Council Candidate

ROBERTSON, Meghan

Responses to the questions posed by Concerned Owen Sound Taxpayers (COST).

1. Municipal leadership and management

Owen Sound's population has stagnated for more than two decades, while the size and cost of the municipal management structure have increased significantly. What changes would you make to ensure that the City's senior management structure is lean, accountable and focused on results rather than simply administering the status quo? Would you support recruiting a City Manager with a demonstrated record of organizational transformation, cost reduction and successful change management? Would you also support establishing fixed-term, renewable contracts for senior management positions, with a significant portion of compensation tied to measurable performance objectives established by Council?.

Candidate response

When elected, I will look for new solutions and best practices and consider all information provided. I will conduct further research where necessary to be fully informed and consult with community leaders with experience and expertise, and make the best decisions on behalf of the residents of Owen Sound.

If the position became open, I would support recruiting a City Manager with a demonstrated record of municipal organizational experience, controlling costs and successful financial management. I believe hiring the best person with experience in municipal governance should always be the goal of the city for senior positions.

Recruiting is never an easy process, and one has to balance restrictive criteria to market availability in order to ensure that the correct candidate is chosen. A condition such as fixed-term may in fact reduce our opportunity to encourage the best applicants to apply. I wouldn't rule out such a posting, but I would very carefully consider the criteria to recruit the best of the best and demonstrate the Owen Sound would be the best option for them in their career choice.

2. Controlling property tax increases

Owen Sound taxpayers have experienced property-tax increases that, in our view, have exceeded what can reasonably be justified by inflation and population growth. Would you support a policy limiting annual property-tax increases to the rate of inflation unless Council can demonstrate a compelling reason to exceed it? If you would support exceeding inflation, what circumstances would justify doing so?

Candidate response

I support reviewing all aspects of the city's costs ( capital and services). The city has expenses related to construction, Infrastructure and reserves. The costs of materials in particular are unpredictable in the current trade environment. These expenses are not included in the consumer inflation rate. Approximately 1% of the annual increase in taxes is dedicated to infrastructure. I would work hard to maintain or reduce increases, while maintaining the city's properties and infrastructure.

3. Reducing the cost of government

Owen Sound's population today is smaller than it was in 2011, yet municipal spending and staffing have continued to grow. Would you support requiring every municipal department to identify 5–10% in potential savings, including staff cuts, as part of the budget process? Would you support using the City's 2011 budget, adjusted for inflation, as a benchmark for determining whether today's spending levels are justified? If not, what alternative approach would you use to identify and eliminate unnecessary spending?

Candidate response

Owen Sound's population in 2025 according to the City's website is 22, 732, which is slightly more than 2011. Recently, Environics Analytics noted our population was 24,190 in December.2025.

I think it is important to look for potential savings in everything we do, but without coming at the expense of the services provided. With the recent stats Canada census, I would not to commit to anything until I have the most up to date information and data. It is important to have the most current information in order to make the best decisions.

I believe that it would be irresponsible to use the City's 2011 budget adjusted to inflation as a benchmark, without considering what external influences there were on any given year; this is a simplistic approach. I am sure that you are aware of the impact that the instability in the relationship with the US has had on costs of materials and services for the last year. As mentioned above, I believe in using accurate data and analysis in decision making processes.

4. Council accountability and relationship with taxpayers

Many residents believe there is an increasing disconnect between City Hall and the taxpayers it serves. What would you do to make City Council more transparent, accessible and accountable to residents? Would you support greater public disclosure of the rationale behind major spending decisions, staffing increases, consultant contracts and significant policy decisions? More importantly, what would you do to ensure that residents are treated as stakeholders in municipal government rather than as an obstacle to it?

Candidate response

I understand the disconnect between City Hall and residents, I have seen first hand from sitting on various City committees, the lack of engagement with residents. I would support a public information campaign to let residents know how they can get involved and how to contact City counsellors. I would be open to more public town-hall like meetings to meet with residents out in the community.

In my experience, some Owen Sound citizens understand how to connect with City Hall, get the updates by email, and become involved. However, there does seem to be a disconnect with those who do not use technology. A multifaceted approach might provide better results.

5. Homelessness, addiction and the downtown

Owen Sound's downtown is facing increasingly visible homelessness, addiction and public disorder. What specific actions would you take to address these problems? Would you support a coordinated approach with the County that combines: increased access to addiction treatment and mental-health services; meaningful pathways into appropriate housing; stronger enforcement of existing laws and bylaws when public safety is affected; and clear expectations for individuals receiving publicly funded support? What would you do differently from the current approach, and how would you measure whether your strategy is working?

Candidate response

I support a co-ordinated approach with social services local law enforcement, mental health and addiction treatment services, as well as the county. Owen Sound has become the regions' hub for social services, and because of that ,we need to request more funding from the county and the province to help support us in these efforts.

These questions are all about not increasing costs and taxes for residents and with the increased demands for these services we need support from the county and province.

We should look across the province to see what other municipalities have done successfully to address these issues. Cities and towns across the province are also facing these challenges. Owen Sound is unfortunately not unique in this way.

In the past few years, the City and County have acquired and opened additional short term and long term assisted housing ( e.g. Grey County housing on 9th Ave E ( old Diamond hotel) and 14th Street West. )

6. Development charges and economic growth

Owen Sound needs more residential and commercial development if it is going to reverse decades of population stagnation. Would you support reviewing the City's development-charge structure with the objective of making Owen Sound more attractive to developers and encouraging new housing construction? Would you support targeted incentives or a temporary reduction or moratorium on development charges where appropriate, particularly where developers commit to including affordable or geared-to-income housing? More broadly, what specific steps would you take to make Owen Sound a more attractive place to invest, build businesses and raise a family?

Candidate response

Currently there are many Residential and commercial developments going n in the city that are transforming the city. In September 2025, building activity reached historic highs in Owen Sound. A number of major project are now moving forward. Construction values in Own Sound have reached $ 214.5 million in 2025.

For example, the East Bayshore Road, residential complex will have 267units, West Side Harbour - a multi unit building residential development on the old BKL site; Bayshore Terrace and the expansions of Heritage Grove commercial and retail sites have greatly increased over the past few years. I support reviewing any development charge structure to make OS even more attractive to all businesses.

Having sat on various city committees, I have seen the benefits of initiatives and short -term moratoriums on development charges have benefitted the city and encouraged residential and business development.

The City has a five-year development plan, that must be reviewed annually, and with flexibility built in for any unforeseen opportunities. While reviewed annually, the plan should be updated regularly in order to include the necessary data and information while being developed, and to reflect any current County and Provincial requirements or opportunities.

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7. The true cost of municipal services

We believe taxpayers should be able to see the full cost of every municipal service, including the costs of administration, HR, payroll, facilities, information technology and other shared services. Would you support fully allocating these costs to each municipal department, agency or shared-service arrangement so Council and taxpayers can see the true cost of each service? Would you also support using this information when negotiating cost-sharing arrangements with organizations such as the Library and other agencies?

Candidate response

When elected, I will look for new solutions and best practices and consider all information provided. I will conduct further research where necessary to be fully informed and consult with

community leaders with experience and expertise, and make the best decisions on behalf of the residents of Owen Sound .

8. Water and wastewater costs

Water and wastewater charges have increased significantly, yet these costs are sometimes treated separately from the City's broader budget decisions. Would you support requiring the Water Department to present Council with a complete explanation and justification for proposed rate increases as part of the annual budget process? Would you also support requiring the Water Department to participate in the same cost-reduction and efficiency reviews expected of other municipal departments? Ultimately, do you believe Council-not municipal staff-should be fully accountable to taxpayers for increases in water and wastewater charges?

Candidate response

When I was a public member of the Operations Committee, reports would come about Water and Waste water regarding issues that arose that required additional funds. Part of this is to ensure that regular maintenance is done to avoid surprises. I got to see first hand the importance of long terms capital spending. With the increase in significant weather events , some additional costs cannot be avoided when the systems are overwhelmed. I will also look for ways to reduce costs, but some unanticipated costs of critical infrastructure are unavoidable and necessary for a healthy city.

9. Judgment and Proportionality

We are now asking candidates to consider one additional issue that raises important questions about municipal governance, accountability, judgment, and the responsible use of taxpayer dollars. Please read the attached opinion paper, “A Failure of Judgment at Owen Sound City Hall,” which examines the City's prosecution of a Georgian College nursing student over an Amazon box found in a municipal garbage receptacle. We are not asking you to prejudge the outcome of the court proceedings. Rather, we believe this case raises broader questions about how municipal enforcement decisions are made, who is responsible for reviewing the strength and proportionality of those decisions, how legal services are procured and overseen, and how Council ensures that taxpayer resources are being used responsibly. As we noted in our previous correspondence, COST believes that significant change in the way City Hall operates is essential if Owen Sound is to move forward. With that in mind, we would like to ask you one additional question: "If elected to Owen Sound City Council, what specific steps would you take to ensure that a situation like this does not happen again—where a municipal prosecution involving questionable evidence proceeds through multiple court appearances at significant cost to taxpayers?"

Candidate response

Response pending.

COST will update this page when a candidate response is received. Candidate responses are presented for voter information and are not necessarily the views of COST.