It’s been a rumour for some time, but today, Huntsville and District Councillor Scott Morrison said he inadvertently let the cat out of the bag and made it official. He is running to become Huntsville’s mayor in the 2026 municipal elections.
The nomination period begins on May 1, 2026. The last day to file a nomination is Friday, August 21, 2026, by 2 p.m.
Morrison is the first out of the gate to announce his candidacy.
He said he decided to run because he’s learned a lot over the past term. “I’ve learned that in our roles as members of council we can have a really significant impact on the people who live in our town, and I’ve decided that I want to have a bigger impact on the people who live in Huntsville,” said Morrison, adding that he’s got “some big plans and some changes I want to see come to fruition and I think I have a better chance of making those happen in the mayor’s chair as opposed to just the councillor’s chair.”
He said one of the issues he wants to focus on is reviewing the development process in Muskoka. “So I got a unanimous vote at the District to do a third-party review of the entire development process and find out what the choke points are that are causing housing to take longer and cost more. So I want to continue that by looking at what more we can do to streamline the process to incentivize affordable construction so that people can afford to live and play in our town for years to come.”
Morrison said he’s also hearing loud and clear from residents that “we have to look at the overall cost of government between the District and the Town. Some people don’t realize that our actual tax levy at the District, because we pay around 23 per cent of it, is pretty close to what our entire tax levy is at the Town of Huntsville.”
Morrison said he believes there are efficiencies to be realized. “I feel that we can run the government a bit more lean by looking at discretionary versus non-discretionary budget items, and now is the time when people are speaking, and they want to see better value for their tax dollars,” said Morrison, reiterating that the mayor has a lot more power than a member of council.
Doppler asked Morrison why people should vote for him. Morrison said he’s accomplished a lot related to the items he initially ran on. “I feel I’ve brought more to the table for housing than anyone else, and I really stepped up on that because it was a key pillar of my last campaign.” Morrison said through the help of Fran Coleman, he discovered Mind-Aid, where he can have an impact on improving mental health for youth, and he now sits on the board. He said he became involved with the Muskoka Community Land Trust and its impact on getting more affordable housing built. “And I instigated the Affordable Housing Action Plan, a 17-point plan to initiate change at the Town, incentivizing more housing to get built.”
He said if elected, there are a couple of things he’d like to do to renew trust between the public and their elected officials. He’d call a regular Town Hall meeting with the community to discuss decisions and issues impacting the community. He said he’d also have an open-door policy during certain periods where constituents can visit and talk. In general, Morrison promised to be an accessible mayor if elected.
The municipal election takes place on October 26, 2026.
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Hi Paul,
Be the change you want to see, nominations open on May 1st, feel free to file your papers.
But seriously, thanks for the comment – I actually welcome people looking closely at my voting record and what I’ve done this term. That’s how accountability is supposed to work. Sorry for the long reply, but you did ask what I’ve done, and it’s been quite a lot, to be truthful. So I thought I should answer your question
On the Gandhi statue, you’re right that Council got the first decision wrong. I supported accepting the statue at the November meeting, along with most of Council. When residents raised serious concerns about the lack of transparency and consultation, I listened, and at the special meeting I voted to rescind that decision and said publicly that we needed to admit we’d made a mistake and learn from it.
As for “what has he done,” here are a few examples from this term:
I created and built the physician recruitment program that has helped bring us close to our goal of recruiting 10 new doctors to the community over the last three years.
I initiated the 17‑point affordable housing action plan and brought a motion at District Council for an independent, third‑party review of the entire development approvals process so we can reduce delay, lower costs, and make housing more affordable.
I’ve consistently pushed for efficiencies in local government, working to eliminate redundancies and duplication of services between levels of government.
I brought a motion to move the airport into a municipal services corporation so taxpayers weren’t subsidizing it at the level they had been, while still protecting its economic potential. You might have seen the recent announcement about Air Canada having a presence at the Muskogee airport. That comes from our new CEO and board being installed.
I’ve made it my mission to be hands‑on in the community, serving on the boards of the Muskoka Community Land Trust, the Municipal Accommodation Tax Association, Mind‑Aid Muskoka and others, because I believe councillors should be connected to the people and organizations doing the work on the ground.
I also brought presentations to both the district and municipal table regarding artificial intelligence. Love it or hate it, it is the future and it can create a lot of efficiency for our staff.
People can absolutely disagree with me on issues or say they’d make different choices – that’s fair. But saying I’ve “done nothing” this term simply isn’t accurate; it just means you haven’t been paying attention.
This is just a small portion of what I have brought to the table this term. Reach out anytime if you want the full list.
Cheers
Understand counncillors want to get out in fcront for the next election. But this article says nothing of any substance and Jenn’s conclusion that Scott voted against the Gandi statue is correct only after the residents got up in arms due to the lack of transparency and the stupidity of aprroving it the first time.Cory Clarke — the only councillor who opposed accepting the statue at the original November 2025 vote. And SCotts says he will be open. He is a one term councillor and what has he done. WE need real experience and leadership.
Thank you, Jenn, and thank you for your passionate engagement on town issues.
Paul, I don’t disagree. I’m surprised that it isn’t a routine disclosure when you file your nomination papers.
This would be a reasonable question to ask of any candidate running in the upcoming election.
For the record, I own my principal residence in Huntsville, and my wife and I share a cottage way up in Port Loring with another family, friends of ours.
He voted against the pay increase of the councilors and voted no to the Ghandi statue. I listen to his segments with Grant on Hunters Bay Radio during the morning program and I love his willingness to look into issues that locals have. I hope he is successful!
We desperately need a change in Huntsville!!
This has little to do with Mr Morrison per se. But I am of the opinion that no individual (and/or family member) who derives income from Real Estate either as a professional or as a second property owner, is suitable for council and especially Mayor.
I suspect this may be an unpopular opinion…relying on the “good faith” of the individual candidate. But the Municipal Affairs Act (1990). Is quite clear….Good faith can not be counted on to wave a conflict of interest on matters of planning and development.
Given that matters of “real estate” (e.g. planning and development) are prime matters of municipal councils, those deriving income from the real estate industry would have to declare a conflict of interest on most matters and recluse themselves from all discussions and decisions regarding real estate issues..
As such, I am hoping that all local media ask and publish the real estate interests of all candidates