New mayors and councillors sworn in across northeastern Ontario

Council chambers across northeastern Ontario were filled with pomp and circumstance Tuesday night, as newly elected mayors and councillors were officially sworn in. 

In Sault Ste. Marie, 33-year-old Matthew Shoemaker, a lawyer and former city councillor, spoke about how his Italian immigrant mother and his army brat father both came to the city decades ago seeking better opportunities.

"The next four years will challenge us all, but in tackling these challenges we can capitalize on the opportunities that they present. In the same way that in years past people came to Sault Ste. Marie to take advantage of the opportunities that were here then," he said during his inaugural address, which made specific mention of the ongoing opioid crisis. 

"The challenges are known to us, but the solutions are for this council to work through."

In North Bay, 66-year-old former city councillor Peter Chirico made his return to the council chambers as mayor Tuesday night.

"The people of North Bay told us that they are concerned about the cost of living in our great community and they worry about affordability for themselves yes, but more importantly for their children and grandchildren," he said. 

"None of us are perfect and I know that I'm not and yes we will make mistakes, but we will also work incredibly hard to make the right decisions as we aim to make our community a much better place." 

Inauguration ceremonies were also held Tuesday night in Timmins, Kirkland Lake and West Nipissing, which elected an entirely new mayor and council following several years of council in-fighting.

Rookie mayor Kathleen Thorne Rochon ran on a promise to put the "unity back in community."

"These words are not just a campaign slogan or an election gimmick," she told the crowd in the council chambers in Sturgeon Falls.

"It is everyone's wish that at the end of our term, West Nipissing is a better place to live than when we started. I already think it's pretty awesome."