Local councillors boycott meetings in northern Ont. town in hopes of forcing a byelection
The Township of black River-Matheson is broken.
That’s what three local councillors said in a news release Monday, saying council and staff are not working in the best interests of their taxpayers.
Citing grievances related to a 34-per-cent tax increase made without public consultation, Coun. Dave Dyment told CTV News that he and two fellow councillors will not attend council meetings in an effort to force a byelection and form a new council.
This after three earlier meetings were cancelled due to lack of attendance, tumultuous union negotiations — and a public gathering last week criticizing the township’s conduct.
“Our last election, I was the only councillor that was voted for, the other six members were all acclaimed,” Dyment said.
“You don’t really have as much community say, it’s more of a personal say, as to what you want to do. I think, with a re-election, we’re going to have a lot of interest and the people that are going to run will be people that are there for the community. We have over 3,000 people that need to be heard, not just told what is going to happen.”
Business owner Pauline Francis said concerns have been ignored by the current council.
“For the past year, they’re just being ignored,” Francis said.
“In fact, the township has hired, with taxpayers’ money, an investigating company, to investigate its residents. But that’s not doing any justice for the people. We just want transparency and we want our town back, that’s the bottom line.”
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
A byelection is triggered when a council fails to meet for at least 60 days due to lack of attendance. It has been 55 days since the town’s last regular council meeting.
Mayor Doug Bender was not available for comment.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stamp prices rise for the third time in five years amid financial woes for Canada Post
Canada Post is increasing stamp prices for the third time since 2019, a move the Crown corporation says is a "reality" of its sales-based revenue structure.
BREAKING Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, claims he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women in Winnipeg, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Trudeau Liberals to unveil new bill Monday aimed at countering foreign interference
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc will be tabling legislation on Monday aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada. Federal officials have scheduled a technical briefing on the incoming bill for Monday afternoon.
WATCH Avian flu: Risk to humans grows as outbreaks spread, warns expert
H5N1 or avian flu is decimating wildlife around the world and is now spreading among cattle in the United States, sparking concerns about 'pandemic potential' for humans. Now a health expert is urging Canada to scale up surveillance north of the border.
Human remains were found at a former Hitler base, but decay prevents determining the cause of death
Polish prosecutors have discontinued an investigation into human skeletons found at a site where German dictator Adolf Hitler and other Nazi leaders spent time during the Second World War because the advanced state of decay made it impossible to determine the cause of death, a spokesman said Monday.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
Ontario MPP asked again to leave Ontario legislature over keffiyeh, Speaker loosens ban
An Ontario MPP was asked again to leave the Ontario legislature on Monday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that was banned by the Speaker last month due to its political symbolism.
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
Trump fined US$1,000 for gag order violation in hush money case as judge warns of possible jail time
The judge presiding over Donald Trump's hush money trial fined him US$1,000 on Monday for violating his gag order once again and sternly warned the former president that additional violations could result in jail time.