County of Brant Mayor David Bailey spoke about change during the 2nd annual Mayor’s Luncheon on Wednesday.
The setting – the brand new TF Warren Group Community Center on Ewart Ave. in Cainsville – is symbolic of growth and change in the county.
The mayor said the County of Brant is a very saleable product.
“We are doing extremely well. We have all kinds of interests from all kinds of people, for all kinds of reasons,” he told those who attended the luncheon, presented by the Paris and District Chamber of Commerce. “The unfortunate thing about having a product that’s worth selling is the fact that not everyone wants the same thing.
“Not everybody thinks it’s a good idea that we have such growth.”
Bailey said that while he fears St. George – where he lives – becoming something other than what he remembers, he is excited about growth in the town.
“I wish we could start now. I want to live to see some of this stuff done,” he said, adding he is keen to see new parks, new neighborhoods, and perhaps even a high school.
“People have struggled their whole lives living in Brampton and Markham, and they’ve made money,” he explained. “They are coming to the County of Brant with fist loads of money and big smiles, hoping for an easier retirement in paradise. Outsiders coming in… it’s spectacular.”
Bailey said people coming to the county bring with them festivals, culture, restaurants, and food, and “all kinds of things we’re not used to.”
However, he described diversity coming to Brant as a two-sided sword.
“I think we have to step back and stand in the shoes of people who have been here for five generations,” he observed. “We’ve asked them to accept diversity they don’t understand, restaurants they don’t have the confidence to order from; we’ve talked about Gay Pride, flags, and crosswalks. All these things that may have been uncomfortable for them.
“Not that it’s not right. It is right. But it’s a lot.”
The mayor told the crowd he attended the opening of a new park recently and watched children of all different ethnicities and economic circumstances using the new space.
“They were all playing together and knew nothing but the fact they were playing in a brand-new park,” he noted.
He reminded the luncheon attendees of a statement he made on the night of his re-election in October 2022.
“If you don’t like the County of Brant today, you won’t like it in five years. Sell your house, make a ton of money, and move,” he shared. “If you’re not comfortable going home to your house where diversity has swallowed you up, there’s lots of places in Ontario that will never see another new house, and don’t have diversity because there’s nothing to draw diversity.”
Bailey said people are attracted to Brant because of its proximity to 400-series highways, beautiful countryside, and rivers.
“There’s not a corner of the county that’s not exceptional,” said Bailey. “I understand why it’s being bought up and why people want to live here.”
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