St. Marys director of corporate services André Morin appointed City of Stratford’s new CAO

By Galen Simmons, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Despite receiving applications from coast to coast to fill the vacant top staffer position, the City of Stratford’s next chief administrative officer (CAO) won’t have to be flown in from far away.

On July 21, during a special Stratford council meeting, Stratford councillors unanimously voted to appoint Stratford resident André Morin as its next CAO, which means St. Marys’ current director of corporate services and treasurer will be moving on to the Festival City.

“Congratulations on being appointed as the CAO of Stratford, but I would like to, on behalf of council, thank you for your time here,” St. Marys Mayor Al Strathdee told Morin at the July 22 St. Marys council meeting. “Certainly, we’re excited for you, we think that’s a great opportunity, but also the town has really benefitted from your knowledge in updates in terms of our budget process. It’s been very smooth the last number of years in terms of modernizing our technology and our IT department, as well as having a very, very robust communications department, which we previously didn’t have. So, I think that your leadership has been tremendous for the town and we’ve benefitted greatly for the time you’ve been here.”

“It’s obviously bittersweet,” Morin responded, thanking Strathdee. “I have loved every minute of my time here in St. Marys and certainly will appreciate that and always remember what I’ve learned here and the people I’ve worked with, and obviously you and council and Brent (Kittmer) as the CAO. I’m still here for a few more weeks … and I intend on reaching out to each of you individually to help you get started on the next budget or at least get it as far ahead as we can.”

Morin has an extensive history working in municipal government. He got his start in his hometown of Atikokan before moving his family down to southwestern Ontario and working as the director of corporate services and treasurer for Stratford from 2012-2017. He was interim CAO in Stratford in 2016.

Additionally, he was the regional manager of municipal and stakeholder relations at the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation.

Speaking with Grant Haven Media the morning after the news broke, Morin said he was balancing his emotions. It is a wonderful accomplishment after a long and thorough process, and he said he was excited to share the news.

“Today’s been a very up and down day,” Morin said. “Sad in lots of moments, happy in other moments. And again, I got a lot of friends here in (St. Marys), but also a lot of friends with the city, so lots of messages coming through. … It’s done and it’s real now, so I can start thinking about how I get St. Marys where I want it to be before I leave and start my journey with the City of Stratford.”

As treasurer for St. Marys, his department is in the middle of preliminary work preparing the 2026 budget for council deliberations in late 2025. He is confident he and the team will be able to get the draft budget to a “really good spot” before he leaves.

Leadership and vision are two key components of the CAO position, which is widely regarded as the most important staffing position in city hall. As Morin explained, his leadership style focuses on open communication and consistency. It will be his job to make sure every staff member is “rowing the same way.”

“It doesn’t matter what position you hold, where you’re at, we need to be all going in the same direction, not opposite directions, which makes municipalities a little bit challenging because you can argue about 100 different lines of business, all trying to do a little bit of something different.

“… But that’s my job; to make sure that everybody knows which direction we’re trying to go and what resources, what issues, that I need to solve along the way to make sure that happens. So, I tend to lead by example, try to do as much communication as I can, but again, really, it’s (about) being genuine in that.”

In terms of vision, Morin revealed that while he may have his own thoughts looking at the city from the outside, he wants to wait to share those thoughts until he can dive into the organization. He added as CAO, his job is to chiefly execute council’s vision more than anything.

Stratford has undertaken many large, long-term projects, including but not limited to its keystone Grand Trunk renewal project, and when asked if he has an idea of how staff can balance those projects with the day-to-day work of city business, Morin explained that as a chartered professional accountant with extensive experience in municipal finance, he’s hoping that lens can be useful.

“I’m hoping that … we can start to look at efficiencies, but also really try to take a look at those big items and find out how, from a long-term perspective, we can make those successful.”

Morin has lived in Stratford since he took a position with the city in 2012. He said he and his wife were looking to move from Atikokan, a northern Ontario town of 2,600 people, to a medium-sized city they could live in and raise their young children. After working for a number of years with the city, there was an opportunity to apply for the open CAO position in 2016, but knowing the level of dedication the role necessitates, he passed on it. This time around, he knew it was the right decision.

“The big thank you goes to my wife and the kids for all they do and all that support,” Morin shared.

Stratford Mayor Martin Ritsma said the city received 75 applications from across Canada – from British Colombia to Newfoundland. Overall, he and the selection committee were very impressed with those who put in applications and were very pleased to move forward with Morin. Out of those 75 applicants, the committee narrowed it down to nine and then two before ultimately recommending Morin to city council.

“We are very pleased to welcome Mr. Morin to the position of chief administrative officer for the City of Stratford,” said Ritsma in a media release. “He is very familiar with the city, and we are looking forward to his leadership.

“A huge thank you to former CAO Joan Thomson for her 40 years of service to the city and thank you, as well, to director of building and planning Adam Betteridge for his excellent service as interim CAO over the last five months.”

During the special meeting where Morin was selected, Coun. Bonnie Henderson thanked Betteridge for his work as well – though she and the public were reminded that he is still acting CAO for the next month and change. Morin takes over the position effective Sept. 2.

“That’s not done yet,” Ritsma joked about Betteridge’s continued work. “I don’t want him to walk out the door tonight.”

St. Marys deputy treasurer Spencer Steckley has been appointed interim treasurer for the town as of Aug. 20, when Morin is set to leave his position with St. Marys. According to St. Marys CAO Brent Kittmer, the town will not immediately seek to fill the position of director of corporate services.

“When we can, I like to leave a position vacant for a period of time because it allows us to evaluate and make any changes that we might identify,” Kittmer told the Independent. “The plan is not to appoint an interim director of corporate services and I will directly support the department more than I typically do on a day-to-day basis after Aug. 20.

“We are fortunate in the corporate services department to have a strong team at the management level, and while the director position is open, each of those individuals will get the opportunity to lead their portfolios.”

Following Morin’s departure, the town’s corporate services department will be led as follows:

• Steckley, finance manager/deputy treasurer will be the interim treasurer and will lead the finance portfolio.

• Kelly Deeks-Johnson, tourism and economic development manager, will lead the tourism, events and economic development portfolio.

• Brad Hynes, IT manager, will lead information technology.

• Lauren Thompson, marketing and communications specialist, will lead the communications portfolio with assistance from BB Marketing. Stacey Frayne, the town’s corporate communications team lead, has also announced she is leaving her job with the town at the beginning of August for a new position in Huron East.