Sarnia's mayor is reflecting on a positive 2022 for the city, and is eagerly anticipating more big things in the new year.
Mike Bradley said there's a lot to look forward to in 2023, including working with new council members in the first full year of their term.
Councillors will be looking for savings when they deal with a proposed six per cent budget increase during a meeting on January 10.
That includes a record setting 11.5 per cent increase to the police budget.
"We need to be very conscious of what's happening in Canada with the economy," said Bradley. "That is, there's high inflation, high interest rates, a return to market value and real predictions of a mild or deep recession. We need to understand the issue of affordability for our citizens. There are many people that cannot afford a dramatic increase to the city budget."
Bradley is calling for some "reasonable restraint" when looking at the document.
"Budgeting is never perfect, but it has to recognize that there's an affordability issue for many people, especially with an aging population," he said. "That has to be number one front and centre when we deal with the city budget. There's some good capital projects in that budget without borrowing any money. It will reinvest in the waterfront, Plank Road and other major projects in the community. That's a good thing to do, we'll be spending more money on paving than ever before."
Bradley said in 2022, Sarnia dealt with the same issues as many other Canadian cities.
That includes homelessness, housing, and real estate investments like new apartment towers, a $100 million redevelopment of the former Bayside Centre, and the new Tricar building in the city's downtown.
He said we're still dealing with COVID-19, but 2022 represented a return to a more "normal" life with the business community experiencing a turnaround.