City waiting to fill empty Cumberland ward seat
Council will wait until the province ends a state of emergency to decide how to fill the vacant Cumberland ward seat.
Keen on holding a byelection to decide the next councillor, council on Wednesday unanimously endorsed delaying a decision on filling the vacancy, since it would be impossible to hold a vote under the current COVID -19 restrictions.
Mayor Jim Watson said it’s important to have a councillor from Cumberland ward, particularly during the pandemic and approaching the 2021 budget process, but it would be “irresponsible” to hold a byelection during the public health crisis.
Cumberland ward is without a councillor because the last representative, Stephen Blais, was elected Orléans MPP in a provincial byelection at the end of February.
Orléans Coun. Matthew Luloff, Innes Coun. Laura Dudas and Osgoode Coun. George Darouze are handling Cumberland ward constituent matters in the meantime.
When there’s a vacancy, council can authorize a byelection or appoint someone to the seat, potentially after an application and interview process.
When the provincial emergency order is lifted, the clerk’s office will submit a report to council within 30 days about the options.
While council prefers to have a byelection, the option of appointing someone to the position is still on the table. The path forward could come down to the length of time it will take for the provincial emergency order to be lifted.
The next municipal election is scheduled for October 2022.