TOWNSHIP OF LEEDS AND THE THOUSAND ISLANDS
MUNICIPAL ELECTION 2026
JP Jackson For Ward 1 Councillor
My Priorities
Experience. Community. Accountability.
These aren’t campaign promises pulled from thin air. They’re priorities shaped by experience on Council, decades of community involvement, years of following Township decisions and, most importantly, conversations with residents.
They represent the issues I believe deserve greater attention and the principles I will bring to the Council table.
01 — Roads & Rural Infrastructure
Roads are the lifeline of a rural community. I support a comprehensive, multi-year road maintenance and rehabilitation strategy based on road condition, safety, traffic, long-term cost and demonstrated need — with clear priorities residents can see and understand.
Our Public Works employees do an exceptional job with limited resources while maintaining approximately 300 kilometres of roads as well as parks, marinas, waste sites and other municipal infrastructure.
I believe Council should examine whether current staffing levels are sufficient to properly maintain the assets taxpayers already own and determine, through the budget process, whether additional resources are justified.
Maintaining what we already own should be a priority before adding infrastructure we may struggle to maintain.
02 — Broadband, Cellular Service & Connectivity
In 2020, our Township was prepared to commit up to $3 million of our tax dollars toward expanding and improving internet and cellular service throughout our community, while an available provincial funding program could provide up to 25% of eligible project costs.
This was one investment where residents could have seen their tax dollars working alongside provincial funding to address a very real need throughout our Township.
At the time, the Township itself acknowledged that “a more robust telecommunications network could open up opportunities both to attract new businesses as well as support and expand on existing business in the township.”
Unfortunately, the application deadline was missed, and that opportunity passed us by.
But that was then. My priority is what we do now.
In 2026, reliable internet and cellular service are no longer luxuries.
They are essential infrastructure.
They’re essential for our businesses and farmers. For students and families. For people working from home. For seniors trying to access services. For tourism and economic development. And, perhaps most importantly in some of our rural areas, for emergency communication and public safety.
We cannot change the opportunity we missed in 2020.
But we can make sure we don’t sit on the sidelines waiting for someone else to solve the problem.
I support renewed partnerships with telecommunications providers and senior levels of government to identify the remaining gaps in our Township, aggressively pursue available funding opportunities, and develop practical, financially responsible solutions for the areas that remain underserved.
This doesn’t mean promising that the Township can put high-speed internet and perfect cellular coverage everywhere overnight.
It means recognizing connectivity for what it has become:
Essential infrastructure — and an important part of our economic future.
Whether you live in Lansdowne, Lyndhurst, Seeley’s Bay, Rockport, Ivy Lea or on a rural road miles from one of our villages, where you choose to live in our Township should not determine whether you can participate in today’s digital economy — or whether you can reliably make a call when you need help.
That’s why broadband, cellular service and connectivity are one of MY PRIORITIES.
03 — Fiscal Responsibility & Accountability
My professional career as a CPA taught me that responsible financial management is about much more than balancing a budget. It means understanding the long-term consequences of today’s decisions.
I will bring careful financial analysis to budgets and major capital decisions, asking whether projects are necessary, properly planned, realistically costed and financially sustainable.
When project costs change significantly, Council and residents deserve clear explanations of what changed, why it changed, who approved it and how the additional cost will be funded.
Fiscal responsibility isn’t about spending nothing. It’s about spending wisely, planning ahead and getting value for the taxpayers who ultimately pay the bill.
04 — Strong Communities For Every Generation
Our seniors helped build the communities we enjoy today, while young people and families will determine their future.
I support thoughtful opportunities for housing that allow seniors to remain in the communities they know while giving young families realistic opportunities to put down roots here.
I also believe recreation should serve residents across generations. That means examining opportunities for additional multi-use courts, trails, community programming and accessible recreational facilities, rather than forcing different groups to continually compete for limited space.
Strong communities also depend on volunteers, libraries, community organizations and the people who quietly give their time to make our Township better.
A successful Township should be a place where people can grow up, raise a family, build a business, grow older — and continue to belong.
05 — Responsible Growth & Environmental Stewardship
Our lakes, rivers, wetlands, forests and rural landscapes are among the Township’s greatest assets — environmentally, economically and as part of the quality of life that brings people here.
Growth and environmental protection do not have to be opposing goals. Good planning can accommodate responsible development while protecting waterways, shorelines, agricultural and rural lands and environmentally sensitive areas.
I support decisions based on good planning, sound science, appropriate public consultation and respect for property owners.
Our responsibility is not simply to protect what we have today, but to ensure future generations inherit a Township worth calling home.
06 — Open Government & Public Engagement
Residents should not learn about important decisions after they have already been made.
I believe meaningful public consultation should occur before major decisions affecting neighbourhoods, services and community facilities — not simply after plans are already underway.
Council meetings should be places where questions are asked publicly, alternatives are discussed openly and residents can understand how and why decisions were reached.
I also believe councillors have a responsibility to communicate between elections — answering questions, explaining decisions and being accessible to the people they represent.
Open government isn’t complicated: listen before deciding, explain after deciding and never be afraid of reasonable questions.
07 — Economic Development & Our Future
A strong tax base depends on more than residential property taxes. We need to make TLTI a place where businesses can start, existing businesses can grow and new investment is welcomed.
I support a renewed focus on economic development, including working with local businesses, neighbouring municipalities and senior governments to identify barriers to investment and opportunities for growth.
Economic development also means infrastructure, broadband, housing, transportation and ensuring our villages remain vibrant places where people want to live, work and invest.
Growing our economy responsibly helps spread the cost of municipal services across a stronger tax base.