Robert Bortlisz

Candidate for Wasaga Beach Council

Statement of Principles

· The earliest idea for an incorporated municipality was that of residents coming together and pooling resources to improve everyday life for all in the town. The people decide what is most needed and give authority to an elected council to collect funds and carry out the plans in a timely and cost effective manner. The council is further charged with the responsibility of maintaining assets and ensuring enough funds are saved for inevitably replacement costs. I do not believe that basic principle has changed.

· A strong community and Town is only as strong as the weakest link. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that the less fortunate and challenged members of our community are assisted and made to feel a secure, welcomed part of our society.

· As a councilor it is my duty to advise, research, educate and put forward ideas to improve our community. If the majority of the population does not approve of a councils agenda, then my job becomes that of carrying out the wishes of the majority (again) in a timely and cost effective manner.

· A community has many ways to “grow”. That does not always mean that we must grow in size or population. The most effective growth comes from continual improvements to the services and infrastructure that already exists.

· Planning for the future is a matter of putting extra funds aside so that in the future we can afford a little splurge on new services and upgrades.

· Clear accounting of Town funds, so that a true picture of our financial health is critical. Assets that will never (or should never) be sold must be listed at a nominal value of $1 and the inevitable replacement costs listed as a future liability of their replacement cost. Only those investments held for the sole purpose of saving for future needs can be listed at resale value as an asset.

· A Town must never be in the business of competing with citizens and private enterprise within the Town. Council has a fiduciary responsibility to assist, promote and encourage private enterprise and the personal growth of its citizens.

· Wealth, infrastructure and services must be shared equally throughout the Town and not focused just in one area unless it can be shown and agreed upon by the majority that such endeavor is both truly needed and of benefit to the entire Town.

· For a Town to be sustainable it must have a good population mix. A successful community needs to attract all demographics, particularly youth and young adults. Without that we may never get a high school and there will be a short fall in our labour market.

· The health of a community is dependent on the health of its population. Most of the health care system is Provincial and Federal, so we have little control over that. What we do have control over are things like community garden allotments, walking and biking trails, winter activities, community hubs spread throughout the town, like parquets and playgrounds and advisory personal to promote healthier life styles and choices.

· There seems to have been an unwitting trend to neglect some of our basic infrastructure in favour of urbanization. Funds that should have gone to basic maintenance go elsewhere and home owners get invoiced for a new “capital works charge”, that may not have been needed for another 20 or 30 years. This practice leads to inflation, higher taxes and affordability issues.

· Best Use, were land is available for development, a best use approach should be undertaken to evaluate the short and long term impacts of that development land. A balance of natural areas, agricultural lands, park and recreation lands, residential/commercial and industrial must be maintained to assure our future sustainability.

· Wasaga Beach has been blessed with an abundance of natural gems, that have not only sparked the birth of our Town, but built a tourism industry that has served us well, for over 100 years. We have a duty to keep those gems polished so they shine for another hundred years. This is our biggest industry here, we need to build on that!

· By any standard, Wasaga Beach is a “small Town”. We must respect that, protect our history, keep our unique charm and carry out our ideas and wishes in an affordable way. No one comes here expecting “world class” anything. What they do expect and appreciated is that we put “our” best foot forward and be just a little different than where they came from. Being the best possible Wasaga Beach is a goal that Wasaga Beach can strive for and attain.