Sustainable. Balanced. Progress

Sustainable. Balanced. Progress

CHECKOUT PAT IN ACTION AT THE ALL CANDIDATES MEETING ON SACTURDAY OCTOBER 3RD, 2026

WHAT AFFECTS YOU AFFECTS ME

INTERESTED in MY TAKE ON FACTORS THAT IMPACT YOU & YOUR HALIBURTON LIFESTYLE?

  • My top three priorities are interconnected, and we need to move all three forward together to get the best results for Haliburton. First, we need to complete our proposal to the provincial government to double the capacity of our sewage treatment plant. We’re getting close, and adequate sewage capacity is essential to supporting the housing, healthcare and commercial infrastructure our community needs. This isn’t growth for the sake of growth, it’s about having the infrastructure to support the community we already have while allowing Haliburton to grow responsibly.

    Second, we need to get the Extendicare project finished and continue planning for the future. The project is expected to bring approximately 150–200 jobs while helping develop the Township-owned property on County Road 21. That property was purchased to streamline future development, including Extendicare, housing and eventually community infrastructure such as a new arena, curling rink, pool, tennis courts and other amenities as our population and commercial tax base grow. Good municipal planning means making decisions today that give future councils and residents options tomorrow.

    Finally, we need to protect taxpayers and spend smarter. Municipalities are facing increasing costs for infrastructure, policing and other services without adequate funding. Provincial funding needs to reflect responsibilities municipalities are being asked to take on. At the same time, we need to look internally at how we spend. Through my experience on Dysart and County Council, I’ve identified areas where capital costs could potentially be reduced by 20–40% through better procurement and alternative approaches to equipment, roads and bridges. Our Council needs to play both offence and defence, improving services and growing our community while protecting taxpayers and taking care of the assets we already own.

    There are many other priorities, including diversifying our tax base, attracting commercial growth and creating housing across different income levels. We need to accomplish all of this while preserving our polished destination and warm, family cottage feel that makes people want to live, work and visit here.

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  • Municipal government should do the basics exceptionally well, spend taxpayers’ money like it’s their own, and create the conditions that allow a community to succeed. In a rural community, we don’t have unlimited resources, so every dollar matters. Our responsibility is to maintain good roads and infrastructure, provide reliable essential services, plan responsibly, protect our natural assets and make it easier (not harder) for people to live, work, build and do business here.

    Municipal government also has an important role in advocacy. Small rural municipalities can’t solve healthcare shortages, housing affordability, policing costs or major infrastructure challenges alone. We need strong representatives at the County and provincial tables who are willing to push for funding models and policies that actually make sense for rural Ontario.

    I don’t believe government needs to be involved in everything. But where we are involved, we should be efficient, transparent, accountable and accessible. That’s the same standard I’ve expected in business, and it’s the standard I expect from municipal government.

  • We need to protect the reason people come/live here. Our lakes, forests, land and small-town character are the attractions. If we don’t protect them, no marketing campaign can replace them. That means balancing development with environmental health and sustainability.

    We’re already taking positive steps through septic inspections, the shoreline bylaw, invasive-species initiatives and lake-water monitoring with organizations such as U-Links (check out their website.) We need to continue that work through good planning, shoreline restoration in vulnerable areas and greater awareness and action around invasive species such as Eurasian Water-Milfoil and Blue Green Alge to name a few.

    Sustaining tourism is also about infrastructure and the experience people have when they’re here. We need attractive and active downtowns, good roads, trails and recreational opportunities, healthy lakes, thriving local businesses and enough commercial development to give visitors reasons to spend their money locally.

    Our seasonal residents are also an enormous part of this community. They support local businesses, employ local trades and services, pay property taxes, donate to local organizations and contribute to the character of Dysart and Haliburton County.

    Tourism, development and environmental protection don’t have to compete with one another. Done properly, they support each other. The goal is simple: keep giving people a reason to come here while taking care of Haliburton so our kids, their kids and future generations want to stay or come back too.

  • Not everybody starts from the same place, and a good community makes sure people aren’t left on the sidelines because of their income, age, ability or circumstances. For our youth, we need consistent support and access to programs that keep them included, motivated and engaged, whether that’s sports, after-school programming or safe places where they can spend time and get involved.

    The same applies across generations. We need to continue supporting seniors’ programs, food banks, community organizations and the incredible volunteer network already in place throughout Haliburton. Our community punches well above its weight when it comes to people helping people, and municipal and County government should support the longevity of those programs.

    Housing is another major piece. We need housing across the income spectrum. During this term, we’ve supported rezoning and projects involving Places for People and Habitat for Humanity, and I also sold some of my own property to Places for People to support their work. I would like to see a less restrictive and more efficient framework for appropriate housing and lot development. Reducing unnecessary barriers for responsible developers and making home ownership more attainable for first-time buyers and local families is good for Haliburton.

    We don’t need 200-unit subdivisions everywhere. We need different kinds of housing at different price points so people can remain part of this community while Haliburton continues to grow financially and socially. Access to healthcare matters too. The Extendicare project is one example of infrastructure that can help people age in their own community while reducing some of the burden families face when someone they love reaches that stage of life.

  • “We’re in the middle of everywhere. The more I travel, the more I appreciate coming home.” Haliburton isn’t too big and it isn’t too small, and it hasn’t been overrun. It still has character.

    This community has grit, heart and an incredible sense of family and community. It never fails to amaze me how much money people here raise every year for local organizations, especially considering the economic challenges many people in our community face.

    Then there are our lakes, land and forests. Put all of that together with the character of our town and the people who live here, and you have something pretty unique. That’s my favourite part of Haliburton—and it’s exactly what I want us to protect as we continue to grow.

  • I’m not against a one-tier system, but I’m not prepared to support one simply because we’re being told it will create efficiencies. Show me the numbers. This is one of the biggest decisions Haliburton County has made since its inception, and we need to understand the actual financial savings, where efficiencies will come from, how services will be affected and what it means for taxpayers in each municipality.

    A study is currently underway that should provide more information, and that information is expected by the end of September. We need to see it. My concern is that the process is being pushed too aggressively, particularly during an election when we could have a significantly different council afterward. I’ve said before that I believe the decision should be postponed for a year. That isn’t kicking the can down the road, it’s making sure we have the information, financial data and public discussion needed to make the right decision.

    There’s also work we can do right now. The County spent approximately $100,000 on a Service Delivery Review in 2022, and many of its recommendations have never been implemented. Let’s start there. We can implement practical efficiencies between municipalities, get our houses in order and give each municipality time to provide the financial information needed to properly evaluate a one-tier system.

    I’m a businessman. If you show me a better, more efficient model that saves taxpayers money while maintaining or improving service, I’ll support it. But I want to see the business case first. That’s not being against amalgamation it’s doing our homework before making a decision that can’t easily be undone.