Two full days of delegations have wrapped up and the mayor of Prince Edward County is pleased with what they were able to accomplish.
The Association of Municipalities of Ontario met virtually for this year’s conference and Prince Edward County was represented by Mayor Steve Ferguson and councillors Phil St-Jean and John Hirsch.
Ferguson spoke to Quinte News to discuss how the two days of meetings went.
A joint delegation between Prince Edward County and the Town of Greater Napanee and Lennox and Addington kicked things off by touching on the vital need of the Glenora Ferry.
Ferguson says their conversation with the Minister of Transportation Caroline Mulroney stressed the importance of that access point.
“That access point into and out of Prince Edward County is particularly important given that County Road 49 and the Skyway Bridge are reduced to one lane until 2022. From Prince Edward County’s perspective, the importance of the two ferries being employed all the time.”
He stated the ferry is vital for those traveling between the two municipalities for multiple reasons such as tourism and business.
Ferguson said Mulroney’s staff indicated many of the challenges that have faced the ferry service such as hydraulic and equipment issues on some of the boats have been resolved and they are back to two-ferry service.
He noted high water levels are also a challenge they did not have to contend with this year, but it remains top of mind for next year and the equipment used may have to be compensated for depending on if water levels do become an issue next spring.
Picton town hall intersection
Also discussed with Minister Mulroney was County Road 49 and the intersection of Picton Town Hall.
For the sake of public safety, the delegation pushed for changes to be made to the Picton Town Hall intersection.
Ferguson says the delegation was asking for changes to be made to the Connecting Links funding.
“The formula does not work particularly to allow us to undertake those changes now, but when they are needed. So we spoke to the Minister about adjustments to the timing of the funding.”
He says they were also referred to other sources of funding to allow the repairs and adjustments to be made.
County Road 49
They also discussed County Road 49 and the urgent need for repair on that link in and out of the County.
He said they know it is an $18-$21 million project, but one that everyone knows needs to be done.
“She certainly understands the need that you know, this is a project that I think everybody understands, will have to be undertaken in bits and pieces. We’re not going to be able to do the whole thing at once.”
Ferguson says they will be pressing provincial and federal levels of government to come up with appropriate levels of funding to allow work to begin.
Sandbanks Provincial Park
The delegation also spoke with Jeff Yurek, the Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks about Sandbanks Provincial Park and the issues surrounding the increased tourism the County is seeing, especially this year.
Earlier this month, Yurek met with Ferguson at Sandbanks to discuss the park and the problems they’ve seen such as the overflow crowds because of limited entry and the trickle down effect on other local beaches.
He says it was a late request for a meeting. The request to continue that discussion that was granted.
“Sandbanks, in our opinion, needs to be looked at in isolation as opposed to just another provincial park.”
He says the majority of the traffic into Sandbanks comes off the 401, 50 kilometres away and then there are 4.5 kms of traffic to get into the park. Cars idling is unacceptable and having an impact on the environment which needs to be addressed.
“There’s an opportunity here for Sandbanks to undertake a bit of a rethink into the way which the park operates.”
Some recommendations were a reservation system for day use entry, as well as additional, or revisions, to the entrances, a levy for the municipality, a more fulsome communication strategy to let people know what the status is of the park before they arrive and a per person entry fee instead of per vehicle.
Ferguson says Minister Yurek made a commitment the park will be put under a magnifying glass and staff along with County staff will come up with solutions for the 2021 season.
He says the discussion will also continue in regards to the park with MPP Todd Smith who is also aware of the concerns from the municipality.
The entire conference was held virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic and limitations on gatherings.
