Mayoralty candidates in Cape Breton Regional Municipality make case on campaign trail

The two candidates seeking the job of mayor in this October's municipal election in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality were out trying to gain voter attention on Wednesday.

Cecil Clarke, who is being challenged by Rankin MacSween in a rematch of the 2012 election, met with a crowd on a Sydney street to remind people about $16 million in infrastructure money earmarked for major public works projects.

On Aug. 16, the three levels of government announced an agreement to make improvements to existing water and sewer systems in CBRM.

Clarke touts 'hundreds of jobs'

Clarke said it represents 14,400 days of employment workers. "It means hundreds of jobs in the next construction season" carried out by local contractors hiring local people, he said.

He said one of the highlights is replacement of the municipality's water mains, some of which are more than 100 years old. 

Roads will be torn up for the underground work, but then those roads will be rebuilt and resurfaced. In recent years CBRM has had few dollars in the budget for major street improvements.  

The federal government will contribute $8 million while the province and CBRM will each put $4 million into the public works projects.

MacSween endorsed by ILA

Meanwhile, MacSween met with a group of his supporters to announce that the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) had endorsed his campaign for the mayor's job.  

"To the ILA I say, 'Thank you,'" MacSween told his audience, which included James Paylor, the ILA's assistant general organizer, who also addressed the crowd gathered at a downtown hotel overlooking Sydney Harbour.

Harbour development was the theme of MacSween's speech. He took aim at the current administration's strategy in trying to commercialize the harbour.

Calling CBRM's current methods "careless" and "at times desperate," he criticized the municipality's sale of Archibald's Wharf in North Sydney to Canadian Maritime Engineering Inc.  

MacSween would not renew port contract

MacSween said the CBRM had other options but ignored them. "The interest of the community — of those stakeholders — was put aside," he said.

He was also critical of the municipality's partnership agreement with consulting firm Harbour Port Development Partners, and questions the company's ability to deliver on commercializing the port.

MacSween said if he becomes mayor he'll sever ties with the firm, which he says has no experience in harbour development. 

"That contract will not be renewed," he said.  

He vowed that his next step would be to open up a competition for developers to bring proposals to the table for harbour development.