Session held September 2, 2025
Online and telephone voting for 2026 Election
West Nipissing residents will cast their ballots online or by phone in the 2026 municipal election, following council’s consensus at the September 2 meeting. Municipal Clerk Melanie Ducharme presented a report on the three options available to municipalities—paper ballots, vote by mail, and internet/telephone voting—and explained why staff recommended making the switch.
“We have traditionally used vote by mail since 2003. It has been successful, but it is very labour intensive. On election night, you’re opening 6,500 envelopes, and it results in a great deal of waste paper,” said Ducharme. “We get approximately 40% of the ballots back in the mail unclaimed. That’s a very high postage expense for ballots that don’t end up being used.”
Ducharme noted that the municipality’s internet infrastructure has improved significantly, making online voting a more viable option than it once was. “There was a time when West Nipissing had big pockets of areas that didn’t have internet access. We’ve come a long way, and now internet voting comes with phone voting—it’s not an extra,” she explained. “Everybody has a phone, and it comes with a 1-800 number.”
The proposed system allows voters to authenticate with a PIN and secondary information, such as a date of birth. Voters will be able to complete their ballot in one sitting, or return later to finish if they wish to vote in some races but not others right away.
Councillor Georges Pharand asked whether a hybrid system could be offered. Ducharme explained that many municipalities do provide combinations, but doing so comes at a cost and adds complexity. Instead, she suggested a simpler option: setting up one polling station at municipal offices where staff could guide residents through the online process on an iPad.
Councillor Rolly Larabie wondered if the municipality should consider a traditional polling-day approach, as done in federal and provincial elections. Ducharme responded that the scale and cost of such a system would be prohibitive for West Nipissing. “We are an immensely huge municipality, which would mean determining appropriate polling stations, staffing them, and ensuring accessibility compliance. Every solution comes with a price tag,” she stressed.
Other councillors welcomed the change. Councillor Dan Gagné called it “a cost-saving method,” adding, “I think everybody knows how to use a phone. For some of our seniors who are not computer literate, that’s a solution.” Councillor Kris Rivard also supported the move. “This is kind of the way the world’s going,” he said, while he appreciated the idea of offering an in-person option for those who want help with the process.
Mayor Kathleen Thorne Rochon acknowledged concerns raised about seniors adapting to the change, but pointed out that the existing mail-in system was not always simple. “When you get envelope packages, the instructions can be quite convoluted,” she said. “Even then, we see ballots that aren’t necessarily done the right way.”
Following discussion, council reached consensus to adopt internet and telephone voting, with the addition of an iPad voting station at municipal offices. A bylaw to formalize the change came forward at the September 16 council meeting and was passed officially.
Improving response to service requests
West Nipissing residents who have long complained that their service requests seemed to “disappear into the abyss” will soon see some changes. Council discussed the matter Sept. 2, following up on an agenda request originally brought forward by Coun. Dan Gagné last fall.
Alisa Craddock, Director of Corporate Services, explained that starting this month, residents who file service requests electronically will receive an automatic email confirming their submission, complete with a tracking number. “They’re going to get an automated thing saying your service request has been entered, here’s the number,” Craddock said. “And when it’s closed, they will get a response that the request has been closed, so that if they don’t feel it’s been addressed to their satisfaction, then they can absolutely say, hang on, I don’t believe we’ve done this.”
Coun. Georges Pharand welcomed the improvement but pressed for stronger measures. “From my point of view, it’s still quite far away from where I would like to be,” he said. “People need feedback. They never get an answer (…) It would be good for people to know what it is that will happen or not.” Pharand also criticized the delays, noting that council had first expected a report back in January. CAO Jay Barbeau acknowledged the delays but stressed the municipality’s limited capacity. “We just don’t have the resources to do what you want. We don’t have those people to call those people back,” Barbeau said, adding that while staff often follow up, a full-scale customer service response system would require major investment.
Coun. Roch St-Louis said the change was a step in the right direction. “If we can get to the point where at the very least we’re being told ‘here’s your service request number, it has now been closed,’ then me as a resident (…) I think we’re on the right track.” Coun. Rolly Larabie added that communication remains key. “People don’t get an answer back, they feel frustrated,” he said, noting that residents sometimes feel requests are handled on a “pick-and-choose” basis. Mayor Kathleen Thorne Rochon emphasized the need to continue modernizing, suggesting that staff should identify possible software upgrades for the upcoming budget.
For now, residents submitting requests will receive a confirmation email and closing notice. Staff will also provide file numbers verbally when requests are made by phone. “It’s a good start,” said Coun. Gagné, who brought up the issue a year ago.
Former Information Centre declared surplus
Council voted to declare the former Information Centre at 30 Front Street surplus to municipal needs, opening the door for its eventual sale. The decision followed a lengthy discussion about the building’s future and its potential role in the community. An appraisal has placed the property’s value at around $900,000. Mayor Thorne Rochon noted the appraisal is old and she felt it was low. CAO Jay Barbeau told council that the municipality faces a choice: “Sell it now, sell it later, keep it for later. Right now we’re not using that facility to anywhere near its capacity potential and we have a lot of construction that we need to do elsewhere.”
Some councillors favoured holding off, citing the potential long-term value of the site given its proximity to the former Weyerhaeuser property. “You can buy property, but you can’t make property,” said Councillor Fern Pellerin, suggesting council consider leasing out portions of the building while waiting to see how the surrounding lands develop. Others argued that waiting would only increase costs. Councillor Roch St-Louis noted that the building’s value will diminish as it ages. “I think the time is now,” he opined. Councillor Georges Pharand agreed, pointing to the municipality’s large portfolio of aging properties. “Nine hundred thousand dollars would go a long way to fixing the other buildings that we have,” he said.
