Outgoing Grey County Warden Selwyn (Buck) Hicks gave his closing address at the final meeting of that council following the October 24th election, calling it an “absolute privilege and honour” to serve as warden and an experience he’ll never forget.
The outgoing Hanover Deputy Mayor served three terms as Warden of Grey County and was the first visible minority warden in the County’s 170-year history.
Hicks said in his address, that on December 4th, 2018, the members of council were sworn into office by Justice Morneau.
A portion of his address is below:
Little did we know that one year later we would be faced with an unprecedented health care challenge that would rock the world. In my 2022 inaugural address, I told you that I wanted us to be remembered, not for what we faced, but for our relentless commitment to achieve results for the people of Grey County in spite of it. That said, I would like to take a moment to reflect on some of our accomplishments over the last year.
In Long Term Care, thanks to the redevelopment committee, we made great strides with the Rockwood Redevelopment Project. This included a decision by Council to include assisted living beds in the build. Staff continue to manage outbreaks while protecting residents. We celebrated the opening of the new Nursing Wing at Georgian College which will pump, much needed, home-grown nurses into our health care system. You will recall that Grey County contributed $1 million to this important initiative to reinforce our long-standing partnership with Georgian College as well as our commitment to addressing the nursing shortage in a meaningful way. We continue to look for ways to support our Long Term Care Staff including vacation & well-being initiatives.
In Planning, we kicked off the OPA 11 process with public meetings in February. Council also approved the Age-Friendly Community Strategy and Action Plan.
Turning next to Climate Action – Grey County approved its first ever climate change action plan: Going Green in Grey. That, my friends, is cause for applause. Credit goes to our Climate Change Task Force and our Deputy Warden for suggesting creation of that Task Force. We joined the Clean Air Partnership and began planting trees toward our commitment of 1 million trees by 2030. We adopted a Green Fleet Strategy with recommendations for preparing for battery electric vehicle implementation over the next 15 years. Lastly, we commenced naturalization of the Grey County Administration Office property as a positive step forward towards our tree planting goals of Going Green in Grey. It was so much fun to attend that event where young and old worked together to plant trees. My daughter Chloe has claimed several trees that she helped plant as “hers”.
In my 2022 inaugural speech, I called for action on Mental Health & Addictions. Thanks to you, a Mental Health and Addictions Task Force was formed in February of 2022. The Task Force received a number of community delegations from organizations such as: CMHA, Keystone Youth and Family Services, the Grey/Bruce Poverty Task Force, the Community Drug and Alcohol Strategy, our Public Health Unit & the Bluewater and Catholic District School Boards. I learned a lot from this committee. I want to thank the members of the task force – especially the Chair, Councillor O’Leary who pushed us to find tangible ways to move the dial on Mental Health & Addictions. I am confident that great things will come from the final report of this Task Force.
Turning to COVID-19. Our Emergency Declaration was terminated on March 14, 2022 – just a few days shy of the 2-year anniversary of the declaration.
Turning next to Paramedic Services – our paramedics were heavily involved in the Supportive Outreach Services project – bringing care to the most at-risk individuals in our community. We also completed a 10-year service deployment review.
In Economic Development, we co-hosted and organized three regional job fairs throughout the area. We also developed a Foreign Direct Investment strategy. Our Summer Company program for young entrepreneurs and the Starter Company and Digital Main Street program for small businesses were provided through the BEC. We saw a return of the Ag 4.0 technology and agriculture conference. We also saw enhanced Grey Transit Route (GTR) service levels and experienced exceptional increase in ridership (240% increase). Lastly, the Grey Bruce Local Immigration Partnership (GBLIP) celebrated Welcome Week and other community events.
Next, highlighting our transportation department, think back to late February, 2022. Specifically, the Family Day Weekend where our transportation team was operating through a significant multi-day storm that saw heavy accumulation and several prolonged road closures. We completed seven resurfacing projects on Grey Roads: 2, 31, 13, 15, 10, 8, & 9.
In other areas, we developed a four-year corporate communication strategy to grow and improve Grey County’s internal and external communications efforts through to 2026. Grey Roots saw a return to general events and exhibits. Council elected to enhanced 35.5km of CP Rail Trail – improving the surface and making it more enjoyable and accessible to various trail users in southern Grey County. We also approved the updated asset management plan to ensure our $1.6 Billion in assets are well managed.
Turning now to Social Services and Housing. Our Grey County team supported the evacuation of residents following the fire at a rooming house in Hanover. Grey County moved Emergency Shelter services in-house for enhanced efficiency.
We implemented the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care program. Lastly, we purchased a property on 14th Street in Owen Sound for the creation of Supportive Housing. Renovations are underway.
So, there you have it. Let there be no doubt that Grey County is making headway on multiple projects that go directly to improving the quality of life for our residents.”
Hicks thanked numerous members of county staff, colleagues and members of the community.
He concluded his address, saying, “I want to finish with a line I used in my very first speech to you on December 4th, 2018. It’s from the Canadian rock band – Rush.
‘And the men who hold high places. Must be the ones who start. To mold a new reality. Closer to the heart.’
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”
