Community Expansion In 1969, local residents requested pavement for MacDonald Road, , and part of the . After much discussion it was decided that a letter should be sent to the Minister of Highways requesting: 1) paving of above roads, 2) widening and paving shoulders and curbs on the main road through the village. On April 26, 1973, an application for a subdivision was approved on property owned by Lester Rankin . This became Bunbury 's first subdivision. In 1974, there were 687 residents in the community. Twenty years later, the population stands at 1251. Pedestrian safety near the Trans became an important issue in the community. In 1975, a traffic control light was installed at the corner of and the Highway. In 1981, the village of approved the expenditure of 10% of the cost of constructing walkways connecting the villages of Bunbury and Southport via a pedestrian underpass on the Trans , such amount being approximately $5000. In 1994, a sidewalk along and was competed. The villages of Bunbury and Southport became equal shareholders in the Bunbury-Southport Pollution Control Commission, which started operation on January 1, 1982. Some 300 customers were served by the new sewer system in the combined areas of Southport and Bunbury . In 1985, a public residents meeting was held to discuss the possibility of purchasing a parcel of land adjacent to the Rankin Subdivision to be used as a community park playground. Council approved the expenditure of $5,000 for the purchase of a parcel of land from Mr. Rankin . An additional $1,000 was spent to cover legal and surveying costs. A playground on was 22