This Thursday is the Towns attempt to run their first “Town Hall” during this term of Brian Smiths attempt at being a Mayor. To use one of his favourite phrases… “let me be perfectly clear”.

The Town Hall starts at 7:00. I may be there, I may not. Often, due to my limited abilities, I do not know until just before an event if I will be there. If other commitments or my physical limitations don’t interfere, I will certainly be there.

There have comments made on Social Media by some of the Mayors most loyal FaceBook antagonists that indicate I may not show up out of fear. How brazen and wrong of them to underestimate my resolve to continue asking questions. I have endured online attacks, insults hurled at me at intersections and ongoing efforts to silence me. None of this will deter me… If I can be there I will. If I can’t, I won’t. It’s that simple.

Now, the important question should be, what’s to fear? Yes, there are screenshots of some of these supporters bragging about making anyone who opposes Council feel unwelcome at these events, but we live in a society where such intimidation should be shut down the MOMENT it is identified.

I could even share a video where a resident who asked a question at one of these meetings in a previous term was harassed at the back of the room after speaking at the microphone. My wife (an elected Councilor at the time) stepped in to intervene and even she was threatened. It was reported at the time and nothing was done about it. That was then, this is now. Hopefully town staff will ensure Thursday is a harassment free environment.

Don’t let past actions or online threats however, influence your decision to attend. Just be aware of the audience when they moan boo or shoot dirty looks and demand respect if you plan to ask any tough questions. (The easy ones may be met with clapping.)

I encourage everyone to show up. I encourage everyone to go to the microphone and ask a question. Have 4-5 questions ready in case one gets asked by a person in line in front of you. If someone does ask your question and you don’t like the answer… ask for more clarification.

I’m sure many of you have other valid, interesting questions about the Elementary Students(500), the Secondary Students(500) and how this integration will work in conjunction with the college and university classes mentioned. You may have questions about the mention of shared parking. Will this mean they can build a school without adequate parking to save space because the previous Council made adequate parking considerations for the TPAL? Will this parking arrangement bring revenue to the town, or is it just a trade off? Will there be adequate parking if the announced Community Theatre has an event the same nigh a big hockey event is booked? How much is the town ACTUALLY spending to get this free Community Theatre?

That’s just the Recent School. Some of you may want to know why our Deputy CAO was paid through a separate company for half of the year and therefore did not show up on the Sunshine List?

Some of you may have some very good questions about the Wasaga Sands development. Don’t be intimidated by hecklers… just ask the questions.

Some may want to know WHY we need to be the only Municipality in Ontario with its own entertainment corporation funded with half a million dollars in tax payers money with $427,000.00 going to the first year’s wages for the top four staff seconded from existing town staff to the positions? Will the Town advertise these $100,000.00 plus positions publicly to attract the most qualified or will there be patronage appointments?

If you have paid attention, you may want to ask exactly how many new positions have been created at the Town? What is the total “yearly” cost of these positions?

Some may want to know why all of Council criticized the previous Council for not getting funding that was applied for to build the TPAL when a 20 million dollar road project was approved without EVEN applying for funding? (This during a year when tax increases were blamed on the previous Council.)

Some may want to ask why the meeting schedules/ routines have undergone changes. Have all of these changes been publicly shared or have some quietly been implemented?

I would love to know… Why did Council stop recording their in camera (closed to the public) meetings? Maybe in the question, point out we KNOW Council is not compelled to record them, but… why stop something that helped ensure accountability?

Some may want to ask why Councilor Belanger’s Notice of Motion about his previous punishments has not yet been tabled and dealt with. Was his notice of motion a possible breach of conflict of interest rules to begin with?

Some may have very valid questions as to why the bussing routes have not been expanded to reflect the growth and need in our community.

Some of you may want to know why the OPP have not laid charges yet after the Towns big “possible wrongdoing” announcement, if all that was said about the previous Council was true. This all started with “paper shredding”, but paper shredding still happens monthly. Hmmm!

Some may even want to know the total cost of ALL legal and investigation fees related to the witch hunt involving the previous administration.

Some may want to ask WHY we are paying costs to operate a Medical Clinic which is clearly a Provincial issue. You may want to prepare a follow up question when Council wrongfully takes credit for a recent $800,000.00 provincial payment that had NOTHING to do with the municipality. (Except that the agency who did receive the funding choose to operate out of the space provided by the taxpayers).

Some may want to ask why Council insists on seeing ownerships for vehicles you want to include in your free parking privilege? (Previous years passes were encouraged to be shared with visitors and friends. This year Council seems concerned about being ripped off- lol).

Some may even want to ask WHY council is planning on selling some of the parking lots they allow us to use for free?

Some may want to ask if any developers who helped Council get elected have since asked for any special considerations or exceptions to normal planning or building practices.

I’m sure some who use our many beaches would like to know why certain beaches have had municipal signs posted warning people of private beaches? Do any members of Council, Senior Staff or their families own properties in the vacinities of these signs?

Some may want to know about the status of any property issues any member of Council or their family members have requested of Council for consideration.

There is a large list of properties declared surplus by the town. Was there ever any interest expressed by people wanting to purchase any of those properties before they were declared surplus? How would they even answer a question like this without a detailed enquiry?

Some of you may even want to get personal and ask where members of Council currently live. (Meaning their full time residence- not simply an address that made them eligible to run for office) I suggest this as a good question as most people I speak with had NO IDEA that our Mayor moved to Tiny township prior to the election that put him in his seat and that at least one other member of Council does not “live” here.

Some might even demand a detailed financial report of the party week celebrating the TPAL to see if all costs were captured in the Power Point Report they approved showing a profit. It is actually a great question when one of our elected Councilors seemed to question certain missing costs but voted to accept the report anyway.

Some may want to ask what steps are being taken to help protect and promote awareness of the Piping Plovers by our MUNICIPALITY.

Some may want more information on the many CCTV cameras that have been put up from one end of town to the other.

I’m hoping some will be interested in a comparison between money spent on concerts vs. money spent on public parks for our children.

Will anyone ask how many splash pads are being added using some of the Casino Funding?

FRAM was selected by this Council to develop the many town owned properties without a full, open to all developers, RFP. The reasons many spoke of were highlighted by the fact that we would be able to have shovels in the ground due the their previous history with the Town. So… where will these shovels break ground first? Will it be Beach One? Beach Two? Main Street? What contractual details will be made public? Will FRAM purchase lands or simply work out some arrangement? Will they build condos and fence off the properties or will they build public spaces?

The Town owns a small percentage of Main Street properties. Will those land honestly be considered to build a new Town Hall?

Will the Town of Wasaga Beach be exploring expropriation of ANY properties to fulfill their goals? Have discussions about this already taken place?

Have other developers committed to start building on the many Main Street properties presently sitting vacant, or is the East End still to risky with all of the West End development that seems to be moving forward?

Is it true that Hampton Hotels is considering a hotel out by the casino?

Are there traffic lights or a roundabout planned to access the Sunnidale Trails Subdivision where the SCDSB has secured property to build a full size, full service high school?

Will the Town be partnering with the SCDSB to solicit Ministry of Education funding approval to build like they did with the separate school board??

I have only touched on a few of the possible questions. It is important for me to share these here, on these pages. By doing so, it ensures the CAO will probably have answers prepared for all of the above questions. After all, most of us just want answers but are denied answers when we ask directly. So… this public forum might be just the place to ask.

Don’t be intimidated by those who would rather you didn’t ask. Rest assured, there may be some who are there to ask questions they have been handed. There has been organized efforts at previous meetings of this kind to have certain groups stack the room. Many who were part of such efforts in the past are no longer dedicated and express their disgust.

Oh… I personally attended the Grand opening ceremony for the TPAL. Many members of the public, donors, politicians and staff were on hand. It was a nice ceremony. It was also free. But I understand the two summer concerts were attended by several council members and visiting dignitaries. How many people were admitted to these two concerts free? What process decided who paid and who was invited? Did Council members report their tickets as gifts?

I truly hope they hold these “Town Hall” sessions on a regular basis. I’m sure the next 12 months will bring up as many questions as the previous 12.

I also hope there is a good collection of media present.

If anyone has the ability, stream as much as you can live. There will undoubtedly be people interested who would love to watch online. (Take an extra battery, it may be a long night).