City councillors expected to formally name new deputy mayor next week
City councillors were back in the chambers Wednesday for this session's first general committee meeting, setting the stage for what the next four years may look like.
On Wednesday, councillors approved on consent Mayor Alex Nuttall's request to appoint two-term Ward 5 councillor Robert Thomson as Deputy Mayor. Former councillor Barry Ward, who unsuccessfully ran for mayor in October's election, had previously held the position.
"My job was to put the person forward who I thought best fit the position, finding somebody who was very good for me, who could really help me with some of my own blind spots but also work on some issues while I'm not around," the mayor told CTV News ahead of the meeting. "I find Robert to be a stabilizing force; I find him to be someone who works very well with his council colleagues."
Councillors also heard from city staff the latest developments of the city's Stormwater Climate Action Fund. An updated brochure for property owners is expected next month, ahead of the final approval of a staff report early in the new year.
Preliminary appointments to various committees, such as the health unit and library boards, were also approved at Wednesday night's meeting. However, Nuttall says those will likely change in the coming weeks after a strategic planning session on December 3, which will outline the main priorities for the current term.
The new mayor says he wants to ensure councillors are assigned to the committees that best suit their interests, backgrounds and the council's goals as a whole.
"Once we get out of that, we'll be able to very quickly make the permanent changes to both the structure of our committees as well as the individuals sitting on those committees to ensure that we are able to meet the requirements of the priorities that are set by your Barrie city council," says Nuttall.
However, the new mayor says the work that lies ahead for this council won't be easy, clarifying comments he made during his inaugural speech last week. He says that the current economic climate and some decisions by the previous council have not necessarily set this council up for success. "I think we have a worsening economy; we have very little to work with in terms of reserve funds," says Nuttall. "When I looked at the per capita reserve funds set aside for the City of Barrie versus others, we are extremely low, and that's going to have an effect on the city going forward, especially with the amount of growth that we're seeing coming here."
When city council meets next Wednesday, final approval is expected for the appointment of Thomson as deputy mayor.
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.