Advocates are calling on the newly-elected mayor of Thunder Bay, Ont., to address a host of social issues facing the community after he made no such promises during his campaign.
Ken Boshcoff, who served as mayor of the northern Ontario city from 1997 to 2003, will re-assume the role again after a narrow victory Monday.
Holly Gauvin, the executive director of Elevate NWO, an organization that offers services to underserved communities, says it’s a big concern that Boshcoff didn’t commit to any plans to tackle homelessness and opioid issues.
Tamara Bernard, an Indigenous educator and advocate, says the city also needs to address rising poverty as well as violence against Indigenous women and youth.
Boshcoff says that although he didn’t make any promises during his campaign, he is committed to addressing “obvious social issues” in the city by bolstering the local economy to finance efforts.
Boshcoff was a Liberal MP for Thunder Bay-Rainy River from 2004 to 2008, and was elected locally in Thunder Bay again in 2010 as a councillor at large. He made a failed attempt in the mayoralty race in 2014, when he lost to the incumbent.
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