SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Mark Bogan - a candidate for city council - has apologized to Health Minister Glen Abernethy and Yellowknife Health and Social Services Authority CEO Les Harrison, for "outbursts" he may have made while they were making public statements in the past.
Bogan told people gathered for the annual general meeting of the YHSSA at the Tree of Peace Friendship Centre last week that he's been diagnosed with diabetes, which he said explains why he can be short-tempered.
"I was diagnosed last year. I knew something was up. I happened to be going in for a physical ... they came back with my urine test and it was positive for diabetes," Bogan said Monday. "I'm feeling much better now."
Bogan became known as "Plywood Man" after he donned a plywood sign promoting his fathers' rights group - Fathers 4 Rights - and climbed atop the Toronto headquarters of then-NDP leader Jack Layton. As a result Bogan was banned from the province of Ontario.
At the meeting, Bogan's apology followed a question on the topic of fathers' rights directed at Abernethy. Abernethy thanked Bogan for his comments but asked him to focus on matters concerning the health authority.
Bogan was shouted into silence by attendees at a meeting in city council chambers two weeks ago, when he began asking fathers rights related questions of Mayor Mark Heyck while the mayor was facilitating a conversation with residents about what the city might do to help Syrian refugees. Heyck said he and Bogan have had many discussions about his fathers' rights concerns in the past, and could do so further in the future but asked him to not bring them up during the discussion about refugees.
Mayoral challenger says administration captains city ship
Mayoral challenger John Himmelman said he thinks city administration is trying to push its own agenda and used the example of the 50/50 lot plaza plan - which he said was already pitched to council and voted down. He said city administration is pushing a plan to bring water into the city from Yellowknife Bay because they say it will cost $5 million, as opposed to replacing the pipe that brings the water in from Yellowknife River at a cost of $20 million. Himmelman said when the plan was first reported in 2012 the bay option was only supposed to cost $3 million, and the river option was supposed to cost $10 million.
"What happened?" he said.
Mayor Mark Heyck and senior administrative officer Dennis Kefalas did not answer requests for comment before press time.
Signs, signs, everywhere signs
Rommel Silverio is leading the race in terms of putting signs up advertising his run for council. Silverio - who has signed up to run on the IserveU Internet voting platform - said he has 10 big back-to-back signs out on city streets, and another 10 smaller signs posted as well.
In addition to that, said Silverio, he's been handing out lawn signs to residents for the past three days.
"There were a lot of people asking for my lawn signs," he said, adding that all of his campaign signs were ready to go two weeks before the race officially began. Silverio said he has a wide support base. In addition to his connections in the Filipino community, he's worked in the hospital and has made many friendships that date back 20 years, he said.
Coun. Adrian Bell said he's continuing to work on his platform and website this week and will be out knocking on doors. Bell said he has nine large signs posted at present. He said his sign at the corner near the Co-op blew down over the weekend, but it has been put back up.
Council candidate Steve Payne said he just received his finished signs and he's waiting for the wind to die down before he puts them up.
"Right now I just have the three big ones and I've got like 30 small ones coming," he said.
