The four candidates running for the mayor's office in Thursday's municipal election participated in a forum hosted by the Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce Monday.

Following a forum for prospective councillors, the four mayoral candidates Ernie Bourassa, Robert 'Bobby' Barry, Ray Kitz and Bev Buckway answered questions from the chamber and from the public.

Chamber questions included:

• What is your vision of land development in the city over the next 10 years?

• In your opinion, whose responsible for growth and economic development in Whitehorse?

• What would Whitehorse do to assist with staffing issues being experienced by businesses?

• What should the city do to extend the benefits of the 2007 Canada Winter Games over the long term?

One of the questions from the public was:

• What do you think city council can do about the problem of youth driving motorized vehicles through city green areas?

Answering questions at the forum, Kitz said he didn't feel it was the role of council to bring in out-of-town business as they didn't have the resources to do that.

'The city can set the table, but we don't have the budget (to invite business to town),' he said.

Responding to questions on development, Kitz said the city had to deal with the not-in-my-backyard syndrome (NIMBY) and said he advocated for increased development downtown and a lifting of height restrictions in some places in the downtown core.

Kitz said the city may have to look at raising taxes to pay for the Canada Games Centre, but might want to also consider bringing in corporate sponsors to help out the city.

Kitz said he believed addressing the issue of people driving ATVs in green areas frequented by pedestrians should become a priority.

Bourassa said he didn't feel it was the role of the city to try to attract new businesses to town but rather to provide the infrastructure and services that would attract them.

'That's fool's game,' Bourassa said of cities who had tried to take on the role of business advocate.

Bourassa said he felt it was up to everyone - the Yukon government, the city and citizens to promote the city to outside businesses.

He said it was the city's role to plan how to accommodate people who would be moving to the city over the next 10 years.

He said he can't advocate for urban sprawl or country residential development.

Bourassa said he would like to see some of the four-storey height restrictions downtown lifted and more condominiums built.

'There are areas downtown that can have eight-to-ten storeys,' he said.

He said he advocated having condominiums built where the Qwanlin Mall is currently located on Ogilvie Street.

'Downtown will only be alive if there's people living there.'

He said the Games centre would be more successful if more citizens used it but cautioned that bringing in outside groups to use the multiplex to generate revenue might not be the best course of action.

'Bringing an event to the Games Centre costs us money.'

Bourassa said he too would like to see the ATV issue looked at but that until the Motor Vehicles Act, which gives the Yukon government authority over the trails, is amended the city would have trouble addressing the issue in any real way.

'This is also a legal issue,' he said.

Buckway said she didn't feel it was the city's role to promote economic development either.

She said the city is on the right track to provide development and there needs to be careful planning to provide enough development to help the city grow over the next 10 years.

'In 10 years I think we'll have worked through these issues,' she said. 'I think we're moving into an exciting phase.'

In terms of making the Canada Games Centre viable, Buckway said the community should be part of any solution.

She said having a workshop with city stakeholders such as first nations, the Department of Education and the Yukon College board of governors, would be a good way to get ideas about what could be done at the Games' centre.

'We should hold a challenge where people could brainstorm and see what could be done there.'

Addressing the ATV issue, Buckway reminded the public that using education as opposed to enforcement was a city policy based on public input. She said a recent bylaw review had placed ATV use in the city higher on the priority list and the city had already begun taking action on the problem.

Responding to questions on economic development, Barry said he wasn't sure how to answer the question.

'I'm not sure what to say to that. I think I blew that one,' he said.

When asked about development, Barry said he didn't advocate for long-term planning and preferred the city to use up the existing area eyed for development before looking at any new areas.

'I think we have to use up what we have.'

Barry said he wasn't sure how to address the costs associated with the Canada Games Centre, but felt that going to the public for money wasn't the answer.

'I'm terrible at spur of the moment questions ... (but) we don't need to raise taxes,' he said.

On the issue of ATVs, Barry said he didn't feel youths riding ATVs in city greenbelts was a problem.

'What I want to know is why is the city putting up boulders to block trails. ATVs give (kids) something to do,' he said.

Responding to questions from the Star, all candidates suggested some of the questions posed at the forum, both from the chamber and from the public, would have been better directed at members of the territorial government.

All candidates agreed there seems to be confusion over what the role of a municipal council is.

'Most people don't understand where our mandate lies, I can tell you, I know there are some territorial cabinet minister who would get very nasty with me if we tried to jump into their jurisdictional realm,' Bourassa said.

'I think most of the candidates know where they stand, but I think there's some confusion with members of the public. I think they just think a politician is a politician,' Kitz said.

'Some of the questions were outside municipal jurisdiction, so it would have been nice to have some that you could give some more solid answers to,' said Buckway.

Barry said he too felt some of the questions were misplaced.

'Yes (I think there is confusion). When I first came out and told people I was running for mayor, they asked me what party I was running for.'