Mayor Luke Charbonneau’s Inaugural Address
“I am honoured and excited to become Mayor of Saugeen Shores. We are all extremely lucky to live in this place. I am luckiest of all because I get the opportunity to work with the members of this Council and this community to make Saugeen Shores an even better place to live and to leverage the benefits for our friends, our neighbours and future generations.
Saugeen Shores is a community of leaders. Every day, by jumping in and seizing the initiative, our residents turn opportunities into realities. Leadership in our community is not reserved for mayors or CEOs but is for anyone in our community. That is why anyone can take the lead. We can lead by working with our partners and our neighbours to ensure that vitally important services are maintained close to home and under local control.
We will lead by being inclusive and accessible welcoming the diversity of newcomers while building and sustaining neighbourhoods that work for the people who live in them and always looking ahead to ensure that we are planning today for the growth of tomorrow. We will lead by addressing our housing needs and working to provide sustainable affordable housing options with a desire to ensure that everyone who wants to can live, work and play in Saugeen Shores.
We will lead by working with Bruce Power to seize the incredible opportunity presented by Bruce Power’s major component replacement project and by encouraging nuclear suppliers to establish growth in our community and across our region and by proudly partnering with Bruce Power to ensure that their groundbreaking Nuclear Innovation Institute is realized right here in Saugeen Shores. (applause)
We will lead by welcoming businesses of all types and sizes and by working to reduce barriers to their establishment and to promote their success. We will work with them to address the labour shortage issue that’s facing us on a local, regional and national level.
We will lead by understanding the importance of our history, recognizing that the heritage of many cultures is woven throughout our community and forms part of our present and, importantly, we will work together to find ways to reconcile Indigenous culture and experience with the future that we are all working together to build.
At the same time, we will lead by championing the future. We will embrace innovation and creativity. We will always be relentlessly optimistic about the future of this community and about the potential for new ideas to change our community for the better. Without a doubt, the people of Saugeen Shores will take the lead. We will make this the place where innovators and creators can express their energy and achieve their full potential.
As our community takes the lead in all these areas, Council and the administration of the Town of Saugeen Shores will lead by example. We will set an example of civility in our public discourse, creating a welcoming environment in our Council Chambers, inviting debate and disagreement, while insisting that respect be shown by everyone and for everyone who rises to speak in this place. I believe, and expect, that members of this Council and members of this municipality will always endeavour to be a positive and productive heart of this community, always treating every member of this community with respect in every circumstance.
These are exciting times in Saugeen Shores. We have experience, youth, energy, ambition and optimism. We are a great community on the verge of becoming something even greater and, as has always been the case, every success will come from the hard work of the volunteers, innovators, artists and professionals working together toward the greater good. I am very excited to see what we will accomplish together over the next four years.
One thing I know for sure … the future is bright for Saugeen Shores.”
