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Kevin Holland Secures PA Post

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One of the local MPPs under Premier Doug Ford is getting extra responsibility.

Thunder Bay-Atikokan Member Kevin Holland has been sworn in as the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark.

“It’s an exciting opportunity for me and I think it will serve us well (in the riding),” Holland told Acadia News.

“It’s a little less work than being a full-time minister, which will allow me the time to address the issues that we are facing here in Thunder Bay-Atikokan, which led to me running in the first place. It also gives me access to ministers at the same level as if I were a full-time minister.”

Holland said he got the call from Minister Clark just minutes after the new cabinet was sworn in on June 24th.

“We had 83 members that (the Premier) had to choose a cabinet from, so I knew it was going to be a difficult decision for him to make,” added Holland. “I’m okay with not being selected for cabinet in the first go around. I do believe that my 31 years on municipal council probably had some bearing on the decision to appoint me as the Parliamentary Assistant (to this portfolio).”

Holland has stated that he wants to tackle a shortage of jobs in the riding as well as secure additional employment opportunities at the Alstom Plant and support the Northern School of Medicine (NOSM) University.

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PC’s Steal Thunder Bay-Atikokan

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The Ontario PC Party makes history in Thunder Bay-Atikokan.

Kevin Holland, the Mayor of the Township of Conmee, is now a Member of Provincial Parliament for Doug Ford’s majority government after knocking off NDP incumbent Judith Monteith-Farrell.

“I was able to connect with constituents, voters at the doors, at the community centres and at the open houses that we were doing,” said Holland when asked about the win. “It was the grassroots style of campaigning that I think really resonated. It gave me a good opportunity to introduce myself to people one on one so they could get to know who I am and what I am all about.”

Holland has been in municipal politics for three decades and also owns a business.

A shortage of jobs in the riding is something he wants to address once he is sworn in.

“We need to diversify our workforce,” he said. “We have to start building our economy. With a strong economy, we can then sustain our healthy communities. If we don’t have that, then we won’t be able to afford the programs that help our communities.”

Prior to Monteith-Farrell being elected in 2018, the riding was held by Liberal Bill Mauro for 15 years.

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NDP Take Thunder Bay-Superior North

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It’s a first for the Ontario NDP Party in 22 years.

Lise Vaugeois avenges her 2018 defeat to Liberal incumbent Michael Gravelle and picks up the victory four years later in the riding of Thunder Bay-Superior North.

Vaugeois told Acadia News Thursday that the people behind the scenes helped make the victory possible.

“We had a phenomenal team and so many people who stepped up to help volunteer,” said Vaugeois. “Because of that we were able to reach many, many people, probably more than we were able to interact with four years ago, and I think that really made the difference.”

Vaugeois served as a professor with Lakehead University and also owns a small business.

Once sworn in at Queen’s Park, Vaugeois wants to tackle housing.

“There’s a housing crisis across the entire region,” Vaugeois stated. “That is all types and levels of housing that we need. (In Northwestern Ontario) there’s nowhere to put up extra health care staff when they come up here.”

She also says healthcare funding will be a priority.

“I will be fighting to get health care funded properly,” she said. “We need public health care. I think it is appalling that there are moves to privatize our health care and education, we need well funded and strong public health care.”

PC Party candidate Peng You finished second.

Fellow Thunder Bay councillor Shelby Ch’ng wound up in third, but learned a lot in the short campaign.

“I definitely would appreciate more time next time,” Ch’ng told Acadia News. “There are always things that you reflect on following a campaign that you would do differently. The big takeaway for me was seeing how unique and different each little town and municipality is, and hearing everyone’s voice and ideas of what makes their community great. They were so proud to show them off and it was a very nice Northern pride moment.”

Shelley Wark-Martin was the NDP Member of Provincial Parliament in the riding, last elected in 1990.

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Decision 2022: The Autism File

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What will the next government do to support families with Autistic children?

It’s one of many questions on the mind of voters with election day set for Thursday, June 2nd.

Alina Cameron is a mom to a seven year old daughter on the Autism spectrum and shared with Acadia News that there were a few interim funding programs available to families.

“If you had applied by a certain date and had registered for the Ontario Autism Program (OAP), there was a patchwork of little programs that were very targeted to help with certain age groups and certain behaviours,” explained Cameron. “There was also the one-time interim funding, and some families were able to access the funds and use it on therapies. Other families didn’t have access to and for many families, like mine, the funding only covered a small portion of the expenses. But now the program is finished and everyone is waiting.”

Cameron is also involved with the Ontario Autism Coalition as well as the Northern Autism Families group.

The provincial program pledged funds to families if they registered before April 2021 for eligible services and supports.

The amount that a family received was based on the age of the child as of April 1, 2022.

When looking at the platforms for the major parties, Cameron noted the PC Party wants the OAP to remain the same with no mention of it in their platform.

Cameron likes what she’s heard and seen from the other parties, adding “We like that they are willing to work with and build on what exists already. Scrapping the program and starting from scratch would waste more of our children’s time… we don’t have time for that.”

Both the Liberals and NDP have said they will get rid of the current age caps that exist for the OAP, and will make the program truly needs based.

The NDP platform calls for an increase to the budget by $125 million by 2024-2025 and the decision making for the treatment in the hands of clinicians and parents, not bureaucrats.

The Liberal platform doesn’t mention an increase to the budget but does indicate a plan to implement direct billing to families.

The Green Party wants to increase funding and implement the Ultimate Wait Time benchmark for diagnosis and access to services.

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Decision 2022: Thunder Bay-Superior North

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Three of the six declared candidates in the riding of Thunder Bay-Superior North met at Moose Hall.

This debate and the one on Thursday, May 12th at the DaVinci Centre (Thunder Bay-Atikokan) are being put on the Thunder Bay & District Injured Workers Support Group.

Treasurer Steve Mantis moderated the event Tuesday with Shelby Ch’ng of the Liberals, Lise Vaugeois of the NDP and Tracey MacKinnon of the Green Party taking questions from the podium and from those in attendance.

All three candidates said if given the opportunity, they would do away with Bill 124, which was introduced at Queen’s Park in June 2019 and received royal assent in November of that year.

When it comes to the topic of Long-Term Care, Ch’ng said for-profit care is the biggest mistake of the 20th century.

“We knew that for-profit care was terrible for seniors, but it took the (COVID-19) pandemic and (Premier) Doug Ford really messing it up,” Ch’ng added. “The military had to be sent in to change bandages that haven’t been changed for three days. Some patients were being overmedicated or undermedicated, while others were dying from dehydration because they can’t even get a sip of water. It’s absolutely crazy.”

The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) was called by the provincial government in April of 2020 to help seven long-term care homes dealing with COVID-19 outbreaks.

Vaugeois pointed to the powers and jurisdiction of the Conservation Authority being changed through a Ministry Zoning Order.

“What it means is that a friend of (Premier) Doug Ford can come in and say ‘I want to build here’ while the Conservation Authority says ‘that’s a really bad idea because you are in a flood zone, and it’s going to create more problems for us’. They no longer have the ability to fulfill their mandate under the new rule that the Ford government brought it,” added Vaugeois.

In the 2021 report released by Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk, between March 2019 and March 2021 the government issued 44 Minister’s Zoning Orders.

Kathy Suutari of the New Blue Party and Peng You of the Ontario PC Party both had empty seats for Tuesday’s debate.

Mantis told Acadia News that Ontario PC candidate Kevin Holland will not take part in Thursday’s debate at 7:00 p.m.

You are encouraged to wear masks at the DaVinci Centre but it is not mandatory and there will be spacing to ensure social distancing.

Election Day will be Thursday, June 2nd

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Candidate Profile: Peng You

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Peng You is looking to do something no member of the Ontario PC Party has done in Thunder Bay-Superior North.

Since the riding was created in 1999 from Port Arthur and Lake Nipigon, Liberal Michael Gravelle has won every election with the Progressive Conservative candidate finishing no higher than third place.

The one-term councillor, who immigrated to Thunder Bay, wants to make history on June 2nd as an elected Member of Provincial Parliament.

While our interview request with You was declined, Alexandra Hilkene did provide some answers to an email sent by Acadia News late last week.

“By listening to constituents and being involved in the issues in our community, Peng understands the unique challenges that we face in the North and also understands what needs to get done to build Thunder Bay,” explained Hilkene, when asked about being an Art-Large councillor in Thunder Bay. “The people of Thunder Bay-Superior North need a plan to rebuild our economy, build infrastructure and keep costs down.”

You was first elected to Thunder Bay City Council in 2018.

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Candidate Profile: Kevin Holland

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Kevin Holland is hoping to secure a PC seat in Queen’s Park for the riding of Thunder Bay-Atikokan.

His hope is to defeat the current NDP incumbent Judith Monteith-Farrell in next month’s election.

“Coming from a smaller community, obviously it’s a larger area that you are running for,” Holland explained to Acadia News, when discussing the move to run for the province. “I think the biggest difference is you are representing a party instead of running as an individual. Part of what I had to look at was what the policies and what the positions were of the different parties, and find the one that I thought best suited what I believe was needed to move our riding forward.”

Holland currently serves as the Mayor of the Township of Conmee.

The 30-year member of council and business owner feels experience is why you should vote for him, adding “I have served on several agencies in the political field, different committees and organizations. I have had several provincial appointments, so I feel like I have a really good handle on what it is we need in the riding and how we get results for the riding.”

Holland also wants to look at securing additional employment opportunities at the Alstom Plant and support the Northern School of Medicine (NOSM) University.

Election Day is Thursday, June 2nd.

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Ontario PC Unveils Thunder Bay-Atikokan Candidate

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Kevin Holland will carry the Ontario PC flag into the next provincial election.

The Thunder Bay-Atikokan candidate is the Mayor of the Township of Conmee and has over 30 years of experience as an elected member of council.

Holland believes living in the riding his entire life will help him understand the needs of the community.

“I recognize the immense opportunities that exist for our Region,” said Holland. “We need a strong voice at Queen’s Park that will commit to working in collaboration with all local partners to find solutions that will benefit the people of Thunder Bay-Atikokan.”

The next provincial election will be taking place in 2022.