As part of 90.5 myFM’s 2026 Election Coverage, myFM reached out to candidates in South Huron, Bluewater, Lambton Shores and Lucan-Biddulph to hear why they believe residents should vote for them on October 26th.
Here’s what Bill Whetstone, acclaimed Deputy Mayor of Bluewater had to say.
TRANSCRIBED AUDIO:
“Let me start by saying it’s truly going to be an honour to serve as Deputy Mayor of the municipality of Bluewater. I’m very excited and grateful for the trust placed in me thus far. I’m proud to have the opportunity to work with Council, staff and our communities to help move all of Bluewater forward.
So what’s my plan? Bluewater is facing serious long-term financial pressure with forecast budget and levy increases reaching double digits over multiple years.
In the current year alone, the municipality needs an additional $9 million just to maintain today’s service levels. Years of limited reserve contributions have reduced financial flexibility while costs for construction, fuel, housing, food and municipal operations continue to rise. The expected end of the vibrancy grant funding within the next decade creates another major budget risk that must be planned for. The standard one-year budgeting is no longer sustainable and that Bluewater needs a disciplined multi-year financial strategy. My proposal is based on three points. A budget and financial sustainability committee, a targeted zero-based budget program, and the implementation of an efficiency and service optimization program. The budget and financial sustainability committee is created to coordinate budgeting, long-term forecasting, and council recommendations.
A key recommendation is to develop a comprehensive 10-year budget, reviewed annually against actual results and supported by asset management plans, recreation plans, grant forecasts, and program evaluations. My strategy recommends using a targeted zero-based budgeting, meaning selected programs will need to justify their costs from the ground up, rather than automatically building on last year’s budget.
This approach would focus on program-based areas where inefficiency or outdated spending may exist while protecting essential fixed costs such as policing, water, wastewater, roads, and other non-discretionary costs. The proposed Efficiency and Service Optimization Program would look for ways to reduce waste, eliminate duplication where possible, improve service delivery, explore partnerships, and reinvest savings into priorities or reserves for the future.
The overall message is not about cutting services for the sake of cutting. It’s about making sure every tax dollar delivers maximum value. The most important takeaway, anything, out of this is, that Bluewater must act now with long-term planning, stronger budget discipline, and practical efficiency measures to protect both municipality services and affordability for residents. I look forward to working with staff, the community, and newly elected council to move this program forward. Thank you very much.”
