Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith Has Grand Opening of New Constituency Office

Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith’s new Action Centre constituency office had its grand opening at the Asta Spirit Plaza on Wednesday.

Staff and friends applud the grand opening of MPP Smith’s new constituency office that is roughly 2,300 sq. ft. , an upgrade of approximately 1,400 sq. ft.Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The office is in Unit E of the plaza, located at 864 Chemong Rd. It replaces the prior location on 1123 Water St. Smith moved the office since the property was to be demolished to construct new housing units.

The new space has been operable since December but renovations had recently finished prior to the grand opening.

The location created greater accessibility for not just Peterborough but for the Kawarthas as well according to Smith.

“Almost 50 per cent of the population of this riding lives to the north and east of The City of Peterborough,” he explained. “I need to make sure that wherever we went was going to be a spot that was easily accessible for someone coming down from Kinmount or coming from Havelock or North Kawartha.”

He also emphasized that the new 2,300-square-foot location created a barrier-free space, something he was adamant about ensuring when he chose the new location. Full wheelchair accessibility, an automatic door opener, widened doorways and room upgrades were improvements made to the Chemong Road building.

“This is all wheelchair accessible, it's barrier-free and that was one of the main things for me, If someone wanted to come see their MPP, they have an opportunity to come here regardless of what disability they may or may not have.”

The expanded space added a new feature for the public as the Action Centre has in-person private constituent rooms for anyone wishing to speak to Smith or his staff.

“If somebody comes in and wants to talk to one of the constituent assistants or myself about something that's a little sensitive, we have an area we can go to now that's a little more private,” explained Smith. “They don't have to be sharing that information with others if they're coming in.”

The grand opening also had a ribbon-cutting ceremony that signified the end of renovations and that the office was running at 100 per cent.

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