YK Chamber of Commerce executive director in mayor's race

February 17, 2012

Yellowknife, N.W.T. - The executive director of Yellowknife's Chamber of Commerce is running for mayor.

Tim Doyle announced Friday that he intends to make a bid for mayor in the municipal elections next fall.

Doyle said he wants to take a new approach to the issues in the downtown core, including instituting a no loitering by-law.

“We have a number of our retailers that are complaining to us about regular thefts, vandalism and things like that,” he said. “There is going to have to be some enforcement rules where we get people evicted off properties for trespassing or loitering.”

Doyle also wants to see more help for homeless people from the GNWT including mental health and addictions treatment, but he said the role for the city is in enforcement.

“We can offer people as much help as possible, but if chronic re-offenders are not going to work with us or the system, I think we have to rely on our justice system to help us out here as well,” he said.

Doyle is also planning on changing the way City Hall spends it money and wants to fix bureaucracy at the municipal level, saying it takes too much time to get things such as a permit.

Mayor Gordon Van Tighem announced last month he would not seek a fifth term.

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