Two Wilmot councillors hosting townhalls; Events come as township wrestles with huge potential tax increase

Councillors Harvir Sidhu (left) and Kris Wilkinson are holding townhall events to hear from their constituents on issues like the 2025 budget and road safety. Contributed photos

Lee Griffi, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Councillors Harvir Sidhu and Kris Wilkinson have never shied away from the big issues facing Wilmot, including the Region of Waterloo’s land-acquisition plan. Now, the pair are holding separate townhalls in their individual ridings to hear what taxpayers are most concerned about.

The councillors broke rank from the rest of Wilmot’s elected officials in June and held a news conference where they demanded greater transparency from the Region of Waterloo regarding the proposed acquisition of 770 acres of farmland.

“I have been trying to plan a townhall since this summer, but unfortunately the timing just never worked out,” said Sidhu. “I was encouraged by council passing my motion for the open-mic delegations for our council meetings. Ultimately, I just want to hear from our residents. I work for them and more transparency is never a bad thing.”

Despite representing Ward 3, Sidhu said he isn’t restricting attendance to just his constituents.

“I would like to hear from my residents if they have specific concerns. Having said that, all residents from Wilmot are welcome. Almost all the decisions we make affect everyone in our township.”

Wilkinson, a Ward 2 councillor, said he too was hoping to have a meeting with taxpayers sooner, but the timing of his get-together makes sense.

“I had initially planned to host a townhall event to meet with the residents of Petersburg to discuss the proposed upgrades to their water-distribution system. However, when I was looking at the calendar and upcoming meeting agendas, it made sense to host an event after the budget was released so that I could meet with the entire ward to discuss issues.”

While Wilkinson is hoping for a strong turnout by Ward 2 residents, he is also welcoming those from other areas.

“With that said, the topics for conversation will be primarily focused on my ward.”

Sidhu expects much of the conversation to centre around the 2025 budget, something he doesn’t support in its current form.

“It is a large document that I have been slowly chipping away at. I will not be accepting it as presented. There are many difficult decisions we will be facing. Asking for residents to foot the bill to fix all our financial issues in one year is simply a non-starter for me.”

He admitted to receiving many phone calls and emails from shocked residents who are having a hard time getting their heads around such a massive potential hike to their tax levy.

”Overwhelmingly, the sentiment has been of anger and frustration. People are in difficult financial times right now. Some people understand that we are in a non-favourable situation, however this cannot be fixed overnight.”

Wilkinson expects the budget will be a hot topic at his townhall this weekend. He added it’s a wakeup call for council and residents alike.

“This budget represents a turning point for Wilmot. We finally have a document that shows how bad things are, drawing the entire town's attention. With that said, I feel it is the perfect opportunity for us to look at budget cuts and refinements to get our expenditures down.”

He added a small increase in taxes is needed to ensure money is being put away to rebuild reserves.

“In a perfect world, I’m looking to cut 10 per cent from our 2024 budget expenditures and, at most, a five per-cent tax levy increase. This should allow us to put away funds for the future and allow us to reevaluate our service offerings. We need to focus on getting back to basics, which is providing the essential services for all our constituents.”

Wilkinson said the primary reactions to date have been shock, anger and a call for budget cuts.

“Less than one per cent of my interactions were in favour of this document. Hearing some of the stories from residents has really driven home the cost-of-living crisis, and I fear that a substantial increase could force people out of their homes.”

Sidhu said he expects speed and road safety will likely be another topic of discussion at his event.

“With many of the busiest streets running through my ward being regional, it's something I will keep advocating for.”

Wilkinson explained there are several issues on top of the budget on the minds of folks he has talked to.

“Budget, budget, budget, the Prime Ministers Path, speeding, water systems, road conditions and a need for an additional ice pad at the Wilmot Recreation Centre.”

Wilkinson’s townhall is booked for Saturday, Dec.14 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the St. Agatha Community Centre. Sidhu’s event is set for Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 at the Wilmot Recreation Centre from 7-8:30 p.m.

Editor’s Note: The Gazette was informed just before press time that Ward 4 councillors Steven Martin and Lillianne Dunstall announced they would also host a townhall meeting. That event will occur on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025 at the New Hamburg Community Centre from 10 a.m. to noon. Ward 1 councillor Stewart Cressman is also holding an event, but a date has not been set.