East Hawkesbury Mayor Robert Kirby will seek re-election in the October Ontario municipal elections, saying he still has “unfinished business.”
“My job is not done yet. I have unfinished business to take care of for my community,” Kirby told The Review.
Kirby said he wants to continue trying to get natural gas to East Hawkesbury after the project was scrapped in September 2025, saying, “We’re the only municipality in Prescott and Russell that does not have natural gas. I go down into Québec, to little towns—they have natural gas. If we go south, they have natural gas. It’s not fair that our municipality is being left behind.”
“Former Associate Minister of Energy Bill Walker had put money aside for the Enbridge project. I was in close conversations with him, but then he retired, and they took the money and put it elsewhere,” Kirby said.
Kirby said he was disappointed with the decision and felt discouraged when “everyone around you has access to natural gas, and you don’t.” Kirby explained that getting East Hawkesbury natural gas would be a priority if re-elected.
Additionally, Kirby said that the Alto high-speed rail project has taken centre stage in the municipality. “Right now, I want to seek re-election to continue fighting against this high-speed train issue. We’re trying to approach this so people aren’t going to be cheated in some way.”
Kirby said that he was worried about the potential impacts of large construction equipment using municipal infrastructure and the damage it may cause: “We’re a small municipality. We don’t have a lot of access to raising funds, and there’s a limit tax we can charge. The Alto project hasn’t said anything about how they will use the municipal infrastructure or if there is any funding for repairs afterwards.”
On council unity, Kirby said he believes council is on the same page, especially when it comes to opposing large projects like Alto: “We’re here for our community, and we will continue to demand transparency throughout the project’s consultation process.”
