Residents’ voices at the centre of new roads strategy for Kawartha Lakes

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard

KAWARTHA LAKES: Residents’ concerns about the condition of their local roads are shaping a new approach to road planning, in the City of Kawartha Lakes, following Council’s support of the Roads Task Force recommendations, at its meeting on Tuesday, December 9th.

Councillor Mike Perry told Council, the Task Force focused less on technical processes and more on how residents experience their roads every day. “Residents are not overly concerned with the technical details of a five-year plan,” Councillor Perry said. “They are concerned about the condition of their road, the one they drive every day.”

The City maintains more than 5,400 lane kilometres of roads, making it its largest municipal asset and the one [which] generates the most requests for service. With each lane kilometre supported, by an average of just seven tax-paying households, not all roads requiring attention can be resurfaced at once. Roads are currently prioritized through a five-year needs study, based on engineering inspections, traffic volumes, and road classifications, along with annual life cycle funding and regular maintenance, governed by provincial minimum maintenance standards.

The Roads Task Force was established in 2024, to examine how roads, not captured by the five-year roads plan or the life cycle management program, can still be addressed in a fair and transparent way. Rather than debating individual roads, the Task Force focused on improving the process for identifying and advancing roads which raise significant resident concern but fall outside scheduled programs.

“Rather than trading roads, at the Council table, at the eleventh hour, the Task Force wanted a clear, consistent process residents and Councillors can understand,” Councillor Perry explained.

A central recommendation sets out a procedural road map, for Councillors advocating on behalf of their wards. It encourages: regular meetings with Engineering and Public Works staff; road tours, to assess conditions firsthand; early engagement during the budget process; and using Councillor memoranda to Council, only in extreme and exceptional circumstances. Councillor Perry noted, the intent is to balance technical data with lived experience. “This approach ensures engineering science remains central, while still recognizing residents are closest to their roads.”

The Task Force also recommended broader changes, including: using pulverization for roads which have exceeded their life cycle, where appropriate, improving public understanding, by clearly identifying minimum maintenance standards, as a provincial requirement; and shifting the language, from a “5-Year Roads Plan” to a “5-Year Roads Strategy,” to emphasize flexibility and responsiveness. Additional recommendations call for a review of Council road-related policies, such as petitions and deputations, and for Councillors to have access to the City’s roads database, to support informed decision-making.

Public input was gathered through roundtable meetings, in Coboconk, Dunsford, and Little Britain. While attendance varied, residents used the sessions to raise specific road concerns and called for better communication and responsiveness from the City. “Residents are the eyes and ears of their roads,” Councillor Perry explained, encouraging continued use of the City’s online Report It tool for maintenance issues.

Mr. Perry introduced an amendment to the motion, directing staff not only to review the Task Force recommendations, but to implement them, where practical and feasible, and report back to Council on progress, by the end of the second quarter of 2026. Council supported the report and the amended motion.

“This is about clarity, fairness, and trust,” Councillor Perry explained. “People want to know how decisions are made and that there is a consistent way for their concerns to be heard.”