Mattawa’s future is now.
Mayor Raymond Bélanger recently broadcast his "State of the Town Address" detailing the work done by council throughout the past year. Much of the speech was designed to answer, “the most asked questions I have received throughout 2023.”
As such, the mayor detailed many of the projects and events that occurred last year. However, he also highlighted certain changes implemented within Town Hall. The entire speech can be viewed on Mattawa’s YouTube channel.
Preparing for change was a strong theme flowing through his words. “We are at a crossroads,” he stated, and “change is upon us and will be driven by growth.”
People want to live in Mattawa, he emphasized, and invest in the town. As the population rises, economic growth will follow. However, the mayor acknowledged that with growth comes growing pains, as more people require more infrastructure – hospitals, nursing homes, schools, parks, water, to list a few.
See: Housing a main priority for Mattawa council
To better prepare, the mayor outlined many of the changes made to improve the operations within Town Hall. “Tomorrow’s generations are counting on us to get our next chapter right.”
So, what has council been doing to prepare for this next chapter?
Bélanger explained that Town Hall will become better connected this year, as council approved the installation of “a dedicated Bell fibre optic service” which will be completed this summer. On the technology front, the town also obtained a new financial software system – the Munisoft system.
To streamline issues coming to council, councillors re-evaluated the existing standing committees within the town. There were 14 standing committees, but council condensed those into three – the Corporate Services, Public Services, and Community Services committees.
A new integrity commissioner was also appointed for the town. Guy W. Giorno, a partner in the law firm Fasken Martineau Dumoulin, will serve a two-year contract, which ends on April 10, 2025. “We are confident that Giorno has the skills, ability, and experience to meet our expectations,” the mayor said.
Giorno is also the integrity commissioner for North Bay.
See: Council approves new contract for integrity commissioner
Two “key members” of the Town Hall staff are on leave, the mayor said, the CAO/treasurer, and the deputy treasurer. Both took leaves in February of 2023, and the mayor explained that two certified accountants were brought in to fill the absences.
However, those two did not last long, the mayor noted, as “the state of the financial records, their non-completeness, and total lack of supporting documentation was such that the interim deputy treasurer resigned after just two weeks.”
The town managed to secure Paul Laperriere as the Interim CAO/treasurer, and he will serve until the end of 2024. Bélanger also noted council conducted an operational review this past year, revisiting the town’s policies and procedures. Council also decided to create a strategic plan.
Overall, the mayor said, council “has been focused on identifying areas to improve, spending public funds wisely, and to bring Mattawa into the 21st century to make our day-to-day operations more efficient.”
“Just imagine what we could accomplish if we all work together,” the mayor urged. “I am challenging all of you to imagine what is possible.”
For the mayor, Mattawa’s horizon is wide open in 2024.
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
