As 2025 comes to a close, Chatham-Kent (CK) Mayor Darrin Canniff is reflecting on the accomplishments made throughout the year and expressing optimism for the year to come.
"We certainly had our challenges, but there's a lot of accomplishments as well," Canniff said.
He took a moment to highlight all the projects that are ongoing within Chatham-Kent, including the St. Clair Park, the downtown hub, as well as multiple murals and sculpture projects.
"We've laid the groundwork for more business, for industries to come here, we've got hundreds of apartment buildings set to be built over the next little while, and arts, culture, recreation, we've moved forward with the recreation master plan," Canniff continued.
Although this year did have some uncertainty, especially regarding the ongoing trade war with the United States, Canniff is hopeful that the new year will bring new opportunities to the municipality.
"There's some people being impacted with the uncertainty that that's happening down south, but in 2026, as you proceed on, that investment chill hopefully can come off, and we can move forward with a lot of other projects that various businesses and individuals are looking at doing," said Canniff.
As the new year approaches quickly, Canniff expressed optimism for the year to come. He mentioned upcoming apartment construction with York Developments, while also noting that the municipality's population will be growing and more amenities will be coming to CK.
"As we drive around now, you see there's a lot of development, I see that continuing," expressed Canniff. "I'm very excited about the future of CK."
