Finding qualified candidates to manage small Northern towns is becoming harder because an already significant administrative workload is becoming more complex, says Shuniah’s outgoing chief administrator.
“A municipality with a population of 1,000 still needs to access the specialized knowledge in planning, building, roads, fire, emergency services, clerking, finance, asset management planning and administration as much larger cities,” Paul Greenwood, who is retiring at the end of this month, said Friday in an email.
“In larger municipalities these functions are performed by departments, while in smaller municipalities these responsibilities are shared among staff that often wear multiple hats,” Greenwood added.
In that context, Shuniah may have lucked out in finding Greenwood’s replacement in Mark Figliomeni, a former Schreiber mayor with experience in municipal administration.
In order to compete with urban centres, rural municipalities sometimes have to pay salaries that may seem out of keeping with their smaller tax bases and populations.
According to Ontario’s salary disclosure list of public sector employees who earned more than $100,000, both Shuniah and nearby Oliver Paipoonge paid their top administrator more than $150,000 in 2024.
Shuniah Mayor Wendy Landry sees no way around it.
“It’s very difficult to recruit the skills sets that are needed in the work that is done within municipalities,” Landry said. “In order to attract what the municipalities need, you need to be competitive.”
Still, some smaller rural communities are managing to get by without going over the $100,000-mark for a single employee.
In its March newsletter, O’Connor Township included a notice, as required by regulation, that nobody who worked for the township last year made enough to get on the province’s salary disclosure list.
Greenwood said small municipalities often require a “generalist” for their chief administrator, a role that is often harder to fill because of the availability of jobs in larger centres.
In small municipalities, “there’s limited internal advancement, and strong candidates often have opportunities with larger municipalities, boards and government agencies,” Greenwood said.
That said, Greenwood appears to be leaving his Shuniah position with fondness, praising his fellow staffers for their “professionalism and adaptability to take on diverse responsibilities.”
“I can tell you it’s been a pleasure to work with the neighbouring rural municipal staff, along with (City of Thunder Bay) staff, when it comes to sharing information, policies, processes and knowledge,” Greenwood added.
