With so many councillors deciding not to run for reelection, city council in Greater Sudbury is now operating under a series of restrictions that limit its decision-making power. Under provincial legislation, when less than 75 per cent of current members are running in a municipal election, the local council is declared a ‘lame duck’ council. In Sudbury, Ward 8 Coun. Al Sizer, Ward 9 Coun. Deb McIntosh, Ward 10 Coun. Fern Cormier and Ward 12 Coun. Joscelyne Landry-Altmann are not running again. That puts Sudbury city council into lame duck status. “They cannot, I think, hire or fire any employees,” said David Tabachnick, a political science professor at Nipissing University. “You can’t sell property worth more than $50,000 or spend, engage in an expenditure of more than $50,000. So in those instances, council is restricted (except) in the case of an emergency.” Eric Labelle, city clerk and solicitor, said that while council is considered lame duck, there are provisions in place to ensure the city keeps running smoothly. “Those are the powers that are delegated to the chief administrative officer,” Labelle said. Continues until Nov. 15 “There are some restrictions that apply, as well, to the strong mayor powers. They aren’t completely restricted, though, so the strong mayor is still to make a number of decisions using their strong mayor powers.” Labelle said that the lame duck status will continue until the new term of council begins. The municipal election is Oct. 26, while the new term begins Nov. 15. Tabachnick said the lame duck rules are in place to ensure a retiring politician doesn’t make decisions for which they won’t have to take responsibility. “The concern here is that councillors that aren’t running again will make important decisions that may influence (or) affect -- positively or negatively -- how the next council functions,” he said. Tabachnick said lame duck status can also occur after a municipal election if less than 75 per cent of a current local council isn’t reelected.
