A spirited exchange between the top two Timmins mayoral candidates capped off the last debate before residents head to the polls next week.
For small business week, the Timmins Chamber of Commerce hosted a debate with the five mayoral candidates — Steve Black, Raymond Burey, Daniel Fortier, Lauchlan MacInnes, and George Pirie — at the Porcupine Dante Club.
The most heated exchange took place during the closing statements.
Incumbent Black took aim at Pirie for comments made at the mayoral debate earlier this month at O’Gorman High School.
“George brought it up again today about how our debt is growing,” said Black. “Over 66 per cent of our debt is in the wastewater treatment plant on Airport Road. At the last debate, George recommended we build a new wastewater treatment plant in the east end despite no engineering member, no ministry official or no staff member recommending we build that plant. So if we’re concerned about our debt, why are we going to go out and build another $60 to $80 million wastewater treatment plant that no one recommends, I’m not sure.”
Currently when the capacity of the system in Porcupine and South Porcupine is exceeded, sewage is bypassed into Porcupine Lake.
“In 2017, 95,471.3 cubic metres of untreated sewage discharged into Porcupine Lake from pumping stations two and three only," Pirie responded. "And once again, which is typically your trait, you tend to misrepresent everything that’s said. If we have to redo that whole facility from pumping stations to holding tanks, it could be $31 million. The point was, quit spending good money after bad, do it right and do it right the first time."
While there isn’t an official slate, Black also pointed out that Pirie has chosen to “run with a group of people that has gone against every progressive item this term.”
Black’s list of those projects includes the integrated training facility at Northern College, Stars and Thunder, the multi-use rec centre, Hollinger Park upgrades and how thick the highway asphalt is.
By attacking people running for council, Pirie questions how Black will be able to work with them, if elected.
“How will that be possible when your strategy is to continue to attack and attack and attack? I can’t possibly see where this city will ever have the opportunity to work together as it must do to advance this city to accomplish its goals when you are constantly on the attack, it makes no sense to me,” said Pirie.
Black said he’s happy to work with whoever is elected, “but I am also happy to make it clear which groups I disagree with in terms of the view for the future of the City of Timmins and the Timmins Taxpayers’ Association’s slated candidates is one of them.”
In Fortier’s closing statement, he said the old boys’ club needs to stop.
“When you start taking money from businesses and people for your campaign, then you owe them a favour later on. That is not right,” he said.
Burey stated that his platform is clear: he wants the lowest municipal taxes in the province in four years. He also wants a new bypass, to make a smart city, and “to actively seek to implement a smart mortgage for first-time home buyers and people on modest incomes.”
MacInnes wants to shift more of the tax burden onto big businesses.
“At the end of the day it’s not going to sink them and we can make improvements to the city such as easing the tax burden on people who are struggling to afford homes, we can make improvements to our infrastructure and beautify the city so that we can encourage people to move here and live here and open businesses,” he said.
Municipal election day is Monday, Oct. 22.
For more information on the election in Timmins, click here.
