New clerk joins Trent Hills
Alto update, Hastings project and more
Jessica Polley has been hired as the new clerk of Trent Hills. She starts her new position on July 13.
Karen Frigault has been the clerk since January 2025. She was appointed Chief Administrative Officer in December 2025 and has been filling both positions since then.
Frigault remains CAO and has been appointed as a deputy clerk, which allows her to fulfill certain legal duties if necessary. Dawn Welch is also a deputy clerk.
Polley has been deputy clerk in Brighton since January 2024.
She studied public administration at Seneca Polytechnic and has taken several advanced courses through the Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario.
Extension granted for Hastings development
Trent Hills council has given the developers of the Hastings Estates project three more years to complete a subdivision plan for a 48-home fifth-phase, but it expects the work to be done much sooner than that.
“The Batavia/Hastings Meadow/Hastings Estates Plan of Subdivision was first brought forward and approved in 2012, with four phases being approved under that application,” a staff report said.
In 2021, due to changes to the planning act, a new application was submitted for the fifth phase. That plan was given draft approval in 2023 with all conditions required to be completed by June 30, 2026.
In recent months, municipal staff raised questions about the plans for handling stormwater and a final decision on how to proceed has not been reached. So, council approved an extension.
Planner Cameron Law said Kyle Beacock, the municipality’s manager of water and wastewater, raised concerns about the stormwater system’s ability to handle the entire development. A revised plan is being reviewed.
Law said he expects the project to come forward for full approval later this year or early next, but the three-year extension is what they requested and it’s the maximum the municipality can do.
The homes are now on sale starting at $550,000. The lots will be accessed by Darnley Street and a new interior street that will connect to Church Lane. The homes will be a mix of one-and two-storey units.
No new candidates
In case you have been wondering, no other candidates have filed their papers to run this fall. So, at this point, Mike Metcalf is unchallenged as mayor and Rick English is the sole deputy mayor candidate, while Bob Crate, Dennis Savery, and Ethan Armit battle it out for Ward 5.
I know other possible candidates are discussing their options but aren’t ready to announce anything yet.
Alto rail update
The federal government appears to be leaning toward the southern route for Alto High Speed Rail. That’s the one that would cut south from Peterborough through Trent Hills heading to Kingston.
On Monday, Federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon said he’s told Alto to consider a stop in Kingston. The previous plan looped north of the city on its way to Ottawa without stopping.
“I have asked Alto to further assess an alignment option that could include Kingston as a potential stop as we continue advancing this transformative project for communities across the Toronto–Québec City corridor,” MacKinnon said in a statement.
Alto said on its website that a proposed stop in Kingston is subject to technical feasibility and project requirements.
“This is an important next step toward building a faster, cleaner and more connected rail network for Canadians,” MacKinnon said.
Alto has also released a 134-page report on its consultations so far, called What We Heard.
“While there was criticism of the project, many participants in the south corridor expressed conditional support for Alto if it were to include a station in the Kingston area, where there is already a VIA Rail station,” the report says.
“They argue there is enough demand in this city to support ridership. If the alignment were to move to Kingston, it would also avoid many communities that are currently in the south corridor.”
Overall, a majority of respondents to the online survey said the project would have a very positive (45 per cent) or somewhat positive (10 per cent) effect on the region. Thirty-five per cent of respondents said it would have a very negative effect, while 6 per cent said it would be somewhat negative.
“High-speed rail would reduce travel times between Kingston and Toronto to approximately 90 minutes while establishing Kingston as a key regional mobility hub, improving connections and placing up to 80 per cent of residents between Peterborough and Ottawa within a 25-minute drive of a station,” Alto said on its website.
“Alto’s objective is to develop a project that delivers the greatest collective benefits, while minimizing impacts on communities and the environment,” said Martin Imbleau, President and Chief Executive Officer of Alto.
One paragraph in the Alto report echoes a lot of comments heard and seen around here.
“Opposition to and apprehension about land acquisition was voiced, especially in rural areas. Farmland protection and the preservation of agricultural connectivity were raised as concerns on many occasions, as were considerations about impacts on environment, wildlife, and natural habitats.”
Alto says the detailed comments are being analyzed and will be incorporated into the next phase. This fall it will present a narrower corridor, no more than one-kilometre wide, for the section between Ottawa and Montreal, which will be the first to be built.
Alto notes there was a difference between the response in urban areas, especially those with stops, and rural areas where few people saw benefits.
The section on farmland protection says:
“The farming community expressed a range of concerns regarding the potential impacts of the alignment on farmland.
These related to:
• Timelines & process: When route decisions will be made; when construction could start; how much notice farmers will receive.
• Crossings & access: What will happen to existing at-grade crossings; how crossing locations will be determined; how long detours will be; how size and weight requirements of farm machinery will be taken into account; what the transportation impacts during construction will be.
• Severance & fragmentation: What kinds of efficiency effects could result and if these could impact long-term viability of farm operations; in cases of partial land acquisition, a desire for compensation that considers impacts to the whole-farm.
• Drainage & water: a desire for clear standards, responsibilities and long-term maintenance commitments; clarity on whether Alto is subject to the Ontario Drainage Act obligations.
• Agriculture in the Impact Assessment: requests for a dedicated agricultural impact lens during the regulatory review process.”