THUNDER BAY – Gratitude over election wins, a determination to spur economic recovery, and resolutions to find more time for exercise were among the common themes touched on by Thunder Bay’s political leaders in a series of year-end interviews.
Fully three of the five people occupying the city’s top political jobs were freshly elected in 2022, after voters went to the polls provincially in June and municipally in October.
For Mayor Ken Boshcoff, securing election as mayor was no less sweet after previously holding the office twice, along with the titles of city councillor and MP.
“It’s great to go into it with the confidence of knowing the people are behind you,” he said, calling his reelection on Oct. 24, hard won over strong challenger Gary Mack, his political highlight of the year.
Asked about his priorities for the new year, Boshcoff said he’s focused on containing tax hikes in what numerous local politicians and city staffers have warned will be a painful 2023 budget.
He also has his sights set on a longer-term goal he discussed during the election, rebuilding civic pride.
“I’m really trying to restore the city’s confidence in itself, and at the same time keep the budget under control,” he said.
The mayor’s personal resolutions may prove simpler to tackle.
“I’ve got to get back to the gym,” he said with a chuckle. “That will help me stay energized and stay healthy – and get to see people again, too.”
Despite the challenges of an ongoing pandemic, Thunder Bay–Superior North MP Patty Hajdu said she looks back on 2022 with pride.
“There are so many great things happening – in mining for example, the approval of the mine near Marathon, with Biigtigong and Marathon working so closely together, and of course the development in Greenstone,” she said.
Hajdu said her office had helped support community projects like those with over $50 million in federal funding delivered to the region over the course of the year.
“These are things the community has been working on for a very long time. It’s my job as a member of parliament to help them achieve those goals, and we’ve had a bumper year of successes.”
Her top goal in 2023 is to ensure the federal government is focused on economic recovery, she said, adding that will involve supporting economic development, as well as working with partners on poverty alleviation, housing and homelessness.
Like Boshcoff, Hajdu said her personal resolutions include finding more time for physical activity.
“I have found in this job, I sit a lot, I fly a lot, and there’s always food around,” she said. “So I’m going to try to stay as healthy and balanced as possible. I know physical activity for me also helps me with my mental health.”
Thunder Bay–Rainy River MP Marcus Powlowski said while the year had been full of developments, the Russian invasion of Ukraine stood out.
“It’s a fundamental threat to the global legal order,” he said. “We’ve had relative global peace for 75 years since the Second World War. Now we have a member of the Security Council flagrantly breaking the most basic and fundamental rules of international law.”
Powlowski said he doesn’t make personal News Year’s resolutions.
“I think trying to get it right is a 365-day job, and nothing’s going to change magically overnight on New Year’s Eve, so I don’t bother even trying,” he said.
Thunder Bay–Atikokan MPP Kevin Holland said his election in June, in which he ousted incumbent Judith Monteith-Farrell to became the riding’s first Progressive Conservative representative in decades, was his political highlight of the year.
The longtime Conmee mayor called gaining the confidence of voters an honour.
“It’s a responsibility I take very seriously, and I’m looking forward to doing the work that the people of Thunder Bay–Atikokan have entrusted me to do,” he said.
Holland said his biggest goal in 2023 is to ensure the region’s concerns are front and centre within the Ford government.
For Thunder Bay–Superior North MPP Lise Vaugeois, also elected for the first time in June, contributing to the NDP fight against Bill 28, which invoked the notwithstanding clause to legislate a deal with education workers, was her highlight of 2022.
“Bill 28 threatened charter rights and threatened to bring in the notwithstanding clause against workers in contract negotiations,” she said. “We were kicked out of the legislature in order to protest, and it really led to many people rising up against that bill, and the government was forced to rescind it. I think that’s a very big moment for labour across the province, and certainly for us.”
Her goals in 2023 include a focus on securing funding for affordable housing in her riding, she said.
“There are two projects in Thunder Bay, shovel-ready, that could really provide relief for quite a few people,” she said. “I’m hoping the government will come through with some kind of dedicated funding.”
Asked about her New Year’s resolutions, Vaugeois said she’ll work as hard as she can to build bridges with those of all political stripes at Queen’s Park to drive progress for the region.
