Timmins Mayor wants dubious 'worst roads' title
'Obviously as Mayor you don't want to normally draw that attention to your city'
The Mayor of Timmins wants the dubious distinction of the worst roads in the province.
Steve Black wants people in Timmins to vote for major thoroughfares in his city during the annual worst roads contest put on by the Canadian Automobile Association.
The city is struggling to maintain roads that used to be a provincial responsibility, he said, adding he hopes topping the annual online contest will help catch the Premier's attention.
"Obviously as Mayor you don't want to normally draw that attention to your city, but this is, in my opinion, a provincial responsibility that they walked away from a couple of years ago. We need to bring some attention back at Queen's Park."
As of Tuesday, Algonquin Boulevard in Timmins was winning the CAA contest. Votes close on April 17th.
"I think at first residents questioned 'What is our Mayor doing trying to get people to nominate one of our roads as one of the worst roads in Ontario?" he said. "But as it started to pick up a bit on social media, people thought, you know what, this might help a little."
It's not the first attempt to draw attention to the poor condition of the roads in Timmins. Last year a satirical video was released on YouTube highlighting potholes in the city.
Pothole Patrol
The City of Greater Sudbury is also warning drivers that potholes are inevitable as spring temperatures rise during the day and dive below freezing overnight.
The City said it employs private contractors in addition to its own crews to patch potholes year-round.
Patching efforts increase at this time of year, but potholes are developing across the city at a quicker rate than normal, the city said.