Message From The Mayor

Hello Everyone,

I hope this update finds you well and enjoying our summer.
It has been quite the experience that last year and a half. 
COVID-19 has been a learning curve for everyone.

It has been my absolute pleasure and joy to be working with such a great team of people.

Councillors Goyda, Bulmer, Sepulis and Bailey all bring different strengths to the table and this has provided an atmosphere at Council where we see items and discuss them through different lens.

We may not agree all of the time however 95 percent of the time we come to a consensus on decisions.

I have continued to have meetings throughout the summer with TAPMO (Top Aggregate Producing Municipalities), with MPPs across Ontario.

This initiative is to promote to the Government that aggregate operations should pay their fair share of taxes so that the residential taxpayer is not subsidizing their operations.

It is our hope that these meetings will conclude with a meeting with the Premier of Ontario or his senior level staff/advisors.

The MPPs we met with were initially surprised at the tax inequalities the aggregate industry pays.

As we held more meetings, it became clear that we have stirred up conversation within Government and the issue was being more understood.

We will keep up the pressure to fix the assessed value of aggregate operations.

On a final note, with support from all of Council, Puslinch staff applied for grants under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program for improvements at the Puslinch Community Centre and we received $1.66 million in Federal and Provincial funds. 

I would like to thank Catherine Mckenna, the Minister of Infrastructure; Kinga Suram, Minister of Infrastructure of Ontario; Laurie Scott, MP, former Minister of Infrastructure Ontario; Michael Chong and MPP Ted Arnott for their support for these important projects.

As a result of these grants, our improved facilities will be available for our next generations of residents. 

Thank you.

James Seeley