SCHREIBER, Ont. — Dominic Commisso sees his background, having been self-employed for 35 years, as advantageous in his bid to be Schreiber's next mayor.
“In my opinion Schreiber is a business — a corporation — and needs to be run as such,” Commisso said.
Commisso believes new revenue opportunities for Schreiber need to be explored, which in his view has not been done for more than 50 years. In his opinion the tax base for the town is lacking as it has been in place for the last 97 years.
“Its time to look and new industry and the type of industry, and to look outside the box if you will,” Commisso said.
He spoke about having grown up in Schreiber, leaving when he was 15 to attend high school in southern Ontario, and he studied marketing and business at George Brown College. He later returned there to become a hairstylist. At the age of 39, he went to university and subsequently opened up a private investigation business.
When asked about any community engagement or leadership roles he may have, Commisso spoke about being involved with fundraising while part of the Burlington Chamber of Commerce, where he sat on their sustainability committee. In addition, once returning to Schreiber in 2019, he became involved with their economic development committee, being a part of that for the past three years.
Commisso also opened up a business once returning to Schreiber. When asked to share what motivated him to run for mayor of Schreiber, Commisso reminisced about returning to the town yearly and seeing, in his view, it deteriorating every year.
“You can’t just rely on the mill, the mine and the railroad. If they come, then great. The mine, for example, and the town has had the same conversation for the past 40 years,” said Commisso.
He believes that the long-term economic future for Schreiber lies in robotics and assembly line, and the production of high-tech parts.
As for short-term plans for Schreiber, Commisso believes they need to develop infrastructure for tourism, such as hotels and restaurants.
“We need to develop the town, so it becomes a destination place,” Commisso said. “Tourism would be along the lines of activities for it to be a destination place. We have snowmobile runs, cross-country skiing, that would attract people to come to town.”
Commisso said Schreiber has an aging population, which needs a quick response to health emergencies. The town needs its own ambulance and personnel to respond quickly, he urged.
“Schreiber and Terrace Bay, is basically one community in a lot of ways. But with individuals with special needs that 10 minutes or 10 minutes to get to health care services can be the difference between life or death," he said. "In a sense, I resent the province for giving Thunder Bay the responsibility for making us have to make a choice, so we have to go along with their choice. I think the province should give us our own funding and let us take care of this service."
