County councillors sworn in for new term at inaugural meeting

Written By Paula Brown

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Shelburne Mayor Wade Mills will hold the role of Dufferin County Warden for another term. 

Mills was acclaimed and sworn in as the 146th Warden of Dufferin County, a role he will hold for the 2023 term, during county council's inaugural meeting last Thursday (Dec. 8) at Monora Park. 

The Warden is the head of Dufferin County Council and acts as the chief executive officer (DEO) for the county, leading council meetings, and providing representation at functions. 

Concluding his oath of office, Mills addressed his fellow council members before proceeding with the inaugural meeting. 

“When I was elected Warden last December, I spoke about the challenges and opportunities that we faced during 2022, as we began to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, I suggested that we should not simply fall back into the familiar rhythm of doing things. Instead, I challenged us to move forward with an imaginative boldness that drew up the lessons learned with an eye for reassessing and reimaging how we do things. I'm happy to say that I believe we've started to walk that in earnest.” 

Mills noted the difficulties this term of county council is expected to face in their decision-making, including economic uncertainty, inflation, housing, food security, provincial legislative changes with the potential for environmental concerns, and infrastructure pressures related to growth. 

“These challenges and more will ensure that our collective job over the course of the next four years will not be easy, but let's not allow this to discourage us or dampen our spirit or resolve,” said Mills. 

The inaugural meeting also saw 15 elected council members from the eight local municipalities sworn in for county council.

Following the swearing-in ceremony, four councillors were appointed as chairs to lead the standing committees: Amaranth Mayor Chris Gerrits will serve as chair of the infrastructure and environmental services committee, Mono Mayor John Creelman will lead the general government services committee, Melancthon Mayor Darren White will sit as chair of the health and human services committee, and Mulmur Mayor Janet Horner will continue as chair for the community development and tourism committee. 

The remaining councillors on county council include Orangeville Mayor Lisa Post, East Garafraxa Mayor Guy Gardhouse, Grand Valley Mayor Steve Solomon and deputy mayors Shane Hall from Shelburne, Earl Hawkins from Mulmur, Gail Little from Amaranth, James McLean from Melancthon, Fred Nix from Mono, Philip Rentsch from Grand Valley, and Todd Taylor from Orangeville. 

Dufferin County Council meetings are held on the second Thursday of every month. The next meeting will be held on Jan. 12.