Civility dominates first mayoral debate

The first mayoral debate of the 2020 civic election proved to be a cordial affair.

Rather than shouting over a fellow candidate or speaking over the allotted limit, all six candidates taking part in the 90-minute event at TCU Place on Wednesday left smiling and congratulating one another after using plenty of manners rather than insults.

There were no jaw-dropping moments or fireworks swaying public support. Instead, candidates repeated their usual policy points throughout the afternoon.

Incumbent Charlie Clark and former mayor Don Atchison used much of their time to remind the audience of their respective track records in the city’s top job while many other candidates took the occasional jab.

Former Saskatchewan Party MLA Rob Norris spent plenty of time speaking about his platform — safety and affordability — to question projects like the new $134-million new central library.

“Come hell or high water, that project is not going to be determined by the library board unaccountable or unelected. It is going to be determined by the City of Saskatoon — by council and mayor,” Norris said.

While Norris continues to express his desire to shelve the library, it remains unclear if Saskatoon’s mayor or council would be able to undo the progress and rescind the $67.5 million being lent for the project.

As the event was beginning, Norris’ campaign released poll results conducted by Insightrix, according to a release. The poll found 63 per cent of residents found the library “not important at this time” and that it should not move forward.

Mark Ziekle, a self-proclaimed “legal advocate,” attacked Clark and Atchison over their track record of public safety as he continually noted the people who are “slipping even further through the cracks” with mental health struggles and addictions issues.

While each candidate agreed to varying degrees of decentralizing the Lighthouse Supported Living Inc., Cary Tarasoff, an independent consultant, was quick to question the other candidates proposing to move the facility without specifics.

“I understand people want to tear down the Lighthouse, and they want to move it,” he said. “I pose it to anybody to tell me where they’re moving it to and how they’re moving it.”

Zubar Sheikh repeated his commitment to a zero per cent property tax for the entire first term as mayor, but couldn’t offer much detail in criticizing council’s previous spending habits.

Sheikh, Norris and Atchison all spoke about lowering the proposed 3.87 per cent property tax increase slated for next year. Tarasoff and Clark have not yet made any commitments on tax increases or decreases.

Norris and Clark were both in agreement that Prairie Harm Reduction’s new safe consumption site needs more funding.

Norris spoke about increasing the number of people, especially elected officials, on the Saskatoon Board of Police Commissioners to tackle safety issues.

The format discouraged candidates from making personal attacks. The moderator would ask a question which two candidates would answer before a “lightning round” allowed the 50 or so guests to submit questions.

Clark and Atchison stuck to talking points like the rest of the candidates rather than defending themselves or pushing a fellow candidate on their claims.

Atchison touted development and growth during his 13 years as mayor from 2003 to 2016.

“I believe my proven experience and leadership ability to get results can make Saskatoon flourish,” he said.

Plenty of the event included discussions about COVID-19 and the economic recovery facing the city, which Clark used to defend his record and the way people in Saskatoon responded to challenging times.

“We’re driving the provincial economy,” Clark said, mentioning the city’s flexibility since March. “We can do many things together building on the strengths of what we’ve been doing so far.”