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Local man tells Council that the numbers don't lie

"It's going to be our children that will have to pay the debt that City Council is putting us in."
Neal McNamara 2016-12-19
Neal McNamara addresses North Bay City Council Monday. Photo by Stu Campaigne.

A riveting presentation by a trained forensic investigator who claims that the City's debt was well on its way to reaching $100 million left most of North Bay City Council speechless Monday evening.

"One of us is very right. And, one of us is very wrong. I can tell you, I've had a career in investigations and intelligence, and I've done my homework. I wouldn't come here today to present any information that I didn't think was correct," said Neal McNamara following his appearance before city councillors.

McNamara has lived more than half of his life in North Bay. The 34-year-old family man, like many in his age bracket, has had to leave the area to find meaningful work. 

In his address to City Council Monday, McNamara spoke for the able and work-ready, yet disillusioned segment of the citizenry that are seeking greener pastures because of the bleak economic forecast at here.

See his entire presentation here. Go to the 1:12:40 mark Committee Meeting - December 19, 2016

A former military policeman, McNamara is currently a business student at Nipissing University, while also undergoing rehabilitation for injuries suffered in Afghanistan while serving as a member of the Canadian Armed Forces. 

McNamara also found time in his busy schedule to research and crunch numbers from what documents were available on the City's website. McNamara made it a point during his presentation to suggest that not all of the documents he sought were readily available.

Prior to his presentation Monday, McNamara also penned an opinion piece that was posted on BayToday's homepage.

Asked if he feels there is a future for his family in North Bay, McNamara replied, "I would love to stay in North Bay, it's my hometown, we'll see what the cards hold in a couple of years."

McNamara remained firm in his stance following questioning by Coun. Chris Mayne about the veracity of his debt figures, and steadfast in the face of a heated exchange with Deputy Mayor Sheldon Forgette. Members of the gallery hissed their disapproval. Mayor Al McDonald regained control of the meeting, and there were no further questions.

McNamara repeated his claims about the growing debt in a post-meeting interview. "It's about to hit $100 million. I know the Mayor and the Deputy Mayor don't seem to like my numbers, but I noticed my numbers are better than the numbers the Taxpayers' Association put out recently."

Even if the numbers aren't precise, McNamara feels that the growing debt is "way too high. Whether we're talking $80 million, $90 million or $100 million, that's a lot of money." 

"When you look at the current budget, and the City is borrowing $30 million or using the one-time sale of North Bay Hydro to cover their spending level, well that's driving us further into debt. Thirty million a year they're borrowing just to cover the current level of expenses, so I don't know where they think we're going to come up with $100 million to pay it back," said McNamara.

McNamara feels that a lack of financial awareness among the general population has contributed to the spiraling economic reality. McNamara points to MPP Vic Fedeli's recent call for the improvement of financial literacy as an example of how the system of checks and balances in regards to government spending has been neutralized by apathy.

"People didn't get that financial education. Most people don't know what 'debentures' mean. So, when they hear these terms, they are not quantifiable or tangible," to the layperson.

"What we hear and what we feel is a tax increase, so when our property taxes go up, that's what we notice. When hydro goes up, that's what we notice. We don't notice debentures. We don't notice the $8.65 million that debentures that will cost us, I believe, $180,000 per month in principal and interest payments for the next 20 years," concluded McNamara.


Stu Campaigne

About the Author: Stu Campaigne

Stu Campaigne is a full-time news reporter for BayToday.ca, focusing on local politics and sharing our community's compelling human interest stories.
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