This is not a list of intentions. These are specific motions — drafted, structured, and ready to bring to Council the moment I have a seat at the table. Every item connects directly to one of the seven commitments in my platform.
Every item on this action plan connects to something I have already done — not as a councillor, but as a resident who refused to accept that the only way to change things is to sit on the inside.
December 2021
I raised the issue of the agenda package not being consistently published before Council meetings. A basic transparency standard — established by one request from a resident with no seat.
Read the email exchange →November 2022
Before the new Council's first meeting, I wrote formally to flag that staff were re-appointing committee members without the annual Council process the by-law required.
Read the Boards & Committees case study →September 2023
I submitted a detailed critique of the 2023–2026 draft Strategic Plan — flagging its short horizon, its flawed process, and predicting the 2026 planning gap the Township now faces.
Read the Strategic Plan case study →Built before the election
I built nipissing.news — a searchable, automatically updated archive of Township by-laws, resolutions, and council meetings — before ever holding a seat.
Visit nipissing.news →Each item below shows the title and plain-language intent of the motion. The complete motion documents will be published as individual PDFs and as one combined action plan.
Download the complete motions document →
Residents should be able to find, search, and understand Township records without barriers.
No more “available at the office.” The Township should publish every active by-law online in a format residents can actually find and use.
Download Motion 01 (PDF) →Council, Recreation Committee, Museum Board, Cemetery Board, and other public meeting videos should be named and archived consistently so residents can find recordings by date, body, and meeting type.
Download Motion 02 (PDF) →Residents should not have to chase information. The Township should deliver it clearly and consistently.
Residents should be able to subscribe once and receive Council, board, committee, public meeting, and municipal event dates in one place.
Download Motion 03 (PDF) →Digital property tax bills were promised as part of modernization. This motion directs staff to report on what it would take to finally deliver electronic billing for residents.
Download Motion 04 (PDF) →Residents should be able to opt in to receive municipal updates directly instead of relying on Facebook, word of mouth, or repeated website checks.
Download Motion 05 (PDF) →The Township website should be built around how residents actually look for information, with Council approving the wireframe before development begins.
Download Motion 06 (PDF) →Council should be accountable, structured, and capable of real discussion — not just quick approvals.
Every councillor's vote on every decision should be on the public record, and the Chair should ask for discussion before calling the vote.
Download Motion 07 (PDF) →A Committee of the Whole creates a formal space for deeper discussion before complex files come to Council for final decisions.
Download Motion 08 (PDF) →At the beginning of the term, Council should set its priorities in public before the term gets away from it. This session is about direction for the full Council term — what this Council intends to focus on, what staff should prepare, and what residents can expect Council to measure itself against.
Download Motion 09 (PDF) →Boards and committees should not operate on inertia. Council should set direction annually so their work aligns with the Township's priorities.
Download Motion 10 (PDF) →Boards and committees should report back to Council each year, in writing and in public, before the next budget cycle begins.
Download Motion 11 (PDF) →Residents should understand how their money is being spent, what priorities shaped the budget, and how financial documents connect.
Council should set budget priorities before staff builds the draft budget, creating a public record of what Council wants the budget to accomplish.
Download Motion 12 (PDF) →Each November, Council should review board and committee reporting, check progress against current priorities, identify annual goals, and prepare clear direction before the December budget priority meeting.
Download Motion 13 (PDF) →The annual budget should be explained in plain language: what changed, what Council prioritized, what reserves were created or closed, and why major decisions were made.
Download Motion 14 (PDF) →Reserve names should be consistent across the budget, capital forecast, and audited financial statements so residents and councillors can cross-reference documents reliably.
Download Motion 15 (PDF) →Any resident should be able to engage with Council, submit correspondence, or request to speak without needing insider knowledge.
Residents should have a clear, simple online path to submit correspondence or request to present to Council.
Download Motion 16 (PDF) →When processes fail or produce unexpected outcomes, Council should review them instead of assuming they worked.
Recent procurement processes have raised questions about whether the process is delivering what Council and residents expect. This motion puts that review on the agenda.
Download Motion 17 (PDF) →Major decisions should be driven by planning — not deadlines, assumptions, or guesswork.
Council should understand current usage levels, operating costs, capital needs, condition, and market value before making major decisions about the Community Centre or Museum.
Download Motion 18 (PDF) →Before improving, replacing, or neglecting recreation assets, Council should understand how they are used today, what future usage could look like, what condition they are in, and what improvements would cost.
Download Motion 19 (PDF) →Motion 18 asks what the current facilities are costing and how they are used today. This motion asks what the future could look like — whether a consolidated Community Hub at Heritage Park could serve residents better than replacing aging facilities one by one.
Download Motion 20 (PDF) →Council should understand whether a part-time or full-time Recreation Coordinator could increase programming, facility use, grants, and revenue before making a hiring decision.
Download Motion 21 (PDF) →The Township needs a proper strategic planning process: resident research first, a qualified firm to facilitate, and a Council-approved plan that looks beyond the next election.
Download Motion 22 (PDF) →These motions exist because I wrote them. They are specific because vague intentions do not change anything. And they are ready because I have been preparing for this for years — from outside the room.