EDITOR’S NOTE: Rob Kloostra has asked for an opportunity to clarify remarks he made to OrilliaMatters regarding the plan to sell Orillia Power Distribution Corporation (OPDC) to Hydro One.
OrilliaMatters has confirmed Kloostra said: “I wasn’t in favour of the deal but if it all works out, it will be good for Orillia. You just hope that everybody lives up to their promises.”
Coun. Kloostra would like to clarify that he is in no way supportive of the sale of the OPDC; he never was, still is not and will not be in the future. The context of the questioning was misunderstood on his part and he apologizes for any confusion.
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Rob Kloostra decided to seek re-election in Ward 2 to take care of unfinished business.
“I decided to run again when the Hydro One decision came down in April,” said Kloostra, a 46-year-old who retired from Zehrs after 25 years in 2014. “I want to see what the next steps are, whether it comes to fruition and to see how it plays out.”
Kloostra was one of three city councillors who voiced opposition to a plan to sell Orillia Power Distribution Corporation (OPDC) to Hydro One. In addition to the purchase, Hydro One has said it will build a back-up grid centre in Orillia along with two other buildings in the Horne Industrial Park.
“I wasn’t in favour of the deal but if it all works out, it will be good for Orillia. You just hope that everybody lives up to their promises,” said Kloostra of the deal that was rejected by the Ontario Energy Board in April. (Hydro One and OPDC are filing a new application for the deal).
He said council’s decision to pursue that deal, to build the new recreation centre and to stick-handle an ambitious waterfront development plan has meant a lack of focus on the little things that matter to many.
“There has been so much time and energy focused on big projects, a lot of residents feel the little things have kind of been ignored,” said Kloostra. “I think we need to focus on the little things.”
That means more attention paid to sidewalks and roads, said the entrepreneur who, along with his wife, operates Happy at Home and recently purchased The Donut Line. “As the city gets older and as we grow, I think we need to do more planning around roads and sidewalks and the infrastructure on top and underneath roads,” he said.
Kloostra said he thinks council made a mistake green-lighting a three-lane Front Street as part of a “beautification” of that area. He supported a four-lane option.
However, he says he has changed his mind about one decision he made. Last winter, he voted against a proposal to commit more money to clearing snow from sidewalks and city bus stops.
“I have changed my mind on that,” he said. “The way the weather is changing, I think we need to address that. Sidewalks and roads should be cleaned simultaneously. We bought two new plows, which is good, but it all comes down to manpower and money.”
He would like to see some of that money invested in creating a bus terminal and would love to “get the buses off West Street.” He said that’s something council should attempt to accomplish in the next four years.
Being a city councillor has been a learning experience, said the father of two teenaged boys. One of the things he’s learned is that progress does not happen overnight. “The process takes a long time,” he said.
There is also a lot of work involved.
“You almost have to become an investigator,” he says. “You really have to do the research, talk to staff, go online and get out and look into things. It’s important to see things with your own eyes and to be engaged.”
Kloostra said he is well-suited for the job.
“I feel like I’m a good action planner who will take the issue and solve it,” he says. “If I have to call other councillors for advice, I’m going to do that. I’m going to communicate with people as well. I’m a person’s inlet to the city ... I don’t want to leave them in the lurch.”
Editor's Note: All candidates in Orillia's municipal election will be profiled in the days ahead. They will be published daily, by ward, in alphabetical order; the mayoralty candidates will also be profiled.
