Mayor Jason Broad was very happy that South Dundas was able to attract someone with the skills and experience that Ben De Haan will bring to the role of CAO. Tinkess Photo

MORRISBURG – The vacancy created when Tim Mills left South Dundas to become the CAO in the City of Cornwall has been filled with the announcement on Mon., March 3 that Ben De Haan has been appointed as CAO. He will assume the role effective April 7, 2025.

Mr. De Haan will join South Dundas following his successful tenure as Director of Transportation Services with the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry (SDG Counties), where he has served since 2009 and demonstrated exceptional leadership and strategic vision in managing regional transportation infrastructure and services. “We are delighted to welcome Benjamin De Haan to our municipal team,” said Mayor Jason Broad.  “Council’s decision to offer Mr. De Haan this position was unanimous and enthusiastic. His impressive track record at SDG Counties, coupled with his recent experience as Interim CAO in North Dundas, made him the standout candidate.

“What particularly impressed us was Ben’s genuine passion for community building and his strategic approach to municipal governance,” added Mayor Broad. “His vision aligns perfectly with our goals for creating a vibrant, connected South Dundas. The energy and fresh perspective is exactly what we need at this pivotal time in our municipality’s growth. We’re confident that under Ben’s leadership, South Dundas will continue to flourish as a destination where people want to live, work, and play.”

Mayor Broad was asked if hiring De Haan felt something like getting a first-round draft pick. “You know, it’s great to have someone that wants to make that next up in the leadership, but also has some experience,” said Mayor Broad. “This is obviously my second CAO hire, and we did a great one with Tim (Mills). When that happened, you know, we were looking for someone with CAO experience, because we were all relatively new.

“Fast forward two years, we’re interviewing for Ben, and it was like, we just need a really strong candidate, you know, whether you know, whatever kind of avenue they’re in. And of course, when Ben applied, then we started chatting and doing through it, like, Ben has great experience and leadership and the roads and being an Engineer, and you also had planning experience at the counties before that. So that talent has been great, but, yeah, first round draft pick for sure.”

De Haan holds a degree in Bioresource Engineering from McGill University and is a licensed Professional Engineer. He has been actively involved in numerous professional associations, including serving as Treasurer of the Municipal Engineers Association, Past-Chair of the Eastern Ontario County Engineers, and as a member of the Eastern Ontario Leadership Council working group.

“I’m really looking forward to this,” said De Haan. “It’s an exciting opportunity. There’s so much happening in South Dundas, and it was just an opportunity I couldn’t, resist. So, I’m looking forward to my start, and looking forward to working with Mayor Broad and the Council team as well as the (admin) team here. You know, by virtue of what I do at the counties, I get to work with a lot of these people regularly, it’s just an awesome, awesome group of people here and I have every confidence of continued success for sure.”

De Haan was asked if he had mixed feelings about leaving his role at SDG. “Yeah, absolutely, I mean, it’s been a great organization to work for, and it wasn’t an easy decision, quite honestly. I enjoyed the work. I enjoyed the council. I enjoyed it and had an awesome staff to work with, so yeah, but it was a good point in my career where it was time to kind of take a next step and try something a little bit different and expand the professional horizon, so this was the perfect fit for me.”

In his new role, Mr. De Haan will oversee all municipal operations, providing leadership to department heads and staff while working closely with Council to implement strategic priorities and initiatives that align with South Dundas’ mission to be a destination for growth and wellbeing.