Council Candidate Adam Vaughn

Q1: Meaford is experiencing dynamic growth. How do you see ratepayers’ involvement in that growth? What role do you see the community playing in establishing the common direction and longer-term priorities?

One of the first things I want to bring into effect for Meaford is the creation of open Town Hall sessions like Grey Highlands holds. Giving community members better access to council and staff without needing to fit into a council meeting schedule or topic will allow community members to better voice ideas or concerns directly. Proper record keeping and response to these public questions will help guide priorities.

Q2: Would you support the development of an active community-based Advisory Committee for planning and development?

Yes, and having been on a committee for some time, making sure that the Committee has the tools and knowledge needed to be effective is crucial. Understanding how to pass recommendations to the council, having timelines set for responses, and making sure to have clear goals that can be measured and evaluated by the group to ensure they stay on course.

Q3: Currently, Meaford Council has just two Advisory Committees: Heritage and Accessibility. Prior to this current Council, there were seven advisory committees. Given that advisory committees facilitate public input into important matters, would you reinstate other advisory committees? And how would you ensure they are used effectively in the next term of Council?

Yes, I would reinstate Advisory Committees. Previous ones such as the Pumped Storage and new ones like a Rural Affairs Committee. Proper education and understanding of the rules associated with how to run an Advisory Committee under the Municipal Act are essential to ensuring an effective group. Also, the proper usage of “Working Groups” or “Task Forces” that can meet outside of staff involvement would allow some work to be done much more dynamically. 

Q4: What is the role of Council and the Municipality in supporting the development of downtown Meaford? In rural areas? Please provide examples.

These are two quite different issues that need their own approach.

For the rural areas, I see Council’s roles to ensure that the rural character and agricultural focus remain intact and protected. By enacting bylaws to close loopholes that leave far too wide a vulnerability of overdevelopment that does not match the usage of the surrounding areas. Especially when better locations are being made available in other locations. F

For the urban core area Council should be creating spaces that best encourage community members and those passing through to engage with Meaford businesses. By making sure parking and accessible access to public spaces are maintained. Focusing on infrastructure to keep downtown area in a presentable state while drawing on community support and knowledge to guarantee a successful outcome. Most of all tapping into the Harbour area that is currently being vastly underutilized.

Q5: What role does Meaford’s “Official Plan” have in guiding development?

Meaford’s Official Plan is designed to create a framework to guide use of land over a long range. It creates a set of rules and policies to ensure new developments are evaluated with a uniform direction and not in isolation.

Q6: If a development project does not appear to meet Official Plan requirements (like the SkyDev proposal), what should Council do to ensure the project is in the best interest of Meaford and its citizens?

Meaford’s Official Plan is not a secret. Developers should know what the limits are. If they choose to not conform to what is in place, it is the role of Council to work with developers to come into compliance and direct staff to keep approvals within established rules.

Q7: Should Council members or municipal staff meet with developers prior to a development application being submitted? What is your understanding of them role in such meetings? Can you give us an example of what you would do in that position?

Should a developer wish to have a pre-consultation meeting, that is something that only planning staff should be attending and only to discuss administrative questions.  Items such as what studies, environmental or traffic, might be needed.  Elected officials should not be meeting with developers before an official plan is put forward and I would not take part in one.

Q8: There are many issues that need to be addressed in the coming four-year term, including the TCE pumped energy project, affordable housing, job creation, the downtown heritage district, business development, climate change, tourism, and a host of infrastructure needs supporting agriculture, bridges, roads, water and sewer and urban green spaces. What, in your opinion, are the most urgent issues to address?

In my opinion our infrastructure needs are paramount at the moment. Roads, bridges, and to me our waste water plant are among our highest priorities.  As outlined in the November 2024 Ainley Class EA report there is a 112 million dollar price tag on a timeline that was supposed to start in 2025/2026 with a 56 million dollar Phase 1 starting cost. Properly planning and managing this project before it becomes even more expensive is required to enable almost all other items outlined in this question.

Q9: The TCE Pumped Storage Proposal will be decided by the federal government. What is your position on the project, and what role do you think the Meaford Council has as the project moves through approvals?

I can not actually come to a solid stance on this project while so many questions about it remain unanswered. Foremost of all is whether the project will even move forward. The final design of the project, the results of the environmental assessment, the IAAC finding, too many questions remain unanswered, so I do not feel I can put forward an answer as absolute as a Yes or No.   Council’s role should be to ensure that the project impacts residents as little as possible, protects the environment to the best of our ability, and compensates this community to the highest level. Negotiating a Community Benefit Agreement with the maximum amount of input from all facets of Meaford will be something I push for. 

Q10: As a member of Council, how will you work with local and county/regional partners and Meaford's CAO and staff to move the Municipality forward on the issues listed in Q8? Can you provide any examples?

One of the most important paths forward has to be not to reinvent the wheel. Look outside our borders and see what has worked to solve problems in our neighbouring regions. While Meaford might be facing some unique situations, a great deal of our challenges are not isolated to our boundaries. Utilizing in-house staff where applicable while not always relying on outside consultants or contractors to maximize tax dollars should always be on the table to be considered, such as the recent ditching project.  One of the biggest resources we have is a wealth of knowledge within our community keeping the lines of communication open and listening to those voices is one of my priorities.