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The Times Advocate, 2004-01-07, Page 12Crossroads 12 Wednesday, January 7, 2004 Exeter Times Advocate Look at the year ahead in Horizons 2004 The Exeter Times -Advocate surveyed prominent members in our community asking for their forecast Of 2004. Will it be a year of new beginnings, change or challenges? Or will it be a year of cutbacks, hard decisions and hard work? The remaining Horizons responses will appear elsewhere in the paper and next week. Bill MacDougall Councillor - Bluewater/Hay West 2004 will be a year of transition. • the appointment and likely re-elec- tion of a new prime minister will have an impact on all Canadians. Ongoing changes in our health care with new funding from the federal gov- ernment should start to positively impact our quality of health care. • the new Liberal government, in their need to curb spending, will ultimately mean new "user pay initia- tives" such as the already announced increase in hydro. The provincial government will benefit from the federal injection for health care funding with a positive impact in our local area. • continued battles for provincial dollars as a result of tight budgets — as an indi- vidual concerned with the environment I will be watching for funding support. Ongoing challenges: • maintain and possibly improve deliv- ery of services to our ratepayers without significant change in taxes. Additional Comments • Bluewater/Huron County is a wonder- ful spot to live and work. From our beau- tiful sunsets to the friendliness of our res- idents let's continue to positively impact our lifestyle. BILL MACDOUGALL Carol Mitchell, MPP for Huron - Bruce 2004 will be a year:.. . full of challenges and opportunities. The fiscal realities will be a factor in all decisions, a $5.6 billion deficit is a challenge. The new government has been challenged with setting Ontario on a new course — a course that will improve our quality of life. We have protected public services by rolling back even more tax giveaways, imposed a government wide hiring freeze with exception to pub- lic safety and put immediate restraints on discretionary spending. THE COMINGYEAR'S CHALLENGES AND HOWTO MEETTHEM? Obviously the coming year's challenges will be based on the fiscal state of the province of Ontario. We, the McGuinty government do face a big challenge. Ontario has inherited a structural deficit — which means the province will spend more than it takes in each year if further action is not taken. Our goal remains to balance the budget in 2004 - 05. The work plan is another important step on our path to fix the current prob- CAROL MITCHELL lems and develop longer-term workable solutions. Our work plan includes an unprece- dented consultation with the people of Ontario, keeping to our commitment to build on a new spirit of co-operation between governments and the redesign- ing of government activities. We will get the numbers right. We will repair the balance sheet. We will strengthen our financial posi- tion so we can deliver the finest schools, the best health care, the cleanest envi- ronment and the strongest communities. Additional comments: The finances we have inherited are weak but our economy is strong. Our people and our businesses have done their part — we will now do our part! Gary Schellenberger, MP for Perth -Middlesex 2004 will be a year of: Positive political change in Canadian federal politics Why?: With the creation of the new Conservative Party of Canada, Canadians will have a very real alter- native to the Liberal Party of Canada. This will re -invigo- rate the political process in Canada and will end the era of vote splitting on the right. When this happens, SCHELLENBERGER democracy in Canada, and all Canadians will be the winners. At the end of the day, it is not the ideol- ogy of a party that should govern policy in Canada, but the will of the people. Politics is not about leaving a legacy, but rather, it is about doing what is best for the majority of Canadians. THE COMINGYEAR'S CHALLENGES AND HOWTO DEAL WITH THEM? The biggest challenge will be to inte- grate the federal Progressive Conservatives and the Canadian Alliance parties into a dynamic alternative for Canadians in time for the upcoming fed- eral election. This challenge will best be accom- plished by working together and focusing on a united goal. Additional comments: There will be other challenges facing our political process in the coming year with new electoral boundaries. For instance, the current riding of Perth -Middlesex will become Perth - Wellington. This development will require Members of Parliament to get out and meet their new constituents, forge new relationships with municipalities, community agencies and other stakeholders. I look forward to this process very much. Best wishes for success, happiness and luck hi the new year to all the people of Perth, Middlesex and Wellington! GARY Paul Steckle, MP for Huron -Bruce 2004 will be the year of: Reflection and new beginnings. Why: With a new prime minister comes new optimism about the political challenges and realities facing Canada. With that also comes talk of large issues like SARS and BSE, sparking ideas and plans for resolution of such matters. This newly found sense of national opti- mism, combined with a desire to work co-operatively towards a resolution of these matters, gives us all a renewed appreciation of what a great country Canada really is. THE COMINGYEAR'S CHALLENGES AND HOWTO MEETTHEM? Balancing our expec- tations against realities. Low interest rates and financial markets in steady recovery have given rise to increasing consumer and govern- ment spending. The ensuing chal- lenge for us is to estab- lish priorities and use our resources wisely, to make Canada a better place for all. PAUL STECKLE Stephanie Donaldson, President, Greater Grand Bend CommunityAssociation 2004 will be a year of Reflecting on accomplishments and examining future challenges. Why: The Greater Grand Bend Community Association has much to be proud of in terms of recent community accomplishments. A new ambulance station has been opened with a permanent ambulance located here. Our new Community Health Centre will open early in 2004, and we have already seen a marked improvement in health care and wellness ser- vices to Grand Bend and surrounding com- munities. The Partnership Committee managed not only to save our public school from clo- sure, but saw it expanded into a STEPHANIE F. newly rebuilt facili- DONALDSON ty with a public library, double gym and a community room. The new Grand Bend Community Foundation has started to make an impact by using investment proceeds from it's $1.8 million capital base to pro- vide substantial grants to worthy local groups. Our community is growing in a very positive way on many fronts! THE COMINGYEAR'S CHALLENGES AND HOWTO DEALWITH THEM? There are still substantial funds to be raised. While the Health Services Foundation is well on its way to meeting its initial com- mitment of $500,000 toward the new health centre, the Partnership Committee still has about half the $1 million commit- ment to the Municipality of Lambton Shores to raise. The Greater Grand Bend Community Association is committed to maintaining our support and continuing fundraising efforts on behalf of these important pro- jects. 2004 will see substantially more involvement by GGBCA in environmental initiatives, particularly those that involve water quality. The health of Lake Huron and water- courses that feed into it are vital for tourism and quality of life of the people who live along the shoreline. Our world-renowned fresh water assets are under environmental pressure as never before, and we simply can't afford to sit back and take a passive role in its well being. Other comments: The board and members of the GGBCA look forward to continued good working relations with our new municipal coun- cils. We will continue to work co-operatively to help resolve issues at all government levels on behalf of the residents of the greater Grand Bend community. Tom McLaughlin, Mayor, Township of Lucan Biddulph 2004 will be a year of: Expectations, opportunities and chal- lenges. Why: We are starting a new three year term of council and I'm optimistic about a number of opportunities to move our community forward. These include three small to medium size subdivision projects at various stages of investigation, and I'm hopeful at least one can proceed to the development stage by 2005. The Lucan and Area Heritage Association is spear- heading a museum project with support from the Lucan and Area Lions Club and the township. This project is impor- tant for many reasons including helping pro- mote economic devel- opment in our town- ship. On the economic development front we plan on investigating possible support from the county. The township, with the assistance of an OSTAR grant from the provincial govern- ment, will be extending the Lake Huron water pipeline from Lucan to Granton. This will improve the water quality and ensure a continuous supply. THE COMINGYEAR'S CHALLENGES AND HOW TO DEAL WITH THEM? The challenge of minimizing tax increases will be especially difficult. My concern results from seeing increased 2004 budget projections from some of our service delivery partners e.g. the County of Middlesex, the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority and the Lake Huron Water Supply System. I believe staff and council will need to begin our budget deliberation early in the new year, use a zero based budget approach, possibly defer some initiatives and investigate the potential of additional funding promised by the newly elected provincial government. Due to the fact that council only has one member active- ly involved in farming, we will need to work hard ensuring we understand both the rural and urban issues within our community and that our decisions and actions reflect that understanding. Additional comments: Our Lucan Community Memorial Center has had a great deal of change in the management of the facility over the past few years. However, I believe we have turned the corner with a new and experienced man- ager in place. We now need to turn our attention to our partnership with North Middlesex, to cost control, to increasing revenue and towards planning for future capital expenditures. TOM McLAUGHLIN