The Township of Alfred and Plantagenet is preparing for a vacancy on its council.
On June 2, Mayor Stéphane Sarrazin was elected as the new Member of Provincial Parliament for Glengarry-Prescott-Russell. According to a report prepared by Alfred and Plantagenet Clerk Annie Rochefort, the position of mayor will become vacant when the election results are published in the Ontario Gazette, which is the official record of the government.
The Ontario Municipal Act, and a township by-law both state that when a position on council becomes vacant, that vacancy must be filled unless the vacancy occurred less than 90 days before a municipal election. However, the municipality is not required to proceed with a by-election, because the vacancy occurred after March 31 of a municipal election year.
Once the official results are published, Sarrazin will be deemed to have resigned, and the position of mayor will be filled by appointment. The Municipal Act does not specify how the replacement must be chosen.
If another councillor is chosen as mayor, the vacant council seat must be filled according to the same guidelines as the vacancy for mayor.
Sarrazin stepped aside from his duties as mayor at the beginning of the provincial election campaign. Councillor Yves Laviolette, who is also Pro-Mayor, presided over council during the campaign and since the election. He will remain as Pro-Mayor until Sarrazin’s resignation is official.
Council will likely hold a special meeting to officially fill the vacant mayor’s position or any other vacancies on council.
As of June 17, no nominated candidates for the 2022 municipal election in Alfred and Plantagenet were listed on the municipal website.
Fireworks
Alfred and Plantagenet council has deferred adopting a by-law to regulate the sale and use of fireworks in the municipality.
The proposed by-law would restrict the sale of fireworks to people aged 18 and older, ban non-consumer fireworks, ban flying lanterns, and regulate public fireworks displays. Councillor Ian Walker wanted to be sure the new by-law will not place excessive burdens on certain businesses or duplicate the existing municipal noise by-law.
“I’m not sure if businesses have been consulted. For example, we have several businesses which have fireworks every Saturday night and that’s been going on for several years,” Walker commented.
Clerk Annie Rochefort said staff have considered that some businesses do have fireworks on a regular basis, and they will be allowed to obtain a yearly permit to continue those displays. Rochefort said she would research the noise by law.
