Mayor presents State of the City address for 2012

Posted Feb 2, 2012 By Kate Everson

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Mayor John Williams speaks at the Holiday Inn.

Kate Everson, Quinte EMC

Mayor John Williams speaks at the Holiday Inn.

EMC News - Quinte West - The Holiday Inn served a delicious lunch for the Mayor's State of the City address on January 26, presented by the Chamber of Commerce. Chamber manager Suzanne Andrews introduced guests which included MPP Rob Milligan and new Chamber president Mike Cowan.

Heather Candler of Batawa Development Corporation also took the microphone to say that the Czech ambassador to Canada had paid a visit to Batawa and sent his personal greetings from the Czech Republic.

"He was delighted to see what Thomas Bata had brought to this country," she said.

Mayor Williams commended the Chamber for their work. "We have a great relationship with the Chamber," Williams said. "They put on the best Santa Claus parade and wine and cheese parties in the region. And membership grows every year."

Williams showed slides and videos of the progress of the city including the expansion of the air base. He noted one of the buildings which allows drive-through washes for big vehicles would be shared with the city for the use of their snow plows. He added that the moving of various buildings affects the runway for airplanes coming in to land and that is why so many trees had been cut down around Bain Park and further east.

Williams showed a video of the Afghanistan Memorial and noted they have received support from across the country. A memorial coin was also launched to honour the Highway of Heroes. He said construction on the memorial will begin this spring.

Williams said economic development has been strong in the city and five new doctors have been recruited thanks to the physician recruitment incentives.

He noted the YMCA of the city of Quinte West is going strong with over 6,000 members. "It is a first-class facility, with excellent staff and well managed," he said.

Williams said the infrastructure has continued to grow but they face challenges every year. They are keeping the tax base as low as they can.

"We are very fortunate to live in this area," he said. "We are very busy and keep expanding. We want to improve the image of Quinte West in a fiscally responsible way."