Richard Lavoie Announces Bid For Vermilion Town Council
- Lorna Hamilton
- Oct 7
- 2 min read

Former councillor Richard Lavoie has announced his candidacy for Vermilion Town Council, motivated by a desire to bring fiscal responsibility back to the municipality.
“Essentially, my turning point was when I reviewed the annual financial statements for the past decade and realized that I possess the skillset to help council and administration reduce expenses in the budget. Hopefully, this will lead to a freeze on taxes or even a drop for the next three years,” said Lavoie.
He stressed that the role of councillor requires diligence and accountability. “The most important role for a councillor is to complete their research before voting on all requests for decisions presented by the administration. And do not be afraid to ask questions when it’s appropriate.”
Lavoie’s vision includes both financial stability and community growth. “The Town of Vermilion needs to get its financial house in order over the next 5 years,” he explained, adding that residential development is another pressing need, as there is currently “a lack of residential lots available for sale and/or no short-term plan for development.”
If elected, he said his priority would be to “work together, understand our challenges, reduce expenses, and FREEZE OR REDUCE the Mill rates so that property taxes remain consistent.”
Lavoie also emphasized his approach to leadership. “Overall, my personal beliefs should be set aside when making decisions on behalf of the Town of Vermilion,” he said. On tough decisions, he believes preparation is key: “Simple, there is NO TOUGH decisions. If you do your homework, get all the information you need in advance of the vote, ask questions, then when you VOTE, you have made your decision based on the facts gathered and reviewed.”
He views resident voices as central to decision-making. “Ratepayers are the cornerstone of every municipality, and they have a right to express themselves. I find the ones who normally do not speak up need to be prompted by asking them open-ended questions to start the dialogue.”
Teamwork and professionalism are also top of mind for Lavoie. “An effective team on council is a group that works together, they individually express themselves on the key issues, and they support the final decision that is made without negative feedback if a vote didn’t go their way.” He added that disagreements are “very productive at a municipal level if done right,” as long as the dialogue remains respectful.
Proud of Vermilion’s strong community identity, Lavoie described it as “a safe & prosperous place to work, raise a family, or live in retirement” and praised the Vermilion Fair as “the best FAIR in Western Canada!”
Looking back on his previous time on council from 2006 to 2011, Lavoie cited accomplishments such as helping build the Regional Centre, develop, designed and orchestrate the downtown revitalization project, and ensuring the airport remained open. “As I reflect back on the last time I was elected as a councillor… as a group, we accomplished so much in such a short period of time, I was instrumental in brokering a land deal to bring LMG, Leading Manufacturing Group, to Vermilion.” he said.