SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - With 2010 coming to a close, Mayor Gord Van Tighem sat down with Yellowknifer to discuss, among other things, the 2011 budget, the unfinished three-cell salvaging system, the Con Mine geothermal project and some of the city's latest achievements.

Mayor Gord Van Tighem said since he became mayor in 2000, Yellowknife has become a financially healthy city and his goal is to keep it that way by continuing to look toward the future. - NNSL file photo

Yellowknifer: What would you say was the city's greatest triumph from 2010?

Mayor Gord Van Tighem: I think the national recognition. For the third year running we were Canada's most sustainable small city. We moved up to 23rd on the best places to live in Canada. There were two Northern communities picked and they were in the top 35. We beat them (Whitehorse) by about ten, which is important too.

The completion of the soccer arena and the walking track. I've had nothing but really good, positive comments on that.

The dementia centre was opened, it's finished and ready to go and people are in it. That one was sort of a hidden need, but a real one.

We had another successful air show. We took a few more steps forward on Smart Growth and affordability.

YK: Was there anything this year that you felt could have been done better?

Van Tighem: There's always things that you hope to do better, but the main thing is getting things done.

I guess one thing that didn't work out exactly like we wanted was the review on the electricity rates - Yellowknife wasn't included in the reductions.

YK: Do you see the Con Mine geothermal project moving forward and coming to fruition?

Van Tighem: It is moving forward and every step brings us closer to determining if it will become a reality.

If it follows the lines of the business case, it will. We're at the point now where the people that actually build those kinds of systems and put them in place are going to tell us what the real costs are, not the estimated costs. If the real costs are close to or less than the estimated costs, great.

YK: And if not?

Van Tighem: If not, then people are going to have to look at it long and hard.

YK: How do you feel about how long it's taking to get the three-cell salvaging system up and running at the landfill?

Van Tighem: Into every life there has to be a few challenges. That one's been a, I guess, an ongoing attempt to work with different contractors that are in and out of town and to try and get the most benefit for the least investment. As such, there's been some hurry up and wait things going on.

YK: With the budget for 2011 done, what do you think of the comments that were made by some councillors about the fact that city council may not have done enough to cut spending?

Van Tighem: Council gives instruction on the budget all year long. Council's instructions are given by a majority, so if the minority wants to give their comments at the end of the year, fine - that's why they're there. If the newspaper wants to pick up on the fact that there's two people that are negative about it, let them continue to frustrate us.

It's really challenging to get people to look at the positive. I mean it shows that we've had a cumulative increase in the tax rate, but our cumulative increase in the tax rate is less than a third of what Edmonton encountered.

Our overall budget has increased, but the main increase has been grants from other governments and other agencies. And people have been working very hard over the last several years to obtain this grant money, which then means that it doesn't cost the residents of Yellowknife anything to get this stuff done.

YK: Do you think there's an end in sight for tax increases for Yellowknifers?

Van Tighem: Let's look at income tax. It came in as a temporary measure in 1917 to pay for World War One's war debts. There's also a statement, the only things sure in life are death and taxes.

In Yellowknife, there's been over the last decade an increase in user fees, so that people that use services that everybody doesn't are contributing more to the recovery there.

There's been very little increase in property taxes.

YK: Is there a plan in place to generate more revenue in 2011?

Van Tighem: What we're doing this year is a full asset management review. What this is going to do is establish by the end of June a much better overview of where we are and where we need to go.

The key thing in my perception is that when I started this, the city was in very poor financial shape. The city now is very healthy financially.

YK: How do you keep up your enthusiasm and positivity?

Van Tighem: My whole focus is that this is the city that I live in and my friends and neighbours live here too, and my only objective is to make sure it's healthy, that it's looking to the future and that it's accomplishing short and medium term projects that are to the benefit of everyone and all the time looking further down the road to make sure we don't stray off that.

YK: So, do you see yourself running for a fifth term?

Van Tighem: I have another year to decide on that.

YK: And do you think anyone could beat you?

Van Tighem: If I run, I will think nobody can beat me. I guess the only thing is, is if I make the decision to go for anything, I usually minimize the risk of losing.

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.