Alex Nuttall says the job’s not finished. Surrounded by family, supporters and the media, he says there is more work to be done and is running once again for Mayor of Barrie. He made the announcement at Mill Creek Community Centre in Barrie’s south end Tuesday afternoon, the same complex he lived in as a young child. “Mill Creek is very much my home. Mill Creek is a place of opportunity,” Nuttall said in his announcement. “It is the place that housed my family for over five years. My bedroom was merely a closet. It’s a place that I overcame the most difficult times of my childhood.” The Announcement Throughout the announcement, Nuttall highlighted the challenges council inherited from previous caucuses including prisoners being dropped off in the city from jails around the region, encampments sanctioned, streets in bad shape and more. “Community centres were forgotten, the YMCA was homeless. There was no theatre, home costs were skyrocketing, affordable housing was a phrase - not an option, and there was little industrial land left to attract jobs to this community,” said Nuttall. Nuttall acknowledged the work done by this term’s council including paying down City debt. “We paid down 20 per cent of the city’s debt, we increased our reserves by 57 per cent in three years. For all this, we received three straight increases to our credit rating. Barrie now has the highest credit rating that we can receive; it’s triple A, unlike my hockey skills,” Nuttall said. He made sure his supporters knew he was working with all levels of government and wanting to continue to improve those relationships. “We will win the favour of the province and the federal government just like we did on housing, the ice storm, infrastructure and transit funding. They know this council has been focused on driving down housing costs, increasing job opportunity in Barrie and they are aligned with that vision,” said Nuttall. Nuttall also discussed his vision for Barrie over the next four-year term, if re-elected, addressing affordability and a sustainable job market that would see less people commuting down Highway 400. “There are two sides to the affordability equation and the ability to earn a great living in Barrie needs to be addressed. We have too many folks working in Toronto, living on a highway rather than having the time to spend with their family in this city. Our quality of life in this city is unmatched but only if you can live in this city and work in this city,” said Nuttall. He added the city needs to become attractive to younger generations. “This is a place of opportunity, but only if our young people can see a path forward and they see that the possibility actually exist. We’re making strong decisions today for a brighter tomorrow.” The Mayoral Race Nuttall was asked if he expects more people to enter the mayoral race to which he replied he expects every person during every term to have the same goals which is to make the city of Barrie better. “There’s so much more work to do and, you know, I’m not the only person that’s going to see that there’s so much more work to do, so we’re going to work every single day to A) make Barrie better and B) to make sure that residents around the city have all the information and are able to provide all of their opinions and ideas into the next term of council.” Nuttall mentioned strategic planning with members of council, members of provincial parliament and members of parliament working together when it comes to hearing people’s comments and concerns throughout the region. “It’s really important that we have a robust process in this election where we get out in front of people and find out what their dreams and aspirations are for the next four years of council and that’s what I’m going to be focused on,” Nuttall said. With files from CTV’s Moosa Imran
