Council hopefuls had their first chance to publicly get a feel for what the community is looking for in the next term.
The Timmins Chamber of Commerce revealed the results of its a Timmins that Works – Election 2018 Community Vision survey at the McIntyre Curling Club tonight.
More than 100 people filled out the survey, which chamber board member Melanie Verrault explained asked two questions: what does your ideal or most beautiful Timmins look like, and what steps do we need to take in order to get there?
The chamber identified five key trends in the responses.
They are economic concerns, better infrastructure, addressing social issues, inclusivity, and supporting community engagement.
For the local economy, Verrault said there was a lot of concern about the money lost at Stars and Thunder, as well as about the proposed new aquatic centre.
"Members of the community expressed that the property taxes have increased drastically in the last few years,” she said.
“Many community members have stated that because of the taxes being so high that they feel it is very difficult and almost not even affordable to continue living in Timmins.”
When it comes to roads, she explained “the concern is having repairs done before they become a major problem within the city.”
Alleviating social issues was also highlighted.
“The main concern for many of our community members is addressing the high volume of addictions, mental health and homelessness issues around the Timmins area. The community would like to see improved programs and services to help those in need,” she said.
To be more inclusive, she summarized the desire to work with Indigenous groups and surrounding areas to develop a plan, as well as create more opportunities for the youth to be involved in the community.
All of the candidates running for a seat at the Timmins council table were invited to attend the discussion. It was also open to members of the public, who were able to voice their concerns.
Francine Allaby told the crowd that when people go to council they should be able to speak their mind, and aired her frustration about how Stars and Thunder came about.
“The public wasn’t aware what was going on until it was all set up then after that we couldn’t do nothing about that. So I think that the most important thing is that the public should be aware of things like that, not just the council and its mayor,” she said.
Other comments from the audience were for improved customer service at businesses and for leaders to set a more positive tone. There was also a suggestion for support to expand the art scene, such as through a city grant program.
After the meeting, Timmins Chamber of Commerce board president Nancy Mageau said this is the first time the organization has done something like this.
“It would have been great if we would have had more community involvement, but for the amount of people that did turn out and the councillors and mayors that are running, it’s a good platform for them to hopefully build on when they are running their campaign,” she said.
“We’re hoping that whatever we could bring to the table would help benefit the candidates in being informed on what the actual issues are out there in the community.”
There are three chances for people to hear candidates debate next month.
Thursday, Oct. 4 is a meet the candidates night and mayoral debate at O’Gorman High School.
There will be a meet and greet with the councillor candidates in the common area/cafeteria from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., followed by the mayoral debate in the theatre from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 10 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. there is a debate at Northern College for councillor candidates in Wards 2, 3 and 4.
The following night, Oct. 11, there is a debate for candidates running in Wards 1 and 5.
