Tanya Vrebosch: My primary focus has and will remain infrastructure renewal and maintenance. It continues to be the number one area of importance when speaking with the residents.
After attending numerous debates/meet and greets, one-on-ones, and campaigning door to door, the main thing that stands out is people asking for new services/infrastructure or enhancements to existing services/infrastructure. Even some of the simple asks require funds. People want to see us invest more in arts and culture, find better transit routes, have more winter maintenance on the roads and sidewalks, fix more roads, build more (sidewalks, bike lanes, multi-pad community centre with an indoor turf), and adopt new technologies (ability to get their bills online, ability to provide online feedback on community issues etc.).
Previous councils have already cut almost all of the “low hanging fruit.” This leaves us with tough choices at budget time, including deciding on major service cuts, increasing taxes and attempting to grow the city’s population in order to increase our tax base. My focus this next term will be to grow the city’s population base and focusing on filling the existing job vacancies is the first priority.
Dave Mendicino is pledging, when elected, to lead a think tank of key community partners to address mental health and addiction issues in the community.
“This is a key issue we must act on immediately," Mendicino said. "I have spent the last months and weeks in discussions with the citizens of North Bay as well as the groups and agencies dealing with the problems that stem from the lack of a cohesive plan.”
"Within the first 100 days, we will develop a comprehensive plan to provide proper and timely support and assistance for those in need," Mendicino said.
The provincial and federal governments have already committed $3.8 billion in funding for mental health and addiction issues and Mendicino believes North Bay needs to be ready with a full proposal when applications are being accepted.
Together we will develop a plan that is focused, coordinated and easy to fund.
Arlene Phillips: North Bay can hope to attract and create businesses of a smaller to medium size. If we work towards growing our youth, towards meeting market niches and having an innovation central area where new and existing, small businesses can start /flourish would be our best plan. In creating an innovation centre, we will help to find what people need, such as access to capital or markets or equipment and address did and did not work at the business incubation in downtown North Bay. This is to retain and attract citizens and businesses to North Bay so that we have a tax base to continue to provide services.
The city needs to expand bus service back into rural areas and at the boundaries of neighbouring communities. I would like to see more connecting routes to bike paths, making it safer for non-motorized travel. Our sidewalks and roadways need to safe for travel, especially in the winter months.
We need to continue to modernize/renew infrastructure. When new housing developments go up, sidewalks/safe/accessible travel areas are required for people who do not use non-motorized methods.
I take the approach that Government is not business. Government is making sure that we have resources we require and make them affordable, available to all. I look forward to working with and for the citizens of North Bay.
Don Rennick: The population of North Bay peaked in 1991 at 55,400, has never reached that level since and currently stands at 51,500. This is in stark contrast to numerous consultants reports (ordered by city council and paid for by taxpayers) indicating that our population will rise to over 56,000 by 2036. Over the last eight years, a dozen organizations have left North Bay or reduced staff. Council members, to my knowledge, took no responsibility for this exodus or these layoffs but during this campaign are suggesting that they could somehow turn this all around. The sad fact is that they have no real plans to do this and stopping the bleeding is the most that can be hoped for. Regardless of whether one agrees with this sentiment, growth is only a very small portion of the solution to the tax burden facing North Bay taxpayers.
On average over the past five years, the yearly increase in city operating expenses has been approximately $2 million. In order to have everyone pay the same taxes as the previous year, in other words, to offset the effects of that increase in city operating expenses, it would require $150 million in new residential assessment. That is equivalent to building 375 homes worth $400,000 in one year. As of May 2018, the value of building permits in North Bay for all new construction including residential, institutional, commercial and industrial was $12.1 million and that projects to possibly $25 million for the whole year.
Additionally, if by some miracle we could realize $150 million in new assessment in any one year, we would have to repeat the same feat the following year in order to offset the $2 million increase for that year and ad infinitum. Clearly, new growth will not correct our main problem which is spending beyond our means and spending in areas which are not beneficial to current citizens. There are ways to reduce city operating expenses, which I have noted in my campaign platform. These will reduce the increases in taxes, water, and hydro bills hopefully may promote some future growth.
If elected, I intend to promote zero tax levy increases for the next two years using excessive discretionary reserves that council has allowed to accumulate while concentrating on reducing our operating expenses on a more permanent basis.
Neal McNamara:
A famous boxer, “Iron” Mike Tyson had a saying that “everyone has a plan until you get punched in the face”. If ever there was an analogy that aptly described the situation North Bay has been facing over the last few years and right now, it is that. Job losses, declining and aging population, school closures, the selling off of our city assets just to keep the lights on, etc, etc.
North Bay has been getting punched in the face again and again and again. And when you’re too busy being punched in the face, you’re not preparing or planning or re-evaluating or going on the offence.
We need to step forward into the many problems our city faces and start punching back. Leaders have a duty to help the city of North Bay and its families and individuals fight back against the many obstacles set in our path.
It is possible to have economic growth, cut wasteful spending and find efficiencies. It is possible to support and assist staff of the various city departments, get more bang for our tax bucks and provide a greater quality of life for all of our citizens. It is possible to stabilize our declining economy and help our citizens pay less tax and save more money for their families.
Over the course of this election campaign I’ve heard quite a few candidates say again and again that we all just need to be more positive and that positivity will bring about success. I believe that when leaders find a way to achieve results even while getting punched in the face, then we will have something to be positive about.
