Grand Trunk Renewal Committee reflects on challenges, progress, and future opportunities

John Kastner, co-chair of the communications, advocacy and civic engagement working group, and youth representative Ryen Robinson add their notes to the Grand Trunk Renewal Committee’s visual timeline during the final meeting on Sept. 15.

The final meeting of Stratford’s Ad-Hoc Grand Trunk Renewal Committee took place Sept. 15, offering members a chance to reflect on both the challenges and the accomplishments of the group’s work over the past term.

Though the committee’s term officially ends later this month, members emphasized the importance of pausing to celebrate what has been achieved and to recognize the foundation laid for future progress on redeveloping the historic Grand Trunk site.

Trudy Jonkman, of the Stratford Lakeside Active Adults Association and a committee member, led an exercise where participants contributed notes on the committee’s accomplishments to a visual timeline.

“We all recognize that there’s been challenges with this committee, the timeline, the amount of work we all endeavoured to try to accomplish,” Jonkman said. “However, there are lots of positive things that happened along this journey as well. Can we say we’ve done a perfect job? Of course not. It’s a massive project. But we have accomplished something.”

Committee chair and Stratford Mayor Dan Mathieson acknowledged the different opinions among members but said the group has played a vital role in shaping the project’s direction.

“Some would say it was highly successful, others might say we fell short of our mandate because we didn’t advance the development to a more definitive path forward for council,” Mathieson said. “I think we all wish we had shovels in the ground, but our role was not necessarily to do that as much as it was to help council guide where they should be looking for that next piece.”

Mathieson also noted that the language around the project has evolved, with “community hub” now being replaced with “community facility” to reflect changes brought about by provincial policy following the election of Doug Ford as Premier of Ontario in 2018.

Mayor Martin Ritsma thanked both the public and city staff for their contributions, pointing in particular to Emily Robson for her continued work.

“I look forward to the future development of this historic site in Stratford,” Ritsma said. “I think it is going to be a major source of growth in this community for residents and for those who aren’t residents here yet.”

Working groups presented their final findings, including the Vision, Planning and Architecture subcommittee, which recommended updating the Grand Trunk Master Plan to reflect community needs and market conditions, and the Real Estate, Legal and Finance working group, which stressed the importance of fiscal responsibility and called on council to ensure the project continues.

Upcoming initiatives will keep the momentum going. The Grand Trunk building will host interim public uses such as Trophy X Dream Weavers, a storytelling event Oct. 4-5 on the west-side grounds of the property. In addition, a committee social on Oct. 20 at the Parlour Inn will celebrate the group’s work and contributions.

“This is both business and reflection,” Mathieson said during the final meeting. “It’s a chance to look back at what has been accomplished and also to draw conclusions and point forward for council’s consideration in the future.”