Scugog faces big-city pressures from growth across the GTHA while maintaining a largely rural economy and limited commercial and industrial tax base. Traffic increasingly passes through our community toward Lindsay, Peterborough and Millbrook, leaving us with impacts but little of the associated tax revenue. Our challenge is achieving long-term financial sustainability without sacrificing the rural character, natural environment and quality of life that make Scugog special.

I want the Port Perry Agricultural Society to have a lease, the Port Perry Water Treatment Plant project back on a clear schedule, and a funded servicing plan with Durham Region to open our employment lands to new businesses and jobs. I want consistent annual investment in roads, drainage and community facilities, rather than last-minute spending. Just as importantly, I want to rebuild trust within our community and strengthen relationships with Durham Region, the Province, neighbouring municipalities and community partners. Those connections are essential to securing funding, solving problems and delivering results residents can see.

I want to put the Queen Street project back on the table, exploring wider sidewalks to improve accessibility and give visitors more room to linger, shop, take photographs and enjoy our historic downtown. I believe the existing road width can accommodate these improvements without losing parking spaces. But Scugog's business community extends far beyond Queen Street. We need to attract more people to explore our villages, farms and local businesses, while strengthening collaboration between the Township and business owners to support expansion, new investment and local employment opportunities.

I want to improve parks, trails and playgrounds throughout Scugog and explore affordable new recreational facilities such as pickleball courts, a skatepark, pump track and field house. But Scugog's recreational opportunities extend well beyond Port Perry. The Trans Canada Trail and Oak Ridges Moraine Trail are underrecognized assets with tremendous potential for walking, cycling and tourism. We must also protect existing public access to Lake Scugog and improve opportunities for paddling and fishing. Our natural assets are an important part of what makes Scugog special, and we need to protect them while making them more accessible and enjoyable for residents and visitors alike.

I am a lifelong Scugog resident, husband, father of four, Professional Engineer, builder and small business owner. I bring eight years of experience on Township and Regional Council, with a clear, public voting record that you can review for yourself. I understand how municipal government works, what it costs to get things done and where things need to work differently. This is an election about change, and I believe experience and change can go hand in hand. I stand behind my record and my commitment to building a better Scugog.

Building better doesn't simply mean building more. It means protecting what makes Scugog special, maintaining what we already own and making thoughtful investments in our future. I've spent my career as an engineer, builder and business owner turning plans into results. After eight years on Council, I know how municipal government works and where it needs to work differently. Experienced enough to know how things work. Independent enough to know they need to work differently. Let's build a better Scugog. ianmcdougall.ca