There are a few things to prepare yourself for in 2016 so tighten your belt and hold onto your hat. Those women who have not yet adopted a belt, gird up your skirts as best you can. I have neither consulted Wiarton Willie nor the Farmer’s Almanac and have no sources on the ‘inside’ so errors and omissions are entirely mine.
Look for interest rates to rise. We need a change in our monetary policy to get the economy out of the doldrums and there is no room to lower rates. Despite reports - taken out of context - that our man in the Bank of Canada mentioned below zero rates, it just will not happen. I am not sure how that works in any case since there is no way the banks are going to pay you to borrow money. Oh, they often talk that way, saying you are richer than you think and so on but trust me, you aren’t. When that credit card reaches maximum it stops working. Higher mortgage rates will slow the sale of houses on the hill, saddening developers whose newly serviced lots sit empty.
Expect a new committee to study the Mayor’s Plan - Part II. The elder councillor will head this committee since he has the creds from the water billing fiasco. This time he will look at the Mayor’s (who is giving him these ideas?) Plan to sell the main arteries in the city to a toll road company. This idea, although looking not unlike the plan to pluck the North Bay Hydro goose, may actually come from the Premier who will try it in the GTA. You know, the Electric Lady who moved the gas plants and sold off Ontario Hydro shares to cover up the deficits. The sale of the roadways will raise an additional 3 million dollars per year over the next twenty years at which time the Mayor will retire. I mean retire the debt.
Just imagine the revenue the City could collect from each vehicle, including electric bikes, pedal bicycles and motorized wheelchairs as they use Lakeshore, Fisher, Cassells, Airport and Algonquin. Each vehicle in the city would be required to have an electronic transponder that will count and charge for road usage. Like the water and electric meters, they will be installed free of charge by an American contractor but any maintenance will be at the user’s expense. The accounting department will eventually work the bugs out of the contractor’s billing system, so do not worry about that.
A final amendment to the plan will see the senior councillor exempt the motorized wheelchairs from the tolls, again improving his stature on council. The toll company will be responsible for road surface maintenance but any excavating for sewer and water repairs will be at the City’s cost. With a penalty for lost tollage, the City will complete these jobs most expeditiously.
Good news on the egg front. With the cost of eggs rising due to the world-wide demand for more humane un-caging of laying fowl, the City will consider a motion from councillor A to allow residents to raise chickens in their yards. There will be a maximum number of chickens per yard and all roosters must be neutered or cooked limiting their urge to crow at early hours. There is some danger in this by-law as pointed out by councillor V that people may soon want goats, cows and sheep in their yards. The would-be bylaw will go to a committee headed by - you guessed it - not the deputy.
Gasoline prices in the City will continue their higher than average provincial prices. The refinery owners will lament that their hands are tied - if only the Energy East plan had passed muster! On the subject of crude oil, CP will upgrade its line through North Bay, sending long trains of oil tankers through the downtown. The plan to delay the Lakeshore overpass repair or leveling the road will stretch into years and traffic from the Ferris region will adapt to using the Hwy 11 bypass (thus avoiding some City road tolls).
A frightening rumour that the City will attempt to lure an unnamed Junior B team to the West Ferris arena to cover the costs of replacing a) the roof or b) the whole arena is only a ploy to encourage Canadore to proceed with their plan for an ice surface that will not cost the city one penny.
An environmental assessment to repair, remove, shorten or improve the wharf at King’s Landing will stall in council committee and become an election issue in the next municipal hat toss. Any hope of a grant from the Provincial government will face a similar stalling as the northern electoral areas lobby to become part of southern Ontario. (That municipal election will attract many new faces since the higher stipend definitely appeals to people who have a sense of Civic duty.)
The Ring of Fire will continue to smolder but will eventually be known as the Circle of Smoke and Mirrors. The census numbers will not be encouraging for North Bay but the Province, in an effort to save money, will not post the new lower numbers on the outskirts of the City. Costco and Red Lobster will not open branches here. The former Zellers / Target store will become a distribution center for Amazon’s on-line shopping service. More mall stores will close. Food prices will rise. Again.
The good news is that the ski hill will remain open although “ownership” may change. A plan by the City to market the facility with special Winter on the Hill events will take over from the Summer in the Park money-loser although finding bands to play outdoors in winter will be a challenge. In 2018 the City will try to negotiate with the Battalion to use their arena for the concerts as only the Frozen Mummies offered to play at the 2017 event on the ski hill.
And finally, the Provincial Liberals will relent and allow six packs of beer to be sold in grocery stores located in Conservative and NDP ridings.
