Here's what's important to me.

Bruce Kelly for Carling Mayor

Beyond Responsible Taxes and Better Roads

My Vision as Mayor and for Council is:

• Balance – Carling is a beautiful place and a natural sanctuary for most of us. It’s our home or home away from home, where we can breathe deeply and connect with nature. As your mayor, I will ensure we take proactive steps to protect these natural resources for future generations.  The Mayor and Council need to help balance, filter and explain changes when necessary or desirable for the residents and the township.

• An inclusive Council – one that listens and represents everyone: inland, waterfront, and water-access property owners, while addressing the service needs of both seasonal and full-time residents.

• A forward-looking Council - not just reactive. A team that operates from a strong, positive vision for Carling, towards a future shaped by Carling residents. There are always pressures from outside the township, and the Council needs to anticipate their impacts, particularly from provincial downloading, which increases the township's costs.

• The language of government can be challenging for everyone. Still, I will work to present materials in a way that is easier to understand and to ensure a transparent long-term council agenda. This term of council has seen significant improvements in transparency, including live-streaming and recording all council sessions and instituting the Carling Council Highlights, an easy-to-read version of the official Council Minutes. But more can be done to help the community understand ongoing issues and participate in Council's immediate and long-term agenda and decision-making process.

• Where is Carling Township headed? – Carling is a unique community on the Georgian Bay shore, home to rural residences, waterfront and island properties, and an unrivalled year-round natural environment. For most of us, it’s our sanctuary, and we want little to change, but we can do more to deliver township services that better serve our people's needs. Services designed for the people who actually use them, at the time and place they are needed. We need to define what we want and don’t want, as a community and then work towards achieving those goals. We need a more shared vision of the future.

 

• So where does all that tax money go? -  Almost 40% of our municipal tax dollars flow out of Carling to support external boards such as OPP Policing, Health Department, Ambulance Services and our District Social Services Board, which do help support us and the larger Parry Sound area.  While necessary, the council needs to push back on these ever-increasing expenses. Most of these fee rates are dictated by provincial formulas which are not favorable for seasonal properties.  While our taxes have gone up each year at or slightly above the rate of inflation, all Municipalities feel these pressures. Carling's municipal taxes are comparable to those of our neighbouring municipalities (see my municipal tax comparison table). Carling is in a strong financial position, with little debt and no borrowing over the past 10 years, even as we build our new Fire Hall in 2026. Because of our strong financial position, we were able to absorb the cost of events like last July's flood damage. (approx. $80,000 damage to roads and culverts)

• Let’s do a better job of providing for our water access property owners - Island and water access properties depend on marinas and private docks for access to their properties. Water-access property owners are significant contributors to our tax base, and should, when possible, have better access to municipal services, parking, and docking.

• Encourage year-round recreational opportunities for all residents. We all know Carling as a great place for outdoor summer activities, but more can be done to encourage year-round community and individual activities. We have a beautiful community centre, a new chiller for our ice rink to guarantee a longer season and more dependable ice surface, several parks, and upgraded playgrounds. Let’s work together to encourage more year-round community and individual activities.

• Continue to improve our secondary and cottage road and dock network: As #559 is the main artery into Carling, we are delighted to see this long-awaited rebuilding nears completion. But our Carling road systems need continued maintenance and upgrading with more hard surfaces and ongoing drainage improvements. Last year saw improvements to Pengally Bay and Remy Bay Road, as well as to Pengally and Blind Bay docks. This year, the township has upgraded Blind Bay Road and paved East Carling and Bayview.