The third debate for the Municipal Election took place last night, this time shining the light on Wards 1 and 5.

People packed into College Boreal to hear candidates address key issues for Wards 1 and 5 and for the city as a whole.

The evening debate began with opening statements from the candidates. Lots of topics were brought up during this portion, including high municipal costs, social and community engagement, the Timmins 2020 Plan and supporting more arts and culture programs. A common thought a lot of candidates expressed in their opening remarks was the hope to raise their children and support their elderly in Timmins, fostering a healthy, happy city people will want to grow up in, and continue to live in.

 

The new aquatic complex was the first topic of the evening and Ward 5 Candidate Kristen Murray said she would support the pool if there was more government funding to pay for it. Ward 5 Candidate Jason Sereda said that the pool would add a lot to the community, but the city needs to be realistic with the cost and focus should be on the needs, not wants, of the community, like helping the city’s homeless. Ward 1 Candidate Veronica Farrell echoed this by saying she would support the pool if funds were raised to pay for it. She said she’s heard from families who go to the Cochrane pool and we should have a facility here for residents, but not if the money doesn’t come first.

The ever-controversial Stars and Thunder Festival was the next topic, and candidates generally agreed the festival should be shorter if it is to go on. Ward 5 Candidate Sereda said he didn’t think the festival was properly planned, and local musicians should have been involved. Ward 5 Candidate Karina Mi Douglas-Takayesu said she would support a three day festival, but next year’s focus should be on a full audit of the last two festivals.

The topic of changing the existing ward system was next and lots of candidates stated they support spreading the representation out so ward 5 has less representatives. Ward 1 Candidate Rock Whissell said his ward has over 5,500 people voting and separating the wards so they are better distributed would benefit voters. Ward 5 Candidate Cory Robin agreed, suggesting two representatives be removed from Ward 5 so that ward has less power to overrule everyone at council. Ward 5 Candidate Douglas-Takayesu suggested a referendum on the issue, letting the public decide how they want to be represented. Ward 5 Candidate Noella Rinaldo echoed the call for a referendum, saying the council is split in the middle with this issue. Ward 5 Candidate Michael Doody, who’s served on council for many years, said the system we have in place now took a long time to perfect and, looking at all the options, this was the best system to have. He added there’s always room for change and the idea should be brought to council.

The topic of supporting local businesses supporting quality of life was next, and candidates had differing opinions on the topic. Ward 5 Candidate Doody said downtown business areas like Porcupine did well until the Timmins Square was built; he said this affected smaller downtown communities and more support for those areas is needed. Ward 5 Candidate Rinaldo suggested there needs to be diversification of new businesses. She used Goldcorp as an example, saying the company supports quality of life in the city, as it supports local organizations, events and projects that help Timmins residents thrive. Ward 5 Candidate Andrew Marks praised our giving community and said we need to pat our local businesses on the back and thank them as we do other bigger organizations. Ward 5 Candidate Sereda said a big thing the city can do to support quality of life is make sure all people can benefit from events and services offered. He said people shouldn’t have to work in the mines to attend events like Stars and Thunder, and the city needs to do more to make sure quality of life events are accessible for everyone.

Safety in the city was the next issue debated. Ward 5 Candidate Rinaldo said she meets monthly with the Timmins Police Service and they go over issues facing the downtown area. She said addiction is a big problem, and the BIA is doing what it can to support and alleviate the homeless. She said the Living Space needs to be supported and taking care of addiction is a big concern with fixing the issues the downtown faces. Ward 5 Candidate John Ivanovs said the safety issue isn’t just downtown but in the residential areas as well. He said we need more police presence with more foot patrols and car patrols. Ward 5 Candidate Sereda said he’s worked with the city’s homeless and that they are a symptom of a larger problem. He said the community has been neglecting social issues and the number of homeless has always been high and nothing has changed. He said we need to focus on the safety of those sleeping in alleyways and on the streets, and that their needs are as vital as other residents’. Ward 5 Candidate Michelle Boileau said a lot of the problems are not actual crimes and having an enhanced police force isn’t the solution. She said having increased auxiliary officers will benefit more and they can report incidents to the police when there is cause for it. Ward 5 Candidate Murray said the homeless people are not the issue; she said trauma is the underlying issue and we need more social workers assisting police, and more people going downtown to help out and do their part.

Transparency in city council was the next topic and Ward 5 Candidate Marks got things started by saying, with the city council’s prime responsibility being to run the city’s budget for the year, the public needs to be involved and have a say in what’s important to them. He said this is the only way council can direct discretionary funds leftover every year. Ward 5 Candidate Ivanovs brought up the point that the public can only address the council if they give two weeks notice before council. He said the public should be able to address issues at council whenever they need to. Ward 5 Candidate Alex Szczebonski said that unless there is a committee system in place, the public has no idea what’s going on at council. Ward 5 Candidate Dubeau said the transparency at our current council is lacking and lots of issues are passed with no feedback from taxpayers. He said agendas need to be released earlier so the public knows what’s going on in council. Ward 5 Candidate Douglas-Takayesu said a lot of people in the city work irregular hours, past 6pm, when council meetings begin. She said consultations for important issues are happening in the middle of the work week and that council needs to work to fit people’s schedules and make sure the information gets out there for the citizens.

The next topic covered was outsourcing services like paving, garbage, police, and snow removal. Ward 1 Candidate Whissell said, as an electrician, he gets outsourced all the time to help customers in other areas. He said he doesn’t get overtime for that business but it’s beneficial for him and his company to create more business for those who need the service. Ward 5 Candidate Robin echoed this and said when you outsource, you create a small business owner in yourself. He said if people can save money to use resources externally, they should, and working for the city and anyone else in other areas is better than just working for the city and wasting time and money waiting for business and clients to come to you. Ward 5 Candidate Sereda disagreed and said outsourcing means decreasing the quality of service that our city receives. He said when there is outsourcing, the quality standards are not upheld and that we need to celebrate our local talents and businesses. Ward 5 Candidate Marks said some outsourcing is beneficial if it makes sense. He said things like animal services, traffic lights and snow plowing should be outsourced, but we should also look to partnerships with external services coming to Timmins, like the YMCA, as a benefit to the community.

Promoting physical and healthy lifestyles in Timmins was the next topic, and Ward 1 Candidate Whissell got things started by saying the city should support non-profits more. He said events like the Fall Fair cost a lot less than other events, and they bring great events to the community. Ward 5 Candidate Rinaldo said there are great facilities here in the city that promote healthy lifestyles but if we’re looking forward to 5-10 years down the road, we need long term solutions, like a good sports complex, for residents. She said we need to maintain the arenas we do have and promote the natural elements Timmins has to offer. Ward 5 Candidate Sereda actually praised another Ward 5 Candidate, Kristen Murray, on her work in implementing the fitness equipment at Participark. They both agreed free fitness options help benefit the community and more ideas like that are needed.

The topic of fiscal responsibility was next, and candidates were asked what they would cut in the city’s budget. Ward 5 Candidate Robin said it’s a tough decision, and that if we want to keep our services that take care of youths and seniors, we shouldn’t cut anything right now and that it’s a bigger issue than just listing services we can do without. He said running a city like Timmins costs money and cuts can’t be taken lightly. Ward 5 Candidate Dubeau said all of our services can be reevaluated and that the City of Timmins could be downsized. Ward 5 Candidate Jean Roy said he would advocate for a 2% reduction in spending in all departments in government to cut inefficiencies. Ward 5 Candidate Douglas-Takayesu said cutting things like the library hours would affect a lot of citizens and cuts cannot be done without consulting the public.

 

The next question was on how to attract, engage and retain youth in Timmins. A lot of candidates said bringing more job opportunities to the city is key to bringing young people here to stay. Ward 5 Candidate Boileau said she herself left Timmins and came back and has flourished professionally. She said she owns a home and has a better resume than most of her friends in bigger cities like Toronto and Vancouver. She said the key to attracting youth is promoting opportunities for them, like jobs and housing. She also said, while a lot of candidates say there are no jobs here, she sees lots of Help Wanted signs and demand for employees in town; we just need to do a better job of promoting these opportunities to young people. Ward 1 Candidate Farrell said the city needs more quality of life services, like a pool and a theatre for plays. She said this will get young people here and help encourage them to stay.

The next question of the night was on where candidates felt city funds should be allocated. Ward 5 Candidate Roy got things started by saying there needs to be more support for the city’s homeless. He said our social system is lacking and we need a better budget to run shelters in town. Ward 5 Candidate Boileau said more social and affordable housing is a key factor to quality of life and keeping the population rising. She also said the city needs to look into more eco-efficient solutions to problems. Ward 5 Candidate Murray said arts and culture is what’s needed to attract young people and help the city grow. She said homelessness, social programming, and health and fitness are also important, but Timmins needs to be a home for arts and culture. Ward 5 Candidate Rinaldo said we need to double what little discretionary money we have and that happens by working with partners to help the money grow. Ward 5 Candidate Dubeau said infrastructure, like repairing collapsed sewers, should be a top priority.

The final question of the night was how the candidates would promote Timmins as a diverse and inclusive community. Ward 5 Candidate Boileau said it’s important that all voices are being heard and all people are being considered when decisions are made. She said hard work and commitment is what is going to make our city inclusive and diverse and she’s willing to put in that work and time. Ward 5 Candidate Sereda said more can be done for unique voices to be heard at council and in the community. He said too many people are facing discrimination and we need to be proactive and stay committed to changing that. Ward 5 Candidate Robin said as an Aboriginal descendant, he has faced problems with inclusivity here and he plans to attack and challenge that racism and the institutions that are racist here. He said we can look at post secondary institutions here as examples of how to combat that racism. Ward 5 Candidate Douglas-Takayesu said she too has faced discrimination and she thinks keeping services like the library open for everyone is important. She said we should support our great tourism department, our pride parade and other achievements and that city council should be leading by example. Ward 5 Candidate Roy said educating our kids about inclusivity is a good step in the right direction.

The debate ended with closing statements from all candidates, reiterating their platforms. The debate was very civil with lots of important points raised about the city, its services and how it should change and continue to be run. The next debate is on Wednesday, Oct. 17th, when mayoral candidates will gather for the Business Debate. This will also be hosted by the Timmins Chamber of Commerce and it takes place on Oct. 17th at noon at the Dante Club. To sign up for this event, go here. 

 

 

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