A lot has happened over the last year, not the least of which being a global pandemic that essentially stopped life as we know it in its tracks.
Mayor Darrin Canniff addressed the community in his annual Mayor’s Address this morning, in true COVID-fashion, held over Zoom.
Canniff says the pandemic highlighted some big challenges the community has to overcome, including addictions, homelessness, and mental health struggles.
“We can make it a little better, but we need to have the federal government and the provincial governments in line as well,” Canniff says. “There’s so many agencies across the board that need to come together to work together on that. I would love to see everyone housed, I would love to see the drug problem eliminated altogether, but there’s no easy fix to it.”
Canniff says there’s a lot to look forward to as well, including new housing being developed in a number of communities, expanding business, and increasing fibre broadband to rural areas.
“There’s a lot of businesses that want to expand. They anticipate that when we come out of the pandemic, there’s going to be a significant demand, and we’re talking manufacturing and various other things, but from that perspective it’s very bright for the economy.”
This week’s news about developing the former Navistar property is just one example of revitalizing the economy. Canniff says an increase in production at Onbelay, the Bloomfield Business Park and a new development on Park Avenue East are also signs of good things to come.
The mayor also points to some fun activities for all ages in the works, including an axe throwing business, go-carts in Tilbury, a new bowling alley in Blenheim, and a Retro Suites-style resort being built on a 10-acre property near Lake Erie.
Canniff says despite all the challenges of the past year and more to overcome, he knows Chatham-Kent will come out stronger on the other side.
