How We Pay for It

I support properly funded public services, necessary infrastructure and investments that make North Bay a better place to live. Spending should have a clear purpose, a reasonable cost and a result residents can see.

My approach is to repair what needs repairing, simplify fragmented administration and stop paying for work that duplicates something we already have.

The starting point

North Bay’s approved 2026 general operating budget is $179.4 million, including $118.6 million raised through municipal property taxes.

The separate water and wastewater operating budget is approximately $31.1 million. The capital budget is $82.7 million, including $23.1 million for water and wastewater infrastructure.

These figures cannot simply be added together because operating budgets already contribute funding to capital projects.

Where I will look for sensible savings

The existing costing identifies four annual review targets against the 2026 approved budget:

• Corporate Services personnel: $551,833 through vacancies, consolidation and restraint on administrative expansion, where the work can still be done properly.

• Administration expenses: $346,936 through reviewing advertising, travel, subscriptions, memberships, printing and other overhead, while protecting necessary training and operational support.

• Consultant and miscellaneous professional fees: $91,821 through clearer scopes, competitive procurement and using existing expertise where appropriate.

• External contracts: $108,504 through reviewing renewals, rebidding work and eliminating duplication without weakening essential services.

Together, these comparisons total $1,099,094. They are starting targets for examination. Each reduction must be supported by a workable staffing or contract decision, with replacement and transition costs deducted before a saving is claimed.

A department should not lose useful capacity simply to meet a spreadsheet target.

Fix the structure around the spending

North Bay’s 2026 DNSSAB contribution is $15,011,777.

North Bay’s $15 million DNSSAB contribution deserves serious scrutiny. I will move for Council to publicly debate the services it funds and record its position before DNSSAB adopts its budget. If appointed to the board, I will request recorded votes on budgets, contracts and service changes so residents know how their representatives voted.

I will push for clear answers: What does each housing program cost per person housed, and are people staying housed? How much ambulance time and additional spending do hospital delays consume?

Longer-term reform should bring local housing and children’s services closer to North Bay’s elected council, return core provincial responsibilities to the Province and preserve coordinated district-wide paramedic services.

Restructuring must protect service continuity and funding. No DNSSAB savings are included in this budget until they are demonstrated.

Review planned purchases before committing the money

The capital forecast includes $500,000 for digital modernization and $100,000 for a strategic-plan update in 2027.

I will review that $600,000 before supporting the expenditure. Existing software, staff expertise and public participation may meet some needs more economically. Cybersecurity, accessibility, payment systems and useful operational improvements still need proper funding.

The civic-participation platform will have a published implementation cost and annual operating budget. Open-source software can reduce licensing costs, but hosting, maintenance and staff time still count.

Only spending actually avoided, after replacement costs and contractual obligations, will be reported as savings.

How the commitments will be funded

Infrastructure and drinking water: Give priority to water, sewer, flood protection and necessary maintenance. Use verified savings and reprioritized capital funding to advance engineering, approvals and the municipal share of larger projects. Seek provincial and federal contributions, with secured funding clearly distinguished from applications.

The existing $8.25 million PFAS pilot and detailed-design commitment does not cover the entire permanent treatment system. Any acceleration costs, construction costs and ongoing treatment costs must be published with their proposed funding sources. Any net savings from ending artificial fluoridation will be counted only after operating and transition costs are verified.

Starter homes: Cap initial design, survey, appraisal and legal work at $150,000. Proceed using eligible Housing Accelerator Fund money or an approved arrangement to recover costs through land-sale or lease proceeds. No general property-tax funding is proposed. Servicing costs must be disclosed separately.

Household prevention: Seek provincial and federal funding for the Healthy Homes and Pregnancy Nutrition pilots. Proceed when funding, delivery partners and oversight are established. Use existing community organizations wherever practical.

Public safety: Require clear priorities and measurable results from the existing $32.4 million police contribution. Any request for additional funding should identify the capacity needed and the improvement expected.

Open government and backyard-flock rules: Assign reporting, public communication and pilot administration through existing departments where capacity permits. Publish any additional staffing or enforcement costs before approving them.

What this means for taxpayers

Verified recurring savings should first strengthen North Bay’s ability to address overdue infrastructure. Any responsible remainder can support tax relief. One-time savings should support capital work or debt reduction rather than create ongoing expenses.

I will support spending that earns its cost, including recreation, community services and prevention. I will challenge duplication, unnecessary administrative layers and new commitments that leave essential work waiting.

Every budget should make clear what residents are paying for, why it matters and whether it worked.