Greater Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger is disappointed in how a recent conversation he had with NDP leader Jagmeet Singh has been characterized on social media.
Sudbury MPP Jamie West arranged the online meeting, which was the first time Bigger has spoken with Singh.
"I was reached by Jamie, and obviously my door is always open to Jamie, and he introduced me to Jagmeet Singh," said Bigger. "They were talking about the actions that they're taking to try and support Laurentian."
Bigger says that in his role as mayor he has maintained a non-partisan position and is open to input from representatives from all political parties.
"It's something that I've always tried to do, I don't believe that there's a gain for a municipal mayor to get involved in the political side of this," said Bigger. "What's important for me to represent the City of Greater Sudbury is to have an open door with everyone involved."
Discussion between Singh, Bigger and West was focused on the situation with Laurentian University. While the discussion itself was cordial, it was a tweet sent out by Singh that caused the mayor to get his defences up.
Singh tweeted on April 27, "Over the last 2 weeks, I've met with students, professors, workers & the mayor of Sudbury - I've even held a townhall. The common denominator in every meeting and conversation has been the desire to see the Liberals get off the sidelines and help Save Laurentian University."
Bigger retorted, "at no time during our meeting did I say this. I have a great relationship with @MarcSerreMP and @LefebvrePaul. They work hard for our community."
@theJagmeetSingh at no time during our meeting did I say this. I have a great relationship with @MarcSerreMP and @LefebvrePaul. They work hard for our community.
— Brian Bigger (@BiggerSudbury) May 3, 2021
"I was disappointed in the way that the conversation was characterized," said Bigger. "It was likely unintended but I did feel the need to qualify because it's important to maintain open communication and those solid relationships."
Bigger has since spoken with both Sudbury MP Paul Lefebvre and Nickel Belt MP Marc Serré and says that there was no issue on that front. The mayor however says he hasn't followed up with Jamie West or France Gélinas, the provincial NDP representatives for Sudbury and Nickel Belt respectively.
"I have not followed up with Jamie or France after the tweets, but I think it's pretty clear," said Bigger.
“Jamie specifically pointed out during the meeting to Jagmeet and others that the mayor of the City of Greater Sudbury maintains a non-partisan position and I think everybody does understand how important that is for a municipal mayor."
