THUNDER BAY – Voters in Thunder Bay’s municipal election got a closer look at the five men running to serve as the city’s next mayor during a televised debate on Wednesday.
The Issues and Answers mayoral debate, hosted by TBT News, saw candidates square off on topics including the economy and taxes, infrastructure, and climate change, while segments on policing and homelessness produced the most spirited exchanges.
Candidates were also asked to clearly state their positions on the designated truck route — an issue that deadlocked the previous council — and the proposed indoor turf facility — the subject of substantial discussion and focus over the previous four years but one in which there were no achieved results.
The hour-long debate, moderated by TBT News anchor Ryan Bonazzo, aired Wednesday evening and can now be viewed on TBnewswatch.
Policing and public safety
Ken Boshcoff said he’d ask the province to grant Thunder Bay “special status” recognizing its role as a regional hub.
“We’re being asked to service an area larger than most countries,” he said. “As a collecting point… clearly, our local police force is doing the job of a national or provincial level. Can we do it alone? No.”
Gary Mack responded with skepticism.
“I don’t really have much faith in other levels of government — I don’t think anyone’s coming to save us here in Thunder Bay," he said. "We need to do this ourselves.”
To unburden police, Mack said he’d move to create a “new tier of first responders” to handle non-criminal calls related to mental health, homelessness, and public intoxication.
Robert Szczepanski took what he said could be an unpopular position.
“We shouldn’t be supporting the police — we should be punishing them, we should be showing them this is not how you treat people, this is not how you do your job,” he said.
“The new police station? Waste of money. If you want something good, earn it.”
Clint Harris disagreed.
“The silence of our provincial and federal delegates, including our council members and our past mayor, has been staggering,” he said. “[Police] need support, they need resources, and we need answers for that. No more silence.”
“Whether we need a new police station or not is something to come once we’ve solved the issues with regard to the police services board,” he added. “But these officers are under fire.”
When it comes to policing, “lots of things are out of [the city’s] control,” argued Peng You, but said if elected mayor, he’d push for at least one change.
“I’m a fan of neighbourhood policing,” he said. “Our own studies showed it cut down 27 per cent the crime rate.”
Peng You later told TBnewswatch the comment referred to a 1990s study focused on the County Fair area that he had not seen himself, but had heard referenced by city and police leaders. Neither the Thunder Bay Police Service nor the police services board could immediately confirm the study or its results.
Housing and homelessness
Mack argued while the city largely isn't responsible for housing, health, or social services, the municipal government can and should play a leading role.
He pointed to Medicine Hat, Alta., which declared an end to chronic homelessness in 2021.
“They had a mayor who championed the cause of ending homelessness in that city,” Mack said. “He got people together and drove that forward, and spending very little money, they now have zero chronically homeless people in the community. If Medicine Hat can do it, then surely Thunder Bay can do it.”
Harris, who said he visits local encampments every day, pointed out Medicine Hat’s homelessness numbers have since rebounded, at least slightly.
“Medicine Hat has not eradicated homelessness,” he countered. “They made an attempt at it, and if you did some research you’d find out they failed, and it’s actually caused some issues in the community.”
He suggested the city should use vacant buildings to urgently house people in winter, adding he’d previously pushed to employ the former Lakehead Psychatric Hospital site.
Boshcoff again argued the city must appeal to the provincial and federal governments for more funding to recognize that “we are helping dozens of other communities.”
“By taking on the people who need the housing, we’re actually helping them, so it’s not unreasonable to ask… for assistance,” he said.
Indoor turf and designated truck route
Asked if they support a proposed indoor turf centre, Boshcoff, Mack, and Peng You said yes, but all argued the city can find cheaper options than a $46 million design most recently presented to council.
Harris said he can’t agree to the project without outside funding, while Szczepanski argued the city must first focus on its social problems.
All candidates said they support creating a designated truck route. Peng You, who previously voted against its implementation, hedged, saying, “Yes, but however, it’s no right now.”
Taxes and the economy
On plans to stimulate the local economy and minimize tax hikes, Harris said the city must control emergency services spending, which accounts for more than a third of the city’s budget.
“We’re dealing with a lot of services banging into one another,” he said. “The costs incurred with regards to police, fire, and EMS all showing up to one call add up to millions of dollars a year.”
Mack said the city’s economic and social health go hand in hand.
“We have to address the issues that are keeping business away from Thunder Bay, which is our social issues – the homelessness, crime, drug use. That is scaring business away.”
Boshcoff, meanwhile, said the city must move fast to capitalize on a hoped-for mining boom.
“We have to grow our economy, and right now we have a golden chance to have seven head offices of the mines that are poised to open up,” he said. “If we could get those families to stay here and the head office to be here, then we’re growing our economy.”
Peng You argued the city has strong economic development potential, but said more leadership is needed at the city and CEDC to make it happen.
Climate change
Candidates were asked how they’d move the city toward targets in its ambitious net-zero strategy.
Boshcoff offered a full-throated endorsement of the plan.
“I believe many of the proposals put forward are actually doable, affordable, and actionable in the very near future,” he said. “I’d ensure as mayor these were followed through step-by-step. They may seem like a painful thing now, but we know the impacts of climate change, you see the disastrous results all over the world.”
Mack said the city must “reimagine” its public transit system.
“It’s a huge polluter, it’s an inefficient system … everyone’s unhappy with transit altogether,” he said. “Given our climate, there’s real challenges there, but I think we can work on really good solutions.”
Szczepanski suggested city councillors give up their cars and rely on transit, saying they’d immediately see the need for better service.
Peng You agreed transit “should be encouraged.”
“However, there are issues,” he said. “Thunder Bay is a big territory [and] the winters are long. So we have to [have a] balanced approach.”
He added the city can also act on climate change by encouraging dense, walkable neighbourhoods.
