Every Issue Matters. Every Voice Deserves to Be Heard.
When asked to distribute 100 points among the priorities facing Saugeen Shores, I found it difficult to leave
anything out. And that’s because every one of these issues affects someone in our community.
My choices reflect what I’ve heard at doorsteps, around kitchen tables and in conversations throughout Southampton, along with my own experience and
commitment to our community.
I’ve also shared my vision for Saugeen Shores and, perhaps most importantly, why I’m running.
I hope this gives you a little more insight into what matters to me and the approach I’d bring to Council.
Brenda Reeves
Candidate for Southampton Ward Council.
PLATFORM
As your Southampton representative on Council, Brenda will work to:
- Ensure responsible, balanced spending of your tax dollars.
- Protect taxpayers by keeping property tax increases as low as possible while maintaining high-quality municipal services and investing in community priorities.
- Help to protect and grow our community with purpose – balancing progress with the preservation of our historic downtown, neighbourhood character, and small-town sense of community.
- Protect and enhance our beach, waterfront, and green spaces by investing in their care, preserving public access, and safeguarding the natural beauty that defines our community and quality of life.
My position on Strong Mayor Powers
Strong Mayor Powers represent a significant shift in how municipal councils operate in Ontario. They give mayors additional executive authority over certain municipal decisions that would traditionally be made collectively by council.
For your consideration, the important questions are:
- How do these powers affect the authority of elected councillors?
- Can a mayor override the wishes of council?
- What protections exist for transparency, accountability and residents' voices?
- How can councillors maintain meaningful influence over municipal decisions?
What powers does a Strong Mayor have?
Under Ontario's Municipal Act, 2001 and related regulations, a designated strong mayor can exercise several additional powers.
Power - What it means:
- Appoint senior administration - The mayor can appoint or dismiss the Chief Administrative Officer, subject to statutory rules.
- Municipal organization - The mayor can determine certain aspects of the municipality's organizational structure.
- Committees - The mayor can establish certain council committees and appoint their chairs.
- Municipal budget - The mayor proposes the budget, with council retaining amendment and override procedures.
- Veto council decisions - The mayor can veto certain bylaws believed to interfere with prescribed provincial priorities.
- Advance provincial priorities - Certain bylaws supporting prescribed provincial priorities can pass with support from more than one-third of council members.
Important: These powers are not unlimited. Provincial legislation establishes conditions, procedures and areas of municipal authority that remain subject to council decisions.
What has happened in Saugeen Shores
This is particularly important because Saugeen Shores has already taken a clear position.
- April 14, 2025 — Council opposed the expansion
- Council unanimously supported correspondence opposing the introduction of Strong Mayor Powers in Saugeen Shores.
- May 1, 2025 — Powers took effect
- Despite local opposition, the Province designated Saugeen Shores under the legislation.
- June 9, 2025 — Mayor Charbonneau delegated powers
Mayor Luke Charbonneau delegated several powers back to Council and the CAO, including CAO appointments, organizational management and committee responsibilities.
The mayor still retains statutory powers that cannot simply be delegated away, including key budget and provincial-priority powers. Future mayors may also take a different approach to strong mayor powers.
Would I support a future mayor exercising Strong Mayor Powers?
I would support the responsible exercise of any lawful authority, but I strongly favour decisions made through open discussion and collective council responsibility. I believe our current mayor has demonstrated that collaboration and effective leadership can go hand in hand. I would encourage future mayors to follow that example.
The distinction is important: I am not opposing strong leadership; I am defending accountable leadership.
One particularly valuable issue to raise in my consideration is whether a future Saugeen Shores council should formally reaffirm its commitment to collaborative governance, public consultation and transparency regardless of who becomes mayor.
I believe in strong leadership, but I believe even more strongly in shared leadership.
Saugeen Shores elects a council to represent the voices of our residents, not simply to endorse the decisions of one individual.
I respect Mayor Charbonneau’s decision to delegate significant powers back to Council and senior administration. That decision reflects the collaborative approach I believe our community deserves.
As your Southampton Ward Councillor, I will defend transparency, meaningful public consultation and the right of every elected councillor to ask difficult questions, challenge assumptions and participate fully in decisions.
I would also encourage our next council to formally reaffirm its commitment to collaborative governance, transparency and meaningful public consultation, regardless of who occupies the mayor’s chair. These principles should not depend on the leadership style of any one individual.
Strong leadership should never come at the expense of strong democracy.
My commitment remains simple: Listen. Grow. Deliver. And ensure residents have a meaningful voice in all three.
Third Ice Pad - Let's find a way forward
I support exploring a third ice pad for Saugeen Shores. Our growing community needs recreational facilities that serve our children, families and future generations.
But I also recognize that residents are concerned about rising taxes. We cannot simply add another major expense without understanding how we’ll pay for it.
My commitment is to push for a transparent, publicly available business case that examines construction costs, annual operating expenses, government grants, development charges, corporate sponsorships, community fundraising and opportunities to share existing infrastructure.
I would also like to see what accelerating the project would mean for taxpayers, compared with waiting.
Let’s bring our sports organizations, community partners and residents to the table.
I won’t promise what we can’t afford. But I won’t accept that we can’t find a better way forward, either.
That’s how we Listen. Grow. Deliver.
