The Most Important Issue in This Election

There is one overriding issue that I believe is critical to the success of the next Council term and the future of our community.  It didn’t really come up in the all-candidates meetings, and you won’t likely hear about it from the Councillor candidates themselves.  But you need to consider it when marking your ballot.  It’s the “elephant in the room” (or the “moose on the table”, to use Jim Clemmer’s more Canadian metaphor). 

Looking back over my past two terms on Whitestone Council, I am generally proud of the way Whitestone Councillors have worked together and what we have been able to accomplish, especially in a time of adversity like we have experienced since early 2020. But the past two years have been fractious, and our Council has at times been dysfunctional.

That’s not because we were in a pandemic, or because there were contentious planning or budgeting issues to contend with.  It’s because one incumbent Councillor, with the support of a second, took to engaging in personal attacks against those who dared to disagree with him – including his fellow Councillors, staff, and members of the community at large – and to conducting and encouraging disinformation campaigns on social media for the purpose of dividing the community.

This candidate keeps making the point that “we need to reinforce that staff work under the direction of Council, not vice versa“.  This statement is code for his belief that, as an individual Councillor, he gets to tell staff what to do, and to criticize and abuse them if they don’t follow his direction.  Earlier this year, he was found guilty by Whitestone’s Integrity Commissioner of breaching the Municipality’s Code of Conduct by bullying and attempting to direct staff.  (You can read the Integrity Commissioner’s report dated February 9th, 2022 on the Municipal website at  whitestone.ca/p/integrity-commissioner ).

I have no problem with disagreements on Council.  I believe diversity in Councillors’ backgrounds and viewpoints helps us to see all sides of an issue and make the best decision.  In the end, most Whitestone Council decisions are by unanimous consent, and the rest involve some compromise.  But when disagreements devolve into abusive behaviour and personal attacks, trust and goodwill are broken, and progress on substantive issues becomes difficult or impossible.  Good governance requires that, once a decision is made by majority vote of the council or board, all members must accept and support that decision. 

That is the situation we are in today.  Two of our sitting Councillors who have worked hard for you during their time on Council have decided not to seek re-election because they have “had enough” of the hostile atmosphere.  That should be a warning bell to us all!

I respectfully suggest to you that the most important criterion in choosing who will sit on Whitestone Council is not the candidate’s position on a new Official Plan, environmental protection, improvements to our land use planning processes, or the many other important matters that have come up for discussion thus far in the campaign.  (And it’s most certainly not their position on decisions of the past Council that have been or are in the process of being implemented.)  Rather, it’s their willingness to work with their Council colleagues, municipal staff, and community volunteers to address the tasks and decisions before us in a spirit of respect, goodwill, and collaboration.  I see this willingness as a matter of personal integrity – without which we can contribute little of value, despite our knowledge or years of experience. 

So why does this election issue matter so much to the next four years and the long-term future of  Whitestone?  It matters because the negative behaviour I have just referred to has placed Whitestone in the spotlight with our Parry Sound District neighbours and the Ontario Government.  Once again, they are asking the question that was asked 22 years ago when the Municipality of Whitestone was created:  Are the people of Whitestone up to the task of governing themselves?

Let me be clear:  I say we are!  But if the new Council is not seen to be working respectfully, harmoniously, and effectively together, I am concerned that we will have an upper tier of government and/or amalgamation imposed on us.  Any such move would have serious negative consequences for Whitestone, including higher taxes, and loss of control over many local decisions.  And even if we retain our independence, we will be unable to attract and retain competent municipal staff, and our service to the public will deteriorate as a result.

I will continue to oppose vigorously any attempt to impose an additional layer of governance on us or to  amalgamate us with other municipalities.   I will also do my best to work collaboratively with whomever else is elected to Whitestone Council on October 24th.  But I won’t be voting for any candidate who thinks it’s OK to bully others, and I hope you won’t either.   We cannot afford to have Councillors with axes to grind, vested interests, or a psychological need to control others.

The bottom line is this….   Whitestone Council has important work to do in the next four years to plan and build Whitestone’s future and realize its full potential.  No doubt some “heavy lifting” will be required.  To accomplish that work, we need Councillors who are team players, committed to working together and with our staff in a spirit of trust and goodwill.   We need Councillors who are prepared to roll up their sleeves and pitch in, not sit on the side lines and throw rocks at those who are trying to get it done.  What we don’t need, and can’t afford, are Councillors who are prone to tactics of bullying, intimidation, harassment, and the like to advance their personal agendas.

Thanks for your support.  Here’s to a great future for the people of Whitestone!

It’s unclear to me why the topic of “the pool” in Parry Sound is still being discussed in this election campaign in Whitestone, or in any other West Parry Sound municipality for that matter.

The facts are these:

• An indoor aquatic centre has long been identified as the single most important piece of community infrastructure lacking in West Parry Sound District from the perspective of attraction and retention of skilled professionals and their families and the organizations that employ them.
• Over the past 15+ years, there have been several attempts to launch a project to build such a facility that have failed to materialize, mainly due to the high capital cost.  
• When an opportunity to apply for substantial federal and provincial funding through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) arose late in 2018, the Councils of the seven West Parry Sound municipalities, including Whitestone, formed a Wellness Center and Pool Committee (WCPC) to oversee development of an application for such a facility.  Our former Mayor, Chris Armstrong, was Whitestone’s representative on that committee until his passing in August of 2019, after which I succeeded him on the WCPC, with Councillor Joe Lamb as my alternate.
• A Citizen’s Advisory Committee (CAC) with representatives from the West Parry Sound communities was also formed to assist in scoping the project and in developing community support for it.  Whitestone’s representatives on the CAC were Dana Labrie and Cathy Lamb.
• On June 19th, 2020, in response to the circulated minutes of a WCPC meeting, Councillor Lamb replied to the entire pool project distribution list of approximately 50 people that “Whitestone is out” and “people should get real”.  When I advised him that he could not speak for the Municipality, he resigned from the WCPC and launched a disinformation campaign to discredit the project and create opposition to it among Whitestone ratepayers.  These actions deeply divided the community, and for no purpose other than to vindicate his personal position and reputation.     
• In the WCPC proposal, the projected capital cost for design and construction of the facility was $31.8 million and its annual operating deficit was estimated to be $300,000.
• Based on our population, number of households, assessment base, and distance from the facility in Parry Sound, the WCPC determined that an appropriate share of the capital and operating costs for Whitestone would be 6.1%, and requested a one-time capital contribution of $527,040. and an annual operating contribution of $18,316.  This percentage is consistent with Whitestone’s share of other regional initiatives in the past.
•  After thorough debate, Whitestone Council agreed unanimously in March of 2021 to make a one-time contribution of $250,000. towards the capital costs of the project, and an annual contribution of $18,316. indexed to inflation towards any annual operation deficit.  Council also declined to participate in the Municipal Services  Board (MSB) to be set up to oversee the project and management of the facility.
• ICIP funding in the amount of $23.3 million (~73% of the projected capital cost) was announced on July 7th, 2021, thereby ensuring that the pool and wellness centre project would proceed.
• From a return on investment point of view, Whitestone’s commitment of the $250K capital funding yielded an excellent return, since later that year we received a total of $600K in federal (ICIP) and Provincial (NOHFC) funding towards the cost of expanding our Nursing Station in Dunchurch – funding that we would certainly not have received had we declined to support the pool project.  
• The MSB has now been set up, and is in the process of tendering for detailed design services.  Given that construction may not start until 2024, Whitestone’s contribution to the capital project will not likely occur until the 2024 budget year.
• Whitestone Council is now considering a request from the MSB to enter into an agreement with them confirming details of our commitment such as the conditions governing timing and amounts of payments.  

In summary….

Whitestone Council has made a commitment to provide limited support to the capital and operating costs of the pool, which in the end all Councillors supported.  That commitment is not up for review by the new Council, and should no longer be a matter of public debate. Regardless of what any of us may think about the project, it is going ahead, and Whitestone will be honouring our commitment to it.

The governments of Canada and Ontario have committed to fund just under 3/4 of the originally estimated capital costs of the project, on the clear understanding that the balance of its design, construction, and operating costs would be the responsibility of the WPS communities served by the pool, including Whitestone. Our provincial politicians went out on a limb to secure this ICIP funding for us. Do we honestly think they are going to stand by quietly while Whitestone (or any other WPS municipality) reconsiders its commitment?

There is a simple solution to any such attempt:  upper-tier government for Parry Sound District. Since the days of the restructuring commission that created the Municipality of Whitestone, I have consistently opposed upper-tier government for the district, and the amalgamations that would most certainly result from its implementation. I believe that such a move would prove disastrous for Whitestone for the following reasons:

• Because of the relatively large geographic area and low population of the district, opportunities for operational and capital cost savings through shared services would be minimal;
• We would not receive any additional services; we would just pay more for the ones we now receive. In some cases, we might receive even less service, as many shared services such as roads would be managed at the district level.
• Worst of all, we would lose control over many local decisions. Because of the large number of the small municipalities in the District, Whitestone would end up either sharing a representative on the upper-tier council with another municipality, or being amalgamated with one or more of our neighbours like McKellar or Magnetawan.
• With an upper-tier government in place, the MSB would become part of the district government, and going forward, Whitestone would receive annual levies for projects like the Recreation and Culture Centre, which we would have to fund through taxation in the same manner as our current levies for policing and social services.

The prevailing opinion within MMAH at both the political and staff level is that Parry Sound District is overdue for district government. Do we really want to give them another reason to proceed with this?

As to the proposed agreement with the MSB, its sole purpose is to clarify a few details of our support of the project for the benefit of both the Municipality and the Board. Since we are not changing an existing commitment, there is nothing to prevent the current Council from approving the agreement while in a “lame duck” status. I believe it is not in the best interest of Whitestone to prolong this discussion into another Council term. We owe it to ourselves and our wider community to clarify how and when we will deliver on our commitment.

The project is still at what I would describe as the functional programming stage, in which the scale of the facility and the precise features to be included in it are being finalized. During this process, and the detailed design work that will follow, there will be trade-offs to manage costs. There will also be opportunities to reduce operating costs by strategic design decisions, such as those related to energy consumption and efficiency. Not until this work is done and the design is substantively complete will it be possible to revisit the operating model for the facility, and address matters such as usage volumes and fees.

(I am very familiar with this process, having managed the development of functional programs for highly specialized spaces such as containment laboratories, court houses, and health care facilities during my professional consulting career. Ironically, I have no visibility into or opportunity to contribute to the process on this project as a result of Council’s decision not to participate in the Municipal Services Board.)

The purpose of our condition that the operating model for the facility be reviewed independently was to ensure that it would be based not on experience with previous projects in other jurisdictions but on up-to-date parameters specific to West Parry Sound. I am satisfied that this review can and will be completed as a matter of course at the appropriate time (i.e., during construction).

In conclusion, it is well past time for us to end discussion of this subject and move on. It is a done deal!  We have other important fish to fry in the next Council term.

What’s so great about Whitestone?   Here are ten things that come to mind, in no particular order, and far from an exhaustive list.  So please don’t be upset if I have omitted your favourite…..

• Our Natural Beauty

Lakes and streams, rocks and trees, pastures and wetlands, winding country roads and hiking trails: where else can you find such such a variety of beautiful and tranquil scenes?  And such a variety of wildlife?  In every season of the year, Whitestone has something to offer those who love nature.

• Our Dedicated Community Volunteers

Whitestone is a community of volunteers.  From sorting returnable bottles and cans at our waste management sites, to organizing recreational programs for youth and seniors, to leading our civic groups and our lake / environmental / private road associations, to managing and staffing the Maple Island Thrift Shop, to our fire and rescue service, volunteers take on many responsibilities that contribute to our quality of life in the community.

Sorting at York Street Bottle Shed

• Our Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service

Whitestone’s large geographic area and limited access to many properties pose major challenges in the event of fires and medical emergencies.  Nevertheless, our dedicated and competent Fire and Rescue Service continues to earn the gratitude and respect of the Community for their prompt, professional, and caring response.

•  Our Whitestone Lake Central School

Despite low student enrollment, Whitestone has been fortunate to be able to maintain its public elementary school.  Students at Whitestone Lake Elementary School in Dunchurch enjoy excellent learning facilities, as well as the individualized attention that comes with small class sizes.  They even have a demonstration fish hatchery established with the support of the Whitestone Rod and Gun Club.

Pine Car Derby at Whitestone Lake Central School, March 2017

• Our Nursing Station

Residents of the Whitestone area have local access to primary health care services through the Whitestone & Area Nursing Station located adjacent to the Municipal Office in Dunchurch.  Affiliated with the West Parry Sound Health Centre and staffed by a Nurse Practitioner, the Nursing Station provides a range of routine services that would otherwise require a trip to Parry Sound or beyond.

The Whitestone & Area Nursing Station in Dunchurch

• The Diversity of Our Community

Whitestone’s diversity in terms of both land use (a mix of rural, residential, and vacation) and its population (a mix of permanent and seasonal residents, both long-term and newcomers) is worth celebrating.  Some of its residents are descendents of original settlers of the area, while others have moved here permanently after vacationing in the area, and yet others have moved here recently to escape the hustle and bustle of life in the big city.  And despite the diversity of our backgrounds, we share a pioneering spirit and common values including respect for each other and for the environment.

•  Our Library

“The little library with big ideas”, our award-winning Whitestone Hagerman Memorial Public Library in Dunchurch is the centre of learning for the community.  Besides offering books and e-learning resources on loan, the Library features special programs for children, seniors, and those in between on a regular basis year round.

Whitestone Hagerman Memorial Public Library in Dunchurch

•  Our Rich History

The Whitestone area has a rich history from the days of its earliest settlement in the mid 1800s, through the expansion that took place during the “logging days” of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, to its more recent growth as a recreational area.  The Whitestone Historical Society fosters recognition of our unique heritage and encourages its preservation.  The Society has assembled a large collection of photographs of Whitestone’s earliest days, and is in the process of publishing a series of research reports detailing the history of the various areas of the Municipality.  (The latest of these entitled “From Gordon Lake to the Bunny Trail”  is now available to purchase from the Society and at various local outlets.)

Submerged flatcar in WahWashKesh from Holt Timber Co. railway, abandoned in 1925

Early photo of log home on WahWashKesh built by Austin Buchanan in 1928

•  Our Fall Fair

This past weekend many of us participated in the 149th annual Dunchurch Agricultural Society Fall Fair.  My Council colleague, Joe McEwen, thinks it was “one of the most memorable” in his forty years as an organizer of the Fair.  Truly a celebration of the things people love about Whitestone, the Fair brings together long-time residents, newcomers, and visitors.  With something for everyone, it is truly an opportunity to return to our roots and to make new friends.

The Whitestone Lake Central School float in the Dunchurch Fall Fair Parade, August 18th, 2018

• Our People Who Care for Each Other

Whitestone’s original settlers survived and thrived through adversity by hard work and by helping each other.  That sprit of generosity and of caring for one another lives on in the community today.  Whitestone folks are ready to lend a hand when needed, and rally around those who are facing hardship. This spirit is manifested in the Maple Island Thrift Shop, where volunteers accept donations of used household articles and clothing and sell them to others at low cost.  The proceeds of the Thrift Shop are used to fund various charitable causes and to assist those in need in the community. 

Maple Island Thrift Shop