Roads & Infrastructure

The Real Situation

Roads are our biggest headache and everyone in North Frontenac knows it. Potholes damage vehicles. Spring load limits cost local businesses and families money. Some roads have been on the complaint list for years with no action in sight.

The Township maintains hundreds of kilometres of roads across a vast Shield landscape. Our Public Works staff work hard, but face aging infrastructure, harsh winters, and deferred maintenance that compounds every year. The budget has never kept pace with the actual cost of keeping roads in good shape.

What frustrates residents most isn't just the roads it's the lack of transparency around how repairs get prioritized. People don't know why their road hasn't been fixed, or when it will be, or even who to ask.

My Position

Roads are the most basic municipal service we provide. In a rural township that spans hundreds of square kilometres, they are the lifeline connecting residents to school, work, medical care, and community. Getting roads right is the core job.

I believe repair priorities should be based on objective criteria safety risk, usage levels, condition ratings, cost-effectiveness not on who complains the loudest or which ward has more political weight. And residents should be able to see exactly how decisions are made.

This plan starts lean and builds using existing budgets, a dedicated levy, and grants. By 2030 the goal is to bring up to 70% of our roads to 'good condition' and to shrink the number of spring load-limit roads so local businesses stop absorbing that cost every year.

Specific Commitments

• 1Create resident-led Ward Committees to identify and rank road repair priorities so the people who drive those roads every day have direct input.
• 2Establish a dedicated 3% annual tax levy specifically for roads and bridges locked in and not transferable to other budget lines.
• 3Pursue every available provincial and federal infrastructure grant actively, with a staff resource dedicated to tracking and applying for funding.
• 4Launch a public Roads Repair Tracker a simple online map showing scheduled repairs, completed work, and estimated timelines. Updated quarterly.
• 5Hold an annual public Roads Budget Review session before council votes, so residents can comment on priorities before they are set.
• 6Reduce the number of spring load-limit roads over the term by prioritizing culvert and base repair work saving local businesses and families money every year.