Councillor Ross Chaulk believes population projections for this part of Wellington County are “crap.”
Those comments followed councillor John Matusinec voicing some concerns about the Wellington County planning department’s official plan amendment, which incorporates new population forecasts.
The draft document considers projected population trends between 2006 and 2031.
Those figures indicate that Wellington North’s population will grow from 11,710 to 15,390.
Of that, it suggests growth in Arthur will shift from 2,430 to 3,100, while Mount Forest’s growth would move its population from 4,750 to 7,620.
However, Matusinec asked, “How the heck can they even take a stab at it [projecting growth]?” He said it looked like figures were just plugged in.
Chaulk believes the numbers made use of provincial averages over the past 20 years.
“I think it is a piece of crap,” he said, adding that those figures are based on growth rates of about 4.75% – which he believes are wrong.
Matusinec said the county’s approach contradicts the suggested growth of Wellington North.
Chaulk believed the figures do not take into account the area being on the fringe of Kitchener, Waterloo, Guelph and the Greater Toronto Area.
He said he expects Wellington North’s growth rate will prove the county projections wrong.
