Ernie

The County of Brant is a prosperous, growing and thriving community. It is not particularly surprising that Mayor Davis would like to be a part of what we have here; however, his tactics are unproductive and misguided. There is nothing thoughtful or collaborative about this approach.

I will repeat, that the County of Brant is unequivocally opposed to consideration of amalgamation with the City of Brantford. It is interesting that Mayor Davis states that such consideration needs to be based on facts, as many of the statements he makes are factually incorrect and/or blatantly false

The County of Brant and the City of Brantford have a history of successful partnerships, and we are always open to exploring new ventures with our neighbours – all our neighbours – when they are in the best interest of our residents To say that the City was rebuffed by the County when it comes to Joint Services is categorically false. Because Mayor Davis did not get what he wanted (land), out of the committee structure, does not translate into the County being uncooperative.

The County believes that any joint services or initiatives, must accomplish three goals - common interest, mutual benefit, and cost effectiveness.

Simply put, not every problem which the City wants to address is the responsibility of the County to solve and vice versa. When an issue does meet all these criteria, we are absolutely at the table to explore. Moreover, meaningful partnerships are moored in mutual respect, civility, and equity. The County will not be strong-armed into initiatives simply because the City wants them In response to these stated values, Mayor Davis has replied “Frankly, who cares who’s respecting who”? The answer is simple – respectful and civilized people do. Those concerned about equitable and sustainable solutions do. The County of Brant does.

Amalgamation is a complex and serious undertaking. More importantly, it is a process led by the Province – not a single municipality without a willing partner. The County respectfully suggests that rather than spending taxpayer money on creating a one-sided business case to take over his neighbour, Mayor Davis could focus on truly making the Region more successful by investing in the existing shared services which need attention.

As always, we remain open to fair and transparent dialogue with the City of Brantford as one of our partner municipalities

Mayor David Bailey

Is it time to get rid of those Christmas Trees?

If you’re tired of cleaning up pine needles and the tree is looking a little less desirable, be prepared to put it curbside as the County of Brant has announced its curbside tree pick-up schedule

Tree collection will take place during the weeks of January 6-10 and January 13- 17 on your regular collection day The tree must be free from decorations and should NOT be wrapped in any plastic bags, otherwise it will not be collected. If you miss your collection day, your tree can be taken to either the Paris Transfer Station or Biggars Lane Landfill. Tipping fees will be waived until January 31, 2025.

Changes to business recycling program come into affect

As of January 1, 2025, there are changes to the Blue Box program affecting commercial and industrial businesses, and institutional properties.

This means there will no longer be curbside pick up and you must arrange your own separate recycling services (there is no change for garbage collection). To help with this transition, non-eligible curbside pick up properties can bring their recycling to the Paris Transfer Station or Biggars Lane Landfill free of charge. These changes do not affect residential properties.

The Blue Box Program is now managed by Circular Materials Ontario. More info here.

New Year, New Baby!

The Brant Community Healthcare System welcomed the first baby of 2025 just a few hours after the midnight ball drop! Zayd Kabir was born at 4:08 am on January 1, weighing in at 8 lbs, 20 oz. Congratulations to proud parents Sabhia Zaki and Minhazil Kabir on the birth of their first child.

Photo credit: BCHS