Saugeen Shores Mayor Luke Charbonneau has been acclaimed as the new warden for Bruce County.
He was appointed to the role after being the only nomination received for the position.
“I want to start by saying thank you to my nominators, Mayor Goetz and Mayor Peabody, and to all my colleagues. I want to say thank you for trusting me to lead this council for the coming year,” said Charbonneau. “To be appointed as Warden of Bruce County is the highest honour that a person can achieve in municipal elected office. I’m humbled and honoured. I want to take this moment to thank outgoing Warden Chris Peabody. Chris will be a tough act to follow. He’s been a passionate advocate for our county and for all of our communities. I pledge to do my very best to try and live up to the example he has set.”
Charbonneau was joined by his wife Alison, son Marty, parents Nora and Norm Charbonneau, and his father-in-law Ken Dunlop.
He also had support from Saugeen Shores CAO Kara Van Myall, Vice Deputy Mayor Mike Myatt, and executive assistant Hailey Leigh-Mossley.
In his inaugural remarks, Charbonneau said:
“Bruce County stands poised to be at the very heart of Ontario’s prosperity over the remaining years of the 21st century. As we stand here today, industry and agriculture are thriving alongside the pristine rivers and majestic forests of our county.
Our communities are growing in population, and in diversity. Bustling downtowns are home to successful businesses, and busy neighbourhoods are filled with young families and active seniors.
Opportunity abounds in Bruce County. Our more than 1,500 farm families contribute more than $1.6 billion to Ontario’s economy. 2.5 million annual visitors support a local tourism industry, worth more than $320 million.
Our clean nuclear sector produces one-third of Ontario’s electricity, sterilizes 40% of the world’s single-use medical equipment, and contributes more than $4 billion to the annual GDP of our province.
Make no mistake, Bruce County is a provincial and national leader in energy, agriculture, health care, and in the fight against global climate change. And with leadership from this council, in partnership with our local communities and Indigenous neighbours, we can leverage these opportunities to enhance the quality of life for all of the people that we serve.
The people of Bruce County, like people everywhere, want a renewed effort on the the part of all of their governments to make life easier as they face challenges in their own households. They want good planning, and sound management to ensure that municipal services remain affordable and reliable into the future.
The opportunities that I have described and that we have worked so hard to build, make it possible for us to deliver on all these things that our residents want and need.
And so, our work continues. We will work to build affordable housing for those who are most in need, and support the construction of attainable housing for everyone else.
We will work to ensure that we have high-quality long-term care, so that our seniors can live out their lives in comfort and dignity.
We will work to invest in strengthening our paramedic and social services to ensure that help is always there when our residents most need it.
We will work to support local childcare providers, and to expand access to childcare, so that all of our young families have the flexibility they need to build for their futures.
We will work to make certain that county roads and bridges are maintained and enhanced, to support our thriving economy.
We will work to take care of our libraries, and our museum, so that every resident, no matter how much money they make, can access the information they need and the entertainment they want.
And we will work as allies of the Saugeen Anishinabek, maintaining respectful relationships, and collaborating with them as friends, as we implement the county’s Reconciliation Action Plan.
On transit, I believe that we should work with our provincial partners and the private sector, to make rideshare a reality for our communities and in rural communities right across Ontario.
And on the environment, I believe that we should work to unite local municipalities to introduce green bin organics in our neighbourhoods, extending the life of local landfills, and creating a service-level enhancement that many of our residents want to see.
In short, I believe that by working with everyone in this room, and all of our partners, we can make life better and deliver value for taxpayers in every town, hamlet, and village, from Teeswater to Tobermory. Of course, this is not a project that can be accomplished by one Warden or in one term of council. It is an ongoing project, that has been handed down by all of the men and women on the walls of this room, and by all of the councils that they led.
And it is a project that this council will pass on to our heirs and successors when our time here is done. And so our job now is to ensure we leave this already great county and its people better off than when we started. and by working together with our staff and our neighbours, I’m confident that we will do just that.”
Huron-Kinloss Mayor Don Murray will take over the Deputy Warden role.
After thanking those who nominated him, he also thanked Huron-Kinloss council for having faith in him to take on the new role.
In his remarks, Murray said, “I’m looking forward to learning this role and working alongside our Warden Charbonneau on lots of different projects.”
He mentioned the Bruce C project, saying that it was up to the county to ensure that the project moves forward, as it will be an overwhelming boost to the county for generations to come.
He also gave his voice to some of the aims that the new Warden had outlined, “Housing, social housing, all the projects we’ve been working on over the years, everything that [Warden Charbonneau] talked about, we must proceed forward to make this county better for all residents, and the next generations to come.”
Warden Luke Charbonneau receives the Warden’s Pin from CAO Christine MacDonald on December 5, 2024
Deputy Warden Don Murray receives the Deputy Warden’s Pin from CAO Christine MacDonald on December 5, 2024