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FRED DRODGE Ward 7
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Re-elect Fred Drodge

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Election period: Oct 16–26, 2026

Register to vote: registertovoteon.ca

Vote online, by phone, or at Innisfil ideaLab & Library branches and Town Hall.

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Fred Drodge smiling in a blue polo shirt beside a stone wall
www.fred4ward7.ca Fred4ward7@gmail.com 705-623-3314

Ward 7 Councillor

Elected 2022. Cookstown, Lefroy, Gilford, Churchill and Fennell’s Corners.

Innisfil home since 1979

I’ve lived here since I was 18 months old.

HVAC business owner

Self-employed for 25+ years.

Traffic Safety Advisory Committee

Serving member, Town of Innisfil.

Accountable. Dependable. Your Voice.

As Ward 7’s councillor when residents had a problem with roads, drainage, bylaw, I was there for them. Every email and call I received I took seriously and provided my full support. That is a councillor’s job!

My record

Four years of showing up

Where a news report exists, it’s linked under the item. Where it doesn’t, the item stands on its own.

Fred Drodge holding a retired traffic signal head at a rural intersection

Traffic & Safety

Slowing traffic where it hurts people

  • Four-way stops at Gilford Road and at the 2nd Line, advocated through the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee.
  • Bollards and stop bars at Cookstown’s main intersection after vehicles repeatedly struck buildings. One business, Fortify, was closed 8–10 months after a car went through its entrance.
  • Pushed for better traffic safety at Cookstown Public School.
  • Backed automated speed enforcement in school zones. The camera at Killarney Beach Public School changed driver behaviour, and council unanimously asked the province to improve the program rather than scrap it. Speeding dropped 21% on average across four school zones. As reported
  • Rideshare and transit gaps: pushed for Cookstown to get an Innisfil Transit hub like other communities, then moved to have staff study the Cookstown Legion as a hub. Having trouble with the vouchers? So did we. Call me. As reported
  • Serves on the Town’s Traffic Safety Advisory Committee.

Projects & Development

Growth that fits, servicing that exists

  • Cooks Bay Marina: council voted to defend the town’s position at the Ontario Land Tribunal. Read the Cooks Bay section.
  • Voted against the sale of Old Yonge Street. The road stays public and farmers keep their field access. I asked council to defer the June vote, I was at my son’s graduation, so I could be there to vote on it. As reported
  • Resolved flooding and frontage concerns for Gilford Estates residents.
  • Pressed developers on Lefroy’s 881 Hofland townhouse expansion as ward councillor. Residents’ single-home buffer was the issue. As reported
  • Opposed a 600-home subdivision pitch for Cookstown farmland. Cookstown already has 2,000 approved units that can’t be built; the water and wastewater aren’t there. As reported
  • Voted against the 45-home Churchill development at 6225 Yonge over septic servicing and density fit. As reported
  • Held a water-taking operation to proper zoning first and raised neighbouring wells. As reported
  • Won a sewer-allocation exemption so a Cookstown couple could build their granny flat. As reported
  • Attends site visits and keeps in regular contact with staff on ward projects.
Ribbon cutting outside The Alcove on Queen Street in Cookstown
Fred Drodge with a firefighter in front of an Innisfil Fire Rescue truck

Money

Your taxes, spent like they’re mine

  • Moved to draw about $3M from the tax rate stabilization reserve to cut the 2025–26 tax increases. The revised 2026 budget came in at 4.2% instead of the 5.5% originally passed. As reported
  • Pushed to remove the new fire hall’s land purchase from the capital budget and build on land the town already owns. As reported
  • Supported the town’s InnPower transformer-station investment: 80 MW of capacity against today’s 50 MW need, powering future jobs at the 89/400 corner. As reported

Community & Service

The work that doesn’t make the agenda

  • Cookstown Light Up: moved the resolution funding up to $9,000 for Cookstown’s Christmas tree and decorative streetlights after working with the Chamber. As reported
  • Helped relocate Community 4 Kids and Cookstown Chamber tenants when the town sold the old Cookstown library at 19 Queen St. A year of work, noted in the town’s own staff report. As reported
  • Helps lead 100 Men Who Give A Damn: nearly $5,000 to two local groups in May 2026. As reported
  • Co-chair, Gilford Community Hall board.
  • Backed tying water rates to consumption. Relief for Lefroy residents who felt forced onto town water. As reported
  • Stood up for existing restaurants in the food-truck bylaw debate and seconded the compromise: a cap plus a 30 m setback. As reported
  • Connects residents with the right staff on tax and service questions, often meeting in person.
Fred Drodge and volunteers presenting a large donation cheque

My pledge

I won’t promise to fix everything, no councillor honestly can. What I promise is this: I will listen. I will advocate. I will follow through. I will be honest. I will put our community first. If you are outside Ward 7, I’ll still take the time to connect you with the right councillor. More voices for the people are better than one.

On a personal note, I am a self-employed HVAC business owner for 25+ years, and Innisfil has been my home since 1979. I’ve lived here since I was 18 months old.

Fred Drodge

Ward 7 Councillor

Votes & positions

How I voted, including the ones I lost

Not every vote goes my way, and not everyone agrees with every vote. Here’s where I stood. If you disagree with one, reach out. I’ll have that conversation.

  1. Won

    Streetlights on Limerick St

    Residents didn’t want them. I moved the “dark community” designation under town policy.

    As reported
  2. Lost, every time

    Roundabouts

    Opposed each one on cost and winter operations. I own those losses.

  3. Won, 7–2

    Lefroy General Store heritage designation

    Sided with the 30-year owner whose retirement depended on the property’s value.

    As reported
  4. Won

    Cookstown derelict-house demolition

    A D-rated structure with no historical value left, kids breaking in, surrounded by a new subdivision.

    As reported
  5. Deferred

    Ward boundary review

    Opposed a line that cut Churchill and Fennell’s Corners away from Gilford. Argued for Yonge St or the 400 corridor as the boundary. Council deferred the review to next term.

  6. Position

    ATVs on Innisfil Beach Road

    Restrict ATVs in the built-up core while keeping access outside it. I floated a golf-cart pilot.

    As reported

Cooks Bay Marina

Where the file stands

This matter is before the Ontario Land Tribunal. Parts of it were discussed in closed session, so this page states only what is public.

Gilford residents: if you have questions about this file, contact me directly.

  • On August 12, 2026, council voted to oppose the developer’s OLT appeal. I supported defending the town’s position at the tribunal.
  • The developer appealed in June 2026, citing a “non-decision” after four years of revisions.
  • My public statement at the time: staff spent considerable time working with the developer to address community concerns, and it is unfortunate the developer chose the tribunal route.
Innisfil Today, June 2026: developer appeals August 2026: Innisfil heading to OLT

Questions? Want a yard sign?

Email, text or call. I answer.

Request a yard sign 705-623-3314

Council work

Watch the work for yourself

Council meets the second and fourth Wednesdays at 7 p.m. Agendas, minutes and the livestream are public. Links open the Town of Innisfil site in a new tab.

How to vote

Election period: October 16–26, 2026

1. Get on the list

Check or add yourself to the voters’ list at registertovoteon.ca.

2. Pick how you vote

Vote online, by phone, or in person at Innisfil ideaLab & Library branches and Town Hall.

3. Vote by October 26

Voting closes at 8 p.m. on Monday, October 26, 2026. Election day is October 26.

Register to vote

Wondering what ward you live in? Search your address on innisfil.ca

Contact

Questions, or want a yard sign?

Email, text or call. Use the form or reach me directly.

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