A week before Election Day the gloves came off at a CTV News mayoral debate with contenders Matt Brown, Paul Cheng and Joe Swan on Monday.
Discussions about railway overpasses don't usually get so heated, but there was no time wasted as the candidates faced off.
Cheng started "Where is the plan? In all this stuff here, they keep talking about it. Four years, eight years, why is there more delay?! We don't need more studies, it's all in here, but it's not talked about. There's no railway crossings, there's no bridges of any kind, that I can find."
Swan responded "You can't find it because you don't know where to look. If you call the treasurer or the transportation planner, you will see the study is underway. It's been authorized by the ministry, we need to get two thirds funding from the Province of Ontario to make the bridge happen. The study is underway, it's approved, it's in documents all over the place, you just don't know where to look. Don't hold us accountable for your lack of experience."
Front-runner Brown was also the target of a number of jabs from both Cheng and Swan over taxes and the cost of protective services.
"I'm concerned about his spending plan and high taxes that could put people out of work," Swan said. "To police and fire - I can assure you, I'm not going to get their endorsement. Others will because they may be prepared to give them what they want, I'm telling them enough is enough!"
Cheng added "I have not signed any contract guaranteeing or agreeing to a raise for the firefighters.I will not do that because I want to sit on the side of the taxpayers, not on the side of organized labour."
Brown got in on the action, but saved his shots for Cheng, "I only heard from Mr. Cheng that he'll go out and talk. We need to do more than just talk, we need to solve the issues of this community."
But when it came to talking trash - specifically fixed garbage dates - candidates knew exactly where they stood.
Cheng says, "Why, why did it ever change? Fixed date. No question."
But for Swan, "Putting a little more money into garbage collection to get a fixed date? I'm sure people would be delighted to see what their property tax dollars do."
Brown meanwhile says "We have one of the least expensive garbage collection systems in the province and we have other pressing issues to focus on."
He may have meant jobs, taxes and integrity, all of which were tackled in the course of the debate.
