Mayor Steve Ferguson’s response raises a more important question than he may have intended.
“Where have you been, County First!? A roundabout at this intersection has been approved with construction to begin in 2027.“
That was Mayor Steve Ferguson’s response on social media after County First highlighted yet another collision at the intersection of Highway 62 and County Road 1—this time involving an overturned vehicle.
At first glance, the Mayor’s comment appears reassuring. It tells residents that government has a plan, that a permanent solution has been approved and that construction is expected to begin next year.
If the roundabout makes the intersection safer, that is unquestionably welcome news.
But the Mayor’s response unintentionally shifts the conversation away from the question residents have actually been asking for years.
The question was never whether a roundabout would eventually be built.
The question has always been:
Why did it take so long?
For the residents who drive this intersection every day, the story did not begin with yesterday’s collision. It did not begin with the announcement of a roundabout, nor with the promise of construction in 2027. It began years ago, when collisions at this intersection became a recurring topic of conversation in coffee shops, community halls and on social media. Every new accident reinforced the same concern—that something about this intersection deserved greater attention.
Mayor Ferguson has served as Mayor since 2018. During those eight years, the intersection remained part of the County’s transportation network, and concerns about its safety did not suddenly emerge last month. If a roundabout is now accepted as the appropriate long-term solution, residents are entitled to ask when that conclusion was first reached. Was it obvious several years ago? If so, why is construction only beginning in 2027? If it was not obvious, what changed?
These are not partisan questions.
They are questions about public administration.
Infrastructure projects are complicated. Highway 62 is a provincial highway, while County Road 1 falls under County jurisdiction. Engineering studies, environmental assessments, funding approvals and coordination between governments all take time. No reasonable resident expects a major road project to materialize overnight.
But acknowledging complexity should never become a substitute for accountability.
The announcement of a solution should naturally prompt a second conversation about the timeline that produced it.
When was the intersection first identified as requiring improvement?
When were traffic studies completed?
When was the Province formally asked to proceed?
When was funding requested?
When was funding approved?
What advocacy occurred between those milestones?
The public deserves answers not because someone must necessarily be blamed, but because government should be able to explain how it responded to a known public safety issue.
Interestingly, the public conversation that followed the Mayor’s comment quickly moved beyond the roundabout itself. Some residents suggested a temporary four-way stop until construction begins. Others argued for traffic lights or enhanced enforcement. Whether those measures would improve safety is ultimately a matter for traffic engineers, not Facebook commentators.
Yet their comments reveal something important.
People are not simply asking about the permanent solution.
They are asking whether enough has been done in the meantime.
That is a different question entirely.
Governments often measure success by projects approved, dollars invested and ribbon-cutting ceremonies. Residents tend to measure success differently. They remember how long they waited. They remember how many collisions occurred before action was taken. They remember every news story announcing another crash at the same intersection.
Mayor Ferguson’s response therefore deserves consideration—not because it ends the discussion, but because it begins a more important one.
If a roundabout was the right answer, when did government first know it?
If that answer was known years ago, could construction have begun sooner?
If delays were unavoidable, were residents kept informed?
If temporary safety measures were considered and rejected, what evidence supported those decisions?
Those are the questions voters should ask this October.
Not because a roundabout is a bad idea.
Not because one collision should determine an election.
But because leadership is measured not only by whether a problem is eventually solved.
It is measured by how quickly governments recognize the problem, how effectively they advocate for solutions and how honestly they explain the time it took to get there.
A roundabout in 2027 may well prevent future collisions.
It cannot change the years that came before it.
And perhaps that is the question Mayor Ferguson’s comment inadvertently leaves unanswered. Not “Where have you been?”
But rather:
“Where has government been for the past eight years?”