Central Frontenac Election - Oso (Ward 3)

Bill MacDonald

Bill Macdonald was appointed to council a few months ago to complete the term as Councillor in Ward 3 (Oso) after Duncan McGregor resigned.

For MacDonald it was a return to a role he is familiar with. He served as Oso councillor between 2014 and 2022, but that was his second stint with the township. He began his municipal career as a councillor and then Deputy Reeve with Oso township in the early 1990’s, and was the first Mayor of Central Frontenac between 1998 and 2006.

In between his two municipal stints he ran provincially for the Liberal Party twice.

“My feeling was that I have a considerable amount of experience at all levels and I got the impression that maybe I could lend a little bit of calmness to the environment on council, which seemed like it was somewhat of a divided group. I felt that I could serve the community, and I think I did.”

When he was appointed in the spring, he did not expect to be running in this fall’s election, but said that he has been “encouraged considerably by people in the community who felt I should bring my experience back to the table for the next term, so I decided to run.”

He works as a self-employed logger and supplies fire wood for local homeowners.

A lot of the issues that are before council now, are similar to ones that he saw in the past, including the cost of maintaining Road 38.

“When I was Mayor, we spent several years working on getting a grant for a complete rebuild of that road. There was no way we could finance it ourselves, and finally we were able to secure the grant. We might need to go that route again.”

Other accomplishments from his time as Mayor that still resonate today were the first civic addressing/911 system that was competed entirely by volunteers in North and Central Frontenac, and the establishment of the Sharbot Lake Family Health Team.

He said that he would like to see the housing project on the former Sharbot Lake School grounds move forward.

“If we could jump start our population growth, it will take a lot of the burden off of the local council.”

He said that he has concerns about what is about the pending amalgamation of Conservation Authorities.

“We will be losing our say in how they operate, and they also provide a lot of information to us to help with planning processes for free, that we may need to pay for in the future.”

If elected, he plans to continue pushing for an upgrade to Highway 7 to create a passing lane somewhere in Central Frontenac.

“We are the only county without a passing lane and it would help travel times and safety if we were able to get one,” he said.

He also said that even though municipal taxes are higher than he would like, there is still value for money.

“Municipal taxes represent a small percentage of the total tax people pay, along with income tax and sales tax, but delivers more direct services than any other level of government. I think we need to let people know what their property taxes are funding aside from their local roads. Policing, long-term care, ambulance, education, waste management, fire and emergency services, are all paid by municipal taxes.”

Lesley Merrigan

Lesley Merrigan is running for council for the first time, but she is pretty familiar with public service. She grew up in an activist household, and her mother Fran Smith has been involved in local politics for decades.

Until now Lesley has been mainly known for her years on the District 3 (Oso) Rec committee, her work with the Royal Canadian Legions, Lion’s Club, and as the main organiser of Canada Day at the Beach, and the Sharbot Lake Beach Bash.

Over the last few years, she has also been a mainstay on the central recreation committee of council, working on grant proposals and looking at how all four districts of the township can benefit from working together, while fostering their own events, facilities and volunteers.

“We have made great progress together, by approaching all of these things as a whole community, everyone has benefited. I’m working on our second grant application for the Mountain Grove Park site with the support of the Central Frontenac Rec Committee, after we did not get it last year. I did write the application that got us a sporting equipment grant a few years back. That one has benefitted all 4 wards,” she said.

“If I am successful in my campaign, I see myself working as a liaison for recreation. It would be a natural fit.”

She also points to recreation as an example of the volunteer spirit in Central Frontenac.

“There are a lot of people who are willing to put on their tool belt and do something to help. The mindset of seeing a problem and deciding to be part of the solution, instead of nitpicking about how we got there, is something I want to bring to council.

“I always say that it is important to listen to understand, not just to hear. Sometimes it is more important to ask the right questions than to come up with a quick response. So many people do that, and it is a feature of social media. I wish sometimes we would all take a minute, before we act.

She said that she understands the need for growth, and the financial constraints that the township is facing, but added, “we also have to honour the reason why people choose to live rurally. We don’t want to see developers come in and rip up the forest and wetlands without proper safeguards as we risk losing our identity as a community. There is a balance there.”

Lesley Merrigan works at the Sharbot Lake Family Health Team in administration. She thinks the way services have been developed and continue to be developed at the Family Health Team, for all residents of Central Frontenac, is a good model for how the township itself can be successful.

In her spare time, she sings at various festivals both as a solo artist and a member of her band. She loves performing the most with her husband and kids at fundraising events, usually for causes that she is also involved with.

Meredith Peters

Meredith Peters turned heads at the Central Frontenac Council table last year when she made a presentation about the dangers that she saw with the strong mayor powers that have been imposed on Ontario municipalities by the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Members of council talked about a day when she would become a member of council, and with her candidacy she is giving an answer to that question.

She has been out on the campaign trail in recent weeks, having visited over 300 homes in Ward 3 (Oso) so far.

“It has been great to chat with folks and hear ideas,” she said.

Her interest in serving on council is based on her interest in making a difference in her own back yard, and as a way to put her experience in politics to work.

She is Queen’s student at the moment, still based at home in Sharbot Lake, taking a concurrent education degree, along with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in sociology/history/political studies. She is also in the process of completing an undergraduate-level Certificate in Law with the Queen’s Faculty of Law. She graduates in the spring of 2028.

At Queen’s she is the Student Senator from the Faculty of Education, and is serving as the student senate caucus chair. In that role she has worked on long term goals for the institution, budgeting, and has participated in summits with the City of Kingston.

She also completed an internship at the legislative assembly of Ontario, and worked for a summer at the township office as an emergency services student.

“I respect a lot of the work that Central Frontenac Council and township staff have done. I know it is not easy to manage a municipal government. I think that one thing that could be built upon is communications, and ensuring that resident concerns are prioritised,” she said.

The three things that she is focused on are fiscal responsibility, taking care of roads, and the upkeep of township infrastructure.

This summer, she coached minor soccer in Sharbot Lake, and is interested in developing and improving recreational activities for children, which was very important for her when she was growing up.

“One main thing is making sure that people feel they are represented at the township, know that they are not just a name on a list, and that their voice is being heard. A big thing for me is to hold town hall meetings before major meetings of council, so people feel they have had a say.”

She also wants to work on the development of the two school sites, to make sure that they are developed properly to have the maximum positive impact.

Although she seeks to serve Ward 3 residents, she thinks that collaboration between all four wards is important, to take advantage of what every corner of the township has to offer.

Bill MacDonald

Bill Macdonald was appointed to council a few months ago to complete the term as Councillor in Ward 3 (Oso) after Duncan McGregor resigned.

For MacDonald it was a return to a role he is familiar with. He served as Oso councillor between 2014 and 2022, but that was his second stint with the township. He began his municipal career as a councillor and then Deputy Reeve with Oso township in the early 1990’s, and was the first Mayor of Central Frontenac between 1998 and 2006.

In between his two municipal stints he ran provincially for the Liberal Party twice.

“My feeling was that I have a considerable amount of experience at all levels and I got the impression that maybe I could lend a little bit of calmness to the environment on council, which seemed like it was somewhat of a divided group. I felt that I could serve the community, and I think I did.”

When he was appointed in the spring, he did not expect to be running in this fall’s election, but said that he has been “encouraged considerably by people in the community who felt I should bring my experience back to the table for the next term, so I decided to run.”

He works as a self-employed logger and supplies fire wood for local homeowners.

A lot of the issues that are before council now, are similar to ones that he saw in the past, including the cost of maintaining Road 38.

“When I was Mayor, we spent several years working on getting a grant for a complete rebuild of that road. There was no way we could finance it ourselves, and finally we were able to secure the grant. We might need to go that route again.”

Other accomplishments from his time as Mayor that still resonate today were the first civic addressing/911 system that was competed entirely by volunteers in North and Central Frontenac, and the establishment of the Sharbot Lake Family Health Team.

He said that he would like to see the housing project on the former Sharbot Lake School grounds move forward.

“If we could jump start our population growth, it will take a lot of the burden off of the local council.”

He said that he has concerns about what is about the pending amalgamation of Conservation Authorities.

“We will be losing our say in how they operate, and they also provide a lot of information to us to help with planning processes for free, that we may need to pay for in the future.”

If elected, he plans to continue pushing for an upgrade to Highway 7 to create a passing lane somewhere in Central Frontenac.

“We are the only county without a passing lane and it would help travel times and safety if we were able to get one,” he said.

He also said that even though municipal taxes are higher than he would like, there is still value for money.

“Municipal taxes represent a small percentage of the total tax people pay, along with income tax and sales tax, but delivers more direct services than any other level of government. I think we need to let people know what their property taxes are funding aside from their local roads. Policing, long-term care, ambulance, education, waste management, fire and emergency services, are all paid by municipal taxes.”

Lesley Merrigan

Lesley Merrigan is running for council for the first time, but she is pretty familiar with public service. She grew up in an activist household, and her mother Fran Smith has been involved in local politics for decades.

Until now Lesley has been mainly known for her years on the District 3 (Oso) Rec committee, her work with the Royal Canadian Legions, Lion’s Club, and as the main organiser of Canada Day at the Beach, and the Sharbot Lake Beach Bash.

Over the last few years, she has also been a mainstay on the central recreation committee of council, working on grant proposals and looking at how all four districts of the township can benefit from working together, while fostering their own events, facilities and volunteers.

“We have made great progress together, by approaching all of these things as a whole community, everyone has benefited. I’m working on our second grant application for the Mountain Grove Park site with the support of the Central Frontenac Rec Committee, after we did not get it last year. I did write the application that got us a sporting equipment grant a few years back. That one has benefitted all 4 wards,” she said.

“If I am successful in my campaign, I see myself working as a liaison for recreation. It would be a natural fit.”

She also points to recreation as an example of the volunteer spirit in Central Frontenac.

“There are a lot of people who are willing to put on their tool belt and do something to help. The mindset of seeing a problem and deciding to be part of the solution, instead of nitpicking about how we got there, is something I want to bring to council.

“I always say that it is important to listen to understand, not just to hear. Sometimes it is more important to ask the right questions than to come up with a quick response. So many people do that, and it is a feature of social media. I wish sometimes we would all take a minute, before we act.

She said that she understands the need for growth, and the financial constraints that the township is facing, but added, “we also have to honour the reason why people choose to live rurally. We don’t want to see developers come in and rip up the forest and wetlands without proper safeguards as we risk losing our identity as a community. There is a balance there.”

Lesley Merrigan works at the Sharbot Lake Family Health Team in administration. She thinks the way services have been developed and continue to be developed at the Family Health Team, for all residents of Central Frontenac, is a good model for how the township itself can be successful.

In her spare time, she sings at various festivals both as a solo artist and a member of her band. She loves performing the most with her husband and kids at fundraising events, usually for causes that she is also involved with.

Meredith Peters

Meredith Peters turned heads at the Central Frontenac Council table last year when she made a presentation about the dangers that she saw with the strong mayor powers that have been imposed on Ontario municipalities by the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Members of council talked about a day when she would become a member of council, and with her candidacy she is giving an answer to that question.

She has been out on the campaign trail in recent weeks, having visited over 300 homes in Ward 3 (Oso) so far.

“It has been great to chat with folks and hear ideas,” she said.

Her interest in serving on council is based on her interest in making a difference in her own back yard, and as a way to put her experience in politics to work.

She is Queen’s student at the moment, still based at home in Sharbot Lake, taking a concurrent education degree, along with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in sociology/history/political studies. She is also in the process of completing an undergraduate-level Certificate in Law with the Queen’s Faculty of Law. She graduates in the spring of 2028.

At Queen’s she is the Student Senator from the Faculty of Education, and is serving as the student senate caucus chair. In that role she has worked on long term goals for the institution, budgeting, and has participated in summits with the City of Kingston.

She also completed an internship at the legislative assembly of Ontario, and worked for a summer at the township office as an emergency services student.

“I respect a lot of the work that Central Frontenac Council and township staff have done. I know it is not easy to manage a municipal government. I think that one thing that could be built upon is communications, and ensuring that resident concerns are prioritised,” she said.

The three things that she is focused on are fiscal responsibility, taking care of roads, and the upkeep of township infrastructure.

This summer, she coached minor soccer in Sharbot Lake, and is interested in developing and improving recreational activities for children, which was very important for her when she was growing up.

“One main thing is making sure that people feel they are represented at the township, know that they are not just a name on a list, and that their voice is being heard. A big thing for me is to hold town hall meetings before major meetings of council, so people feel they have had a say.”

She also wants to work on the development of the two school sites, to make sure that they are developed properly to have the maximum positive impact.

Although she seeks to serve Ward 3 residents, she thinks that collaboration between all four wards is important, to take advantage of what every corner of the township has to offer.

Jessica Singer (Conner)

Jessica Singer is better known in the Sharbot Lake area as Jessica Conner.

She was born and raised in the community, and when she left, she moved to Alberta, where she worked in the trucking industry. With her husband, she later moved to BC, where they worked under contract to deliver fiber cable to remote communities.

At the same time, they were raising a family, and decided to move back home. They have 5 kids, aged 8,7,5,4, and 5 months.

“One of the reasons I am running for council,” she said, “is to work on housing and planning rules. It was impossible for us to find a place to live in Sharbot Lake, when we came back. We ended up settling in Bath, the closest place they could find a rental property.”

They have been working in property development since returning to Ontario, and dealing with municipal rules has become a major factor in their lives.

They are close to completing a plan of subdivision process in Camden East in Stone Mills township, seven years after starting the process. And for the past year they have been trying to navigate the planning process in Central Frontenac for a site plan approval for a campground adjacent to the K&P trail, on a 34 acre property off Brewer Road, in Ward 3, where she is running.. There will also be an opportunity to build a home for their family on the property, as well.

“What I have found, in both cases, is that the planning departments act more like gate keepers than facilitators. I would prefer if the process were clear, and the planners were working to help us comply with those rules. Sometimes it does not feel that way,” she said.

She said that in Central Frontenac, “there seems to be a general consensus that people are just looking for change, and I would not be afraid to speak up, and push for change.”

“I’ve always been interested in the political aspect of things,” she said, “and I was thinking about running for council in four years, when my youngest will be in school, but I had some community members reach out to me to run now.”

In terms of issues, she said “everybody has road issues. That is not going to go away, and as a councillor, I would work to help resolve these issues where possible. People are also concerned about the amount of staff working at the township, and some of the bylaws. I have been watching the meetings, but only when I get to see all the details as a member of council, will I know if we have the staff and bylaws that we need.”

She also said that, “transparency is a big issue. By the time things get to council, decisions have already been made. That has to change