Black River-Matheson elects new mayor, council. Here are the full byelection results

Former town councillor Dave Dyment is the new mayor of Black River-Matheson.

Dyment won the byelection by 728 votes, and will take the top job on municipal council in the small northern Ontario town east of Timmins. 

The need for strong leadership in the town was Dyment's motivation to put his name forward to become mayor, he said in an interview with CBC's Morning North.

"As we try to redirect the ship, we have to be more open with our community and improve communication," said Dyment. "I'm the right guy to do it."

It was a landslide victory for Dyment, with John MacKenzie finishing second with 269 votes.

Twenty-six candidates ran in the byelection, with only a couple of incumbents seeking re-election. In total, seven candidates ran for mayor.

Polls closed at 8 p.m. ET on Monday. Here are the six new councillors:

• Bree Allen: Ward 1 with 81 votes.
• Dan Charbonneau - Ward 2 with 87 votes.
• Steve Campsall - Ward 3 with 333 votes.
• Scott McCutcheon - Ward 4 councillor with 36 votes.
• Louise Gadoury - Ward 5 with 77 votes.
• Alain Bouchard - Ward 6 with 106 votes.

In April, the provincial government called for a byelection, declaring that Matheson's mayoral and council seats are vacant because council failed to meet for more than 60 days, as per a policy established in the Municipal Act in 2001.

The move followed a string of controversies, including a 34.2 per cent tax increase that prompted a petition to Queen's Park and a strike by 14 public works employees.

The inaugural meeting for new council members is Aug. 27. Dyment said assessing the 2024 budget and working on next year's budget is a top priority. 

"It won't be easy because we've had a tumultuous year," said Dyment. "There's nothing worse than someone asking a question with the budget of where money is spent, and you don't know the answer. So that'll be a big item that we have to overcome."

Familiarizing himself with ins and outs of bylaws and procedures, and building trust in the community are other top priorities, Dyment said. 

"To the residents, I would say, we're going to be open, we're going to be effective. It's going to take time. Nothing that has happened in the past year can be fixed overnight, but we're dedicated, and just give us some time, and you will see the changes."

The new council will serve until the October 2026 municipal election.