County News
Nuclear option
Mayor signals intention to veto council decision
Less than 48 hours after County council ratified its decision not to pursue a costly and risky waterworks plan, Mayor Steve Ferguson has signaled his intention to veto that decision using strong mayor powers given to him by Doug Ford’s government.
On Tuesday evening, council voted 8-6 to reject a $360 million plan to expand waterworks capacity in Picton, Wellington and Bloomfield. A majority of council members felt the plan was too big, too expensive and too potentially perilous for a municipality that has struggled to pull off smaller infrastructure projects on time or on budget.
What it means?
The notice Mayor Ferguson delivered to council on Thursday is not a veto—but a signal that he is considering one. He had 48 hours after the council decision to serve his intent.
Should the mayor proceed to issue a veto, council will receive the written veto decision and supporting rationale. Under the Municipal Act, council may then consider overriding the veto, which would require a two-thirds vote of all council members within the prescribed period.
He has 14 days from the council vote to make a final decision. If the mayor vetoes the council decision, the council has 21 days to try to override it. To do so, however, will require a two-thirds vote of all council members—not just those present for the vote.
During the debate at council on Tuesday, Mayor Ferguson stressed that the province has been generous to this municipality, rewarding it for its “innovative approaches.”
And that “if we do not move forward, we are at tremendous risk of losing future funding, provincial or federal, for water and wastewater facilities.”
Strong mayor powers
Doug Ford’s government extended strong mayor powers to 169 municipalities, including Prince Edward County, in April 2025. His government was falling well short of its target for new homes in the province. Giving these mayors sweeping powers was seen as a way to overcome local roadblocks.
Many municipalities rejected provincial interference in local affairs. Municipal bureaucrats also sounded the alarm.
“Our research indicates that strong mayor powers have blurred the political-administrative authority between the roles of head of council and chief administrative officers (CAOs), threatening the neutrality of the public service and politicizing local government leadership.
End of the line
The departing mayor has made a bold move with just days left in his term.
Mayor Ferguson had previously disavowed the need for strong mayor powers. He assured his fellow councillors that he saw no use for the additional powers and that they ran counter to his preferred approach.
“I cannot see any reason why any of the strong mayor powers would be needed,” said Mayor Ferguson at council meeting last May. “My preference is to work in a collaborative fashion with the council.”
There are just 45 days left in the council term. Ferguson is not running for re-election.
Perhaps all those residents who showed up in the Wellington Arena for the Council meeting would like to show up at Shire Hall during the next Meeting of Council to have a “word in our Mayor’s shell-like ear”? Question is, just who is this Mayor of ours listening to?
Clearly Ferguson intends this to be a rude gesture to the taxpayers of the County.
And also to the few Councillors who are actually listening to the taxpayers, and paying attention to the massive unnecessary financial burden to the County.
The commitments they have already made, not including this new bunch of spending, are mostly unfunded by anything other than debt.
The hole is already deep — as of Dec 31, 2025, $81 MILLION NEGATIVE NET WORTH. And only the Finance Director, the CAO and the Mayor know how deep the hole is today, and they won’t say.
Should Ferguson decide to make this move, the existing Prince Edward County Council has specific statutory mechanisms to block or check the Mayor’s override:
– Veto Override via Two-Thirds Vote: If the Mayor officially vetoes a Council resolution (or forces a budget amendment for the waterworks initiative), Council has the authority under provincial legislation to override the Mayor’s decision. This requires a two-thirds majority vote of all Council members. Given that the previous votes failed in a 6-6 tie and an 8-6 split, the opposing councillors would need to rally at least 10 of the 14 total Council seats to successfully block the Mayor.
The Current Split (The Steep Hill to Climb)
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In the recent final vote rejecting the waterworks financial strategy, the council split 8 to 6 against the plan: [4]
– The 8 Votes Against the Plan (Who want the veto override): Councillors Brad Nieman, Corey Engelsdorfer, Chris Braney, Phil Prinzen, Roy Pennell, Janice Maynard, David Harrison, and Sam Branderhorst.
– The 6 Votes For the Plan (Who support the Mayor’s direction): Mayor Steve Ferguson, Bill Roberts, Phil St-Jean, Sam Grosso, John Hirsch, and Kate MacNaughton.
Because the anti-waterworks faction only has 8 reliable votes, they must flip at least 2 councillors who previously voted in favour of the project to reach the required 10 votes.
Hirsch is acclaimed in Ward 9, so he will inherit whatever this Council and Mayor leave behind.
Grosso, St. Jean, MacNaughton and Roberts all have competition in their wards. Will they continue to support the Mayor?
If you are a taxpayer, you should logically care deeply about this. I urge everyone to find the facts, not the rhetoric. Do not trust the advice of those who stand to benefit financially from a decision to follow the Mayor. Instead, trust your gut and intuition. And as always, follow the money. It’s YOUR money.
One would expect the mayor, who is not running and whose current term will end in just over 6 weeks, to leave such a decision to the next administration.
Yes indeed, one would. But that would require a degree of honour and respect for the community that seems to be missing.