KIRKLAND LAKE, ON – It has been quite the ride for Kirkland Lake’s Mayor Bill Enouy.
Enouy, the town’s long time mayor of 14 years is retiring and will not be seeking re-election in this fall’s upcoming municipal elections.
On reflecting back at his time as mayor, Enouy said being mayor was never a ‘me’ thing for him but rather a ‘we’ thing.
“I have been fortunate enough to work with great councils and wonderful people,” Enouy said. “A mayor is only as good as the people that are around them and I was fortunate to have all these great people around me.”
Enouy explained that he began his political career in 1984, when he was first elected as a councilor, a position he held until the year 2000.
It was then, after 16 years in council, that he decided he was ready to become mayor of Kirkland Lake.
“I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to serve four terms as mayor,” Enouy said.
In looking back, Enouy is proud of his accomplishments as mayor.
“In 2000, when I was first elected, the town was not in real good shape,” Enouy expressed. “We were suffering economically. We had a tough go but we worked together and got the town going again.”
He said in January 2001, he facilitated the arrival of KL Gold into town as well as Northgate Mining (now Aurico Gold) to begin mining in Kirkland Lake, after the previous mines closed down in 1998.
He said he is proud he helped open a new Retirement Residence (TPR) during his time as mayor.
Enouy also saw the Festivals Committee founded in 2001, helping to bring big acts to Kirkland Lake as part of its Winter Carnival every February and Homecoming the last week of June every year.
“Council had made progress over the years to make Kirkland Lake a better place to be,” Enouy said, “And we are still working for that.”
Enouy explained some of the biggest things he is most proud of during his tenure as mayor were the development of Kinross Park, the Splash Park, and the current plans to retrofit and develop a new swimming pool, and the redevelopment/update of Civic Stadium.
“I am also proud that we were able to obtain funds for the new $35-million sewage plant facility,” Enouy added.
Enouy said during his time as mayor he is proud that the city renovated the Community Complex, and that Hockey Heritage North is currently under renovations to become a conference centre, and that a new hotel, the Micotel Inn, is also currently under construction.
Enouy explained that the city received a lot of infrastructure money over the years that went into fixing many of Kirkland Lake’s roads with new sewer and water lines.
“When we re-do roads, we re-do the whole thing,” Enouy said.
Enouy is also proud to have facilitated the arrival of Rosko Forestry to Kirkland Lake, and the petition with the Ministry of Transportation to make HWY 66 as part of the Trans Canada Highway.
He believes because of that designation the highway was completely redone from Matheson to the Quebec border, and a bike path installed from Kenogami to KL.
Enouy said a new project will be starting shortly in partnership with the city of Kapuskasing, which he is very proud of.
“We will be installing solar panels on Archer Drive, which will be revenue generated
for the town,” Enouy expressed. “It will net the town over $100 000 a year in revenue.”
Enouy said that another good/bad story for him was a new Veteran Affairs building that was built recently.
He said the old building remains empty, while the new building is full.
“But the old building will be functioning again soon in town,” Enouy added. “We are working with people to turn that back into a functional building, something that the new council will be working on.”
Enouy said the he sees KL continuing to be a mining and forestry town for years to come.
“Mining is a non-renewable resource,” Enouy said. “There are still some old properties with a lot of gold in it. I see a good future for it that should last for the next 25 years.”
He said the service sector continues to be really good.
“We don’t create retail, we facilitate it,” Enouy said. “The marketplace takes care of it itself.”
Enouy said he has worked hard to make Kirkland Lake more attractive for people to live.
“I see more and more young people coming to live in KL,” Enouy said.
For quite some time there was no work here for young people. We were a youth outmigration community, now we see a lot more coming back, and we are more of an immigration town, and that is a good thing.
When asked why he decided to retire, Enouy said the time was right to step away from politics.
“In a small town, you have to fight a lot and over the years I’ve lost my fire,” Enouy said. “I am 68 years old and it is time to let new blood take over.”
He said, he and his wife plan to go for a four-month holiday at the end of November when his term finishes; and from there he will see what happens.
Enouy is grateful for the people of Kirkland Lake who are always very easy to deal with.
“For me it has never been a ‘me’ thing being mayor but rather a ‘we’ thing,” Enouy said. “We have good people working in KL all doing the best for our town.”
