Amherstburg mayor wants to explore implementing a ward system
Amherstburg's mayor wants town staff to look into implementing a ward system.
Currently, councillors represent the town as a whole, and not in a specific area.
Michael Prue said during the 2022 election, they put the idea of a ward system to residents as a referendum.
According to Prue, the results of the referendum were 52 per cent in favour, not an overwhelming result he said.
'But they still voted for it, and the law in Ontario says it's not binding on the council, or any council, a referendum unless there's a 60 per cent turnout, which, of course, nobody gets,' Prue said.
'We had a 40 per cent turnout but I still want to report on it, even if it's not binding. I mean, the people did say they want it.'
Prue said he believes a ward system is fair and democratic.
'Personally, in the last election, I put my X beside a ward system, and I still think it's better, I know some members of council like the at large system better, but politicians are more accountable when they have the ward to speak to, not the whole town,' he said.
Prue said there many options available to the town.
'You can have a mayor elected at large, and three wards of two members each, to constitute seven, and then from the six elected members they choose the deputy mayor amongst them, that's one concept,' Prue said.
'Another one is to have the mayor, and deputy mayor elected at large and a five-ward system, with one member each.'
The staff report is expected back in front of council by July.
The next municipal election will take place on Monday October 26, 2026.
- Written by Dustin Coffman and Rob Hindi/AM800 News.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
National Post
30 minutes ago
- National Post
As Strike Continues, OCEU Sends Letter to Ministers and Engages in Productive Discussion with Labour Minister Piccini
Article content TORONTO — As the WSIB strike enters its second month, there is renewed hope for progress. The Ontario Compensation Employees Union (OCEU/CUPE 1750) has sent a formal letter to Labour Minister David Piccini and Treasury Board President Caroline Mulroney, urging them to end government interference in bargaining and help bring a fair resolution to the ongoing labour dispute. Article content Encouragingly, during an information picket held Thursday outside Minister Piccini's Seniors Seminar in Port Hope, OCEU President, Harry Goslin, had a productive and constructive conversation with the Minister. Article content 'We had a sincere discussion, and I'm hopeful that Minister Piccini will use his role to help bring the employer back to the table,' said Harry Goslin, President of OCEU/CUPE 1750. 'WSIB workers are ready to get back to doing the work they care about — serving injured workers and protecting Ontario's compensation system. We just need a fair offer we can bring to our members.' Article content In the letter sent this week, OCEU warned that behind-the-scenes directives from the Treasury Board and continued political silence have contributed to a prolonged strike, delaying critical care and services for injured workers and increasing pressure on frontline staff. The union is calling on the government to allow the process to move forward free of political interference. Article content Despite being employer-funded — not taxpayer-funded — WSIB has so far refused to table a fair deal or let members vote on its latest offer. But the union is hopeful that renewed dialogue with Minister Piccini will mark a turning point. Article content 'We're optimistic that with political will and leadership, a final offer can be brought forward that puts an end to this disruption,' said Goslin. 'Our members want to return to work — and they deserve a respectful deal that reflects the essential services they provide.' Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content
CTV News
30 minutes ago
- CTV News
Teck Resources eyes output boost for chipmaking-metal germanium
The Teck Resources logo is seen on a podium before the company's special meeting of shareholders, in Vancouver, B.C., Wednesday, April 26, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck LONDON — Canada's Teck Resources is weighing options to expand production of germanium, a strategic metal key to chipmaking, and is currently talking with governments, including Canada and the United States, on available funding, said Doug Brown, VP communications & government affairs. Teck's plan comes amid growing efforts to diversify supplies of critical minerals needed for the tech and defense sectors, as geopolitical tensions and trade barriers complicate access to materials mainly produced or refined in China. 'We are examining options and market support for increasing production capacity of germanium,' he told Reuters. China, which supplies around 60 per cent of the world's refined germanium, restricted exports of the metal - along with gallium and antimony, all having broad military applications - to the United States, further escalating trade tensions between the world's two largest economies following Washington's crackdown on Beijing's chip sector. The export curbs were part of a broader effort launched in 2023, when China began imposing restrictions on critical mineral shipments, citing national security concerns. By controlling the export of these minerals, China aims to exert influence over the industries that use them, including renewable energy, defense, and chip manufacturing. Germanium is also used in semiconductors and infrared technology, fiber optic cables and solar cells. Teck is exploring ways to add to the current processing line using existing technology as one of the options, Brown said. Teck is North America's biggest germanium producer, and the fourth largest globally. Most of its germanium, a by-product of zinc ore concentrate at its Red Dog operations in Alaska, goes to the United States, via smelting and refining in British Columbia. Canada's germanium exports to the United States are currently exempt from tariffs as they comply with the USMCA (United States, Mexico, Canada) trade agreement. In a speech in Washington last January, Canada's Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson welcomed partnerships with the United States to invest in critical minerals, including germanium. Canada's Energy Ministry declined to comment on funding for Teck, while saying that the prime minister is leading broader trade negotiations with the United States. (Reporting by Clara Denina; editing by David Evans)
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
‘What you're seeing is Mark Carney being frustrated': 580 CFRA's Bill Carroll gives his opinion on latest tariff news
Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada will adjust counter tariffs on some steel and aluminum products on July 21 to levels 'consistent' with progress made during trade negotiations with the United States. Newstalk 580 CFRA's Bill Carroll from the Morning Rush shared his opinion with CTV Morning Live Friday. 'I think it's Mark Carney realizing that, you know, we thought we'd have a deal before the G7 summit, and we didn't. And then we agreed we'd continue to talk and maybe have a deal within 30 days. But what happens on day 31? That was never clear,' Carroll said. 'So, I think what you're seeing is Mark Carney being frustrated saying, 'alright, we've lost the attention of Donald Trump.' We know he doesn't have a long attention span. And also, he is the president of the United States. And a lot of things have come up, so let's say Iran for example.' Carroll says he thinks that the prime minister is trying to put some pressure on the U.S. to grab the president's attention. He notes that Carney thought that things were going well, but the reality suggests otherwise. Carroll adds Canada had Trump's attention when Ontario Premier Doug Ford was being tough, especially when he threatened to cut off the electricity and add a tax on it. Carney, on the other hand, didn't act quickly. 'I think the steel industry told him weeks ago we should've countered their latest steel and aluminum tariffs. And we didn't do that,' Carroll said. 'I think they've started to look at Canada again as not in a big hurry, kind of weak, (we're) happy with what they're doing. The prime minister seems to like me. I didn't think that was the way to go. Again, I could be wrong.' Though what Carney is doing right now is a good thing, it's a bit too late, Carroll says , noting that Canadians have already started to see weakness in the economy, such as layoffs. 'Tariffs and counter-tariffs are made for both economies and, as a small open economy, Canada's best path to improving its standard of living is to have zero tariffs, even if other countries impose them on us. This is not two wrongs make a right or two bad policies cancel each other out; this is two egregious wrongs compounding each other into a colossal wrong,' Concordia University economics professor Moshe Lander told CTV News Friday. 'Giving time to try and find a path to zero and a return to where we were last summer is very diplomatic, but anybody currently caught up in the tariff war, such as the Canadian auto industry, will feel it is too little, too late, but that is also because they see things through their narrow self-interest, as they should.' Lander says the removal of interprovincial trade barriers and free trade deals with Europe and Asia are a great alternative, 'but nothing can substitute fully for the integrated free-trade deal with the U.S., and Mexico.' 'We are 10 days out from a deadline regarding interprovincial barriers, but I think progress has stalled, particularly at the provincial level. Removal of those barriers is worth about $200 billion (or nine per cent of Canadian GDP), a massive sum given the state of our economy,' Lander added. Carney said Thursday if sufficient progress is not made on resolving the ongoing trade dispute with the U.S., Canada will impose counter-tariffs on U.S. steel and aluminum products on July 21. Lander says Carney will make decisions regarding the tariff rate 'and how broad-based it will be according to what happens between now and then. July 21 coincides with the end of the 30-day trade deal deadline announced after Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump met in Kananaskis, Alta., on the sidelines of the G7. With files from CTV News National's Luca Caruso-Moro
