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Deb Doherty

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A Record of Results

"What have you done for me lately?" is a fair question. Here are some of the things we've achieved together for Collingwood — the foundation we'll build on.

The record

A Record of Results

Working together, this Council accomplished a great deal. I'm proud to have played a leadership role in many of these achievements.

1Updated the Community-Based Strategic Plan to guide long-term decisions.
  • Created a clear roadmap — Council established a long-term vision based on what residents said they wanted for Collingwood's future.
  • Connected plans to action — budgets, infrastructure investments, housing initiatives and community projects have all been guided by the Strategic Plan rather than short-term decisions.
  • Improved accountability — the Strategic Plan gives residents a way to measure Council's progress and helps keep decisions focused on community priorities.
2Affordable Housing
  • The Affordable Housing Task Force, of which I am a part of, moved significantly forward with implementation of many Masterplan recommendations — achieving measurable results in the creation of new affordable housing, especially rental housing.
  • Significant incentives are now in place to create more housing spaces - from accessory dwellings to multi-residential units like the new Birch Street apartments.
  • Council has consistently set aside a minimum $350,000+ toward the affordable housing reserves every year,
  • Our housing innovations were recognized by peer municipalities with AMO's coveted PJ Marshall Award.
3Introduced service-based budgeting and strengthened long-term financial planning.
  • A far more transparent and understandable way to decide how your tax dollars are spent — and one that introduces more accountability.
  • Long-term financial planning shows how much we have in reserves and how much we must set aside each year for long-term replacement or repair of Town assets.
4Made Collingwood streets safer for everyone.
  • Council continued investing in active transportation by expanding trails, improving cycling and pedestrian infrastructure, and supporting a more connected transportation network.
  • I brought the motion to adopt a Vision Zero Framework for Collingwood, placing safety at the centre of our Master Mobility and Transportation Plan. If adopted it would reduce speeds through posted limits and add more traffic calming, promote safer street design, improve high-risk intersections, and introduce data-driven decisions, and shared responsibility among road users, engineers and policymakers.
  • Together, these initiatives will shift the transportation system to one that is safer, more accessible and better suited to a growing community — whether residents travel by car, bicycle, mobility device or on foot.
5Invested significantly in parks, trails and public spaces.
  • Opened den Bok Family Park.
  • As the Waterfront Masterplan evolves, we have opened Dry Dock Junction, the new waterfront public square.
  • Planning for the exciting Terminals re-development continues, and we will the transformation over this next term.
  • Opened the new downtown park at 84 Hurontario Street, with a vision to create a downtown public square.
  • Advanced construction of Wilson-Sheffield Community Park.
  • Approved the Triangle Neighbourhood Park.
  • Expanded and improved trails, playgrounds and recreational amenities throughout the community.
6Initiated planning for a Multi-Use Recreation Facility.
  • Careful research has led us to identification of a great location for a much needed MURF.
  • Now, we proceed to design - what would you like to see in a multi-use recreation facility? We'll be asking this question frequently over the next 4 years.
  • Effective leadership must bring the concept to reality this coming term.
7Advanced planning for a future Arts Centre.
  • A performing arts centre will give Collingwood's thriving arts community a permanent home and strengthen our cultural tourism economy.
  • In my view, we have spent enough on studies to plan an arts centre — the next term must see a location identified and a plan substantially initiated.
8Construction of the new Water Treatment Plant.
  • The Town's largest investment ever, supported by a servicing partnership with Alliston, plus provincial grants.
  • Longer term, the agreement with Alliston covers operating costs plus a modest surplus.
  • Completing the plant — with a significant increase in drinking-water production — opens the door to more regional sharing agreements, boosting efficiency and taking pressure off property taxes.
  • Now we must also turn our attention to development of a new wastewater treatment plant, that will provide more capacity and higher level of treatment.
  • This is another opportunity to look for and embrace regional collaborations, that have potential to improve services and reduce costs to taxpayers and developers.
9Built a more accessible and inclusive Collingwood.
  • Diversity and inclusion is a hallmark of one of the pillars of our Community-Based Strategic Plan — “Connected.” Council increasingly applied universal accessibility as a standard in planning, parks, facilities, transportation and public engagement.
  • Council supported accessible playgrounds, barrier-free pathways, improved pedestrian infrastructure and inclusive public engagement — with accessibility becoming an important component of transportation planning, recreation planning and the design of new public spaces, because safe and welcoming communities are built for everyone.
  • We will not tolerate loitering, vagrancy or property damage, but we recognize and treat with compassion persons experiencing homelessness — providing options for shelter, warming and cooling, and encouraging access to 211 and county social services.
  • We recognize and celebrate First Nations, visible minorities and 2SLGBTQI+ communities.
  • I have championed Vision Zero and the creation of the Healing Forest as tangible advancements of inclusion and accessibility.
10Established the roadmap for Collingwood's future — adopting major community plans that will guide growth, housing, sustainability, tourism and long-term investment for decades to come.
  • This has been one of the most planning-focused Councils in recent memory. We didn't simply react to issues — we built the policy framework needed to manage a rapidly growing community, completing or imminently completing 16 Masterplans, including:
    • Transportation Master Plan update
    • Stormwater Master Plan
    • The Comprehensive Zoning Bylaw
    • Official Zoning By-law update
    • Multi-Use Recreation Facility feasibility and planning
    • Arts and Culture Centre feasibility and business planning
    • The Downtown Masterplan
    • Now as Deputy Mayor I will champion movement from planning to delivering the projects and outcomes those plans envision. I am done with studies, let’s move forward!!

Responsibilities & leadership

Where I have served

Provincial

  • AMO Executive
  • Chair, AMO Small Urban Caucus
  • OSUM Executive

Local (Town)

  • Affordable Housing Task Force
  • Development & Operations Standing Committee
  • Economic Support & Recovery Task Force

Community

  • Blue Mountain Watershed Trust Foundation
  • Past: Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority
  • Past: Downtown Collingwood BIA

Let's build on this foundation.

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