the same time you want to make sure you’re looking after the housing and the residents too. So everything has to move at the same time.”

Broader issues such as housing and major infrastructure come simultaneously with small industry development. After all, full-time employees need homes. “I don’t think we’re going to get the big growth of the [financial planning] document right away. Maybe in ten years. But when you get the jobs here you’ve got to continue with development. But the development has to be responsible.”

A key focus for all candidates is affordable housing. Mr. Nieman is not opposed to housing development, but cautions against rapid expansion the County is not prepared to handle.

“Everyone agrees we need development, but we don’t need mass development. If we just build out houses, where will people work? If they buy houses here and need to go outside of the County to work, it’s added expenses. We need development, but there’s an entire list of things we need to look at if we’re getting the mass development they’re talking about,” Mr. Nieman said.

While he opposes the entire scope of the $275 million plan, he does acknowledge additional water infrastructure in the region is something the County will ultimately have to take on.

“A lot of the legwork is there, it’s just about knowing where we want to be in the future.

“If we build a huge plant, by the time we go to use it, it will be outdated or worn out, and we will have wasted $275 million. The longer you go, the more expensive it will get. Let’s not throw our money away, let’s figure out what it is we need to do,” Mr. Nieman said.

Creating more opportunities for recreation in the region is another important spoke on Mr. Nieman’s campaign wheel. Residents have made it clear, he says, they don’t want to have to go elsewhere for programs the County could offer.

When it comes to community engagement, Mr. Nieman believes it’s all about transparency. “If there’s a project coming, it needs to have its own meeting so it does not get lost in a master plan,” Mr. Nieman explained.

Of course, none of the issues he hopes to address can be solved without a united council. Mr. Nieman hopes his certification in conflict resolution and negotiation will help. “A good leader will be able to get council to work together. We need a vision and to make sure everybody has input into the vision. When the relationship with mayor and council is good, staff joins in, and once the public sees that, they’ll get behind us.”