Candidates for Ward 1 in Brantford’s municipal election had different opinions about how to handle Brantford’s new Statistics Canada title as the auto theft capital of Canada.

In the final of a series of noon-hour debates hosted by the Brant Taxpayers Coalition, all five declared candidates for two open council seats in the ward met at the Station Coffee House and Gallery on Wednesday.

Larry Kings, Jan Vanderstelt, Coralia Tudor, Mary Ellen Kaye and Martin Sitko are running for the ward. Current Coun. Jennifer Kinneman is stepping away from politics and wardmate Coun. Mark Littell is running for mayor.

The opening question was a topical one, based on a Statistics Canada report that ranked Brantford as having the highest rate of auto thefts and attempted auto thefts per capita in the country.

“It’s been a problem,” vice-chair of the police services board Larry Kings said. “The board has a strategy and has been working with Six Nations police and the county (OPP) to deal with the problem.”

But Kings said when it comes down to budgeting with the dollars the police service has, tackling things like child pornography and domestic violence have been a higher priority.

Vanderstelt pointed to the bigger-picture problem, correlating the crime to the unemployment rate in the city.

He said Brantford needed to focus on economic development to help solve other problems.

“We don’t have any economic development right now because we refuse to work with the people who can make it happen,” Vanderstelt said. “We are going to have to enter into service agreements and negotiate with neighbours to make things happen.”

Tudor said crime grows as a city grows and Brantford needs to recognize the need to expand the policing budget.

“Brantford used to have the small town attitude of leaving your car unlocked and windows down at the grocery store,” she said. “But we’ve grown.”

Kaye said such national rankings are the face of our city to the rest of the nation.

“I think the police services board needs to take that more seriously instead of just scoffing at it,” she said.

Sitko said expanding the police budget because of one polarizing issue is not the way to go.

“The same statistics report said the national crime rate is going down,” Sitko said. “The national crime rate over the last several years is down double-digits … do we need to be increasing the police budget?”

The candidates also debated the current financial picture for the city.

Asked about the report that Standard & Poor’s gave the city a high credit rating, the candidates were quick to point out that the report is dated.

“I’m sure we were doing fine in 2008, but things have probably changed,” Kings said.

Tudor said two years is a long time for financials.

“Can you imagine a person calculating their finances based on numbers from two years ago?” she said. “We need to see where we are today.”

Vanderstelt said one thing the city needs is more openness and transparency with the budget.

The Ward 1 debate was the final in a series of five held at the Station Coffee House.

Next week the Brant Taxpayers Coalition will feature the candidates for mayor at an evening debate. It’s scheduled for Wednesday, July 28 at 7 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus Hall on Catharine Avenue.

The coalition is also planning a “catchup” debate on Aug. 18 also at the Knights of Columbus Hall for any candidate who missed the ward debates.