Change is coming to the way Simcoe County and the District of Muskoka are governed, starting with a new chair. On Tuesday, Rob Flack, Minister of Municipal Affairs appointed two names to chair the incoming, consolidated regional councils in Central Ontario. Scott Aitchison has been named as the chair of Muskoka District and Don McIsaac will soon chair Simcoe County. Aitchison is the former mayor of Huntsville and currently serves as Member of Parliament for Parry Sound - Muskoka. Don McIsaac, who served as mayor of Orillia for four years, announced in May he would not be running in the 2026 municipal election. Under recently passed legislation, regional councils in both Simcoe and Muskoka will have a reduced number of members. The appointed chairs’ additional powers would include appointing or firing the chief administrative officer and division heads, directing staff, vetoing certain bylaws and proposing the municipal budgets. We will update this article as more information becomes available.
