TEHKUMMAH—Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) program officer Brian Searle gave a delegation to Tehkummah council at its March 28 meeting to offer an update on Tehkummah’s 2017 request for a provincial municipal audit.
Mr. Searle said the minister had declined the request at that time and directed ministry staff to conduct a financial and administrative review instead. The report of the review was presented to council last April and included more than 50 recommendations to the township.
He told council that he had met with clerk-administrator Roy Hardy and township staff earlier in the day to get an update on Tehkummah’s progress with the recommendations. Mr. Searle complimented council on finishing its procedural review and conducting both its new council orientation and some internal policy training through the clerk-administrator.
He encouraged the township to continue sending its staff to municipal conferences to stay current on best practices. He said it was good that council had completed its code of conduct and retained an integrity commissioner.
“Generally speaking, I think it’s good news that you’re moving forward with a lot of the immediate items, and some of the longer-term items that you’re going to have to look at over time—procurement, sale and disposition of land, some of those other policies—will take some time to implement,” Mr. Searle said.
“In addition, it appears that you’re being more open with the public with respect to the budget process which, again, is also a positive step and we would encourage you to continue that,” he said. He added that transparency might reduce ratepayer complaints because they could better understand how their taxes were being used.
Mr. Searle said he hoped to see a review of Tehkummah’s hiring policy, to see a more permanent relationship with a clerk-administrator and to follow up on the Information and Privacy Commissioner’s direction on handling personal information.
“The ministry remains committed to assisting you to implement the recommendations and to resolving your issues,” said Mr. Searle.
Councillor Eric Russell took issue with Tehkummah’s past interactions with the ministry.
“When our last clerk took all our records we contacted (the ministry). You say ‘assist.’ You didn’t assist us in any way. It was just the opposite. You had that review, but that was trying to make the clerk look good. I don’t know how you’re supposed to assist us but in my four years as reeve, we didn’t get any help whatsoever.”
Mr. Searle responded that the disputes between the former clerk-treasurer and Tehkummah were an employer-employee relationship and that the township should have retained its own counsel; he said his ministry told the township these things at the time.
“The ministry does not come in and provide lawyers or legal advice to anybody. We are there to defend the provincial interest, not local interests,” Mr. Searle said.
“The financial and administrative review was not an attempt to point fingers at anybody,” said Mr. Searle, to which Councillor Russell responded with a laugh before Mr. Searle continued.
“We did not point fingers at council or staff. We came along and we said ‘here’s what the Municipal Act requires, here’s where things are not in place and should be in place’,” said Mr. Searle.
Councillor Russell continued to express his displeasure with the record removal incident but Mr. Hardy advised him against speaking further on the topic in an open forum.
Councillor Michael McKenzie acknowledged that Tehkummah would need to hire a clerk in the future and that their previous experience was negative. He asked Mr. Searle how the township might tell if it was getting a good candidate.
Mr. Searle suggested using a headhunting service or a similar hiring consultant who could investigate the backgrounds of potential candidates. He said various municipal associations may have resources to assist in the hiring process.
Councillor Lorie Leeson said she agreed with Councillor Russell’s comments that the township had been reaching out for help and was not given the concrete direction forward it hoped for.
Mr. Searle said the previous MMAH representative should have been able to provide the township with best practices and contacts in other municipalities, but that the final decision would have to be made at the township level.
“If there was an expectation that we would come in and provide direction, I think that I can understand why there would be a sour taste when we came and did not provide that, but I think that’s more a failure of the original communication of what our role is. Because ultimately, Ontario respects its local governments as a mature form of government within their area of jurisdiction, which means we don’t trample on your rights to make decisions,” said Mr. Searle.
Councillor McKenzie said the previous MMAH representative told council the recommendations did not necessarily have to be enacted, provided the township pass a policy stating how it would conduct its business. He asked Mr. Searle for clarification as to whether that was correct.
Mr. Searle said there were eight policies under section 270 of the Municipal Act, including having a procedural bylaw and passing a budget that does not project a deficit and carries over any surpluses and deficits from the previous year. Beyond that, every township is left to decide how to best meet the needs of its constituents.
Fifty-five of the 110 municipalities in Northern Ontario have populations less than 1,000, so Mr. Searle said there were many examples of policies that could be useful in Tehkummah.
Councillor Rick Gordon asked how much the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) assessment impacts other municipalities, citing the recent labour market study discussed in this newspaper that showed median incomes for men on Manitoulin are approximately half that of Sudbury. He asked where a township could find relief from MPAC assessments.
Mr. Searle said a group of property owners could submit a class assessment review over an area, possibly providing relief. He also said Manitoulin could be a victim of its tourism popularity through increasing housing demand and prices.
