Christian Gammon-Roy
Tribune
West Nipissing voters were able to watch and hear their municipal election candidates go head-to-head on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, October 13 and 14 – just in time for online voting. Presented by the North Bay and Area Realtors Association, Wild North Events and Riverwolf Ent., the debates were held at Marcel Noël Hall in Sturgeon Falls over the two evenings, and also livestreamed and uploaded online for people to watch at home. Wards 1 through 4 candidates, save one, were present on the first night, while most wards 6 through 8 hopefuls debated on the second night, and mayoral candidates were present for both events. Both Ward 5 candidates, Kati Nicol and Chris Fisher, were absent, jointly deciding to attend a Golden Age club dinner in Field instead. Ward 2 candidate Roch St-Louis, Ward 6 candidate Blake Watson, Ward 7 candidate Jeanette Laurin and Ward 8 candidate Jo-Anne Cardinal also could not attend.
Alain Gingras, owner of both RiverWolf Ent. and Wild North Events, was present on both nights to provide technical expertise and keep things running smoothly. He explains that while he got a lot of the logistics and preparation done, people have Jolene Greer, Executive Director of the North Bay and Area Realtors Association to thank for sponsoring the event, and for facilitating talks with the municipality to get use of the hall. “It’s been a trip, we did it all in a week-and-a-half,” Gingras states, mentioning that people were eager for a debate, and he is pleased that they managed to make it happen even on short notice.
The first night saw roughly 150 people attend in-person, and according to Gingras, livestream viewers numbered around 160. Moderator Daniel Stevens explained the rules and allowed each candidate to give a one-minute introduction before asking topical questions to the entire panel, giving each candidate one minute to answer. The very first question touched on cost of living and taxes, and most candidates suggested finding efficiencies in the current budget and seeking provincial and federal funds to supplement the municipality’s infrastructure investments. A few incumbents added some details about changes made to the budget process during last term, highlighting that passing the budget earlier means they can get tenders out earlier in the season, when contractors are competing to fill up their seasonal work calendars and more likely to give lower rates.
