North Bay’s mayor and deputy mayor look ahead to 2022
The calendar is flipping to 2022 and with it comes changes at the municipal level in North Bay.
Mayor Al McDonald will not be seeking re-election and deputy mayor Tanya Vrebosch has her sights on Queen’s Park, planning to run to become Nipissing MPP next June.
Both are looking back at 2021 and looking forward to what’s to come before council’s term ends.
“The confidence level in our community is off the charts,” said McDonald.
He said besides navigating through the COVID-19 pandemic, the issue of homelessness, drugs and mental health on city streets has been a struggle to get a handle on.
“We developed a community and well-being plan that we’re bringing together to make a difference in that side of things,” said McDonald. “Mostly all good, but some challenges as you can imagine.”
The mayor touts record building numbers, a booming TV and film industry and the construction of basketball courts behind the transit commission.
In 2022, expect a new face at the helm. McDonald confirmed earlier in the year that he has no intentions to seek re-election.
“If I look back over my 12 years, it was a pleasure to serve and the citizens have been fantastic,” he said. “I’m going to miss the people and miss the staff.”
For her part, Vrebosch said the two big projects she wants to check off the list are the Cassellholme redevelopment project and building a new twin-pad hockey arena.
“We cleaned up and made sure we had a balanced 10-year capital budget," she said.
"It’s been a struggle over the last four years with those two projects, but I think what we’ve come up with going forward in the new budget is going to give us Cassellholme and the community centre."
Vrebosch will be seeking a seat at Queen’s Park in the June election. She’s running for the Ontario Liberals.
“As a politician at the municipal level, it’s where you get stuck,” she said. “I can work on bridges, roads and parks, and playgrounds. I can work on those. What I hear from the average person is mental health, addictions and crime.”
Both McDonald and Vrebosch said the city is in good shape as we flip the calendar to 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Prince William and Kate release photo of daughter Charlotte to mark ninth birthday
Prince William and his wife Kate released a picture of their daughter Charlotte to mark the princess's ninth birthday on Thursday.
This Canadian restaurant just lowered its prices. Here's how it did it
A Canadian restaurant lowered its prices this week, and though news of price tags dropping rather than climbing sounds unusual, the business strategy in this case is not, according to experts in the field.
Concerns about Plexiglas prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall Plexiglas barriers.
'Oh, there you go': Tyler Black, son of veteran broadcaster Rod Black, has memorable Major League Baseball debut
Canadian baseball player Tyler Black made a major splash in his first-ever big league game for the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night.
Groundbreaking American guitarist Duane Eddy dies age 86
Guitarist Duane Eddy, best known for twangy riffs on hits such as 'Rebel Rouser' and 'Cannonball,' has died at the age of 86.
Facial reconstruction reveals what a 40-something Neanderthal woman may have looked like
Scientists studying a Neanderthal woman's remains have painstakingly pieced together her skull from 200 bone fragments to understand what she may have looked like.
Weight-loss drug Wegovy available in Canada starting May 6
The makers of Ozempic say their weight-loss drug Wegovy will be available to patients in Canada starting Monday.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Goring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
Ontario man loses $1,500 applying for Nexus cards on social media
The trusted traveller program between Canada and the United States is extremely popular and almost two million Canadians have a Nexus card.