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Prince Edward County is on the verge of making decisions that could permanently alter its future — and not for the better. At the heart of the issue is a dangerous mismatch between the scale of approved development and the County’s ability to provide infrastructure and services.
Consider Picton. The town has a population of roughly 3,000 residents today. Yet the County is preparing to approve projects like Base31, which alone could add as many as 8,000 homes. Imagine that for a moment: a sleepy town tripling in size, without a funded plan for roads, schools, water, or sewer capacity to support it. Assurances of funding are just that- Assurances.
The Current Strain on Infrastructure
Even before this growth, the County is struggling to manage its existing infrastructure.
- Water and wastewater: Residents are already paying some of the highest water bills in Ontario, with average annual charges of $2,157 per household and some bills exceeding $700 per cycle. The small number of ratepayers makes cost-sharing impossible.
- Roads: The County manages 1,046 km of roads, many of which are in poor condition. Asset management reports estimate hundreds of millions in deferred maintenance.
- Health care: Emergency rooms across Eastern Ontario are experiencing staffing shortages and closures. Local growth will only add pressure to an already strained system.
If PEC cannot maintain what it has now, how will it serve a population that could double within a decade?
The Cost of Growth
Approving massive new developments without clear infrastructure planning has direct consequences for household budgets.
- Water bills: The proposed $100-million Wellington water plant expansion is the most obvious example. Even with development charges, debt servicing will fall on existing households. Conservative estimates suggest annual water bills could climb past $3,000 within five years if current trends continue.
- Property taxes: In 2024, County Council approved an 8.9% tax hike — one of the steepest in Ontario. If the County doubles its population without senior-government support, residents could be looking at double-digit increases year after year to finance expanded roads, sewers, and services.
The idea that “growth pays for growth” is not being realized. Instead, current residents risk becoming the financiers of speculative subdivisions that may not deliver the promised benefits for years, if at all.
A Political Problem as Much as a Planning Problem
The County’s growth management has become a political problem as much as a technical one. Approvals are being handed out before credible infrastructure plans are finalized. The Picton Master Servicing Plan identifies needs, but not sustainable financing. The Transportation Master Plan imagines a walkable, tourist-friendly Picton but doesn’t resolve how to fund massive road upgrades.
Meanwhile, discussions between councillors and developers often take place out of public view. These decisions involve hundreds of millions of dollars in long-term liabilities, yet ratepayers — who are effectively the investors — are left in the dark.
Imagining the Scale
Picture it clearly: Picton, a town of 3,000, swelling to more than 20,000 people once Base31 and other projects are built out. That’s not growth — that’s transformation. It means tripling demand on water treatment, quintupling traffic through downtown, and stretching services like policing, fire, and schools well beyond capacity.
And yet, Council continues to approve growth without first securing the infrastructure or financial plans needed to sustain it.
Time for Accountability
Residents are already speaking out about affordability. One Picton family reported a $742 water bill — more than they paid for an entire year in the GTA. Seniors on fixed incomes are squeezed between rising utility bills and steep tax hikes. For them, promises of future development mean little when today’s bills are already unbearable.
It is time for accountability. Council must stop approving growth that it cannot service. Developers must be held fully responsible for the costs of new infrastructure, not ratepayers. And above all, there must be transparency — a public lobbyist registry, open reporting on all developer negotiations, and detailed disclosure of financial risks.
Most importantly, it is time for residents to demand new leadership at Shire Hall. If current councillors cannot reconcile the County’s ambitions with its fiscal reality, then voters must elect those who will.
The Choice Ahead
The County cannot keep approving development in the hope that “someone” will pay for the roads, pipes, and schools later. Without a course correction, water bills will soar above $3,000 a year, property taxes will spike, and existing infrastructure will deteriorate even further.
The choice is stark: manage growth responsibly, or allow speculative development to bankrupt affordability and overwhelm services. Prince Edward County’s future depends on councillors — and the residents who elect them — making the right one.
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