North Bay’s mayor and deputy mayor look ahead to 2022

North Bay -

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.