Council Meeting Recap: August 11, 2025

Live streaming of the public session of Council is available on the day of the meeting beginning at 7 p.m., until the close of the meeting. The live webcast is available through the calendar at https://www.cornwall.ca/en/city-hall/council-meetings.aspx?_mid_=20836

Welcome to the Table

The first City Council meeting in nearly one month was an opportunity for Mayor Justin Towndale to make some introductions.

Towndale extended a formal welcome to four individuals, including one new face - Ryan Windle, Director of Development and Building Services - and several familiar faces in new roles, seated at the administrative tables in council chambers.

"Welcome to those of you who are new, and congratulations to those of you who have advanced," the mayor said.

Those who were introduced are:

• Matthew Stephenson, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer and Fire Chief

• Louis Savard, Director of Information Technology, Digitization, Innovation and Special Projects

• Bruce Donig, Interim General Manager of Human Resources

• Ryan Windle, Director of Development and Building Services

The previous council meeting was on July 14, just before the City of Cornwall officially announced its comprehensive senior leadership team following an extended period of organizational transition.

Municipal Elections- Internet Voting

Internet voting is expected to be part of the electoral process in Cornwall for the first time in the fall of 2026, when the next municipal election is held.

Cornwall City Council at its Monday, August 11 meeting endorsed the use of internet voting, authorizing the Clerk's Office to pursue the method that could significantly increase voter participation.

Cornwall interim city clerk Denise Labelle-Gelinas said an RFP has gone out, and that the company with the successful bid will be providing the security levels required to ensure voting integrity.

The clerk told council that the city has a budget of $220,000 to conduct the election, and that she expects that even with the addition of a new method, the 2026 election cycle will be within budget.

The hope is voter participation will increase substantially from 2022, when 10,166 exercised their right, out of a pool of 34,743 eligible voters.

Voter turnout numbers in Cornwall were strongest during a roughly 20-year period, between 1985 and 2006, peaking with a voter turnout of 19,368 in 1994.

But the totals have been mostly declining in the last 19 years, and particularly sharply starting in 2010, when 13,189 voted.

"Any way that we can increase voter turnout is something we should pursue,'' Coun. Dean Hollingsworth said. "Democracy doesn't work if we don't get people to vote."

Council at the meeting also endorsed the use of optical scanning equipment for voting - the technology reads marked paper ballots - which has been in place in Cornwall since 1997.

Labelle-Gelinas assured council that for 2026, the number of physical voting locations will be substantially increased from the four in 2022.

"It is the city's intention to add voting locations in most of the areas that had them in the 2018 location,'' the clerk said. "There will be much more locations (than in 2022)."

Municipal election 2026 will take place on October 26, 2026.

Next Meeting

Cornwall City Council will meet on Monday, September 8, at 7 p.m. in Council Chambers at 360 Pitt Street. The meeting will be streamed at https://pub-cornwall.escribemeetings.com/Players/ISIStandAlonePlayer.aspx?Id=295a90d9-5742-4383-8682-7fb8042f17e4