The current Chair of the Near North District School Board is seeking a seat at North Bay’s City Council table.
David Thompson is calling it “a new focus,” after 12 years as an elected trustee. Thompson says he has “become very concerned with the direction of our City.” He adds “youth are not staying or returning home which is contributing to the city’s overall population decrease.
“Quite frankly, says Thompson, “it is discouraging in seeing schools close because the city’s strategies are not working in terms of stabilizing and growing the population. If we keep going in this downward direction we won’t have enough youth to rejuvenate our city. The next council needs to proactively work together on changing this demographic shift.”
Also recently joining the race for North Bay City Council are Arlene Phillips and Don Rennick. Phillips is a civil servant with experience working in the provincial government. Rennick had been a vocal critic of the sitting Council until he was forbidden to speak at a meeting in 2016 due to disparaging remarks he had made in a presentation that Mayor Al McDonald maintained were against the code of conduct. Rennick later returned to City Hall and sat quietly at a meeting with tape over his mouth in protest (see below) but his nomination would indicate that he is ready to be heard.
So far, there are no candidates for mayor and the following candidates for city council who have filed their paperwork at City Hall:
- Mike Anthony
- Mac Bain
- Johanne Brousseau
- Richard Cadotte
- Rene Giroux
- Dave Mendicino
- Arlene Phillips
- Don Rennick
- Scott Robertson
- David Thompson
- Bill Vrebosch
- Tanya Vrebosch
Other candidates include:
Near North District School Board
- Frank O’Hagan
Nipissing Parry Sound District Catholic School Board
- Shawn Fitzsimmons
- Linda Jamieson
- Barbara McCool
Conseil scolaire public du Nord-Est de l’Ontario
- Jules Duchesne
- Henri Menard
Conseil scolaire catholique Franco-Nord
- Nicole Fournier
- Roland Rochon
- Anne-Marie Theoret
The nomination period began May 1 and runs until July 27. Nominations can be filed during regular City of North Bay municipal office hours (8:30am and 4:30pm) until July 26. On July 27, the final day for nominations, the hours to submit applications are between 9:00am and 2:00pm.
For more information on the October 22 municipal election, click here.
