{"id":9686,"date":"2026-01-19T17:28:44","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T21:28:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.qccrfm.com\/news\/?p=9686"},"modified":"2026-01-19T17:28:44","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T21:28:44","slug":"queens-approves-54-million-infrastructure-budget","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.qccrfm.com\/news\/2026\/01\/19\/queens-approves-54-million-infrastructure-budget\/","title":{"rendered":"Queens approves $54-million infrastructure budget"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Region of Queens councillors passed their capital budget last week. (Rick Conrad)<\/p><\/div>\n

The Region of Queens got a head start on a big part of its budget last week by approving its five-year, $54.3-million capital plan.<\/span><\/p>\n

It includes more than $27 million in projects for this fiscal year alone.<\/span><\/p>\n

Councillors wanted to approve their capital budget earlier this year so that municipal staff could work on issuing tenders before the spring.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe purpose of bringing the capital investment plan to council at this point is so that we’ve got as much runway as possible before the fiscal year starts on April 1st,\u201d said CAO Willa Thorpe, \u201cso that staff have the opportunity to go to tender on projects with the runway of between January and April.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The extension of water and sewer to the Mount Pleasant area of Liverpool accounts for almost $10 million of the 2026\/27 spending.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another $1.4 million is being set aside to upgrade and extend two kilometres of the main water transmission line from the South Queens Water Treatment Facility to Union<\/span><\/p>\n

Street in Liverpool, and to upgrade the water main from Roy Turner Road to Mersey Avenue.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some councillors want staff to fast track the replacement of existing water infrastructure before adding new areas.<\/span><\/p>\n

So they voted to hire a consultant to analyze the costs and timeline of the main water line project.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam Grant, the region’s director of infrastructure, said it would probably take from six to nine months to get a report back.<\/span><\/p>\n

District 6 Coun. Stewart Jenkins had many questions for staff about the capital plan.<\/span><\/p>\n

He wanted to know why projects take so long to get done.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWould it not be better to stop anything new and just get these projects done so we can have a fixed cost on it? \u2026 Why are we adding more projects on when we can’t get ones finished?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Grant said staff try to strike a balance between ongoing projects and new ones added to the list.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere are a lot of projects on there. I think each year … we try to trim them off and council would like to add some… . So we try to balance it out what we can complete. What’s pertinent, and what’s unnecessary, trying to prioritize in that fashion.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Mayor Scott Christian said it\u2019s council, not staff, that adds work to the list. He said Thorpe, Grant and Finance Director Joanne Veinotte have told him they\u2019re trying to improve the process.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a concerted effort to be more realistic, what we’re budgeting for the projects that we actually expect to be done, and improvements with respect to the way that we’re making decisions about what we’re doing in-house, and what we’re shopping out and subcontracting out. So it would be my expectation that moving forward, we are going to improve that in terms of achieving the work in the year that we’re funding it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Some of the projects that have been held over, like the wall at the Old Burial Ground or the new Gorham Street planter between Home Hardware and Celeste\u2019s Hair Salon on Main Street, caught Jenkins\u2019s attention.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow do we justify a planter at in excess of $97,000 for plants?\u201d he asked Grant.<\/span><\/p>\n

Grant said it\u2019s actually a vital retaining structure in the walkway from Main Street to the waterfront.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo it’s a couple hundred metres long. \u2029It’s brick, it’s 12 feet to 16 feet high in spots, it does have plants into it. But it’s a lot more than just a planter with some shrubbery. It’s being improved, I guess, for accessibility, as well as retention purposes, to protect the pedestrians.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jenkins also had some work of his own to add to the list. Councillors approved his motion to add $200,000 to the capital budget this year to work on dry hydrants around Queens County.<\/span><\/p>\n

They are vital for many of the region\u2019s fire departments to be able to access water sources.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jenkins said that before his concerns were addressed, he was ready to vote against the budget. But he said he would vote for it even though he still had some reservations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Councillors voted unanimously to pass the region\u2019s 2026-31 capital investment plan.<\/span><\/p>\n

Next up will be the region\u2019s operating budget. Councillors are set to begin debating that on Feb. 24. Residents can have their say by filling out a survey on the region\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some of the 2026\/27 spending highlights in the Region of Queens capital investment plan:<\/span><\/p>\n