Thunder Bay is almost ready to be on the world stage.
That's according to stand-up comedian, businessman and at-large candidate Chris Holland. Too many people have a narrow-minded view of the city's potential. But it's produced artists, actors and musicians and could do a lot more. Being a smaller, remote city can actually be a positive thing.
"We have a world of possibility here. We're very unique," the 42-year-old father of two said.
"I think the city is just on the cusp and we can explode."
But that's not going to happen without growth. Over the past decade Holland said the city has done a lot of good things but it's not enough to keep people here.
"I want to see growth. I want to see my kids have an opportunity to have a job here when it comes their time. I think too much of our population is aging now and a lot of our young folks are moving away," he said.
A former insurance adjuster, Holland saw first-hand how badly the city needs a new event centre when Thunder Bay hosted a provincial conference and there was almost nowhere for the 1,000 attendees to hold it. The Fort William Gardens just won't cut it to attract events, conventions and trade shows.
"I think that's a bit of a dinosaur," he said.
And where growth is low, taxes and the city's crime rate are too high, part of the reason Holland thinks the city has a hard time attracting people. No one wants to move to a city that has the number one murder rate in the country.
"A lot of people are scared to go outside," he said.
It's up to city council to take a hard line to do what's logical and best for the city, something Holland thinks he can do well.
"You have to make hard decisions. Not everyone is going to agree with what you say and I understand that," he said.
