THUNDER BAY — Thunder Bay marked the end of an era at city hall on Monday with the departure of three faces that featured reliably around the city council table for the better part of two decades.
Rebecca Johnson, first elected in 2003, and Aldo Ruberto and Brian McKinnon, both elected in 2006, all participated in their final meetings as city councillors on Monday evening.
Along with the departures of former mayor Bill Mauro and councillors Cody Fraser and Peng You, six of 13 seats on council turned over on Tuesday, as winners in the Oct. 24 municipal election took office.
Reflecting on her tenure after Monday’s meeting, Johnson expressed satisfaction she was able to help guide positive changes.
“You have no power as a city councillor, but you have an opportunity to influence,” she said. “When I look back on it, to influence the fact we have an age-friendly organization now, we have dog parks, we have a drug strategy — those are some of the things… I feel I’ve left a legacy — I can look in the mirror and say, it was a good 19-year run.”
While Johnson said she’s “really looking forward to not being a councillor anymore,” she’ll still be actively engaged in the community.
“I am going to be mentoring a couple of the councillors — they’ve already asked me to do that, which is a compliment,” she added.
Like other councillors, Ruberto said the incoming council will face an immediate challenge in setting the 2023 budget, thanks to high inflation and a drying up of COVID support dollars from the province and feds.
However, he said those challenges aren’t unprecedented and should be put in perspective.
“Everyone says how tough it is right now,” he said. “In 2006 when we first got elected, Thunder Bay had the highest unemployment, we had five mills shut down, there was nothing going on. We had the lowest housing prices in Canada.”
Ruberto said that council’s moves to develop the waterfront at Prince Arthur’s Landing, support employment growth in health sciences, and revitalize the north core downtown showed the impact the city can have.
McKinnon also called his role in supporting waterfront development one of his proudest accomplishments, calling it an investment that continues to pay off.
“Now we’re dealing with the art gallery, now we’re dealing with the Science North project, which is enormous, and then all of the other stuff that’s going to be associated with that,” he said. “The waterfront is going to be a jewel.”
The 2018-2022 council acquitted itself well while confronting an unprecedented situation in the pandemic, he added.
“When I look back, I’ve been on four councils, and this was as good as any of them, with our decision-making, good strong personalities, people not afraid to be contrary — which is good.”
Ruberto, whose own approach to the job often generated controversy, called that appropriate, saying councillors shouldn’t be afraid to speak their minds.
“For 16 years, I could have been sitting here twiddling my thumbs, and everybody would have thought, ‘Wow, what a great guy.’ I’d rather be criticized for taking actions.”
However, he said he’s looking forward to some down time from a demanding job.
“The first thing I’m going to do is go on vacation,” he said. “Then I’m going to chill, relax, try to recharge. It’s a tough job – 24/7 people are questioning you or asking you about everything you could possibly think of.”
McKinnon said he’ll be dealing with some personal challenges post-council, which helped inform his decision not to seek another term, but is looking forward to spending time at camp and visiting his two children, and will continue serving on several local boards.
“I’ve got lots to do,” he said. “I’ve got a large family, we’re very close.”
The trio’s departure leaves several councillors with over a decade of experience, including Coun. Trevor Giertuga (elected in 2000), Coun. Mark Bentz (elected in 2003, with a gap from 2014 to 2018), and Coun, Andrew Foulds (elected in 2006).
Mayor Ken Boshcoff previously held the title from 1997 to 2003, and served as a councillor from 1979 to 1985, 1986 to 1988, 1992 to 1997, and 2010 to 2014.
