{"id":86062,"date":"2026-08-21T08:01:34","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T12:01:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/?p=86062"},"modified":"2026-08-21T08:01:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T12:01:34","slug":"fonom-celebrates-municipal-service-and-those-stepping-forward-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/21\/fonom-celebrates-municipal-service-and-those-stepping-forward-in-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"FONOM Celebrates Municipal Service and Those Stepping Forward in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/FONOM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-2637 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/FONOM-300x98.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"98\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/FONOM-300x98.png 300w, https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/FONOM.png 557w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>The Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM) is recognizing the municipal leaders who have decided not to seek re-election this fall, while thanking all new and returning candidates who have put their names forward to serve their communities.<\/p>\n<p>Serving on a municipal council requires a significant commitment of time and energy. Municipal leaders are often called upon to make difficult decisions that directly affect their neighbours, local businesses and the future of their communities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOn behalf of FONOM and our 110 member municipalities, I want to sincerely thank every mayor, councillor and municipal leader who has decided not to seek another term,\u201d said FONOM President Dave Plourde. \u201cWhether they served one term or several, each of them stepped forward because they cared about their community. Their contributions deserve to be recognized and appreciated.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>FONOM also recognizes three members of its Board of Directors who will be stepping away from municipal office this year: Councillor Sandra Hollingsworth (Sault Ste. Marie), Deputy Mayor Ren\u00e9e Carrier (French River), and Deputy Mayor Danny Whalen (Temiskaming Shores). \u201cSandra, Ren\u00e9e and Danny have each brought a strong community voice and a valuable Northern perspective to the FONOM Board,\u201d Plourde said. \u201cTheir knowledge, commitment and willingness to speak up for Northern Ontario have made FONOM a stronger organization. We thank them for their service to their municipalities, to FONOM and to communities throughout the North.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Plourde also thanked the entire FONOM Board for its hard work during the current four-year municipal term, including Maggie Horsfield (City of North Bay), Lynn Watson (Echo Bay), Al MacNevin (NEMI), Lynda Carleton (Township of Machar), Terry Kelly (Township of East Ferris), Lorne Feldman (City of Timmins), Paul Lefebvre and alternate Mark Signoretti (Greater City of Sudbury).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFONOM\u2019s advocacy is a team effort,\u201d said Plourde. \u201cOur Board members bring forward the priorities of their communities and work together to develop practical Northern solutions. I am proud of the respectful and determined way our Board has represented our 110 member municipalities over the past four years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>During the current term, the FONOM Board has advanced several major Northern Ontario priorities. While progress has been made, there is still much more advocacy work ahead, and FONOM will continue pressing for action on the following issues:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Improving the safety and capacity of Highways 11, 17 and 69;<\/li>\n<li>Seeking a dedicated Northern Ontario Policing Grant to address rising municipal policing costs;<\/li>\n<li>Calling for changes to Ontario\u2019s Mental Health Act to provide compassionate intervention for individuals experiencing severe substance use disorders;<\/li>\n<li>Supporting Northern Ontario\u2019s forestry and natural resource sectors;<\/li>\n<li>Advocating for fair and predictable municipal infrastructure funding;<\/li>\n<li>Addressing Northern housing, homelessness and community infrastructure needs;<\/li>\n<li>Supporting improvements to Northern air, rail and transportation services; and<\/li>\n<li>Working with regional partners to identify municipal workforce, recruitment and retention challenges.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cThese files require persistence, partnerships and a strong, united Northern voice,\u201d Plourde said. \u201cEvery member of the FONOM Board has contributed to that work, and I thank them for their commitment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>FONOM also recognizes those who have put their names forward as new or returning candidates in the 2026 municipal election.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRunning for municipal office takes courage,\u201d Plourde added. \u201cIt means putting your ideas, your experience and yourself before the public. We thank every new and returning candidate who is willing to take on that responsibility and contribute to the future of their community.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>FONOM supports the goals of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario\u2019s Healthy Democracy Project, including encouraging greater participation in local democracy, attracting candidates with different backgrounds and perspectives, promoting respect for those involved in the democratic process, and increasing awareness of the important role municipal governments play in people\u2019s daily lives.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHealthy local democracy depends on people being willing to run, residents being engaged and everyone participating in a respectful way,\u201d Plourde said. \u201cWe encourage candidates to focus on the issues, listen to their residents and treat one another with respect throughout the campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>FONOM also encourages Northern Ontario residents to learn about their local candidates and participate in the municipal election.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRegardless of the final results, everyone who allows their name to appear on a municipal ballot is making a contribution to local democracy,\u201d Plourde concluded. \u201cWe wish all candidates well, thank those who have served and look forward to working with the municipal councils elected across Northern Ontario.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM) is recognizing the municipal leaders who have decided not to seek re-election this fall, while thanking all new and returning candidates who have put their names forward to serve their communities. Serving on a municipal council requires a significant commitment of time and energy. Municipal leaders are often &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2637,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[76],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-86062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-northern-ontario"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-28 08:29:55","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86062","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86062"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86062\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86064,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86062\/revisions\/86064"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}