Re-Elect Robin
For Mayor
Experience. Integrity. Leadership.
MEET ROBIN
Mayor of Westport since 2014
First elected as Mayor of Westport in 2014, Robin has worked for the last eight years to improve the village of Westport for all residents. This has included: • resolving many infrastructure deficiencies such as replacing a broken wastewater system, overcoming significant budget deficits to secure Westport’s future, • addressing failing roads and crumbling sidewalks and • working to build new relationships between the community and Town Hall, • as well as establishing strong working relationships with multiple orders of government so that Westport can obtain the federal & provincial governmental support it deserves. She introduced significant changes in governance so that the workings of the Mayor’s office and Council are more transparent to all residents. This ensures that the opinions and concerns of Westport residents are heard and considered by Council thereby leading to a much better form of local government. These changes include: • Replacing former oral briefings and reports with written and submitted in a consistent format so that there is a permanent record for the public • Establishing the Committee of the Whole, which provides elected Council members the ability to debate and flush out issues, drawing upon their individual perspectives, before proceeding to a vote. • Introducing several new Committees of Council with strong representation by community volunteers Retiring after 34 years as a police officer and finishing her career as the Chief of Nishnawbi-Aski Police, Robin moved to Westport in 2010 and has been involved in many community groups including the Westport Arts Council, where she has served as Chair since 2012 and is an active member and Licensed Lay Reader of St Paul's Anglican Church. She is a wedding Officiant, enjoys travelling, choir singing, pottery and walking her two dogs, Meadow and Penny. Robin is a problem solver who has the ability to cut to the heart of an issue and work with others to create consensus on the solutions needed. Robin looks forward to hearing from you if you have any questions or concerns.
Experience. Integrity. Leadership.
Platform
Discover what Robin has done, what she is doing, and what she envisions for the future.
I
Infrastructure
In 2014, Robin committed to a plan to replace, repair, and maintain infrastructure to maximize the benefits and secure a safer community.
The future of the Village starts now with strategic planning. Robin has actionable strategies for the Village to thrive.
Blueprint for the Future
VE
Voter Empowerment
Discover all the resources available to voters and how Robin supports transparency and communication between Town Hall and the community.
F
Financial
Robin's innovative and comprehensive approach to funding has provided financial stability, growth, and an improved level of service for taxpayers.
Let's Talk About Infrastructure
In 2014, Robin committed to a plan to replace, repair, and maintain infrastructure to maximize the benefits and secure a safer community.
Most of the Village's infrastructure needed repair when I became Mayor in 2014. I made it a priority to improve and maintain infrastructure, to help maximize the benefits of Village infrastructure and ensure the assets deliver their intended services in a condition that is considered acceptable from both an engineering and a cost management perspective. Let's face it - roads, sewage & water systems and buildings are expensive to replace - it is better to routinely assess and repair.
Over the past 8 years, several significant projects have been undertaken and completed. The most critical was the replacement of the wastewater system. The old "Snowfluent" system had failed due to lack of maintenance and was replaced in 2017&18 with our current one. The other major project was the reconstruction of Bedford Street in 2021. Both required grant support from the provincial government, which I pursued doggedly. I am told that the Minister of the day called me the most "tenacious" mayor. I am sure it was a compliment! Grants were received for both projects.
For those of us who walk in the village, the issues of street lights and sidewalks have been a concern. In 2015, the Village had 5 different styles of incandescent street lights and one day, a businessman stopped me on Church St to complain about this very thing. When I said I would see what I could do, he raised his eyebrows and said "good luck with that". In 2017/18, the Village replaced all of the old street lights with new LED fixtures and upgraded the light "heads" in the business section with a heritage look. I visited the businessman shortly after Church Street was finished and pointed out the change!
The Village has a small annual budget for sidewalk repairs, however, it received a boost in 2021 and 2022 with two grants that improved many locations in the Village. The North side of Spring Street will have new sidewalks this fall.
IN ACTION
DONE
• Bedford Street reconstruction
• Replaced sewage system
• 66% reduction in sewage inflow & infiltration
DOING
• Professional Public Works department
• Spring Street sidewalk
• Mandatory septic inspections
• CCTV inspections
WILL BE DOING
• Assessments & replacement costs supported by Asset Management Plan (AMP)
• AMP required to maximize Provincial grant applications
Although a village by size, Westport is a full-service municipality regarding water, wastewater, and stormwater and must comply with all of the rigour legislated by the Ministry of the Environment (MOECC). In this regard, the Village recently purchased new generators to keep the wastewater and water systems running when hydro goes out. Both systems now also have their data properly stored digitally, allowing monitoring to be modernized and brought into Ministry compliance. Troubleshooting can be done remotely—meaning faster intervention.
Council passed a by-law in 2021, requiring mandatory inspections of septic systems. Forty properties are involved and have until the end of this year to comply by submitting their inspection. Staff are monitoring.
This year, the Village purchased a CCTV system that can inspect wastewater and water pipes in situ. This equipment will continue to reduce infiltration (groundwater entering sanitary sewers through defective pipe joints and broken pipes) and inflow (water entering sanitary sewers from inappropriate or illegal connections). The wastewater system operates under a licence issued by MOECCC. The licence specifies the maximum amount of effluent that can be processed. Unnecessary water in the system uses up the amount of flow licensed. In the past 8 years, the Village has reduced infiltration and inflow by over 60%, which enables growth and development.
The WTC Communications Centre (arena), has received much attention and love over the past 8 years. The credit for the many improvements goes directly to the Friends of the Arena (FOTA), a group initiated by two members of the community. From adding new insulation to the walls, new lights over the ice, painting the stands, adding a new Zamboni entrance floor and door and many other improvements, this group of volunteers is a force! Currently, a lift to assist people in getting to the 2nd floor is being installed. FOTA has plans to build an addition to the current building creating a 12-month-a-year recreational facility—fundraising is underway.
Another significant change that occurred in the past 6 years has been the creation of a Public Works department. Trained and qualified staff ensure that our plants are working properly and respond to situations, such as a force main pipe break, by putting mitigation methods in place using their training, experience and equipment. Before 2017, these important and MOECC-regulated roles were performed by different people, mainly consultants. Public Works provides reliable snow removal for roads and sidewalks, ensures fire hydrants are operational, well water rehabs are up to date, and garbage collection occurs on time. The level of service to the public has increased significantly and the compliance required by the MOECC has greatly improved.
Council passed a new and detailed Asset Management Plan (AMP) in June. Looking ahead, infrastructure assessments and replacement costs will be supported by the AMP.
Many provincial infrastructure grants are through the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund (OCIF). The methodology used to award grants has changed significantly in 2022. A rigorous and comprehensive AMP is one of the most important factors. I am optimistic the Village will be competitive in the new OCIF grant process.
Since 2014, I have monitored the efforts of staff to maintain Village infrastructure in good repair and do preventative work to lengthen the life of the asset. I compare their efforts to the Broken Window Theory in criminology, which suggests that policing methods that target minor crimes such as vandalism and petty theft help to create an atmosphere of order and lawfulness. I am very proud of the commitment of Village staff and the work they do in support of the community and its tax dollars and "fixing broken windows".
Voter Empowerment
An informed and empowered electorate is the basis of productive and effective governance. Discover all the resources available to voters and how Robin supports transparency and communication between Town Hall and the community.
The Municipal Act provides that every municipality passes a procedure by-law for governing the calling and proceedings of meetings. Westport passed its first Procedural By-law in 2015.
Did you know?
The Village of Westport's Committee of the Whole (CoW) was also created in 2015. It includes all members of Council sitting as a standing committee. Meetings allow members to participate in debate and forward recommendations to Council for final decision. Council must then ratify the recommendations to implement them.
CoW meetings are held on the 3rd Tuesday of every month at 6:00 p.m. CoW may request additional information from staff for agenda items, reject a report, or pass a resolution for it to go to the next Council meeting.
Council meetings are held on the 1st Tuesday of the month at 6:00 p.m. and just a reminder, it is the decision-making body. There may be no debate on resolutions at Council, particularly when they have been discussed at CoW. Certainly, CoW meetings are much more interesting for the public to watch. And watching the following Council meeting gives you the full picture of what gets approved. Just remember, it may look like there is not a lot of participation by Councillors at the Council meeting, so refer back to the CoW meeting that was recorded 2 weeks previously.
To help you follow the agenda, everything that members of Council receive from Staff for the meetings, except confidential agendas, is published online and is available to you. The link will take you to the Village meeting schedule web page. Click on the calendar on any date that is underlined. It will bring up the agenda. Open the agenda and you can click on any of the reports and read what members of council have received. Give it a try! I think you will find the meetings very interesting.
All Village meetings have been live streamed on the Village of Westport YouTube channel since the beginning of COVID. Anyone interested in meetings at Town Hall can watch online.
In case you don't have a computer, you can still learn what is going to be discussed at meetings by reading the meeting Agenda. They are posted outside Town Hall before every meeting.
We are a stronger community and have a better informed Council when everyone stays current on the issues being discussed at Town Hall.
If you have any questions, you can call Robin: 273-9195
Financial Stability = Strong Leadership
Leadership
Contracts
Grants
Fundraising
Development
We are making steady progress in providing the level of service that taxpayers want through an innovative, comprehensive approach to funding. Property taxes are only one part of providing financial stability. Let's keep this going.
With the inflation rate at 7% (July 2022), it is imperative to have a leader with experience, consistency, and a proven track record to provide financial stability while improving services to the residents. We need to continue investing in critical infrastructure while addressing the challenges of our debt and keeping increases in property taxes in check.
The overall residential property tax increase averaged 2.1% since 2014. Good news. However, our small tax base makes it mandatory to consider all other funding streams, and we have been successful with many of them.
I am proud of what we have accomplished in the past 8 years. I have encouraged staff to take an integrated approach and to be innovative when researching funding options. We have embedded the importance of innovation in our culture.
I am fortunate to work with a great Council and staff and have community support. We are on track for continued success. The Village has gone from $0 reserves in 2014/15 to $500,000 in 2022. Much more work to do here, but it is a steady improvement.
Grant applications for capital projects have been very successful
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OCIF grant (2015) for remediation of sewage system and to proceed with the mandatory Class C Environmental Assessment
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Trillium Grant for Lockwood stage (2017)
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OCIF grant (2018) to assist with the cost of replacing the sewage system
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OCIF grant to assist with the replacement of Bedford St (2020)
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2 ICIP grants to assist with the replacement of sidewalks (2021 & 2022)
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FCM grant for street and sidewalk conditions assessments (2018) pending
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Trillium grant application submitted for new washrooms at Lockwood Park (2022)
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SCADA (Supervisory control and data acquisition) systems are crucial for water and wastewater operations since they help to maintain efficiency, process data for smarter decisions, and communicate system issues to help mitigate downtime
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OCIF grants for a multi-year commitment to assist with modernizing the water and wastewater SCADA system (2020, 2021, 2022)
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ICIP Green grants for generators for the water treatment plant and grinder, SCADA, and a generator at the sewage pumping station (2022)
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Lockwood Park
• As a Councillor in 2013, I surveyed for public input on their vision for Lockwood Park. In 2016, I met with The Lockwood Foundation and secured $100,000 in funding. The first $25K was granted and the remaining $75,000 was conditional upon funds matched by the Village. In 2019, the final amount from the foundation was given to the Village, having met the condition of matching funds. Improvements to Lockwood Park were not funded by property taxes
FOTA - in a league of its own
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over$300,000fundraised
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2022 bequest of $200,000 is being used for the elevator
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over 1,300 volunteer hours in work bees
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annual commitment of $10,000 over 10 years from WTC Communications for arena naming rights
• developmen tpays for development: Independent Village legal, engineering, and planning paid for by the developer
• Connection fees: $9000 per building permit
Several significant contracts have been negotiated with positive financial impacts for the Village. I have successfully closed each negotiation and provided Westport with more revenue.
• LeBoat contract renegotiated in 2019 that requires LeBoat to pay its way
• Recreation Agreement renegotiated with Township of Rideau Lakes in 2020,
renewed with the cost of living adjustment in 2023 unless either party
terminates
• LSSDS (sewage system) lawsuit against the Village of $2.1 million was
resolved in 2020 with the Village paying less than the original contract price and no damages or lawyers' fees for the other parties. The Village settled its account with Tackaberry in full
• Fire Services Agreement renegotiated with Township of Rideau Lakes in 2021, expires in 2026
• and finally, negotiated the purchase price with the owner of the Junior C Bytown Royals, which paved the road for the Rideaus to come home
Blueprint for the Future
Replace, Repair, & Maintain Infrastructure to Support Sustainable Growth
Sustainable Financial Management
Replace, Repair, & Maintain Infrastructure to Support Sustainable Growth
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Asset management planning (AMP) is an ongoing and long-term process that allows municipalities to make the best financial decisions for their infrastructure assets. The newly approved 2022 AMP will provide a strong planning tool for 2023-2026
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Reconstruction of Spring Street highest priority
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Continue to focus on steady improvement of docks and harbour
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Committed to Village's 10 year financial plan.
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Committed to keep property taxes in check. The overall residential property tax increase has averaged 2.1% since 2014.
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Ongoing review of service delivery to reduce costs without impacting the quality of the services.
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Bring the same tenacity and focus that Robin has already demonstrated t secure grants for critical capital projects so that Westport continues to get its fair share of funding from all levels of government for crucial infrastructure.
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Official plan to be completed 2021 with public input
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Stormwater management review begins in fall 2022 with public input. This will be an opportunity for a rural solution using cost-effective tools to reduce the potential introduction of pollutants into the lake.
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Encourage implementation of "Watson" water rates to "pay for the water that you use," which will conserve water and reduce flows to the sewage system.
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