Don Curry, executive director of the North Bay and District Multicultural Centre, convinced City Council to support an effort to allow permanent residents to vote in municipal and school board elections on Monday. PHOTO BY LIAM BERTI
The city is supporting a push to allow permanent residents to vote in municipal and school board elections.
Don Curry, the executive director of the North Bay and District Multicultural Centre, stepped in front of City Council on Monday night to urge the politicians to support allowing permanent residents to vote municipally.
Accompanied by a video featuring a myriad of community leaders backing the idea, Curry's message seemed to get through after Coun. Mike Anthony later put forward a successful motion that shows the city’s support in the Multicultural Centre’s request.
“I believe it’s worth looking at because I understand these folks do pay taxes, they do invest here, and it can also be an attraction to them when they are considering moving to a Northern Ontario city," Anthony said after the vote.
Council passed the motion with an 8-2 vote, which calls for a letter of support to be sent to Premier Kathleen Wynne and other various bodies in the provincial government.
The province holds the ultimate decision for the change to be made.
“We’re trying to get as many municipalities as possible to support this motion,” Curry said after the meeting. “That would put a little bit of pressure on the provincial government, which I understand is in support of it, so we could see change coming if not in the next provincial election, then maybe the one after.
“It’s much more effective when it comes from a municipal council, rather than me as an individual or the organization," Curry added. "This is the City of North Bay talking now.”
The potential provincial amendment is intended to promote fairness to the permanent residents, who work, pay municipal taxes and contribute financially, culturally and socially in the community.
“Permanent residents are citizens in every sense of the word, except they can’t vote and they can't have a Canadian passport,” Curry said simply.
The respective municipalities do not have the power to put the change into affect themselves, but the support and pressure on the provincial government is growing throughout the province.
Curry cited other cities like Toronto and Hamilton passing similar motions requesting to amend the Municipal Elections Act, as did the City of Halifax and the City of Hamilton.
He also said Guelph, Kitchener and Kingston are anticipated to do the same, among others.
“By approving a motion similar to that of Toronto City Council, North Bay will be sending the message that it remains a welcoming city and that it embraces immigration,” Curry wrote in a letter submitted to the council prior to the meeting.
“It would provide a significant boost to the city’s immigrant-attraction initiatives and would be welcomed by employers attempting to lure internationally trained people to the city,” he added.
In 2007, the city adopted an immigration plan which, in addition to forming the North Bay Newcomer Network in 2005, was put in place as a long term initiative to address declining birth rates, an aging population and youth out-migration in the area.
Curry and his colleagues said the city’s support is a big step in maintaining their leadership when it comes to immigration in Northern Ontario.
“North Bay is the only community [in Northern Ontario] that has been asked to support this motion, so I think North Bay’s on top of its game as far as immigration goes,” he said after the vote.
He also said that this would enhance North Bay’s competitive edge among other towns for an influx of new immigrants.
“Immigration is a competitive business in Northern Ontario; every city, town and village wants immigrants because of the youth leaving and the aging population,” he said after the meeting. “This is one more thing that helps us compete.
“Immigration is the only source of growth for labour in the next few decades in Canada, so the more immigrants we have, the more businesses are going to be able to thrive right here in North Bay,” he added.
City staff and the Multicultural Centre recently created a list of 67 first generation newcomer-owned businesses in town, many of which are owned by residents who are not yet Canadian citizens.
Those who are seeking Canadian citizenship now also face longer than ever waiting times depending on the point system, sometimes waiting for decades, Curry said. At the most recent citizenship ceremony at the waterfront last Canada Day, one person in particular had waited 30 years.
At last estimate, Curry and his team said there are approximately 3,500 immigrants in the North Bay area, 500-1,000 of which are permanent residents that would be eligible to vote if the change was adopted.
“Approximately 46 per cent of qualified voters actually voted in the last North Bay municipal election,” Curry wrote. “It is logical to assume that anything the city can do to increase the number of people voting is good for democracy. In fact, it’s hard to imagine what could be lost by trying.”
Curry originally brought a similar recommendation before council in July 2013, but after city staff supported the proposal in a report, it was never acted upon by the council of the day.
But two years later, Curry and company's request has been supported.
