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A modern, accessible, and accountable City Hall

Residents should not have to wonder whether an email will be answered, who is responsible for their concern or how long it will take to receive a response.

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A modern City Hall should be responsive, accessible, and clear about the service residents can expect.

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As Mayor, I will focus on modernizing digital systems, establishing customer-service standards and strengthening accountability across the organization.

Strengthen Council Governance

Good governance begins with a Council that understands its responsibilities and agrees on what it wants to accomplish.

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As Mayor, I will introduce:

  • Mandatory training for all councillors so every member of Council is up to date on legislative responsibilities and obligations.

  • A reporting master document to guide decision-making and map expected timelines for reports coming before Council.

  • Council-wide term and annual goals, established at the beginning of the term and reviewed annually to measure progress and make necessary adjustments.

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Residents should be able to see what their Council said it would accomplish and whether those commitments are being delivered.

Bring Residents Back into City Hall

A key part of rebuilding trust is giving residents a meaningful opportunity to be heard.

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I will ask the new Council to amend the procedural by-law so members of the public can once again make five-minute presentations on matters relevant to the City.

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Presenters would register with the City Clerk one day in advance, with up to five presentations permitted per meeting.
 

Residents deserve a City Hall that does not simply communicate at them, but listens to them.

Building North Bay’s Next 10-Year Strategic Plan

The City’s 2017–2027 Strategic Plan will come to an end during the next term of Council.

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That creates an opportunity to have a bigger conversation about where North Bay should be ten years from now — and what we need to do to get there.

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The next Strategic Plan will not simply be written inside City Hall.

We will engage residents through surveys, booths at public events, listening exercises and other community forums.

We will bring together the Organizational Review, Customer Service & Digital Modernization Plan and established unit business plans, aligning their goals and outcomes with the priorities identified by Council and the community.

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The result should be a practical roadmap that guides decisions, measures progress and puts North Bay on a path of strength and growth for the next decade.

Set Clear Customer-Service Standards

As part of our customer-service and digitization strategy, as Mayor I will introduce a response time policy for staff to respond to public inquiries within defined timelines.

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Residents will receive an acknowledgement within a set timeframe, followed by department-specific response timelines that recognize different requests requiring different levels of work.

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The goal is simple: when someone contacts their City, they should know their concern has been received and what happens next.

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This is an example of setting clear service standards that will create more consistent communication, strengthen accountability, and make City Hall easier to navigate.

©2026 by the Campaign for Maggie Horsfield. All rights reserved.

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