Mayor Brandon Burley said that the biggest challenges of 2021 will lead to the work of 2022. Morden's drought situation came in as the number one challenge and will be a top priority going into 2022.

"The major challenges for the city in 2022 are going to be ensuring that we don't lose traction on water, ensuring that we continue to make sure the city is positioned for 20-50 years on the waterfront, but then waste water as well under 2022."

Burley said they ambitiously hope to have shovels in the ground on the waste water project in 2022.

"In 2020, the province indicated to us that our design work submitted in 2016 was not acceptable to them and put us back to the pre selection phase and so we're moving as aggressively as possible to identify wastewater solutions that are satisfactory to the province. They acted incredibly responsibly with respect to water, and we're hopeful that they can do the same with wastewater.

We certainly don't want to be left out in the cold on this, and we can't be with the population climbing up to where it is. We need to get this resolved and we're committed to doing that in (20)22. Having something on their doorstep with a plan in hand."

With ten months left in this council's term, Burley noted there are always soft opportunities in any organization where there's high risk but low investment.

"We're committed to working on one very exciting one. It is affordable housing. We're anticipating taking over provincial housing stock and upcycling them and managing them through a community driven housing initiative. That is something we're working aggressively towards in 2022. To improve the quality of life of people who need housing and assistance in housing, as well as working with 500 Stevens St to deliver those resources and ensure that we can allow people to get and to have the services they require when they require them."

Burley explained why this is so important.

"One of the major downsides of small communities is oftentimes when people go through moments of their life when they need their community the most, their community will abandon them. And so we want to be a community where people can experience their good times and their bad times and have their community by their side. And I think, 500 Stephen St, the Energy and the momentum that is is being invested there, the city is very excited to partner on that and to do whatever we can to to help move that vision forward. And I think there's nothing but upside to 500. Stephen and I think the community is going to be very, very excited about the end result there."

The Pandemic proposed a unique set of challenges and opportunities to businesses in Morden. Burley ensured Economic Development will continue to be a focus for the City of Morden moving into a new year.

"We have a Business Specialist now, and we're working on a variety of programming for businesses in the community. Certainly, our relationship with the Chamber has been a key component of our understanding of the economy in Morden, in particular with retailers, to the point where we in (20)21 permanently gave a seat on our Community Development Corporation to the Executive Director of the Chamber. So now you've got all the groups in the same room talking at the same time, listening to one another. I think that's a very, very important step forward."