With the swearing-in of Michelle Boileau as mayor, it was another historical night in Timmins council chambers.
For the first time in the city's history, the mayoral chain of office was handed from one woman — Kristin Murray — to another.
"That’s progress,” said Boileau, choking up, during her inaugural address after she and other members of council, except for Murray who was not present, took their oath of office.
“So though we can celebrate this moment in history we should not settle and we cannot settle for minimal progress. We have to continue to empower each other. We have to empower ourselves. Because there are significant economic opportunities presenting themselves at our doorsteps and we have to have the courage to seize them. There’s tremendous potential for growth in Timmins, we have to make sure that any and all development is responsible, inclusive and sustainable,” she said.
There are familiar faces as well as new people taking a seat at the table for the next term. The councillors are Rock Whissell in Ward 1, who was acclaimed, Lorne Feldman in Ward 2, Bill Gvozdanovic in Ward 3, John Curley in Ward 4, and Murray, Steve Black, Andrew Marks and Cory Robin in Ward 5.
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In her inaugural address, Boileau talked about the need for more housing, healthcare, and community safety.
“Most people want to live in a community that’s concerned about its wellbeing. And quite frankly, we need more people to want to live here,” she said.
Economic growth can be expected for the region, said Boileau.
“If we continue to responsibly embrace our fate in the natural resources and secondary sectors we will see positive development and prosperity. And, I don’t know about you, but I get very excited when I hear talk about the green economy because I know in Timmins that we’re well poised to participate in it,” she said.
She noted the importance of being stewards of the lands, of the resources it provides and of the people living from them.
While seizing opportunities to develop and diversify the economy, she said the real effect of the climate crisis and what that means locally has to be in sight.
"I believe we can address our social issues all while building state-of-the-art facilities and infrastructure. With the right political judgment, we shouldn’t have to compromise what’s important to us,” she said.
In delivering the reply to the inaugural address, Marks echoed a lot of the forward-thinking sentiments of Boileau.
“The citizens of Timmins are looking to each of us for our leadership and abilities to make their lives a little bit easier; to make their neighbourhoods a little bit safer; to make their community a thriving city and to manage all of the assets of this great city responsibly,” he said.
During the municipal election campaign, Marks noted some additional items that all council members heard about such as improved roads, more recreational facilities for youth and more communication and transparency at city hall.
"Over the next four years we have an opportunity to work together and make decisions that will have a lasting impact on generations to come. It is my hope that as a team we can create a direction that will indeed move our city — a place we call home, the place we all live in — forward. I use that term forward as a word that describes a community that is making the tough decisions for the future past our four-year term of office,” he said.
This story was originally published on TimminsToday on Nov. 15, 2022.
