THUNDER BAY – Tracey MacKinnon says early on in her political journey, she took some advice from former two-time mayor Ken Boshcoff.
Boshcoff, who is running for mayor in 2022, told her to keep being an advocate for change and to keep putting her name forward on the ballot.
Politics is often a name recognition game.
If so, MacKinnon should have a real shot this time around. She’s twice run for the Green Party, both federal and provincially, and four years ago was also on the at-large ballot, when she finished 21st out of 26 candidates.
“He told me, ‘People know your name, but not what you do, or they know what you do, but not your name. Give it time and they’ll put two and two together. So here I am four years later and four elections later, and I thought I’d give it another run.”
MacKinnon is a long-time anti-poverty advocate, who makes no secret of the fact she’s spent time on the streets with no place to call home after arriving in Thunder Bay a decade or so ago.
Not surprisingly, poverty, mental health and addictions and homelessness top her list of issues that need serious thought by the incoming city council.
It’s not enough to simply list them, either. Action is needed, and the clock is ticking, MacKinnon said.
McKinnon, who on Oct. 17 will host the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty at city hall from 12 p.m. to 1:30, has invited all council candidates to join in and listen to community members telling stories about their lived experience on the streets of Thunder Bay.
Listening is key, she said.
“I think that should be at the forefront. People who are homeless and living in poverty are not usually the ones who vote. We need to get them to vote. Interacting with them and bringing all the candidates who are running … may actually put a face to the story or a story to a face. These are the stories candidates need to hear,” MacKinnon said.
“These are the other people that they serve. They don’t just serve the upper-middle class and the middle class. They serve all walks of life.”
MacKinnon does believe the city should look at some type of indoor turf facility, but doesn’t think Thunder Bay needs another legacy project on the books.
“I think we need to address, in our investment, roads and housing, whether it’s in-law suites or granny suites, but we need more housing for the homeless to get people off the streets. The SOS program was recently cancelled. Where are the people that use these services going to go this winter? It’s already cold,” MacKinnon said.
