THUNDER BAY -- Questions were as varied as the candidates Tuesday at the Moose Hall.
With 18 at-large candidates and all six mayoral candidates present for the Lakehead Labour Council's forum, the public spent more than an hour-and-a-half asking council hopefuls their opinion on everything from what should be done to protect the Loch Lomond watershed to how city hall can be more accountable and transparent.
Transparency was a theme throughout the night in front of a room of about 200, with calls from newcomers for more while incumbents defended the city's record.
Mayoral candidate Henry Wojak said getting the city to be more transparent was the main reason he was running. City manager Tim Commisso has done a great job leading mayor Keith Hobbs and council this term but that's not the way it should be.
"We are basically paying for loans that have been paid off," Wojak said in his opening statement. "It is time for someone to hold administration accountable."
At-large candidate and former councillor Lawrence Timko said town halls were hosted during his time at the table to get people involved.
"Those are few and far between," he said.
Shane Judge, a former city hall reporter and now a mayoral candidate, said he would have unprecedented levels of transparency and accountability to keep the public informed.
Mayor Keith Hobbs said he's had an open door policy his whole term. Standing by council's record this term, Hobbs said the city has less crime, more infrastructure spending, finished the waterfront and started an event centre since 2010 and should stay the course.
"We've built that foundation,"" he said.
On the event centre at-large candidate Ian Convey said the city can't afford it and needs to focus on infrastructure first.
"Everyone says 'why don’t we have a waterfront like Duluth?' I say 'why don’t we have roads like Duluth?',” he said.
Newcomers like at-large candidate Andrew Brigham said fresh ideas and people were needed at the council table. During his opening statement Brigham asked why, if the city has a Bombardier plant, can't it be a showcase to the world with a fully integrated transportation system.
"Positive action requires positive vision," he said.
Incumbents were questioned about the validity of a survey on the event centre. Coun. Iain Angus said the city went overboard trying to get a balance of opinions. Coun. Aldo Ruberto said the city was satisfied with the results.
"If we thought we needed a plebiscite we would have put one there," Ruberto said.
Because they sit on the Thunder Bay and District Social Services Administration Board, Ruberto and Angus were asked what the board was going to do about affordable housing without federal and provincial help that seems hard to come by.
Ruberto said ideas, like perhaps building smaller housing, are coming. But the federal government especially has been absent from the conversation.
Angus said other cities have given builders of multi-residential housing incentives, somethign that's being worked on.
"We're working on it," Ruberto said. "But it's a tough thing to do."
At-large candidate Kim Coreau said maybe the city should start offering incentives to homeowners who want to rezone their properties to allow for apartments.
The only heat on the night started when at-large hopeful Tamara Johnson said she would cut the city's Aboriginal Liaison strategy completely in order to pay for more housing, which got a loud boo from the room. She then said the city should stop funding Shelter House's alcohol management plan.
"Our city has no business enabling any type of alcoholism in our community,” she said.
At-large candidate Norm Sponchia suggested that perhaps the city should give back land it owns around the Loch Lomond watershed to Fort William First Nation.
"Maybe they would take much better care of it,” he said.
Johnson said that was uncalled for.
"Sponchia has no business making comments that he’s going to give our land to anybody,” she said.
Johnson later called out moderator Madge Richardson for allowing the room to boo her and Hobbs for calling her racist earlier in the year.
"I'm just tired of being bullied by anybody who doesn't agree with me," she said.
Sponchia said he doesn't like people being bullied either and that respect is about accepting all people.
