Saugeen Shores Men’s Probus club is a group of retirees who meet in the morning on the first Tuesday of each month at the Port Elgin Legion.
Each month, a guest speaker is invited to address the members and, on April 1st, Saugeen Shores’ Mayor Luke Charbonneau presented his annual update on the Town’s past year and vision for the future.
“This year, I’m giving a new presentation – Growing together for a Bright and Resilient Future. I want to focus on resilience as things are in a time of uncertainty. We are a resilient and vibrant community,” said Mayor Charbonneau. “Since 2021, we have seen a 16 per cent growth in population and, by 2041, expect it to reach 22,000. The average yearly earnings are 13 per cent higher than the Provincial average and it’s a community where people want to live, and people who are moving here have a better than average income which results in resiliency and stability.”
He pointed out that the key pillars of our community are agriculture, tourism and nuclear power. “The nuclear plant (Bruce Power) give us a level of economic resilience and stability and, with a good solid tax base, as a municipality, we try to provide fiscal responsibility. We can invest back into the community to enhance the quality of life in our community.”
He went on to say that the ‘Future is Bright’ with a lot of positive things. “There is the potential opportunity for Bruce ‘C’, and the fact that we have the exceptional Canadian success story of CANDU technology and a Canadian rural supply chain, investing in technology is a huge opportunity for future generations. We are in the heart of this Canadian success story.”
The Mayor also pointed out the several plans being implemented by the Town. “We have the Strategic Plan, the Business Plan and, for the first time, 10-year plans have been put in place for capital and operating budgets. “These are complete fiscal plans laying out everything for the next 10 years. You can access the plans that will include waster water, water treatment, investments in police and fire, landfill expansion and more that makes us resilient.”
“We saw many achievements in 2024. Its really important to recognize that it’s staff that do the daily work and who make the wheels turn and keep the doors open and providing services. We had over 300 building permits issued for a total of some $144 million and zoning By-laws were updated to reduce red tape. There were new sewers and sidewalks, upgrades for North Shore park began, the North Shore Trail was re-opened, construction began on the the new Aquatic and Wellness Centre, updated Asset Management plan and improved recruitment of staff to employ and recruit good staff,” he said. “We also celebrated the 25th anniversary of Saugeen Shores, adopted a Public Art Policy and received funding from Provincial and Federal levels of government to help building housing and for infrastructure and we entered into an economic development plan with SON (Saugeen Oibway Nation) and signed a Friendship Accord based on the seven grandfather teachings. This is a really important step to build a relationship and work toward partnership that is indespensible.”
In moving forward in 2025, he added that the biggest priority is housing. “Our municipality has a significant shortage of affordable housing that is shared across Canada. Over the last two years, 692 multi-family units have been built and purpose-built rentals doubled in number through investments by developers and regulatory changes at the municipal and County level, but more supply is needed. Saugeen Shores also increased its share of rental assistance to $250,000 for the Rent Supplement Program, that helps provide $500 monthly rental help for families.”
We would be the first community in Canada to implement the Community Permit Planning System to streamline affordable housing and the Federal Government will pay for it,” said the Mayor. “I am excited about that. If you want to build an Additional Rental Unit (ARU) you can pick up a ready made plan from the Town and get the building permit. These are really innovative solutions for housing.
The Town has also entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Habitat for Humanity in a proposed new housing development of 30 townhouse units where five will fall under Habitat and two units to the Town for affordable housing with the remainder sold at what the County considers affordable.”
The plans for 2025 is a lengthy list that includes an environmental assessment for the Landfill expansion; maintenance of gravel roads in the Township; update the Winter roads operations maintenance plan; re-construction of High Street in Southampton over two years that will start in 2025 as it is in bad need of repair; resurfacing of Hwy. 21 in Port Elgin; the Transportation Master Plan; re-construction of Port Elgin intersections; multi-million dollar investments in the downtown cores; promoting businesses through support of the BIAs (business improvement associations); management of beaches and trails; Bruce Street extension; Lamont Baseball expansion for phase two; review of the Recreation Master Plan.
“When it comes to health care,” said the Mayor, “Saugeen Shores is in better condition than many rural communities. We have less than 2 per cent on Healthcare Connects. Many Emergency Departments have experienced closures but we are very fortunate in our Emergency and health-care staff and that’s a testament to the staff. We have a new nurse practitioner clinic and are in partnership with Kincardine and Bruce Power for doctor recruitment. We have 12 family doctors and three nurse practitioners that help with primary health care, but health care is a big issue across the province.”
“We are going to update the Town website this year; have introduced Engage Saugeen Shores for public feedback and, as in every crisis, tariffs have provided an opportunity to make changes when it comes to procurement policies. We are also making major investments in parks that include one million dollars in North Shore Park, half a million dollars in each of Helliwell and Jubilee parks. We are also working on some exciting public art projects with local artists. Ice has also been expanded to year-round usage at the Plex in a three-year pilot plan.
When it comes to diversity, our community is changing and we welcome new residents with a new welcoming package.
The Town has a huge portfolio that it is working on and you can make your voice heard through Engage Saugeen Shores or contact me, as the public impacts what we do.”
Following the Mayor’s presentation, a Question and Answer (Q&A) was held that gave Probus members the opportunity to dialogue with the Mayor.
