A West Nipissing resident recently reached out by email to all of the mayoral candidates, as well as the council candidates in his ward, with a thoughtful list of questions. I enjoyed the exercise and the opportunity to think through some of the issues he raised, so with his permission, I’m sharing his questions and my answers here.
1.) To you, what is West Nipissing? Were you born and raised here? What ties you to this municipality? Do you work in the municipality or outside of it? Please tell me a little about yourself.
West Nipissing is home. It’s the kind of community I’ve had always wanted to live. I’ve been here for close to 20 years – the longest I’ve stayed in any one place my whole life. It is big enough to have everything you need and small enough to embody that true sense of community. I love the outdoor lifestyle, the natural beauty and the people. In my life I’ve lived in 3 different provinces, a dozen cities, and even did two years living and working abroad in Europe. My husband’s family has deep roots here, and over the years I’ve become very connected to the community through my work, volunteering and just everyday life. I learned French early in my relationship with him and now actually have the opportunity to use it often. Before becoming mayor, I worked in economic and community development, with gave me a great background for this work. With the complexities of the job of mayor, it really is a full-time position, but I have also run my own business since 2012 and I still take some contracts here and there to make ends meet. I’ve always believed in the potential of this community and I’m passionate, fierce and driven when it comes to the work of building West Nipissing.
2.) West Nipissing’s road infrastructure has undergone some significant repairs over the last few years, yet some areas erode quite quickly, such as Third Street. It sometimes seems like two new potholes form for every one cold patched. Do you believe that there is still room for improving our road infrastructure and, if so, how/where?
Roads will continue to be one of our biggest infrastructure challenges. We have more than 500 km of municipal roads, and our road needs study identified significant structural needs, along with millions of dollars a year required just to keep up with resurfacing. The challenge is that the amount we need to spend is more than what our tax base can realistically afford. So the question isn’t whether we need to spend more, it’s how we close the gap responsibly. That means continuing to build a dedicated, long-term capital plan for roads and incrementally increasing the annual budget for maintenance every year. It also means making some tough choices about where municipal dollars go and being honest with residents about what we can afford. We won’t fix 500+ km of roads overnight, but we can make steady progress by prioritizing the roads in the worst condition and highest use, investing in preventative maintenance before they fail, and closing the funding gap over time rather than continually playing catch-up.
3.) Several years ago we got to see first-hand (like some of you did on council) what occurs when a significantly dysfunctional council environment impacts municipal projects and the well-being of the municipality’s constituents. While there appeared to be a few minor disagreements in this most recent council, there is always the risk for personalities to clash and conflict to arise. What will you do to act as an objective and cooperative leader for our community and partner with other council members, while also striving to de-escalate potential tensions?
I think my track record over the past four years speaks pretty clearly to this. When I was elected in 2022, I didn’t know any of our councillors personally. I didn’t know our staff, outside of basic interactions as a resident. We had a all-new Council, with eight of the nine members (including myself) having no previous Council experience, and we were all keenly aware, that given the climate in the prior term, we had to show the community we could work together.
I believe my leadership style and philosophy have worked. I model the conduct I expect from others. That means being respectful, listening, giving people room to disagree, keeping disagreements about the issue rather than the person, and dealing with difficult conversations directly and professionally. I believe in praising in public and addressing problems in private. There’s a time and place for difficult conversations, but publicly embarrassing, belittling or criticizing people is not my style.
I also consistently work with Council members to help them bring forward their ideas and projects, guiding them in navigating the policies, processes and sometimes bureaucracy that come with municipal government. I believe in helping others succeed. But in this leadership piece I do also need to give credit. I have had an outstanding group of people to work with over the last four years, and blessed to work with people who share these values. My job as mayor is to help keep Council focused on the work, make sure everyone has an opportunity to be heard, and create an environment where we all remain engaged in doing good work for the community.
4.) I am currently happy to see some green space across the street from me. While it is beautiful, it appears that it is all being torn down for housing projects that never quite seem to get started or finished. How will you balance environmental conservatism with our amazing natural landscape against our municipality’s increasing housing needs?
I think we can do both. We need more housing, but we also need to be thoughtful about what we develop and where.
We should focus growth in our existing urban areas, particularly where we already have serviced lots and infrastructure, rather than continually expanding outward.
I also think we should look at what other municipalities are doing to preserve trees and natural features when development happens. Ottawa, for example, requires tree conservation reports for subdivision and site-plan applications that identify trees to be retained and how they’ll be protected during construction.
But we need to balance that against cost to developers to keep housing more affordable. There may be opportunities for us to develop similar policies that encourage developers to work around mature trees and natural features where it makes sense, while still allowing housing to be built.
5. How would you incentivize locals to remain within the municipality instead of moving away?
For me, this one is pretty personal. I’ve lived here for close to 20 years, and I’ve watched people I know leave because they couldn’t find the job, housing or opportunities they needed. I’ve also watched people come back because, once they had experienced life somewhere else, they realized how much they valued being here.
I don’t think the municipality can convince everyone to stay. People leave for all kinds of reasons, and sometimes they have to. But I do think we have a responsibility to make it possible for people who want to stay to build a good life here.
That means working on housing that is attainable, healthcare, roads and infrastructure, but also supporting local businesses and creating opportunities for young people, and it means paying attention to the everyday things that make a community feel like home… recreation, events, common spaces and social connection.
6. Nipissing First Nation and our Indigenous communities remain at the core of our municipal footprint and play a vital role in the area’s continued prosperity and success. They also hold an important seat in strategic discussions for development and projects. What will you do to further develop and improve our partnerships and relationships with Indigenous peoples, both on and off-reserve in the area?
One of the first things I did after being elected was reach out to the local Chiefs and ask to meet. My first visit with Chief Duquette at Dokis was in January 2023. At that meeting, he told me that in his nine years as Chief, it was the first time he had ever had a visit from the Mayor of West Nipissing. Since then, we’ve developed a close professional relationship. I’ve attended and participated in the Grand Entry at their annual powwow each year, and we’ve worked together on ways to make our approach to road maintenance issues more responsive. He’s also someone I know I can reach out to when I have questions or want to better understand a First Nation perspective on something that affects our community.
I’ve built a few other trusted relationships with First Nations leaders within West Nipissing as well, who act as resources for me on a number of issues. And I think it’s important to recognize that Indigenous people aren’t simply our neighbouring communities. They are part of our community. Over 19% of people who live in West Nipissing are Indigenous, so these relationships aren’t just about municipal projects or consultation. They’re about the people who live here. I will continue to build those relationships, particularly around economic development, infrastructure, land use and community initiatives.
7. Attracting nurses and physicians has been a challenge across the province. What can we do to work with local partners and ensure that our local medical infrastructure is well-staffed, well-stocked, fast to use, and available to all?
Every community across the province — and probably the country — is competing for the same limited pool of healthcare professionals. We can’t solve that shortage on our own, but we can be an active partner and do everything we can to make West Nipissing competitive.
For me, the role of the municipality is to be a connector, advocate and partner. We can’t create doctors and nurses, but we can help create the conditions that make it easier for them to choose West Nipissing and build a life here.
We have a local health professionals recruitment committee that brings together the hospital, Au Château, the West Nipissing Community Health Centre, the Family Health Team and municipal staff. The municipality also budgets annually to support recruitment efforts and respond to special requests.
This year, we were able to support the Community Health Centre in recruiting a new physician. Their administrator reached out to me early in the process, and I worked with him to determine how the municipality could help before bringing the request to Council. That new physician will allow the clinic to attach more than 800 patients from its waiting list to primary care.
I’ve also spent a fair amount of time advocating at the provincial level on healthcare issues. I’ve participated in delegations on things like the financial impact of agency staffing on our hospital, recognition of credentials for French-speaking internationally trained physicians, bilingualism at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, and making the Practice-Ready Assessment available in French.
In many of these instances I worked closely with the above-noted community partners in preparing and developing the briefing materials for these meetings. We’ve also worked with our local partners and advocated at the provincial level on ways to attract French-speaking healthcare and social service professionals — including PSWs, RPNs and childcare workers — to communities like ours that desperately need them.
8. Have you considered, or will you ever consider, legally amending or terminating our contract with the Ontario Provincial Police to re-establish or supplement the municipality with its own municipal police service (with or without OPP presence)?
The short answer is no. I don’t believe there is a financially feasible case for switching back to a local policing model.
If there were ever a request that came to Council to seriously re-examine it, I would expect a proper analysis of the costs, service levels, staffing, response times, governance and long-term implications for taxpayers before Council even considered making that decision. But based on what we know today, I don’t see a local police service as a realistic or responsible use of municipal resources.
9. If you could develop any project for our municipality, notwithstanding the cost required, what would it be?
I like this question because I always joke that if someone dropped $50 million in my lap, I could probably spend it all in one day.
It really is a needs-versus-wants question. Honestly, I’d probably put the money into infrastructure rather than one big flashy project. If we could wave a magic wand, I’d love to see a long-term investment that dealt with our roads, water and wastewater infrastructure, existing community facilities and recreation needs all at once. Those are the things that quietly determine the quality of life here every day.
If we’re talking about one big project in the needs list, my priority would be the redevelopment of Au Château. It’s one of my priorities for the next term. The plans and drawings are done, the land is there, and the funding applications are already underway for an entirely new facility valued at more than $100 million. There is still a lot of work to do before we see shovels in the ground, but I can’t imagine the hardship it would create for residents if we didn’t have this type of facility in our community.
If we’re talking about a want, though, I’d love to see a really first-class multi-use recreation and community facility — perhaps as an expansion of the existing Rec Centre, along with a full refresh of that building. A flexible indoor space that could be a gymnasium, walking track — and yes… pickleball courts — and spaces for people of all ages to stay active and socially connected close to home would be fantastic.
So I’d probably spend the $50 million on needs first. Then I’d start looking for another $50 million for the wants!
10.) Is there anything else that you wish to tell me as a resident of West Nipissing and Ward 2 that could help me decide whether to vote for you in this coming election?
My record…..find out more at www.rochon4mayor.com/what-weve-accomplished/.