Peace gets pugnacious at mayoral candidate forum

Robert Peace, whose campaign logo features the anti-war 'peace' hand gesture, was the first at last night's mayoral forum to take off the gloves and go bareknuckle on his fellow candidates.

Peace threw the first political haymaker of the evening, accusing frontrunner Matthew Shoemaker of having a plan to "cut" or "eliminate" one-time fees paid by developers to help cover the cost of municipal services including roads, transit, community centres and fire and police facilities.

In fact, the City of Sault Ste. Marie has no such fees, and promotes that fact to attract potential investors.

"I would like to clear up just one thing," said Shoemaker.

"There aren't development charges in the Sault. My friend has not done his research properly."

"And if I'm mayor, there will be no development charges for the next four years," Shoemaker said.

Development charges are based on the belief that growth should help pay the price of growth.

Peace says they are necessary.

"Waiving development fees, as proposed by Mr. Shoemaker, is a losing solution."

"We must grow our tax base, but not lose our tax base," he said last night."

Shoemaker wants to increase the city's half-million-dollars-a-year economic development fund to support things like the recent expansion at Tenaris Algoma Tubes.

But he doesn't want to collect development charges to do it.

Peace, on the other hand, proposes to do exactly that.

"I am going to invoke development charges to help pay for the roads and the things the taxpayers are fed up having to subsidize on behalf of those developers," he said.

In a clear reference to fellow mayor candidates Shoemaker and Hilsinger, Peace said: "I've heard since arriving in the Sault that city hall is not a transparent place. Two of my opponents have been part of this system, and as far as I can see have done little to change things."

"People want more transparency. They want to see more about what's going on."

Ozzie Grandinetti, a former city councillor, also joined in the electoral slugfest.

"A vote for me is a vote for you, the people of Sault Ste. Marie, and not the old boys club that controls every aspect of how your dollars are spent, unlike Coun. Shoemaker," Grandinetti said.

"All the endorsements from mayors, councillors, MPs and union leaders are nice. But the endorsements that I really want are I from you, the people of Sault Ste. Marie."

Without naming names, Grandinetti came down hard on corporate polluters.

"We always seem to talk about going green with electric lawnmowers and electric vehicles. Why aren't we talking about going after our major polluting companies that are located here in Sault Ste. Marie?"

"We have one of the dirtiest industries in the world and no one, including the federal and provincial governments, seems to do anything about it."

"They have contaminated a certain site that the city now owns. I think we should force them to pay for it, rather than city taxpayers foot the bill for it," Grandinetti said.

Robert Peace addressed the same issue.

"There is a local industry polluting here," he said.

"We have to make them more accountable and simply not allow them just to pay the fines that they're paying, when we see them polluting with our own eyes every day. This is no longer acceptable. We have to make them accountable."

The other two candidates, Donna Hilsinger and Tobin Kern, refrained from attacks on other candidates.

"Our current greenhouse gas emissions reduction plan isn't ambitious enough," Hilsinger said.

"I believe it can be shortened by 10 years to achieve net zero by 2040."

Hilsinger said she also wants to turn Sault Ste. Marie into the city with the most green space per capita in all of Canada. 

Tobin Kern talked about selling city parking lots to create more affordable housing.

"We need a bigger affordable housing stock," Kern said.

"Canada is abysmal when it comes to public housing compared to most OECD countries."

"The situation is dire. Market housing is too volatile and expensive, so we we need to look at every measure possible, even looking at selling city assets," Kern said.

Notwithstanding his attacks on fellow candidates and harsh critiques of city staff, Robert Peace described himself as possessing an empathetic heart.

"Talking tough is not enough," he said.

"We need to respect the council and its views."

"We need to respect city staff and make them feel they're part of something new and exciting."

"I believe I'm the candidate who can do this," said the man called Peace.