Scugog Council debates Port Perry Fairgrounds Visioning Exercise

BRANDON CLARK The Standard

SCUGOG: The Township of Scugog held a Special Council meeting on Monday, September 15th, to vote on whether or not to award a Visioning Exercise for the Port Perry Fairgrounds Contract, pursuant to Section 240 of the Municipal Act, 2001.

Multiple delegates attended the meeting and stepped forward to address their concerns about the need for a visioning exercise. The Council Chambers were filled with local residents passionate about protecting the fairgrounds.

Delegate Betty Somerville, who represented herself as a taxpayer of Scugog, did not want Council spending taxpayers' money to hire a Consultant from outside of our community to decide on a vision for the Port Perry Fairgrounds.

“I would like the fair to stay,” Somerville said, “[There is] a lot of concern over something people do not need.”

Aside from the Port Perry Fair, sixteen events have been scheduled to take place on the fairgrounds in 2025, including a winter carnival and the Terry Fox Run.

Delegate Mike Coll asked Council to refuse the Request for a Visioning Proposal entirely. He organized a petition to keep the Port Perry Fairgrounds a public location for community venues, and thousands of people across the Greater Toronto Area added their signatures to the petition.

“The fairgrounds are more than just land,” correspondent Shadi Sharifi-Far wrote in an email to Scugog Council, “They are a vital part of our heritage and community life. Please take action to safeguard them.”

“The fairgrounds are an important part of what makes this community unique and attractive to live in,” said correspondent Ginny Brunton in an email, “They not only hold historical significance which speaks to our deep connection to farming and the land; the grounds also provide a space to showcase farming heritage and current agricultural and horticultural practices to residents and visitors at the Port Perry Fair and 4H events.”

Mrs. Brunton said she sees people using the grounds in various ways while tending to her allotment garden there. Examples she gave were walking, running, and skiing. She implored Scugog Council to consider the Agricultural Society's proposals to develop the fairgrounds and encouraged them to renew the lease. Mrs. Brunton wanted the fair to be a public spaced used by everyone, and that a visioning exercise was not needed.

After hearing from all the delegates and reviewing some email submissions, Council passed the motion to approve the Visioning Exercise in a 4-2 vote. The Contract was awarded to Darwin Pivot, a Toronto Firm, one of seven firms that bid on the project.