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Thunder Bay-Atikokan

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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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Confidence Gone For Gov’t To Solve Problems: UPEI Professor

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Thursday’s election saw the lowest voter turnout for a provincial vote in eleven years.

Photo of Political Science professor Don Desserud (UPEI)

Only 43 per cent of eligible voters came out to the polls in 2022, despite advance polling numbers being higher than in the 2018 election.

When discussing the numbers, Don Desserud, a Political Science Professor with the University of Prince Edward Island, says the public is losing confidence in the government’s ability to actually solve problems.

“People will say things like, ‘what exactly are you there for?’ and that means that your enthusiasm for voting is diminished a lot as well. Some common thoughts among the public include, are we going to get a better government? Oh well we may not, they are all the same,” added Desserud.

Just 28.66 per cent of those in the Kiiwetinoong riding cast a ballot while the number was 38 per cent in Kenora-Rainy River and almost 43 per cent in both Thunder Bay-Atikokan and Thunder Bay-Superior North.

 

With files from Katie Nicholls, Mike Ebbeling & Randy Thoms

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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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Voting Hours Extended In NWO

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Thunder Bay-Atikokan and Kiiwetinoong will have delayed election results.

Several reports indicate that Elections Ontario is extending voting at 27 locations past 9:00 p.m. Eastern time.

In a statement Thursday, Chief Electoral Officer Greg Essensa said due to a lack of staff in Kiiwetinoong, there is a special directive to allow people to vote even if they are away from their communities.

Counting can’t begin until all polls are closed.

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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: Del Duca Visits Thunder Bay

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Making Highways 11 and 17 a Class 1 highway in Ontario.

That promise coming from Ontario Liberal party leader Steven Del Duca, who made a few stops in Thunder Bay on Sunday to support Thunder Bay-Superior North candidate Shelby Ch’ng and Thunder Bay-Atikokan candidate Robert Barrett.

“What I learned in my time at the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) is that we need to do more to support highway and road safety and maintenance throughout the province, including here in and around Thunder Bay, across the North, across the Northwest,” said Del Duca.

“That’s why we’ve made this decision as part of our platform.”

When asked why he didn’t make the move while he was the Minister of Transportation (2004-2018), Del Duca only said he’s running for Premier and not a senior cabinet member.

A Class 1 designation allows snow removal equipment to be deployed as soon as 2.5 centimetres of snow has fallen and also calls for inspections three times every seven days.

Del Duca began the day at Goods & Co on Red River Road, and then had a private meeting with Fort William First Nation Chief Peter Collins.

Liberal leader Steven Del Duca arriving at Goods & Co on Sunday, May 22, 2022

Del Duca, when discussing the Indigenous portfolio, said under an Ontario government, there would be a minister dedicated to Indigenous reconciliation.

“I think it was a horrible mistake on the part of Ford Progressive Conservatives to get rid of that exclusive and stand alone responsibility given how serious the challenges are,” he said.

Del Duca added that the Liberal plan also promises to build new units of off-reserve Indigenous housing and to include more teachings in history classes on topics like the residential school system.

Before heading to Sudbury, the leader also pledged that residents would pay less at the pumps.

“Ontario Liberals, come July 1, will take 5.7 cents a litre off of the gas tax and 5.3 cents a litre off of the fuel tax to give people immediate relief at the pumps,” said Del Duca.

The Ontario PC Party also vowed a 5.7 cents a litre drop in the gas tax on July 1, while the NDP wants to see the price of fuel regulated through the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) on a weekly basis, instead of gas companies.

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Candidate Profile: Robert Barrett

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This Liberal candidate is looking to flip the political riding of Thunder Bay-Atikokan from Orange to Red.

Robert Barrett was asked in early March to run in the upcoming provincial election, and he accepted.

“My wife and I had spoken previously about a potential political run, and to get this call was exciting,” Barrett told Acadia News Friday. “I can easily align with the ambitious platform that (leader) Steven Del Duca is putting forward. As somebody who has been a social change advocate for most of my career, it’s a plan that is equitable, diverse and inclusive.”

The 36-year resident of Northwestern Ontario has served in a variety of leadership roles within the human services sector.

“We don’t always feel like our voice is being heard in Toronto,” added Barrett, when asked why people should vote for him. “We want to ensure that the representatives in both ridings have a strong voice so that our needs are being addressed. My entire career has been spent doing social advocacy, especially for those who are our most vulnerable citizens. (I’ve tried) to elevate the quality of life for everyone, especially for those who struggle on a day to day basis.”

Election Day is Thursday, June 2nd.

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Candidate Profile: Judith Monteith-Farrell

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Another election run for Judith Monteith-Farrell in the riding of Thunder Bay-Atikokan.

The NDP Incumbent was first elected in 2018 as a Member of Provincial Parliament, but she is hoping for another successful campaign.

“I am proud that I have been able to really listen and get a handle on what people in the riding need,” said Monteith-Farrell. “I am really excited about being part of a Northern team. We have eight members from the North, and that is always exciting because we bring that perspective to Queen’s Park.”

Farrell feels there is an obvious need for mental health and addictions services in Northwestern Ontario, “What we have in our community are people that need our help and we need to move forward to help everyone have a better life. That involves housing, health care and ensuring that everyone has enough money to live on with good jobs and opportunities.”

In the last provincial election, Monteith-Farrell defeated Liberal candidate Bill Mauro by just 81 votes.

Election day is Thursday, June 2nd.

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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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Liberals Have Their Thunder Bay-Atikokan Candidate

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Rob Barrett will carry the Liberal flag into the June provincial election.

The 36-year resident of Northwestern Ontario has served a variety of leadership roles within the human services sector.

Barrett has a goal to ensure that the Government understands that Thunder Bay serves as a hub for Northwestern Ontario where people travel to access services and supports for health care that don’t exist in their home communities.

“A strong economy is critical in building a healthy community but even more critical is that we ensure that the economy we build is equitable, inclusive and diverse enough to support the unique needs of Northwestern Ontario,” said Barrett.

Judith-Monteith Farrell is the NDP incumbent in the riding with Kevin Holland running for the Ontario PC Party. The Green Party will have Eric Arner on the ballot.

The writ is expected to be dropped on Wednesday, May 4th with election day set for Thursday, June 2nd .

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