The first City Council meeting of 2019 will start with a bang.

On the agenda for the council meeting, which takes place on Tuesday at City Hall, the first item that will be discussed is Stars and Thunder 2019.

Steve Black, former Mayor of the city, will be giving the presentation highlighting the benefits of the previous two summer events, and making a case for Stars and Thunder to return to Timmins in 2019.

Stars and Thunder is one of the largest community events, with residents of Timmins buying 15,979 tickets in 2017, and 7,395 tickets in 2018.

In the presentation, it will be proposed that the city not pay for the next Stars and Thunder, but that Gold and Gold Productions, headed by Ron Sakamoto, will be taking on and financing the event.

In the council agenda, it’s stated that for the event to continue, Black and Gold and Gold Productions will be asking the city for $300,000 to become a festival sponsor. This would be the only financial investment from the city of Timmins.

In the presentation, its stated that “council should be aware the $300,000 ask for 2019 is required to help transition the event into a successful privately operated event.”

The funds are being proposed to come out of the estimated $1 million dollar revenue the city will see once the new Municipal Accommodation Tax comes into effect. According to the presentation, “this could allow [the] city
to provide the funding without impacting any other historical commitment in the budget or local residents.”

The new festival is being proposed as a 4 day event, taking place from June 28th to July 1st, with the weekend of August 2nd to 5th as a backup.

Other changes being proposed include the 50/50 draw. Mayor and Council are proposing that a share of the proceeds from the draw go towards an organization that is addressing the ongoing issue of homelessness in the community.

Stars and Thunder is not the only controversial topic on the council agenda. Other topics being discussed will include the Aquatic Centre and Retail Cannabis stores coming to Timmins.

To see the full council agenda, go here. 

The city council meeting is this Tuesday, Jan. 8th at 6 PM at City Hall.

Filed under: Local News