‘Policy’ over ‘personalities’: Former Gananoque mayor Ted Lojko seeks comeback

Editor’s note: To help voters to be better informed, Brockvilleist has sent invitations to profile all of Gananoque’s mayoral candidates in advance of the municipal election, which will be held on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. We will publish the profiles as we receive responses. Below is our profile of candidate Ted Lojko. You can view a full roundup of all our Gananoque municipal coverage here.

Ted Lojko, a former mayor of Gananoque, is running once again for the top job in town.

Lojko, who served from 2018 to 2022, was defeated in the last election by current incumbent John Beddows.

He told Brockvilleist he believes the current mayor’s term has been ineffective. Recent reports have revealed tensions between the mayor and council, and Lojko says he would take a more collaborative and transparent approach that brings the community into decision-making and better coordinates policy and development with the township and the county.

Lojko believes his track record and relationship with council during his previous term as mayor offer evidence that he could deliver in a second term.

“There’s many examples of stuff that we accomplished,” said Lojko.

“But realistically, the working relationship with the rest of the council was crucial and more importantly, the working relationship of getting people from the community providing input was equally important.”

Lojko, whose professional background is in urban planning, says it is unacceptable that the town has not revised its Official Plan in six years.

“There’s a constant push to look at new housing, new development,” said Lojko.

“You have to look at recreation facilities that need to be planned in advance, road patterns that need to be planned. I mean, for the last few years, the town doesn’t even have an Official Plan on where development can happen, where roads are being built and all that infrastructure.”

He wants to put forward a proposal for a multi-level Official Plan, open to community input, that encompasses everything from schooling to services for seniors, young people and families, infrastructure planning and other areas.

Lojko also thinks the Town needs to be more conscientious about how and when it awards contracts.

“I will fight for the capital infrastructure improvements that make sense and that are planned,” he said.
“The Town should not be tendering contracts when all companies are busy and paying a premium price to get the project done at the last minute.”

Lojko agrees with fellow mayoral candidate Clifford Feltham that skyrocketing costs, particularly water rates and high property taxes, are making Gan less affordable. But he would like to explore ways to reduce the town’s expenses without sacrificing crucial infrastructure maintenance.

He says many people have complained about “frivolous legal bills” that have been encouraged by past councils and drive up costs.

“We cannot continually waste money on lawyers doing in-fighting and basically allowing people access with no repercussions,” he said.

“That has to be curtailed.”

When it comes to budgeting and finances, he says the challenge is to balance preservation of the town’s character and heritage while providing much-needed services and programs for residents.

“On one level, you need to create employment opportunities. On the other hand, you need to preserve the historical culture of Gananoque, which is an old industrial town,” said Lojko.

“A lot of tourists come to town to appreciate not only the St. Lawrence River, but also the heritage of the town. So, it’s a balancing act between moving forward while also looking at the past.”

He says working with the provincial and federal governments to access funding programs will also be necessary, including potentially using the provincial gas tax to offset expenditures associated with improving and increasing public transit between Kingston and Gananoque.

Lojko sees improved transit as fundamental to addressing labour shortages in Gan’s tourism economy.

“We need to focus on Kingston, not just for the use of residents, but because of the lack of potential employees in various hospitality industries,” Lojko said.

“And so, by providing public transit, you will have many more opportunities for people either working in Kingston, or more importantly, people from Kingston working in the Gananoque area.”

Lojko says that it’s this kind of careful planning and policy-making that should be elevated in council, rather than individual councillors’ personalities.

He says he thinks the current council has put personalities before responsible, long-term planning.

“The position of the mayor is not a popularity contest,” said Lojko.

“Residents expect local leaders to be reasonable and responsible. It requires experienced patience and the ability to listen and work with elected councils. And they should be working collaboratively for the good of the community.

“They’re not setting a good example for anybody as to how elected officials should operate and behave themselves.”