The first candidate out of the gate in the Ward 1 councillor race is the incumbent.
Rock Whissell has filed for re-election to Timmins city council. He is currently serving his first term on council representing Ward 1 (Mountjoy).
Nominations for the municipal election started May 2 and are open until Aug. 19. Election day is Oct. 24.
Born and raised in Timmins, Whissell and his wife Sylvie have two sons, Bailey and Jaden. He is the maintenance electrician for District School Board Ontario North East. He is the current president of the Porcupine District Agricultural Society, which runs the fall fair, and has been a board member for 20 years. He has also been in charge of the Mountjoy Farmers’ Market for the past four years.
He has enjoyed his first term as a councillor. “I liked the fact that I could work on some positive changes to improve our community,” he said. “With four years of experience, going back to city hall, hopefully I can help make some bigger changes throughout the whole city.”
As a councillor, he has served on the boards for the Mattagami Region Conservation Authority, Municipal Non-Profit Housing, the Porcupine Health Unit, and Comite de liaison francophone (Francophone Liaison Committee). He said good planning is vital for the city’s future.
“For the city in general, I think infrastructure is probably one of the biggest issues for the next four to five years,” Whissell said. “For our roads, shave and pave should be the next priority.
“But also having a future plan with five-year to 10-year commitments — for things like building a new fire hall, or maybe renovations to city hall. By having plans in place so we can actually apply for grants and apply for funding from the province or the federal government.
“I think we should be planning a little further ahead so we’re not always reacting to the situation at the moment.”
After volunteering for former Mayor George Pirie’s successful election win as MPP, Whissell is looking forward to his own campaign.
“I’ve got a good team in Ward 1,” he said. “I’ve got positive people behind me continuing to push me to do well in my ward.”
He said he considered running for mayor, but wants to continue his work in Ward 1. So far, he is backing Councillor Michelle Boilleau’s bid for mayor.
“The mayor position is something I might look at in the future,” Whissell said. “I have confidence in Michelle that she is fully capable of doing the job. I would have no issues being a councillor under Michelle’s supervision for the next four years.”
He is encouraging others to get involved in municipal politics. “I’m hoping people will step up,” he said. “We need a strong council to support a new mayor. We know we need councillors to work together. We have big opportunities coming forward for the City of Timmins.”
In Timmins, one councillor is elected in Wards 1 (Mountjoy), 2 (South Porcupine), 3 (Schumacher) and 4 (Porcupine). Ward 5 (Timmins) is represented by four councillors.
There are currently two candidates filed for Ward 2: incumbent Mickey Auger and Marcus Niebler. Michelle Boilleau is currently the only candidate for mayor.
There are currently three school board candidates for English Public Trustee: Mark Clemence, Bob Brush and Stephen Meunier.
There are two school board candidates for French Public Trustee: Liliane Frances and Nicole Arcand.
There is one school board candidate for French Separate Trustee: Langis Dion.
There are two school board candidates for English Separate Trustee, Colleen Landers and Ron MacInnis.