THUNDER BAY – John Collins says when the going gets tough, that’s when he’s at his finest.
Best known as the owner at Daytona’s Restaurant, Collins has offered his name up as a candidate in Westfort, looking to bring his can-do attitude to Donald Street as part of a wholesale turnover of council in 2022.
Collins said he’s been involved in community service for the past 45 years, including sitting on the board of St. Joseph’s Care Group and as the Kiwanis Club president for western Canada. He said he’s been urged to run for years and finally decided to take a stab at municipal politics.
“A lot of people I know, who know my business and know the community side of me, say I would be a great addition to council,” Collins said.
“I have a common-sense approach to what I do. In business, I know what it costs to do business. I know the idea of having to make payrolls, meet deadlines and know if you have to put off decisions, nine times out of 10 it’ll cost you more money.”
The biggest issue he’s hearing at the door is that no one on council will listen to them.
That’s going to change if he gets elected, Collins said.
“It seems like they get elected and then they don’t have any time for [voters], or they want to be on so many different committees that they don’t ever get back to them. The one thing I’ve done in my business life, which I’m going to do in my political life, if I get elected, is every single person that wants it is going to have my personal cell number.”
Green spaces and more things for seniors and kids are keys to his plans for the ward itself.
“My wife and I drive around and there’s not a park bench, so if you have seniors going walking, there’s no place for them to sit. I think that Brown Street, Edward, Frederica, that sort of corridor, there’s room for more business in there – but not competing business.
“We don’t need four more hairdressers set up there or four more restaurants. But we need compatible businesses.”
Collins also wants to be the voice of fiscal reason on council, someone who looks at the big picture. Spending $20 million on a project, one that comes with a million dollars in annual costs, might not be the best use of taxpayer dollars, he said.
“If taxes keep going up, I think that’s going to be a very dangerous thing over the next few years.”
Collins is not against the concept of an indoor turf facility, but said he is against spending $40 million of taxpayer money to build one.
There’s got to be a more affordable option, he said.
“I think most people who are running are in favour of the idea, but not necessarily the cost. We have to look at the infrastructure we’ve got going on and where is the dollars going to be for the taxpayers over the next few years. Inflation is running a little high right now and if that doesn’t come down, it’s going to affect taxes and everybody’s dollars at home,” Collins said.
