NIPIGON — Mayor Suzanne Kukko and Nipigon’s town council are clearing the air.
On May 1, Nipigon’s town council shared a statement on the township’s Facebook page addressing concerns related to the resignation of four councillors.
It was the same day that mayor and council shared their regretful acceptance of Kathrine Sakamoto’s resignation from council – just under a month since Gordon MacKenzie also stepped down, citing several reasons including the conduct of council members, disappointment at the loss of the CAO, and the implementation of a new municipal accommodation tax.
Speaking to Dougall Media, Mayor Suzanne Kukko responded to constituents’ concerns beginning with the most recent resignation by Sakamoto.
“Within her letter of resignation, she let us know that it was for personal reasons she was departing, that it was no reflection of mayor or council, she was in full support of what we’ve been doing to improve the township and, as a community member, she will continue to support us in our endeavors” Kukko said.
Kukko also addressed what she deemed “untruths” in MacKenzie’s public statement.
One such untruth she took issue with was MacKenzie’s allegations of misconduct and improper handling of the vote that took place on March 26 over the new municipal accommodation tax.
“I did have to recuse myself due to pecuniary interest in that decision, but I do know that our council members that did make that decision – who voted – did so following our procedural by-laws as well as the Municipal Act. That decision was made according to our policies,” she said.
Despite being unable to delve into confidential employer-employee details, Kukko also dispelled further allegations MacKenzie made regarding an agreement a previous council made with another staff member to compensate them for their services, which the current council did not honour.
“From our understanding, he is referring to an issue that occurred months ago where we received an invoice from a former sitting councillor. The work that he was invoicing for was widely understood as being volunteer work – he admitted as much himself, publicly – and then submitted an invoice of $8,500 for his work after he was no longer on council. The work had been done four years prior,” Kukko said.
She went on to add that a public discussion was held – which can now be viewed on the township’s YouTube channel – wherein the current council decided it was in the best interest of the township, their purchasing policies, and the Municipal Act to not pay the invoice.
A vote was held and proper procedure was followed, according to Kukko.
“There was indeed no agreement that we found – whether that was a contract or a thread of emails – anything that documented there was an official agreement or understanding the sitting councillor would be paid. None of that was presented to us, none of it was found by any of our staff, and none was presented by the consultant who was a former sitting councillor,” she said.
Kukko also directly responded to MacKenzie’s comments that he “regretted” running with her during the municipal election, saying she “obviously feels the same way” now.
“He’s welcome to have his opinion and his regrets . . . it is what it is. You find out, when you start working together, that maybe the issues you find important are not as important for the other person or it might just be that the council doesn’t feel the same way as that one particular person on a number of issues.
"I get that – it could be absolutely frustrating when you feel you’re coming into a new office and you feel that you want to do all these things but you can’t because you’re not aligning with the rest of council – but that’s democracy,” she said.
“Unfortunately, he chose to step down instead of continuing to represent the people who voted for him.”
Kukko said she’s received calls from members of the community since MacKenzie’s resignation with questions and expressing dismay about councillors running for election in the first place if they aren’t willing to work with other staff.
She highlighted the disrespect that officials at all levels of government are experiencing across municipal, provincial, and federal lines.
“People throwing mud from the cheap seats, the keyboard jockeys – it hasn’t gotten violent in our small towns, thank goodness, but who knows where that’s going to go when people feel they can say what they want no matter what the facts are. They make the facts up and they continue that thread of untruth and it really fuels the flames,” she said.
“Nowadays, if you don’t have the stomach for that, you really shouldn’t run. I would say that in the next election for 2026 – be prepared to take your hits from all different sides because that’s the way it is now and we’ve seen it in our local communities here. Things have gotten out of hand and there have been threats of violence.”
Kukko concluded that she, town council, and staff are committed to building on opportunities for Nipigon to bolster the prosperity of the community as a whole, telling Dougall Media that staff have submitted four grant applications over the last three to four months for a total of $2 million in funding to be put towards various community and economic development-related projects.
“We’re just asking for people to act respectfully, be kind to each other, and have some understanding. Our staff are working very hard. We have some of the most dedicated, hard-working staff that I’ve ever seen and, amidst these challenges, they have really pulled through and done great work.
“We just want our constituents to have faith in us and understand that we are acting, always, on behalf of the community as a whole and what is better for the community as opposed to a few – that guides every decision we make,” she said.
