Construction on the roundabout at the intersection of County Road 1 and Highway 62 could start as soon as this fall.

Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria said the proposed roundabout will move to the design stage immediately and take 8-12 months. Construction will commence after that.

That was one of several updates the County of Prince Edward Delegation received at the annual Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) conference January 19-21. Mayor Steve Ferguson and Councillors Sam Branderhorst, Sam Grosso, Chris Braney, Phil St-Jean and Bill Roberts attended the conference. 

A session with Minister Sarkaria also explored a sticking point between the MTO and the municipality about where Picton Main Street becomes Highway 33. 

The County has a long-standing request to end approval delays regarding the provincially owned section of Loyalist Parkway. If it were under municipal control like the rest of Main Street, the municipality believes it would be better able to facilitate commercial and residential development.

Minister Sarkaria told the County delegation no action can be taken until after the province reviews its Connecting Links program this summer.

“The Minister did agree to meet with municipal staff to see if outstanding provincial transportation approvals could be expedited, particularly as it relates to the construction of a proposed rental building,” County spokesperson Mark Kerr said.

The delegation also met with Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Paul Calandra, for updates on MZO requests for both Base31 and Picton Terminals. The Minister appreciated hearing the context of both requests and reiterated his support for housing and employment in the area, but was unable to commit to a timeline for decisions on either. 

Meanwhile, in his new role as Vice-Chair of the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus, Mayor Ferguson participated in several other meetings with other ministers and members of provincial parliament around the EOWC priorities of infrastructure, housing and health care.

The mayor and EOWC Chair Bonnie Clark stressed Eastern Ontario’s support for Premier Ford’s Fortress Am-Can initiative concerning security and trade at the U.S. border. The Caucus prepared some early evidence on the importance of trade to the Eastern Ontario rural economy.

“We had positive conversations with both Minister Sarkaria and Minister Calandra. We brought to their attention some issues of local concern, and they were both responsive and expressed their willingness to work with us, which is always encouraging,” said Mayor Ferguson. “I also enjoyed the opportunity as the Vice-Chair of the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus to really press other ministers on common priorities such as infrastructure, housing and health care.”