Tolmie Says His Record Should Be The Reason Why He Is Re-Elected
Fraser Tolmie is the incumbent running for re-election as mayor and wants residents to vote for him based upon the past four years. Four years he said which were filled with progress bringing promise and hope to the city.
“Tonight I am here to remind you of the progress that we have made. And that this progress is attributed to working together. Together we have been making Moose Jaw a prosperous place to live and do business,” Tolmie said.
He was delivering his opening remarks at last Thursday evening’s on-line mayoralty forum put on by the Moose Jaw and District Chamber of Commerce.
“Four years ago this community faced some serious challenges. Years of core infrastructure neglect and unfair funding models for the Cast Iron Replacement Program. This left many people in our community feeling not being respected pr heard. They wanted to be part of a respectful and supportive community. They wanted to work together to find solutions the challenges we faced,” he said.
Tolmie called Moose Jaw in 2016 a divided city and that he was able to heal the rift within the city.
“In 2016 we were a city divided and fractured. That was where we were four years ago,” he said, adding “four years later we have come up with a cast iron funding model that is fair and ensures that this project is a community priority until its completion…people are saying finally things are getting done. Finally infrastructure and economic development is being addressed.
A main theme of his forum presentation portrayed how Moose Jaw had progressed by working together. In the 2016 election campaign his slogan was ‘Better Together.’
Tolmie said during his tenure things have changed with the City becoming more responsive to its residents.
“We have gone from a City Hall that did not listen to its people to a City Hall that is more engaged and recognizes the importance of the paying, you, the taxpayer. We have done this through an increase in direct and two way communication through our new City web-site and new City app. And modernizing antiquated systems.”
Tolmie said in the past four years the City has attracted over $1 billion in economic investment.
He said that aggressively pursuing the SaskPower power plant has lead to it being located in Moose Jaw - a place where it had not initially been considered as a location for it. Other economic highlights were $111 million in building permits in the past four years. He claimed the City had a role in Thunder Creek Pork purchasing the dormant XL Beef plant and turning it into a culled sow facility is a highlight he was proud of given the plant has sat shuttered for over a decade.
“We did the same (as the XL Beef Plant) to save the Canadian Tire up on Thatcher Drive because we wanted the local Canadian Tire store to grown and expand. This means jobs.”
It was not just big businesses that benefitted from City Hall helping out but also small business, he said.
“Small businesses like Lion’s Creek and the new bakery on High Street where Scrubs use to be required the same help from City Hall.”
Community events during his tenure he said were important milestones for the city as a whole he said helping put the community on the map, He listed the Roger’s Hometown Hockey, the Country Music Television’s ‘One Horse Town Contest’, the return of the Saskatchewan Air Show, the Scotties in 2020 plus the global attention Mac the Moose created for the city.
“This attention brings tourists to our community and directly impacts our local economy and helps small businesses in the Downtown core survive and grow.”
Four years later Tolmie said his good inclusive leadership was key for a better future for the city.
“Good leadership has a shared vision, a plan and a way of getting things done. Here we are today four years on, my conviction is the same as it was four years ago when I asked you to join me on a journey. I can help make a better future for our city.”
Regarding the issue of helping business recover following the pandemic Tolmie said the City has been active in assisting traditional businesses transition from a brick and mortar approach to adapt to take advantage of the growing E or on-line commerce model.
“Businesses like City Hall must adapt to the new digital economy,” he said, adding the City knows a “cookie cutter approach” will not work but that the on-line E-commerce solution needs to be tailored to fit each businesses individual needs.
To take the pulse of the business community the City and members of Council have been active participants in the weekly ZOOM on-line meetings put on by the Moose Jaw and District Chamber of Commerce.
Water security is key to the City’s future, he said with the $4 billion announced by the Province for upgrading the Lake Diefenbaker watershed leading to new economic opportunities for the city, With more agricultural output the project will encourage it will drive the growth of value added production in the city.
“With water security for the agriculture industry this a return to our roots and ag value added industry in our community.”
Tolmie said after speaking to employers in the community the City became aware of the labour challenges local employers are facing and that the City had helped set up the (Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP). RNIP removes restrictions which will allow employers to recruit job seekers for lower skilled jobs in the retail and other sectors.
“I think we are going to see a lot of business expansion in the ag value industry here in Moose Jaw,” he said.
Regarding the issue as to where to find the funding to pay for infrastructure repair he said that taking a look at and restructuring how the City’s reserves are invested are key to finding the extra funds needed.
“We do know we had reserves that have not really been paid a lot of attention to. They were sitting in bonds and so we started an Investment Committee.”
The Investment Committee’s role is to get more returns from the City’s reserves by diversifying how the funds are invested thereby keeping taxes long and generating funds for infrastructure repair and replacement.
Tolmie envisioned the new investment strategy as “every year we get $2 - $3 million extra for our infrastructure needs…Right now there is an opportunity to borrow at a really low interest rate but we want to make sure we get a higher rate of returns on our investments.”
On the question of violent and drug related crime he said that the City in 2016 had the lowest number of provincially funded police officers in the province. He said the stats showed crime was down but it did not matter because things such as the programs in the schools and that a partnership with the Province has put mental health workers in police vehicles working alongside of the police.
“We are addressing this. This is a challenge that is not only in the City of Moose Jaw but we are part of a corridor between Edmonton and Winnipeg and we have been talking with the Province about this and raising concerns,” he said.
As far as talking to the MLAs and the MP he said that the groups have established regular meetings to address local issues.
“We will sit down with our MLAs and let them know what the challenges are. Also some of the grants and funding we apply for they were never made aware of that prior to me being elected. And so we have opened up the dialogue so they can advocate for the City of Moose Jaw for projects that are important to their residents as well.”
Wrapping up the forum Tolmie said it was great that the forum was ending as he had two energetic children - an eight and a five year old - who needed to head off to bed very soon.
He concluded that the purpose of the forum was to showcase who would best represent the interests of the City whether it was in Moose Jaw or elsewhere. "
“I am asking you to allow me to continue to advocate not just for you but with you. To tell Moose Jaw’s story and to make it a better story.”
The Final Part of a Three Part Series