A Resilient Mono
- I want to get us thinking about community resilience as a municipality, and start building, repairing, and planning with that in mind;
- I am committed to trying to find alternate sources of funding aside from taxes;
- I want to make sure the water is safe to drink and that there will be enough for all who live here.
This may include looking into creative income generating activities for the Town, creating community connectors programs that ensure all our neighbours are checked on in emergencies or ensuring long-term stewardship of water resources is considered in all our planning decisions.
For the County of Dufferin’s definition of resilience click here.
When I talk about resilience I am talking about our ability to stay strong and thrive as a community, no matter what happens. Regardless of what you believe is happening in our world, I want to make sure all those who call Mono home are thoughtfully taken care of – that we leave nobody behind. That means setting up systems that make sure we check on the neighbours who don’t have air conditioning in a heat wave, and we are prepared with a plan if a large developer wants to build a data centre here. It is about looking forward, and making sure we can pivot if needed.
Taxes are a municipality’s main source of income, but that is not the only source of income a municipality can access. Mono may be able to apply for more grants, develop a stronger relationship with the province, or even consider innovative income generating programs that support local farmers, entrepreneurs or educators. Could a municipal-run grocery store support the town, our farmers, and our residents? I am open to ideas that do not put more pressure on our residents and that do support the people who are making a living here. I’d love to hear your ideas if you have any!
Water management and safety are paramount to Mono’s long-term sustainability. We need to consider the implications of any development or project on our water table and aquifers. I think we may also want to explore creative solutions to water management like rain-water harvesting for non-drinking purposes.
To learn about water management in Ontario and Mono, watch this.
A Mono Where You Belong
- I want to keep building an inclusive community so that all residents can enjoy the natural beauty and bounty of this place.
- I want to build stronger bridges between our rural and suburban communities.
- I want to make sure our programming is accessible to our growing diverse population.
This may include things like more accessible paths and benches in our public natural areas; programming geared to intergenerational connections or ensuring geographically town balanced committees.
Accessibility: Some of these ideas are not complicated to implement. For example, the Town can ask that all deputations at council that include a power point presentation follow AODA guidelines. However, some interventions may be costly and take time to implement, such as building more accessibility infrastructure in parks and natural spaces. Reviewing programs with an accessibility lens and following through with the Town of Mono’s Accessibility Plan will be key.
Community Building: Part of building bridges between our residents can involve intentional outreach by the council members to connect with members of groups they are not a part of. Open channels of communication are very important. Committees can be empowered to think more intentionally about how their initiatives affect different groups in Mono, and when they don’t know, they would have a duty to consult.
A Bountiful Mono
- I want to make sure that sustainability is a part of our planning, infrastructure and community-related policies and responses.
- I want to support local farmers and make sure that we can keep our county and country fed and well for a long time.
- I am committed to making sure we are promoting existing programs and not duplicating efforts and wasting taxpayer dollars.
This could include promoting a local food-first policy for town events; building on successful initiatives like the Mono Pollinator Garden ½ Day Camps by hosting affordable programs timed around the high-stress planting and harvest seasons; or ensuring that we are regularly and publicly sharing information on the effectiveness and impact of our programs in an accessible manner.
Sustainability: The implementation of a sustainability lens needs to be done well for it to have results, and luckily, there are examples of this. Toronto’s application of the Toronto Green Standard Toronto Green Standard (TGS) has successfully removed almost 1 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions over 16 years. By mandating high energy-performance tiers for new developments, it saved homeowners and building operators over $400 million in utility costs (this program, however, was ended by the Provincial government).
Municipal infrastructure provides flood and drought protection, drinking water, and wastewater treatment. These tend to use “grey infrastructure” like dams, pipes, and treatment facilities. The City of Nelson’s Subdivision and Development Servicing Bylaw promotes the use of natural infrastructure approaches—including rain gardens, bioretention swales, and constructed wetlands—for improved stormwater management. Read more here.
Innovation: A relevant example of municipal innovation when it comes to food and supporting local farmers is the Ontario Agri-Food Venture Centre (OAFVC) in Northumberland County in Eastern Ontario. It was built to help regional farmers wash, chill, freeze, package, and add value to their raw fruits and vegetables. This is a municipal project that since 2018 has successfully helped launch 175 food businesses and brought nearly 550 new “made in Ontario” products to market. While the costs of the OAFVC are not fully covered by the user fees and the county does have to provide some funding, the increase in tax base via enhanced commercial real estate and corporate taxes, as well as local job creation and the agricultural retention that allows food production revenues to stay within Ontario, all create wealth for the region. Click here to read more about this model.
Information: There are a variety of programs in our area that more residents may be able to benefit from with enhanced awareness. Thoughtful and effective information campaigns may bridge this gap. Programs that may be better popularized include:
- Better Homes Dufferin offers low-interest loans up to $40,000 for renovations that result in at least a 25% reduction in energy use. Read more here.
- Up until June 2026, the county offered a rebate of $4.50 for each installed and inspected hurricane clip used to secure the roof rafters or trusses to the top plate of the wall on your new construction project. Read more here.
- Residents of Mono who enroll in swimming lessons are able to ask for reimbursement for the non-resident fee charged by the Town of Orangeville for swimming lessons. Read more here.
- The Town of Mono has agreements with Orangeville, Shelburne and New Tecumseth libraries. Residents of Mono can borrow a GoPro or telescope from New Tecumseth, 3D print an octopus fidget or borrow passes to Ontario parks in Orangeville, or book a room for your meeting in Shelburne.