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 Maureen Cole, running for Mayor in South Huron had to say.
TRANSCRIBED AUDIO:
“I’m Maureen Cole and I have served our community for 35 years in healthcare as a nurse and healthcare executive, managing people, budgets, standards of care and strategic planning. I’ve also owned and operated a farm in Heron County for over 30 years and served four years as mayor and county councillor where we worked on economic development, planning, housing, emergency services, public health and transportation.
I have stayed involved locally with memberships with the local Legion, Community Living South Huron and president of West Coast Active Living, actively seeking a seniors active living center for South Huron. Affordability is one of the main issues that is approaching us now. The budgets are being prepared as the 2025 financial statements should soon be delivered. Residents deserve a council that listens and asks questions, makes decisions based on facts and explains them honestly. I plan on having a budget completed and facilitating a bare bones budget with the essential services provided, asking staff for operating efficiencies. Fiscal responsibility and the impact of debt financing is a little more complicated issue. South Huron must be honest about the financial pressures we face.
When we debt finance major projects, those annual payments become part of our operating budget for decades, reducing flexibility and limiting our ability to invest in other priorities. A clear example is the $5.3 million in arena upgrades approved in 2022. That decision now requires $460,000 every year for the next 28 years now, as part of the recreational operating budget that is nearly 20 % of the entire recreational budget.
That’s what crowding out looks like. Money that could have been saved over time to complete the remaining upgrades, such as the $2 million cement floor replacement and the $300,000 sprinkler system is instead tied up in servicing past debt. Council has just applied for $8.2 million in debt financing for two million for the Dashwood Fire Hall, 1.9 million for the London Road South Sewer Project because we were looking to build 2,400 homes, and 3.9 million for the Huron Park Pumping Station. This equates to 685,000 debt repayments annually for the next 30 years. This could have an implication of water and sewer rates going up by 9 to 12 percent.
Nothing is definite yet until we actually see some of these numbers. Debt financing is sometimes necessary, but when used too often or without long-term planning, it restricts our ability to respond to community needs. Fiscal responsibility means recognizing that every dollar committed to debt repayment is a dollar we cannot use elsewhere. When reserves are underfunded, The municipality cannot pay for major projects without draining them entirely. This is exactly what happened with the Huron Park pumping station. The replacement cost was $4 million, but using reserves would have depleted them. As a result, the project is now being debt financed.
What council needs to do differently? Restore consistent, predictable contributions to asset management. Receive more fulsome, transparent reporting, understand the long-term implications of deferring maintenance or underfunding reserves, and make decisions based on full life cycle services. Experience in health care has shown the value of disciplined decision-making, listening before acting, managing public resources carefully, focusing on measurable outcomes, seeking clarification when information is incomplete, and asking difficult questions when needed.
Town hall meetings, open discussions and transparent communication will help residents understand how decisions are made and how priorities are set. These conversations also help identify gaps, emerging opportunities. I believe residents expect honesty. I intend to provide exactly that.”
