One of the four people running for Mayor of North Bay says the $16-million spent to renovate the Memorial Gardens is the best money the city has ever spent.
Will Boissoin says he would have gone further and would have spent a further $20-million.
Boissoin was responding to a request from Moose News after Mayoral candidate Gary Gardiner blamed incumbent Mayor Al McDonald for the cost overruns at the arena.
Boissoin says Gardiner has embarrassed himself with the comments he made.
He says rather than be critical of the cost, we should be thanking former councillor Dave Mendicino for turning the Gardens into a world class arena.
Boissoin said the community now needs to maintain this world class facility and suggests hiring an event management company that would book events for the Gardens.
Boissoin suggests a company like Spectra can be hired to bring top talent to perform at Memorial Gardens.
He says adding these events to the Gardens will bring more money and jobs to North Bay.
As for how to pay for the events company, Boissoin says that money will come from the sale of the Capitol Centre.
With the Capitol Centre gone, Boissoin says the funds city council gives the arts facility each year would go to the events company.
Money that’s left over, he says, would be applied to winter maintenance.
Moose News also asked McDonald and the fourth Mayoral candidate Sheldon Forgette for a comment on this issue.
The fifth candidate is Mike Guillemette but he is no longer campaigning for the position of Mayor.
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