Meet the Candidates: Iain Angus

Iain Angus manages to wear multiple hats these days.

As  the co-chairman of the Energy Task Force, he’s been pushing the province to reconsider its decision to halt the conversion to natural gas of the Thunder Bay Power Generating Station.

As a three-term councilor-at-large, Angus is equally adamant that both the City of Thunder Bay and the surrounding region be able to meet its energy needs, both now and in the future.

It’s one of the main reasons he’s decided to seek a fourth term on council, once again running in the at-large race.

“Really it’s unfinished business,” Angus said, explaining his decision.

“It’s thinks like the event centre and the need to redevelop a lot of our parks. On the other hand it’s the continued fight for the Thunder Bay Generating Station and transmission needs across the northwest. And I think that I have something to offer the community in regards to those as well as a range of other aspects.”

The 67-year-old, first elected to council in 2003, entered the political rink in 1975, when he was elected to the Ontario legislature under the NDP banner, serving for two years.

A municipal employee at the time, Angus ran federally in Thunder Bay-Atikokan in 1979 and 1980, eventually defeating current mayoralty candidate Ken Boshcoff in 1984. He held the seat until 1993.

“I’ve got a track record of serving this community,” he said.

“I’ve got a full background that allows me to connect the dots and make sure that when we’re making decisions that all matters are considered.”

Angus firmly backs the city’s push to build an event centre and makes no bones about it.

“Unlike some of my colleagues who have decided at election time to be a little bit more equivocal, I see it as a major investment for the future of this community,” Angus said.

“It will not only do all the things that we talk about, but it will help us retain our young people and it will bring young people back to our community. And I think those are two important aspects of it.”