Keeping an eye on the future was one of the biggest priorities of 2023 in Prince Edward County.
Mayor Steve Ferguson says for the first time in the County’s history, they undertook developing a 10-year Community Plan.
That involved an extensive consultation process with residents, businesses and community groups to create a vision statement about what the community wants Prince Edward County to look like in 10 years.
“And those conversations focussed on the economy and community infrastructure, quality of life, climate change and local government’s relationship with the public. So the result was the vision statement that we developed for the community.”
That vision was also considered as Council developed its next Strategic Plan which outlines priorities for the next three years.
Ferguson says Prince Edward County’s County Docs recruitment program made significant progress this year.
“Four new doctors are joining the Family Health Team in the County in 2024. And we’re also following up a bunch of other leads and we hope to see even more doctors commit to practicing in the County in 2024 and beyond.”
Ferguson says another big step in 2023 was striking a deal with the City of Belleville for the supply of treated bulk water to their water distribution system in Rossmore/Fenwood.
He notes that will save the municipality money for years to come and support their efforts to reduce water rates in the future.
The purchase of Queen Elizabeth School from the Hastings Prince Edward District School Board was also an important accomplishment as the County continues to work towards creating a community hub that will feature affordable housing.
