Hello, my name is John Cochran, and I am on the ballot for Ramsay Ward in the upcoming election for Mississippi Mills.
I was given the opportunity to speak to council as a delegate last month, on behalf of a group of local citizens, regarding our concerns over the spreading of municipal septage on agricultural land which drains directly into the Indian River watershed. It is because of my advocacy for this issue that I may have a conflict of interest if elected. I reached out to the integrity commissioner, who advised me that he would not answer the question until I am an elected councillor. People may vote for me with the understanding that if elected, I may have to resign my seat.
Momentum has been growing on this issue, and upon reflection I feel I would better serve the community by continuing to lead our interest group in trying to establish better practices when it comes to dealing with the town of Almonte’s solid septic waste disposal.
The meeting is available to view on the Mississippi Mills YouTube channel on the Aug. 25th council and committee of the whole meeting. My presentation is around the 40-minute mark; the speaker before me was Tim Woods regarding business retention and expansion.
I feel that there are many issues facing this municipality that affect not only Ramsay Ward residents but all of Mississippi Mills—from housing, development and infrastructure to affordability, the protection of our agricultural land and the environment, as well as driveable roads throughout the term—not just during an election year!
If you want to reach out to discuss any of the issues I have mentioned feel free to reach out to me at cochran.johnrobert@gmail.com. I look forward to presenting my campaign issues with a run for the 2030 election year.
