Smith Apologizes for Letting her “emotions get the best of me”

May 21, 2025

By Jemma Dooreleyers

During their regular meeting on May 13, Central Frontenac Mayor Frances Smith addressed some of the concerns Council and community members have expressed about the implementation of the strong mayor powers.

Mayor Smith, along with 169 other heads of council in rural Ontario, learned they were receiving these powers when they received a letter from Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Rob Flack.

The powers took effect on May 1st.

Chief Administrative Officer Cathy MacMunn presented a report outlining some of the steps that the township needs to take to align its operations with the new powers, without changing the way decisions are made on a meeting-to-meeting basis.

The report was based mainly on a webinar from the Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario (AMCTO), that MacMunn and Deputy Clerk Jody Legue attended. During that webinar, municipal staff from Toronto, Clarington and Waterloo discussed the issues they faced when their municipalities were granted strong mayor powers a couple of years ago, and then outlined the solutions they have come up with to make sure their municipalities are able to function as they had before.

Before discussing the report, Mayor Smith apologised to the council for some of her comments she made at a special meeting that was held on April 15, to talk about the pending arrival of strong mayor powers in Central Frontenac.

“I am sorry that I let my emotions get the best of me at that meeting,” she said. “It was not very professional of me. There is so much we don’t know. We are going to learn together and we are going to work together. As long as you’re prepared to work as a team, I am prepared to work as a team with you.”

There are a number of powers that can be delegated by the mayor, but three broad powers cannot be delegated. They are 1) legislative powers, the power to veto bylaws, etc, 2) the power to prepare and propose a budget, and 3) direct of staff.

The report outlined how these powers can be exercised in coordination with Council and Staff, rather than as a means of over-riding Council and Staff.

“There is a lot to this, and a lot of work, but the message from the webinar was that we can get through it,” said MacMunn.

Council accepted MacMunn’s report

Public Works

Public works Manager Steve Gould reported that road sweeping is expected to occur towards the end of the month. Councillor Nicki Gowdy mentioned that beavers seem to be populating the area and asked Gould if public works had a plan to “deal” with the beavers before they become a “big issue.”

He assured Council that they have been working on a plan, along with Bylaw Officer Nicole Shorts, and that it will be presented to Council at the next meeting.

Gowdy also asked what the plan and the timeline for the Sharbot Lake Village Project is and if it will be completed this summer or next. Gould said that the timeline is uncertain due to the new washroom construction. The goal is to have the project completed by the end of 2026. The council inquired about the Tichborne Railway Crossing, stating that residents have complained about the condition of the crossing to CP Rail.

CP Rail informed residents that the work has been delayed due to the township’s refusal to pay for the work, due to the usage of old timber. The representative said he would contact CP for more information.

Councillor Duncan McGregor said he has received numerous complaints about the speed of drivers in the hamlet of Sharbot Lake. A speed sign has been put up in the south side of the village to notify drivers of the speed limit in that area, which Gould said was an effective way to slow drivers down, along with enforcement.

Council approved the recommendation to award Dali Dust Control for the supply, delivery and application of 35% Calcium Chloride to reduce dust on the roads. Dali was the only bidder, and they did the work last year. Gould said that the total cost will be within the budgeted upper limit of $225,000.

Support was given for submitting a pre-application for a planning grant that will assist in affordable housing development for the community. More information will unfold in later meetings.

Speeding by ATV’s on K&P Trail

According to Councillor Duncan McGregor, in his three years on council, he has received multiple complaints about the speed of ATVs and Side-by-Sides on the K&P Trail. He inquired if there was anything the Trails Committee could do in terms of reducing the speed of these vehicles. Councillor Gowdy, the committee chair, replied that the committee is mostly in charge of the maintenance of the trail but she would be willing to ask the police what they could do in terms of enforcement. The police and OPP will be doing a presentation at the next meeting, so they will be mentioning it to them then.

Mobile Sign

Approval was given for placing a mobile sign for the Southeast Health Unit.

Resignation

At the very end of the meeting, Councillor Gowdy announced that, for personal reasons, she has decided to resign from both the Central Frontenac Trails Committee and the Eastern Ontario Trails Alliance.

New members will be appointed at the next meeting of council.