What it lacked in notice it more than made up for in substance.
That’s Peterborough County Warden Bonnie Clark’s assessment of her meeting on Sunday (April 13) with Ontario Premier Doug Ford at the Douro-Dummer public works depot off County Road 4.
Joined by Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith, Deputy Warden Sherry Senis, and Douro-Dummer Mayor Heather Watson, Clark updated Premier Ford on the devastating impacts that the recent ice storm has had on the county’s infrastructure and tree canopy.
“We were told Friday that he was coming,” says Clark. “The time frame was moving a little bit, but we were told to keep a window around the noon hour (Sunday) for when he thought he would be here.”
“I’ve had some people comment ‘Well, wasn’t that a little late.’ No, it wasn’t. He could still see the state we are in. There was a continuous flow of residents coming in (to the depot) with loads of debris and branches.”
“The premier seeing the continuous stream (of people) and the mountain of debris was a great visual. A visual is worth a thousand words and indeed it was on Sunday.”
The warden says Premier Ford, who was joined by emergency preparedness and response minister Jill Dunlop, provided more than just a boost to her own morale and that of her political colleagues and residents dealing with the storm’s aftermath.
“He was very forthcoming, asking ‘What do you need?'”, Clark says.
“I said we need 10-inch (tree limb circumference) or greater (wood) chippers. He said ‘We’ll be on that immediately.’ Minister Dunlop texted me about 20 minutes after she had left and confirmed they were on that.”
“He asked me ‘What more do you need?’,” Clark adds. “Basically, we talked about trying to meet the threshold for emergency funding. The door wasn’t shut on a request to talk further once we have all of our costs in. That’s a moving ball that’s getting larger as I speak. But that door has been opened and we will be talking further to the premier.”
“You keep track of all your bills and it is basically three per cent on what you have taxed the taxpayer. It’s very hard to meet the threshold. I talked about that and he (Premier Ford) is open to more talks around that.”
Warden Clark also made Premier Ford aware that, when the derecho storm swept through the region in May 2022, the county’s wood chipper bill was around $20,000. In the aftermath of the ice storm, she said, “we will be looking at likely a $200,000 bill.”
“I also explained to him that Peterborough County is close to 4,000 square kilometres (in size),” Clark says. “We are the size of Prince Edward Island, we are six times the size of the City of Toronto, and 61 times the size of the City of Peterborough.”
“I also mentioned that the tree canopy in the county has some age on it. That age did not serve it well. Over 1,000 hydro poles have been replaced. We were very thankful that New Brunswick and Quebec sent (hydro) crews. They were able to bring poles. At the maximum, we had 900 hydro workers on the ground working.”
Responding to another common criticism, Clark emphasizes the premier’s visit wasn’t a photo op — something that’s evident in the fact there was no advance notice given to the media of the visit.
Because the premier was scheduled to visit storm-ravaged Haliburton County and the City of Kawartha Lakes on the same day, adds Clark, she was told she would only have five minutes to talk with him.
“I went along with that. I said, ‘Sure, that’s fine.’ Premier Ford left 25 to 30 minutes after we chatted. He sat down, I explained the damaged, and we showed him photos. He spent six times (the amount of time) staff had allotted him. He did not push to leave. I was impressed.”
“The premier said ‘You get your numbers together, from both the county and from the municipalities. I want to know the full picture.’ I’m feeling good about him looking at our numbers and us being able to be compensated.”
Meanwhile, asked to put a percentage on how much the county has recovered to date, the warden refuses to hazard a guess — and for good reason.
“In travelling through the municipalities, I’ve seen huge limbs on hydro lines. With any wind, we’re going to have blackouts again. It’s four steps ahead and I think we’re going to get a step back. We’re very close to where every permanent resident has their hydro, but we still have our seasonal residents. Our fire routes and private roads — we don’t know if there’s still lines down.”
The cost to the county resulting from the storm, says Clark, will be substantial.
However, with recovery efforts still very much the focus, dealing with the expense is a matter for another day.
“Our strategic plan has always said ‘Customers first,'” Clark says.
“This is not only customer service. It’s safety as well. We have to clean up those piles (of branches and debris). We have a fire potential here. It (the clean-up effort) is going to take a bite out of our budget, but it has to be a priority because of safety.”
But the warden there’s a silver lining to the continuing emergency, and it’s one that fills her heart.
“I’ve always thought that we have very caring people. Many of the hydro workers told me people were friendly, bringing them coffee and sandwiches. Some of our restaurants stayed open extended hours in order for them to have anything on the menu that they wanted.”
“Workers I talked to were pleasantly surprised by that, but I told them ‘That’s Peterborough County. That’s called community.’ Also, neighbours helping neighbours. I’m more proud than I am surprised. This is what I have grown up with all my life. I’m just really proud of our residents.”
Ahead, Clark says there remains much work to be done, particularly in more remote areas that are home to seasonal residents.
“The clean-up is wild,” she assesses, adding “It’s breathtaking for all the wrong reasons.”
The warden’s foremost message to residents at this point is simple: be safe.
“And please reach out (to the county) if you need anything. Our obligation is to our residents. Don’t fail to reach out to us or your municipal office.”
For updates on storm recovery efforts, visit www.ptbocounty.ca/stormupdates/.
This story has been updated to correct the size of Peterborough County in a quote by Warden Clark.
