LEADERSHIP • INTEGRITY • ACTION •
VOTE OCTOBER 26, 2026
ELECT
O'Flaherty
Effective Leadership in Changing Times.
Campaign Updates
WEEK OF August 31, 2026
The Miner and News will be asking candidates questions on a weekly basis. I will post my submission here.
This week's Miner and News question 'Why are you running for election, and what is your election platform'
I am running for Council to give the citizens of Kenora a choice. A choice to elect someone who has the experience, knowledge and temperament to serve them. We have many challenges and opportunities in Kenora that need addressing in a measured and methodical way. These include advancing Economic Development initiatives including housing, Infrastructure repair and additions, and maintaining appropriate services throughout the City (sewer, water, solid waste collection).
I have been a year-round resident of Kenora for 27 years, and a seasonal resident for a lifetime. I am an Engineer consulting in mining and construction projects in Northwestern Ontario over the past 25 years. I served on the Board of LOWBIC. I volunteered with the Lake of the Woods Chapter of Professional Engineer Ontario and am a Fellow of Engineers Canada. I am a former Board member of the Lake of the Woods Control Board, serving two terms. I am also a founding member of the Coney Island Music Festival, volunteering for 15 years. I am also a former board member of the Chamber of Commerce.
I am a husband to Cheryl, a father to two sons, a son and a brother to many siblings. My lifelong activities include hockey, golf, hunting, fishing and playing in a classic rock band.
WEEK OF September 7, 2026
This week the question posed by the Miner and News is 'What is your vision for downtown Kenora' What policies, initiatives, and/or bylaws will you push for at City Hall to make it happen?
My vision for the downtown is to foster development of a vibrant community with viable businesses providing services year-round. The downtown should be a place for people to come together for events, concerts and street gatherings. To summarize, Kenora is a community rich in history, nature, and people - a place where everyone can live, grow and play together in harmony. This should sound familiar as it is the Vision statement developed by the Advisory Group to the Community Safety & Well-Being Plan, approved by Kenora City Council on March 18, 2025. It includes a dashboard to track commitments. All in all, a good approach largely directed at the downtown area. It is a well-intentioned plan that in time can produce the desired results. It was developed by stakeholders including City staff and community partners made up of over 15 organizations over a period of about 2 years. The role of the City is to be the champion of the plan. I support the efforts of the Implementation Committee and applaud the efforts of all the community partners to address issues in the downtown area. I support those who have expertise in this area.
My experience is exactly suited to this situation as I have been holding professionals accountable for commitments for my entire career. I believe in building on previous work, identifying what works and eliminating things that don't work. The situation needs an approach like this to fully develop our shared vision for the downtown area.
WEEK OF September 14, 2026
The question posed by the Miner and News this week is "What is one City of Kenora service you would improve or create, even if it meant raising taxes? And what is one service you would reduce or eliminate to save taxpayers money? Explain your rationale, and feel free to provide several examples if space allows".
This is a great question. Improving or creating good valued services in our city is always a good idea, but raising taxes, not so much. Review of the 2026 budget shows that discretionary funding is limited. Funding for OPP, KDSB, Pinecrest and NWHU makes up about 80% of the budget. That leaves 20% for the remaining city services.
One service that has been successful and I would look at improving is the WAVE. This “Made in Kenora” transit service has overperformed to date and been widely accepted in the community. The improvement I would suggest is increasing coverage to weekends for 7-day a week access. I would also look at extended hours to allow use by those starting work early and ending late. I would consider increasing the per ride rate from $3.00 to an amount to be determined by an assessment of cost/benefit and revenue requirements.
As far as cutting services, I would have staff review all services provided, establish the value of each service and discuss reduction or removal of the low value services identified. I feel it is the responsibility of Council to reflect the desires of residents, and make the tough decisions required to stay within spending constraints.
There are no quick fixes or easy answers when balancing budgetary constraints with service levels. The role of council is to gather input, assess all aspects of the issues and then make an informed decision.
Kenora Elections 2026 All Candidates Forum - Facebook
I am participating in a forum on Facebook. It is titled "Kenora Elections 2026 All Candidates Forum".
Thanks to Lee-Anne Carver for initiating this. I am looking forward to participating, fielding questions and getting a good dialogue going. Feel free to join.
WEEK OF September 21, 2026
The question posed this week by the Miner and news is as follows:
Kenora's current City Council passed a resolution that has locked in water bill rate increases on a yearly basis, meaning that by 2034, many local residents' water bills will be approaching $400 a month. At the same time, Kenora has a crippling infrastructure deficit (with the latest water main break having taken place just days ago) and City Hall has to find a sustainable way to pay for it.
Do you support the plan to increase water bills by (at minimum) 8.8 per cent year over year? Or would you vote to repeal it? Why or why not? And what else are you willing to do to alleviate the cost-of-living crisis and make life for Kenorites more affordable, especially when it comes to municipal fees?
Kenora’s current City Council only locked in the water bill rate increases for 2025 and 2026 by enacting By-law 146-2024. The incoming Council will decide on the rate increases after 2026. An important requirement is that the water system must be self-sustaining, meaning no property taxes can be used to support the system. Before deciding about future rate increases, I will review the Watson & Associates study which recommended the 2025 and 2026 rate increases.
We are in an unprecedented period of growth in the country and Kenora needs to participate. The city needs to leverage development of the Campus of Care to build houses, build businesses and build facilities. I have a plan for housing. It starts with 1. Build on serviced vacant lots. 2. Identify additional subdivisions for development. 3. Streamline the building permit systems to speed up approvals.
Population growth and increased tax revenue are the long-term solutions to the infrastructure deficit and will make life more affordable in Kenora.
WEEK OF September 28, 2026
Question 1.
Should Truth and Reconciliation be a priority for the City of Kenora? Why or why not? What is your stance on the Anishinaabe Park legislation, and how would you, as a Councillor, direct the City of Kenora to proceed? And lastly, the former Indigenous Advisory position created by the current City Council remains vacant, and it will be on the next Council whether or not to hire (and pay for) hiring a new Indigenous advisor; would you be in favour of this, or not? And why?
I support the City of Kenora continuing down the path of Truth and Reconciliation with our local First Nation communities. This relationship between the City and local First Nations is guided by some self-evident truths. The first is that neither party are leaving this land so we should get along. The second truth is that the First Nations communities have been adversely impacted by how they have been treated. This includes residential schools, reservations and the settler community at various times not abiding by Treaty 3 signed in 1873. What is in the historic record must be recognized, understood and potentially corrected before true reconciliation is possible.
Anishinaabe Park ownership is in dispute and is making its way to court soon. This is not a simple dispute. It involves the 3 local First Nations, the Federal Government and the City of Kenora. The new Council must proceed carefully, balancing the legal and relationship issues to get an acceptable result.
The City would benefit by employing a First Nations member to provide guidance along the path to reconciliation. Previous attempts to fill this position have not been successful. The new Council may be better served by seeking guidance from our local First Nations leadership about how best to proceed.
Question 2.
Who supports expanding Kenora’s tax base by amalgamating to include properties outside our existing boundaries?
Amalgamation of surrounding areas by the City of Kenora has been discussed for many years as a way to increase tax revenue. While possible, this comes with increased cost to provide services to these areas that the City is not currently responsible for. I am a firm believer in value for money which means that someone paying taxes should feel it is good value. In the case of properties outside the current city boundary, this increase in value can come from reduced insurance rates, improved road maintenance, improved policing etc. The City must present this value proposition to the properties outside Kenora and make a case for inclusion into the City.
In the short term there are several higher priorities that must be addressed before the City looks to expand. 1. Kenricia Hotel Redevelopment. 2. 2027 Budget. 3. Housing.
WEEK OF October 5, 2026
QUESTION 1: Looking back on the past four years, what rating would you give the outgoing City Council on a scale of 1 to 10? What are the best things you think they've done that you would like to see continue, and in your eyes, if any, what are their decisions that you aren't a fan of and would like to revisit? And one way or another, incumbent Andrew Poirier will be your Mayor — how do you view his stances on the issues, and how do you plan on working alongside him if you're elected, especially minding that he can wield Ontario's strong mayor powers?
The past four years of Council has largely been focused on continuation of ongoing city priorities. These include the Railway Street upgrades, Lakeshore Drive upgrades, Recreation center upgrades and preparing for the Campus of Care development. I especially appreciate the playground improvements. These reflect the city I want to live in. Overall, I would give them a good grade.
I have two critics of the outgoing council. The first is considering returning to a municipal police force. That ship has sailed. Secondly, following the Federal position of attempting to have the Anicinabe park claim dismissed on a technicality was ill-advised. When elected I will insist on looking forward not backward.
There were significant personnel changes at many levels of the city administration that created significant upheaval including appointment of a new Chief Administrative Officer. I believe these changes have resulted in a renewed energy in the city reflected in greater service orientation of staff I have recently interacted with. The exception appears to be the building department. The underlying numbers (permits issued, inspections conducted) appear reasonable but feedback indicates that the department is out of sync with construction. Greater service orientation would be helpful.
I have known Andrew Poirier for many years. I understand and agree with most of his stances on the issues. Our approach to policy is similar, fiscal responsibility with a social conscience. I am comfortable working in partnership with Mayor Porier and as a new councillor will lean on his years of experience.
READER SUBMITTED QUESTION: We're almost at 2 YEARS that the bridge in Keewatin is closed! The majority of that time was waiting for the repairs of the Keewatin Channel bridge to be repaired. We weren't a priority. Residents of Keewatin on the north of the bridge have no alternative but to drive around Norman and into Keewatin for everyday services (mail, doctor, library, pharmacy, etc.) How is this ok? (Submitted by Carol B)
The reader submitted question regarding Portage Bay bridge reflects the frustration we in Keewatin are feeling with the prolonged closure of this key community artery. I have made the turn to go across that bridge many times only to have to turn around and go through Norman. As an Engineer I understand the complexities in evaluating and taking responsibility for structural stability and public safety on an old structure like Portage Bay bridge. While it is difficult to reconcile the duration of the closure, I am confident that the correct decisions regarding safety are being made. Could repairs have been made more quickly? Possibly. Was the correct decision made to repair rather than replace the bridge? Maybe. What I do know is that given the financial constraints the city is operating under some alternatives were not feasible. City staff attempted to leverage the Keewatin Bridge repairs but were unsuccessful given the poor underlying condition of the Portage Bay bridge. Conducting a condition assessment on an old structure like this bridge is very difficult and it is not surprising that more deterioration was identified once work started.
I am looking forward to the new repair plan along with a proposed schedule for reopening.
Your Feedback
This site will be updated throughout the campaign as issues are discussed.
I want to hear what you have to say and value your feedback. Please send to this email address. Thank you.
EMAIL: kenoramichael@gmail.com