Part 1: PEC Committee Weighs Policing, Water Infrastructure, Dark Skies and Affordable Housing— 08/27/2026
- PECConnect
- 6 days ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
The County’s Committee of the Whole met on August 27, 2026, for a wide-ranging discussion that moved from community policing and public safety to one of the County’s biggest financial challenges: funding future water and wastewater infrastructure. The meeting also considered support for a proposed dark sky preserve, incentives connected to affordable rental housing, and provincial infrastructure funding. Councillor Phil Prinzen of Ward 2 chaired the meeting, reminding those present that Committee of the Whole recommendations would not become final until considered by Council on September 8.
View the entire PEC Council meeting, or continue to speaker comments and councillor votes>
OPP Report Highlights Safety Priorities
The meeting opened with the 2025 Prince Edward County OPP Detachment Annual Report, presented by Staff Sergeant Jeffrey McKinnon, Detachment Commander, and the Honourable S. Casey Hill, Chair of the Prince Edward County OPP Detachment Board. McKinnon reported that violent crime decreased in 2025, while police increased enforcement related to impaired driving, distracted driving and seatbelt use. The detachment also continued anti-fraud education, mental health partnerships and community outreach, although MacKinnon noted an increase in intimate partner violence occurrences and greater severity in motor vehicle collisions.
Impaired driving became a major part of the discussion. Hill explained that Mandatory Alcohol Screening became a stronger enforcement tool in 2025 and added that the majority of people apprehended for impaired driving were local residents rather than visitors. MacKinnon said officers were continuing that focus in 2026, including two RIDE programs per shift per day, with one taking place at Sandbanks during the summer and another elsewhere in the County. Questions also touched on human trafficking, organized crime, sexual assault reporting, community policing and emerging approaches to intimate partner violence.
The conversation eventually shifted to policing costs. Committee members discussed the uncertainty surrounding future OPP billing, particularly after difficulties with the timing of the previous year’s estimates. Members heard that information for the next budget was expected earlier, while Mayor Steve Ferguson said the municipality had been advised to plan for an increase of up to 11%.
Water and Wastewater Plan Meets Strong Resistance
The longest and most difficult discussion concerned the County’s proposed Water and Wastewater Financial Strategy. Staff presented Scenario 2B, based on Council’s previously endorsed assumption of 1% annual growth, or roughly 150 residential units per year. Under that approach, a regional water treatment plant in Wellington would eventually supply Wellington, Picton and Bloomfield, while the existing Picton plant would continue operating only until the regional system was ready.
Staff emphasized that the Picton water treatment plant dates to 1928 and that its condition assessment pointed to roughly a 10-year planning horizon rather than another 15 to 20 years of operation. The proposed infrastructure program was estimated at $279 million in 2026 dollars, while forecast borrowing over the coming 10 years was approximately $255 million after other funding sources were considered. Staff stressed that the committee was not being asked to authorize that borrowing, approve every project, or approve the preliminary rate and development charge increases. Instead, the recommendation was presented as a roadmap allowing staff to continue financial planning, pursue grants, talk with developers about upfront financing and explore borrowing options.
Even so, the numbers raised serious concern around the table. The financial model showed the County’s debt-servicing ratio potentially rising above its own 15% policy limit to a peak of 17.4% under the base case. Staff said developer prepayments or front-end financing could substantially reduce that pressure, with full front-end financing potentially eliminating forecast growth-related borrowing. Members questioned whether that level of developer financing was realistic, how much growth would actually occur, how rising construction costs could affect the estimates and how higher water bills could affect lower-income households.
After a lengthy debate, the recommendation went to a recorded vote and failed. The result means the proposed Scenario 2B financial strategy did not receive Committee of the Whole endorsement at this meeting.
Dark Sky Proposal Receives Support
Following the water discussion, committee considered municipal support for a proposed dark sky preserve along Prince Edward County’s South Shore. Earlier in the meeting, Cheryl Anderson of the South Shore Joint Initiative told committee that the designation would be pursued gradually through education and development of a dark sky policy rather than immediate major municipal changes.
Staff recommended supporting the community-led initiative, developing a dark sky policy and working toward a Memorandum of Understanding for astronomy programming and dark sky viewing at Mariner’s Park Museum lands. Committee supported the recommendations.
Affordable Rental Housing and Infrastructure Advocacy
Committee also considered a request involving the Nicholas Street Homes development. The proposal included 31 affordable rental units within a 120-unit building, with a 25-year commitment connected to the development charge exemption required under provincial legislation. Much of the discussion focused on clarifying which reductions were required by provincial law and how the County’s existing connection-charge bylaw applies. Committee ultimately supported the staff recommendations.
The meeting closed with support for a resolution calling on Ontario to permanently maintain the doubled Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund beyond 2026. The resolution argued that municipalities need predictable funding not only for infrastructure supporting new housing, but also to maintain and renew existing municipal assets.
Key Takeaways
The County’s water and wastewater challenge remains unresolved. Committee did not endorse the proposed Scenario 2B financial strategy, even as staff warned that aging infrastructure, particularly Picton’s water treatment plant, will require action.
Public safety efforts are increasingly focused on impaired driving and intimate partner violence. The OPP reported expanded traffic enforcement and continued work with community partners, while stressing that impaired driving remains a local concern as well as a visitor-related issue.
Smaller initiatives moved forward despite the water debate. Committee supported the South Shore dark sky initiative, measures connected with affordable units at the Nicholas Street Homes development, and advocacy for continued provincial infrastructure funding.
Disclaimer: This article is based on a meeting with an approximate duration of 3:39:24. Due to the length of the meeting, our team was not able to independently review the full recording in its entirety. As a result, we relied on software-generated transcription, automated summarization, and automated recognition of speakers and participants, which may not be entirely accurate. All transcriptions, summaries, and related content are prepared by our team in good faith and on a reasonable best-efforts basis. The content is provided for general informational purposes only and is intended to support public understanding of the topics discussed. While reasonable efforts have been made to present the information accurately, automated processes may result in errors, omissions, or unintended misinterpretations. This article does not constitute an official, certified, or verbatim record of the meeting, and it should not be relied upon as such. Readers are encouraged to consult original source materials, official minutes, or recordings where available for confirmation or clarification. Questions, requests for clarification, or suggested corrections may be submitted to hello@pecconnect.ca for review and consideration.
Comments