Three Northern Ontario mayors confirm they won’t be seeking re-election
Three northern Ontario mayors – in North Bay, Sault Ste. Marie and Mattawa -- have confirmed they aren't seeking re-election in 2022.
North Bay Mayor Al McDonald said he is sticking to the comments he made after the 2018 election.
“I am not running,” McDonald said Monday. “I’ve made that commitment to my wife, who is very supportive, and it’s time for me to go and do some other things.”
McDonald, mayor since 2010, said dealing with criticism can be tough to deal with. That includes the public backlash on the fallout of Invest North Bay, calls for greater transparency over the removal and payout of the city’s CAO, as well as plans regarding the proposed new twin pad hockey arena.
“It’s really important for councils and mayors to listen to the conversation,” said McDonald. “If we listened to the naysayers, we wouldn’t have a new hospital, we wouldn’t have the waterfront or Steve Omischl Park.”
Mattawa Mayor Dean Backer has been on town council for 31 years, 22 as mayor. Backer said it’s time to pass the torch to someone else to take the town into the future. He’s most proud of fighting and securing a new town hospital.
“At the old hospital, they were living out of portables for so many years since 1969 to the early 1970s and getting a new hospital in 2008 was (huge),” he said.
Sault Ste. Marie Mayor Christian Provenzano has already confirmed his name will not be on the ballot, while Timmins Mayor George Pirie is running in the upcoming provincial election for the Conservatives.
Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger is hoping to win next year’s municipal election. He said he is the best choice for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The outlook for Sudbury is great," Bigger said. "The future for Sudbury at this particular time and all that we have done to prepare ourselves for economic recovery.”
Voters go to the polls Oct. 24, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Bob Cole, veteran CBC broadcaster and former voice of 'Hockey Night in Canada,' dead at 90
Bob Cole, legendary CBC broadcaster and former voice of Hockey Night in Canada, has died. He was 90.
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.