Pontarelli also suggested that the city should lose Shania Twain's closet, saying it has never made any money and now is the time to let it go.
Several councilors said they could sympathize with Pontarelli, but added that the city has to be able to provide services and maintain its properties and do what it can to grow and prosper. It was also mentioned that many of the costs, such as assisted-housing and new water lines, are imposed by the province and the city has no choice but to pay.
...."Businesses need to be creative in meeting their rising costs, so does the city," chamber treasurer Sue Gauthier said.
Thankfully, however, council isn't seriously thinking about having taxpayers shovel their own sidewalks.
We would hope that the city would look at more sensible options -- such as closing the Shania Twain Centre -- before asking senior citizens to shovel the sidewalks in front of their homes.
I was reading the Timmin Times dated February 13th, 2009 and it talked about our tax money going into the Shania Twain Center to keep it above water. Bottom line is this Center has been a cost to the taxpayers since it was built. It is definately time for council to reconsider their position. With the instability of the economy, we can not afford to pay for things that are not worth keeping open. We take a loss every year with this Center and as a tax payer, Im tired of it. Many people are being affected with the downslope of the economy and its time for council to make decisions that will help us get through these difficult times. I can't speak for the rest of the tax payers in Timmins. but Im sure the majority of them feel the same way.