Sean Hunt for Mayor

Keeping facilities in top shape starts with an honest asset management plan: knowing the condition of every arena, park and hall we own, and budgeting for upkeep before small repairs become big replacements. I sat on the school board's capital planning committee, and I'll bring that same discipline to our facilities here at home.

Growth is also an opportunity. New neighbourhoods can bring new rec space with them, and the people building them are usually glad to help get it right when we plan together early. Data on registrations, bookings and usage shows where a new pad, pitch or playground will serve the most people. I want those calls made before we pour concrete, not after.

Young families tell me two things: child care is hard to find, and a new neighbourhood shouldn't wait years for its school. I will push for child care spaces and school-ready sites to be planned into growth from day one, along with safe routes to school. The school catchments for every village are on the Community Explorer. The new St. Cecilia school in Kilworth shows why: sidewalks, crossings, crossing guards and traffic calming have to be planned now, not after the first bell rings.

Our seniors built this community, and staying shouldn't mean leaving. I will work for housing options that let people downsize without moving away, and better ways to get around our villages for those who don't drive. Every generation should be able to start here, raise a family here, and retire here.

Here's what's behind that bill. Roughly two-thirds of a typical water bill is fixed before you use a drop, because the pipes, towers and treatment capacity are built for the community we're becoming, not just the one we are today. Until growth arrives, fewer households carry that fixed cost, and it shows up as a high minimum bill.

As mayor I will lead an open review of the assumptions behind our rates, including reserve targets and the debt ceiling, which are council's own policy choices rather than provincial rules. As new homes and businesses connect, the fixed cost gets split more ways. Residents will see the numbers, in plain language, at every step.

Being easy to work with is an advantage for a growing municipality, and it starts with service. I will set clear service targets, publish our turnaround times so everyone can see how we are doing, and make sure every applicant knows who to call and what comes next. Our staff already lead the region on online permitting; I want to back them with training and with smart use of AI on plan review, inspection scheduling and the paperwork around both, so people spend their time building rather than waiting.

The best projects start with a conversation. I want builders, planners, neighbours and our staff talking early, while a plan can still take in a school site, a trail connection, a park, or the water and road capacity a neighbourhood will lean on. That means expectations set up front, shared data on where capacity already exists, and decisions anyone can follow. I will also work with the province on affordable housing programs and funding, so what gets built includes homes young families can start in and homes that let seniors stay, all while protecting farmland and the rural character that makes Middlesex Centre home.

See the settlement areas and school catchments for yourself on the Community Explorer, an interactive map of every village and hamlet.

Many of the roads and drains rural residents count on are County responsibility, and the mayor is Middlesex Centre's voice at that table. Showing up prepared, every meeting, is how a concession gets the same attention as a subdivision. Better condition data on our roads and drains means the priority list is built from evidence and shared openly, so you can see where your road stands.

Drainage is a farm issue and a climate issue. Storms are getting bigger, and the drains and culverts that protect fields and basements need steady investment. Reliable internet is the same story: a farm operation or home business on a concession needs broadband as much as any business in town, and I will keep pushing until the job is finished.

I've spent thirty years building software and leading technical teams, so I know what technology can do for an organization, and just as important, what it can't. Our online permitting leads because of our staff. My job as mayor is to back them with real investment, training and modern tools, using AI where it genuinely saves time while people stay accountable for every decision.

For residents, the test is simple: you should be able to get an answer without taking a morning off work. Booking the arena, tracking a permit, reporting a problem or having your say on the budget should all work from your kitchen table, with a phone number that still works for everyone who would rather call.