Armour

This discussion was recorded live before an audience at the 2026 Fall District of Parry Sound Municipal Association Summit in the township of Carling, Ontario in September.

Joining us were three municipal leaders with perspectives from different municipalities across the district, Seguin Mayor Anne McDermott, Armour Mayor Rod Ward, and Burk's Falls Mayor Chris Hope.

We asked them to look back on where their municipality stood four years ago, and to look ahead at where they may be four, 10, even 20 years from now.

What will change? What has changed? What pressures are likely still to last four years from now or a decade from now? How do smaller municipalities attract housing, workers, and investments while maintaining the services residents depend on today? And perhaps the most important question of all, what will it take to ensure that communities across the District of Parry Sound remain places where people of all generations can live, can work, and can build a future? Those are the questions at the center of this edition of Municipal Affairs.

[laughs]

Uh, Rod Ward.

I'm the mayor of Armour Township.

I've been on council for eight years, been mayor the last four.

[upbeat music] What does it take to lead a rural community through a changing Ontario landscape? For municipalities like the Township of Armour, leadership means dealing with the fundamentals, roads, infrastructure, local services, economic development, while also thinking about the things that the community will need for years and decades to come from now.

Today, on Cross Border Interviews, we have the honor to chat with the Township of Armour mayor, Rod Ward.

Now, our conversation was filmed at the 2026 Fall District of Parry Sound Municipal Association Summit.

Now, we discussed the realities of municipal leadership, the issues facing Armour Township, and the priorities that are shaping its future.

Now, this is a conversation about rural Ontario, the responsibilities of local government, and what it means to serve the people who call a community home.

I'm Christopher Brown, and this is Cross Border Interviews.