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Ward 4 councillor hopefuls share their priorities

Four candidates vying for seat
2018-10-13 WArd 4 candidates MH
Ward 4 candidates Pat Bamford, left, John Curley, David Shale and Jessica Trudel at the Timmins Chamber of Commerce debate held at Northern College. Maija Hoggett/TimminsToday

Porcupine Lake, fiscal management and having a welcoming community are among the goals for the candidates in the Ward 4 race.

Council hopefuls in wards 2, 3 and 4 had a chance to share their vision with voters at Northern College for the Timmins Chamber of Commerce’s debate.

Here are some of the highlights from the opening and closing statements from the Ward 4 (Porcupine) candidates:

Pat Bamford is the Ward 4 incumbent.

He said he has a record of being well-prepared for thoughtful debate, and has a list of priorities for the future.

“We must complete the Connecting Link highway from Harold to King, we must maintain the economic momentum in the industrial rail park for jobs and economic growth in this end of the city, we must resolve the issue with pump station 4 expeditiously, we must eliminate the lagoon west of Bob’s lake as scheduled, and we must upgrade the Whitney wastewater treatment plant to reduce phosphates in the Porcupine River, and we must consider the financial feasibility of dredging the shores of Porcupine Lake and Porcupine River,” he said.

John Curley has sat on council before, however in this race he is seeking the Ward 4 seat, whereas in the past he represented Ward 2.

“My main goal is to convince every candidate here tonight, tomorrow night and all the mayors to agree on priority projects. A priority project for this city has to be the east end sewage pumping, there’s no getting around that, it has to be done,” said Curley.

A council willing to work together also has to be a priority.

“You can have your difference of opinion, but you have to be able to hold the line, work together to move this city forward,” said Curley.

He also talked about infrastructure and taking another look at a time when there were dollars allocated to each ward to work a street in that section.

In the 30 years David Shale has been in Timmins, he said he’s watched the city slowly deteriorate.

He noted there aren’t any banks left in South Porcupine, and a major parking issue downtown Timmins.

At the council table, he wants a return to the committee system and council meeting once a week.

“A lot of the bureaucrats at city hall have forgotten who they work for, they work for us, we don’t work for them and that’s one of the biggest problems we see,” he said.

Being conservative financially, he is promising to bring down the city’s debt.

“We’ve got to get back to the basics of municipal government,” said Shale. “I will promise fiscal management to reflect what we can afford as citizens of Timmins.”

This is the second time Jessica Trudel is running for city council.

While she didn’t win a seat in that election, she pointed out that she’s the only newcomer from 2014 running again.

“I’m not running on a whim, this is something I’m very serious about and I’m very committed to,” she said.  

Her vision includes people having an affordable home to live in, clean waterways and green spaces, and everyone who wants a job has one.

“I envision a Timmins where small, medium and home-based businesses are set up for success. I envision a Timmins that is age friendly, disability friendly and welcoming to all regardless of their origin. I envision a Timmins where everyone can feel safe and healthy and financially secure,” she told the audience.

More on what the Ward 2 candidates had to say at the debate is available here, with the Ward 3 candidate highlights here.

Last week, the chamber held a debate for the mayoral candidates at O’Gorman High School. You can read about that here.

Read more on the Timmins election here.


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Maija Hoggett

About the Author: Maija Hoggett

Maija Hoggett is an experienced journalist who covers Timmins and area
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