Mike Coulas says Renfrew needs to develop before thinking about growing economically.
Coulas, a local realtor and two-term councilor, is running for Mayor and says Renfrew can’t afford to lag behind while neighbouring townships see a spike in population.
He notes the town has the surplus space to build homes and many attractive amenities but hasn’t used them. Selling that land to developers ahead of Highway 417’s expansion towards Renfrew will mean homes can be built to accommodate people making the move into town.
Coulas’ concern over Renfrew’s recent lack of growth also covers what it means for the town’s facilities. While the idea of a local swimming pool or aquatics centre interests him, he says the town needs that growth in residents before it can be viable.
Coulas says an increased population means more money for services people use and more traffic for local businesses.
While his campaign is centered on getting Renfrew ready to develop, there is one smaller quality-of-life improvement he would like to be a part of regarding the town’s ATV by-laws.
People living along Renfrew’s nature trails have raised complaints to Coulas regarding ATV’s not respecting the rules that were put in place three years ago while he was a councilor.
After speaking with Town Staff on the matter, Coulas believes turning the by-laws into town policy is the way to go. He says by-law officers aren’t allowed to handle vehicle complains, and the making it a policy would allow local police to get involved.
Mike Coulas is one of give people running for Mayor in Renfrew, alongside Sandi Heins, Callum Scott, Tom Sidney, and Kate Windle.
The municipal election is on October 24th.
(written by Kasey Egan)
