In-fighting has kept the council of one northern Ontario town from meeting since early September

In-fighting has kept the town council in one northern Ontario town from meeting for the past month and a half.

And municipal business in West Nipissing is starting to pile up.  

Chief administrative officer Jay Barbeau is hopeful that Tuesday's council meeting will finally go ahead as scheduled.

"Because it's getting to a point now where things have to move forward. We're really starting to do damage," he says. 

"We're doing damage to our residents."

Barbeau says the impasse has its roots in the resignation of councillor Jeremy Seguin in July 2020.

He says that drew Mayor Joanne Savage into many of the debates around the table and created a four-four split that led to a "stalemate" on many key decisions.

That has boiled over in recent weeks into a complete deadlock, with all meetings being abruptly adjourned since early September.

Barbeau says several projects have been stalled awaiting council approval, including replacing an aging bridge with weight restrictions in the Wolseley Bay area and repairs to the roof of the municipal complex.

He says there are also private property sales in the town that have missed closing dates without a council vote to confirm planning decisions. 

Barbeau says he has fielded many questions from West Nipissing taxpayers about the "toxicity" plagued the elected council. 

He says provincial law allows the Ministry of Municipal Affairs to step in if a city or town council is inactive for more than three months. 

He advises voters in West Nipissing to remember this impasse during the next election a year from now. 

"So there's really nothing you can do other than to pay attention to what's going on, make up your own mind and, you know, act accordingly democratically next year," says Barbeau.