A northern Ontario mayor is facing calls to resign amid a financial crisis that nearly shut down municipal operations.

Tensions ran high at Fauquier-Strickland’s first council meeting since narrowly avoiding a municipal shutdown. About 120 people filled the community centre on Aug. 5 while another 70 tuned in online. The meeting took place just days after the township accepted $300,000 in interim funding from the province, hours before all municipal services were set to cease on Aug. 1.

Mayor Madeleine Tremblay faced repeated calls from residents to step down, including a formal request made through a newly launched online petition.

As of Aug. 6, nearly 40 people in the community of about 500 people had signed the petition, which cites the township’s $2.5 million operating deficit, the

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