New Sault Ste. Marie council sworn in
Sault Ste. Marie’s new mayor and four new councillors, along with the rest of city council, took their respective oaths of office Tuesday night.
A full gallery greeted the 11-member council as they filed into the chamber for the first time.
Indigenous song and drumming preceded the new council as they took their seats for the inaugural meeting. Mayor Matthew Shoemaker was the first to speak, outlining the issues facing the city, such as the opioid crisis, housing and infrastructure.
“Everybody is looking forward to moving the community forward and putting forward their ideas for improving the city and hopefully we’ll be able to work collaboratively to get there over the next four years,” said Shoemaker.
There were four new faces at the council table.
Sonny Spina, a two-time federal Conservative candidate in Sault Ste. Marie, said he is ready to get to work.
“This first meeting was great for us to meet the public and really introduce ourselves as a city council to the public,” said Spina. “I’m excited that next week, right away, we get down to work, we start talking budget and we get down to really what needs to be done for the city.”
Angela Caputo, a local business owner, said despite the learning curve, she’s “ready to rock.”
“I love learning, I love facing new challenges, and I think I’ve always done so with a brave face and a certain degree of excitement,” said Caputo.
“It’s been a really great day,” said retired teacher Ron Zagordo.
“I was looking forward to this first meeting and it was wonderful meeting everybody and it looks like we’ve got a really great team here to work together with.”
Stephan Kinach, a dentist and third-generation Saultite, said he’s ready for the next four years.
“I understand that it’s going to be a lot of responsibility, and I look forward to it and I’m hoping to do a good job and to represent my area and my constituents well,” he said.
Rounding out the council table are Sandra Hollingsworth, Lisa Vezeau-Allen, Luke Dufour, Marchy Bruni, Corey Gardi and Matthew Scott.
The new council will have its first regular meeting Nov. 21.
Read more about how municipal governments work in Ontario here.
Find out how population density affects municipal budgets here.
CTV News spoke with some outgoing and former politicians in northeastern Ontario. Here is what they learned from their time in office.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.