It didn’t take Timmins Mayor George Pirie long to get down to business.
During his inaugural address Tuesday night, the mayor jumped on the homelessness problem in the city – he said some would say it’s a crisis.
“Within that issue is the need to put a place of warming, a warming shelter in place to provide a safe enviornment for those most at risk,” he told a large crowd in the council chamber that included former mayors Steve Black, Tom Laughren and Vic Power. Pirie called for a task force with a mandate to provide a solution to the homelessness crisis as soon as possible.
Pirie also laid out a long list of things he wants to accomplish during the four-year term for him and his eight councillors. They range from bringing on the Indigenous community as equal partners to attracting multi-billion-dollar industries to the established base.
“The voters have spoken,” he said. “They want action. They want solutions. They want the deserved council that will examine the status quo and make the necessary changes to our way of doing business, to chart a new course to ensure our future for generations to come.”
The new mayor also pledged improvements to how City Hall engages and communicate with its citizens. He calls it a critical area that will determine how the city moves into the third decade of the century.