Candidates vying to represent Ward 4 in the city’s next municipal term responded to questions from Algoma University political science students at Wednesday’s election forum.
When asked how they’d ensure the reasonable minimum standard of living would be met for residents, Stephan Kinach, a foreign-trained dentist, would like to address the lack of grocery stores in certain residential areas.
“Just outside of Ward 4 along downtown there’s a ‘food desert,’” he says. “People need access to groceries. Some people can’t drive, and sometimes a bus is not convenient to take to the grocery store, so what do those people do?”
Meanwhile, former city councillor David Celetti says we need a larger security presence in town.
“I’d like to see the city hire 30 more police officers for security,” he says. “There’s a lot of crime and theft in my area that needs to be dealt with. I’ve talked to the police a few times, and they say they don’t have enough force to help with that.”
Running for a fourth term on council, Marchy Bruni is hopeful the city will receive financial assistance to create more housing across town.
“Presently, we applied for government funding to build 30 to 40 more units and that should help out immensely,” he says. “Habitat for Humanity has built several homes in the last couple years. I’d also like to see if we can expand the community gardens.”
Marek McLeod, the former vice-chair of the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council, says supporting seniors is key to opening up the Sault’s housing market.
“We need to build pension-friendly and affordable apartment units and new duplexes,” he says. “Retirement rates are going up over the next 10 years, so we need smaller homes so retirees can afford them. We also need to assist developers in helping our goals to access affordable housing for senior citizens and working families.”
To address and protect the Sault’s natural environment, Kinach wants to implement a downtown pedestrian zone on the weekends.
“I would like to do a downtown pedestrian zone on the weekends from Dennis Street to East Street,” he says. This would increase the foot traffic and reduce the pollution and emissions in the downtown area, encouraging shops to stay open and help with foot traffic for bars and restaurants.”
Asked about the importance of accountability with the taxpayers, Celetti says the downtown plaza has been a massive disappointment to the citizens of the community.
“They’re taking taxpayers dollars to build it,” he says. “Just down the street you see a failing mall, and yet you have them wanting to build this plaza. Why not take the $14 million to fix our roads where we need it? The plaza isn’t going to get off the ground anyway, it’s going to fail.”
As the only Indigenous candidate in this election, Marek McLeod is committed to applying the Calls to Action as recognized by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
“Call to Action number 43, which is implementing the United Nations declaration of rights for Indigenous peoples, can be implemented into our city’s framework for reconciliation,” he says. “I’m making the commitment if elected, within my first year as councillor, to make sure this call to action is implemented in this city – it is long overdue."
When asked how he’d improve the city’s roadways, Bruni says more investments need to be made in improving the quality and safety of our roads.
“We need to improve our infrastructure,” he says. “We’re spending approximately 16 million dollars a dollar a year on major roads and bridges – that’s not enough. We need to spend at least 25 million a year. Each year, our roads are deteriorating at a faster rate.”
Voters will head to the polls on Monday, Oct. 24 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.