Province boots mayor and council in small northern Ont. town out of office
An ongoing municipal strike, court battles and revolt by half of council has prompted the province to oust the mayor and council in Black-River Matheson.
In February, Ward 2 Coun. Keith Neal resigned, the third local councillor to do so this term.
In March, three other councillors began refusing to attend meetings in hopes of forcing a byelection.
And earlier this month, an agreement was reached to end a bitter six-month strike by municipal workers, but the deal was held up when the town refused to drop legal action and not take reprisals on staff for their conduct during the strike.
The union applied for a judicial review of the township’s conduct, claiming it violated Charter rights in February by banning CUPE members from town facilities.
Meanwhile, the township hired an investigator to determine whether union members have been displaying threatening and harmful behaviour.
Unwilling to call off the investigation, the town rejected the back-to-work protocol but stands by the settlement. It’s now appealing to the Ontario Labour Relations Board to order both parties to sign the deal.
With the chaos, Paul Calandra, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, has ordered the mayor and council to vacate their seats.
“It is the job of municipally elected councillors to ensure the continued provision of services for residents,” Calandra said in his letter.
“This includes attending council meetings and filling council vacancies as soon as possible. The absence of meetings impedes decision-making and negatively affects local residents.”
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
A byelection will be held to fill the vacant seats. Until then, Kathy Horgan, manager of local government and housing for the ministry’s northern regional office, has been appointed on an interim basis to exercise the duties and obligations of council.
“I intend to make a subsequent appointment of an individual who will exercise the duties and obligations of council,” the letter said.
“An appointee will be in place until the byelection is complete, and a new council is in place. The appointee will exercise the duties and obligations of council in an accountable and transparent manner.”
Correction
The original article incorrectly stated Keith Neal was the second town councillor to resign, he is the third in the term. Dan DeMarchi resigned last year after council voted to raise property taxes more than 34 per cent and Kim Drurer also stepped down.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Child under 5 dies of measles in Ontario: PHO
A young child has died of measles in Ontario, marking the first death in the province from the highly contagious virus in more than 10 years, a Public Health Ontario report confirms.
NEW Pack the macaroni necklace: Lessons on evacuations from a woman who fled one of Canada's worst wildfires
Carol Christian had 15 minutes to evacuate her home during the Fort McMurray wildfires in 2016. She ended up losing the house and everything inside. Now, she wants to share the lessons she learned.
Think twice before sharing 'heartbreaking' social media posts, RCMP warn
Mounties in B.C. are urging people to think twice before sharing "heartbreaking posts" on social media.
'Ugly produce': One way Canadians are shrinking rising grocery bills
As the cost of food in Canada has risen, grocery shoppers are looking at ways to reduce their grocery bill, and more are choosing price over beauty, turning to companies that deliver so-called 'misfit' produce at a fraction of the cost.
Vatican revamps norms to evaluate visions of Mary as it adapts to Internet age and combats hoaxers
The Vatican on Friday radically reformed its process for evaluating alleged visions of the Virgin Mary, weeping statues and other seemingly supernatural phenomena, insisting on having the final say in whether the events are worthy of popular devotion.
Wildfires burning across Canada: Communities threatened as flames creep closer
Thousands of residents fled Fort McMurray this week, fearing a repeat of the 2016 wildfire that forced out the entire community and torched more than 2,400 homes.
5 secrets to moving better and preventing avoidable injury
Countless people seek emergency care for back pain, muscle strains and similar injuries resulting from “moving wrong” during mundane, everyday tasks such as bending over to tie shoes, lifting objects or doing household chores.
Trudeau calls New Brunswick's Conservative government a 'disgrace' on women's rights
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau assailed New Brunswick's premier and other conservative leaders on Thursday, calling out the provincial government's position on abortion, LGBTQ youth and climate change.
French police fatally shoot a man suspected of setting fire to a synagogue
French police shot and killed a man armed with a knife and a metal bar who is suspected of having set fire to a synagogue in the Normandy city of Rouen early on Friday, the latest apparent act in a storm of antisemitism roiling France amid the Israel-Hamas war.