Rough roads a hot topic on the campaign trail in northern Ontario

Jason Sereda laughs when asked how the roads are in Timmins.

"I moved here six years ago and my car, within the first six months, the thing was pretty much destroyed," says the Ward 5 city council candidate.

"Something needs to be done because right now it's the taxpayers bearing the burden out of their own pocket when they go to the garage."

Sereda is promising to make road repairs a priority and put other big ticket projects on hold, so taxes don't have to go up too much.

"I do think that roads are always going to be one of those issues people like to gripe about. I mean every time you see a pothole, you're going to think the city is in disrepair," he says. 

Cities and towns across the north face the same challenge: harsh weather conditions rip up the roads, but there isn't enough money to fix them all, without big tax hikes. 

"No matter where you decide to put your budget, there's going to be people who are happy with you and people who aren't," says North Bay city councillor Jeff Serran, who is seeking a second term.

"It does get frustrating sometimes when we can't bring them up to the level we should."

Michael Levesque is proud of the millions of dollars in road work Chapleau has seen in his four years as mayor.

But he admits there are still some bumpy rides around town. 

"You know I'm not going to lie about it. Some of them have had to be dug up and re-patched and all that. And they're pretty rough," says Levesque, who is running for a second term leading the town of 1,900, facing off against challenger Ryan Bignucolo.

He says some of the roughest spots are on roads leading to the Rayonier sawmill, the town's biggest employer, which is just outside of municipal boundary.

Levesque says that means the mill doesn't pay taxes, but the town has long lobbied the lumber company to help pay for some of the damage logging trucks do to Chapleau streets. 

Joe Tiernay, the executive director of the Ontario Good Roads Association, says every election he hears candidates promising tax freezes and better roads in the same breath.

"That always makes me cringe. You can't do both. You can't provide better services while at the same time holding the line on taxes, it's virtually impossible."

Tiernay says he hopes cities and towns in the north use the election as a chance to have an honest conversation about infrastructure needs and how to pay for them.