The results are out on what you want the future of Timmins to look like.
The Timmins Chamber of Commerce held a roundtable discussion with about 60 community members and municipal candidates involving what the residents would like to see Timmins look like within the next few years. The chamber says its online survey got over 100 responses, and staff brought an in-person survey to multiple community events. The chamber says some trends that came up in the survey results included:
Economic Concerns:
- property taxes increased over the last few years making Timmins no longer affordable to live in
- Stars and Thunder and the amount of money invested by taxpayers
- the potential for a new aquatic centre
Infrastructure:
- strong need for road and water main repairs before they become a major problem
- community safety and the need for a stronger police presence in high crime areas
- affordable and dependable public transit with improved routes and better hours
Social Issues:
- addressing the high volume of addictions and homelessness in Timmins with improved programs and services
- revitalize downtown to entice people to shop and attract and diverse businesses to the area
Indigenous Issues:
- work with local Indigenous groups and surrounding areas to develop a plan to promote First Nation inclusion/cross-cultural awareness/integration into the community
Community:
- more opportunities for networking
- more community events like “Welcome to Timmins Night” that allow people to come together
- more youth be involved in what happens in the city with something like a youth council
Those who attended the event added some more ideas with an open mic portion. One woman stated that “when we go and attend a council meeting, we should be able to actually speak out mind.”
One man says council should look at “the level of community involvement, hospitality and the way businesses are operated in the sense you get good customer service.” He adds that “we should have a council that can work together and we need to get rid of this negative tone that is there.” The gentleman states that “the whole city needs to get rid of this negative tone and I think that sort of thing is set up by the council.”
Another woman says she moved here in 1972 and “most of the those are the problems then, the problems have not changed.”
Other ideas brought forward during the open mic portion of the event included Timmins needs a sense of unity, expand the local arts and culture scene and bringing more music events throughout the year instead of a few big festivals in the summer.
Chamber President Nancy Mageau says this is the first year the chamber did a community survey like this to inform the candidates on what the residents want. Mageau says she hopes the councillor and mayoral candidates take these thoughts from the community and use them in building their election platforms.
