Brent Cameron

Oct 15, 2014

Councillor

Brent Cameron – Constituents are the bosses

Brent Cameron lives on a farm that borders Cole Lake where his family has lived for generations. He works in the Registrar’s office at Queen's University. Although this is his first run for Council he has had some political experience. He holds an Honours degree in Political Studies from Queen's and a Municipal Administration Certificate from St. Lawrence College.

He said that he decided to run for Council in Hinchinbrooke partly because he is “a little concerned about the direction Council has been going in, both in terms of the decision to close the Piccadilly Hall and the delay in building a new fire hall in Parham. The fact that we no longer have someone like Bill Snyder fighting for us influenced me as well.”

He also said that he is doubtful that the proposal for a new multi-use centre in the former Hinchinbrooke school is a viable proposition.

“If we can't justify $20,000 in annual maintenance costs for the Pic Hall - and I dispute those numbers by the way - I don’t see how we can keep the school going since I've been told the annual maintenance costs for that building have run up to $130,000. In a perfect world I would be all for it, but even though there are user groups behind it, we need financial backing. It could all fall on the ratepayers.”

In terms of roads he thinks the township might consider an steady program of using tar and chip paving, which is what Portland township did before amalgamation.

“The up front costs are more than covered off by savings in maintenance later on, and in a township that has seen a 50% increase in taxes since 2006, we need to do something to cut costs and improve service,” he said.

His major theme is that the township needs to be more responsive to the public.

“Councilors work for the people and not the other way around,” he said. “Council should be justifying their actions to the ratepayers all the time, not just when an election is coming.”