THUNDER BAY – Roberta Sawchyn says making a difference may sound like a bit of a political cliché, but it’s the reason she decided to run for municipal office.
The 64-year-old general manager at the Best Western Plus Nor’Wester Hotel and Conference Centre her background in business and her involvement in the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce and the Community Economic Development Corporation prove she’s got the background to tackle key issues head at city hall if she’s successful in her bid to capture Neebing ward on Oct. 22.
Her No. 1 target is to help grow the city’s industry base, to help relieve some of the tax pressure felt by residential rate-payers.
“If you don’t have enough industry, that’s why taxes are rising. If we can bring business – small business and big business – to Thunder Bay, then our taxes will balance out better for our residents,” Sawchyn said.
“We need to be open for business. We need to welcome people. We need to look ahead into 2030, 2040, create a footprint, work that footprint and make sure that we are welcoming and we’re set up.”
Sawchyn pointed to Lakehead University, Confederation College, the law school and medical school and the research going on at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre as proof that the city is set up for long-term economic success.
“We have all the right bones in our community. We just have to make sure that city administration makes it easy for people to come, welcomes them and finds the right formula that works for them,” Sawchyn said.
“Hydro rates come to mind for businesses to come in and operate properly.”
Looking at the expansive Neebing ward, Sawchyn, who calls herself a sports fan who loves to travel and keep up with current affairs, said a solution to reopening a span across the Kaministiquia River is tops on her list.
As a result of the 2013 closure, traffic flows throughout the ward have grown exponentially, and that has to change, she said.
“People that are out in the Neebing Valley, their lives are affected every single day by that bridge not being open,” Sawchyn said. “Highway 61 is a problem and we need to open that bridge.”
The first-time candidate said she’ll also focus on speeding on Arthur Street between the Canadian Tire and the 25th Side Road and work toward a second entrance into Parkdale subdivision.
