Candidates forum a grueling affair

News — 05 October 2010

No stone left unturned in four-hour forum, Oct. 4

Candidates for municipal government showed what they were made of in a grueling four-hour forum, Oct. 4 at the Royal Canadian Legion Hall.

Co-presented by Shaw Cable, CKDR and The Dryden Observer and moderated by CKDR’s Bruce Walchuk, the forum attracted approximately 100 residents and was broadcast live on local TV.

While the contentious debate over water metering occupied a healthy portion of the evening, it did not manage to overwhelm the affair. Questions from the floor as well as submitted to the press by e-mail presented mayoral and council candidates with a diverse range of topics.

In the race for mayor, former councillor and longtime community member Craig Nuttall challenges incumbent Anne Krassilowsky.

New council candidates Mary Trist, Krag Schmidt, Martin MacKinnon, Adam Riley, Ken Moss and Richard Jonasson joined a spate of present and previous councillors seeking re-election like Gary Case. Mike Wood, Brian Collins, Mel Fisher and Joe Delaney.

The group led the evening’s discussion with thoughts on First Nations integration into the community and Dryden’s changing population profile.

Candidates then spoke on their personal leanings in the long-standing issue of a highway by-pass for Dryden.

Barclay and Sandy Beach Rd. residents broached the topic of extending sewer and water services to outreaching areas.

Bylaw enforcement, vis-a-vis illicit camping in the Wal-Mart parking lot, was touched upon by candidates before an hour of discussion settled in upon the water meter issue. Incumbent councillors, most notably Mike Wood was applauded for his passionate defence of the previous council’s decisions while mayoral challenger Craig Nuttall led the charge against the issue that has become the centrepiece of this election.

The water metering debate evolved into a discussion on council’s communication with the public and new ideas that could be offered to ensure a better flow of information.

The evening took a positive upswing as candidates were asked to provide their vision of Dryden’s future, a topic which covered many aspects, such as the role of the Dryden Development Corporation, Aspenware, Centennial and Norwill business developments and expanded sewage treatment plant.

Late in the evening, candidates tackled the issue of pursuing a cost proposal from the Ontario Provincial Police — a delicate and divisive local issue idea that most candidates handled with great caution.

For a closer look at municipal council candidates, see pages 3 and 4 of this week’s Dryden Observer. Mayoral and School Board candidates will be covered in subsequent editions prior to Election Day, Oct. 25.

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About Author

chrismarchand

Chris Marchand is a native of Dryden, Ontario. He served his first newspaper internship at The Dryden Observer in 1998 while attending journalism studies at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops B.C. He's worked desks as both reporter and editor at the Fernie Free Press as well as filled the role of sports editor at the Cranbrook Daily Townsman. Marchand was named editor of the Dryden Observer in Aug. 2009.