October 17, 2026
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Huron-Kinloss deputy mayor Jim Hanna (right) will be continuing with his job on council, after being acclaimed to the position.
A resident of Huron-Kinloss Township for most of his life, he grew up on the family farm on Statter's Lake Road, at the east side of the township. He went to Western University in London and became a professional engineer, and has practised for more than 45 years in the steel production and energy sectors.
He and his wife, Brenda, live at 1572 Bruce County Road 1, just south of Highway 9. They have a daughter, Kaeley, and son-in-law, Adam.
Hanna says he put his name in for deputy mayor because he has the knowledge and experience to perform the job.
"I want to continue to support our community by ensuring our township remains debt-free, and continues to provide the services we all rely upon, in a financially-sustainable manner," he says. "I have always maintained that council should conduct itself in a manner to set up the next council for success, because any other behaviour is simply pushing the burden to a future council."
When he started on council in the new Huron-Kinloss (amalgamation of Huron Township, Kinloss Township and Lucknow), the newest grader was 18 years old, and the newest truck was 16 years old.
"Suffice it to say, it took determination and resolve to reach our current condition where our equipment stock is modern and well maintained," he says.
Huron-Kinloss council was originally framed as an "at-large" council, with no wards, for which Hanna says everyone should be grateful.
"An at-large council results in decisions being made based on the benefit to the entire township, rather than favouring one ward or another," he says. "We have seen neighbouring townships divided over issues that often originate as a perceived benefit to a particular ward. Huron-Kinloss council has worked co-operatively and has demonstrated the one-for-all approach that results in decisions that benefit the entire township."
Hanna has served as a councillor on Huron-Kinloss council since its inception in 1999. Over two decades of service, he has served as committee member and chairperson on recreation, fire, medical, drainage, land division, and conservation authority boards.
"Throughout my tenure on council, we have made investments in municipal infrastructure, community centres, arenas, pools, fire halls, medical centres, marinas, water supply, water treatment and the Point Clark Lighthouse," he says. "In all that time, we remained debt-free, with the exception of the Lake Range Drive extension for which we borrowed from ourselves, and fully repaid the balance over a period of 10 years (to take pressure off Boiler Beach Road).
"We manage Huron-Kinloss like it's a business. We ensure that every dollar collected produces value. We have to make decisions on what services we are going to provide, and then raise funds to cover the cost. If we cannot fund a service, we don’t provide it. We do not borrow money to keep taxes low, because that is just sending a burden into the future. All of these measures ensure taxes are maintained as low as possible, providing value to our residents."
Hanna says the top three issues facing the township right now are:
Infrastructure/bridges - The greatest challenge the township faces is infrastructure, particularly bridges. "During the late 1960s and early 1970s, major provincial grants allowed the municipalities to install multiple bridge projects which are now more than 60 years old. Our challenge will be to maintain these structures for as long as possible since the replacement costs have gone out of reach, and provincial funding is scarce."
Affordable Housing - Affordable housing is also an issue; despite housing stock being available, it is not being used. "Every small town and village in our community have store fronts, and virtually every one of them has an apartment above the store that would have housed the original owners. Almost all of these apartments are not being utilized due to Landlord Tenant Act restrictions that make it almost impossible for landlords to manage their properties. We have petitioned, and will continue to petition, the provincial government for changes to the Landlord Tenant Act, which will allow landlords the ability to invest in this housing stock, and make it available to the public."
Waste - A major challenge the township faces is waste management capacity. "We need to continue to petition the provincial government for changes to the current legislation to divert combustible and degradable material from the landfill."
Written ByLiz Dadson is the founder and editor of the Kincardine Record and has been in the news business since 1986.
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