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Citizens for a Waterfront Event Centre hands out its endorsements for the 2014 municipal race

Mayor Keith Hobbs’ unequivocal support of the event-centre process has earned him the endorsement of Citizens for a Waterfront Event Centre.
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Opportunity Thunder Bay’s Rod Bosch (left) and Jason Susin announce their endorsements for Monday’s municipal election Tuesday at Prince Arthur’s Landing. (Leith Dunick, tbnewswatch.com)

Mayor Keith Hobbs’ unequivocal support of the event-centre process has earned him the endorsement of Citizens for a Waterfront Event Centre.

The group, which supports the construction of an event centre if provincial and federal dollars are in place, gave their nod of approval to 12 candidates, including 10 incumbents, six days in advance of Monday’s election.

Also endorsed by Citizens for a Waterfront Event Centre were sitting at-large representatives Iain Angus, Rebecca Johnson and Aldo Ruberto, along with incumbents Trevor Giertuga (McIntyre), Brian McKinnon (Red River), Andrew Foulds (Current River), Mark Bentz (Northwood), Joe Virdiramo (Westfort) and Paul Pugh (McKellar).

The group also backed newcomers Andrew Brigham and Diane Armstrong, both seeking seats in the at-large race.

Jason Susin, chairman of the Citizens for a Waterfront Event Centre Committee and a member of Opportunity Thunder Bay, said Hobbs was an easy choice.

“Keith has been behind the event centre 100 per cent wholeheartedly. He truly believes that this is a great project for the city and is going to help move the city forward,” Susin said, explaining his decision.

The endorsements speak loudly to the 16-member-strong committee’s belief in the job the current council is doing, he added.

“They’ve been here for the project since Day 1, since Phase 1,” Susin said. “They deserve to be on there. They weren’t sitting on the fence. They showed true support.”

A number of councillor candidates have issued cautious support of the project, while several have said they outright oppose the plan, including mayoralty hopeful Shane Judge.

OTB’s Rod Bosch said his group’s position since Day 1 has been to support the process, collect the information and make an educated decision when it’s known if upper levels of government plan to come to the table with a third of the expected $114-millon cost apiece.

“If the one-third contribution from all three levels of government doesn’t exist, the project stops. That’s been our position since Day 1,” he said.
Bosch is hoping the endorsements have an impact.

“I think there are some people that are wondering one way or the other and we think this close to the election is an opportune time to do this,” Bosch said.

Pugh said he’s hoping the endorsement will have a positive effect on his campaign.

“It can’t be anything but a positive thing,” Pugh said, then reversed course.

“I suppose there could be people that are so obsessed with the event centre issue who might feel that if you’re for it, I’m against it. But I think most people have a broader view than that.”

Pugh isn’t as hopeful he’ll get an endorsement Wednesday night, when the Concerned Taxpayers of Thunder Bay hold their meeting. It’s expected they too will present a list of candidates, all of whom will likely oppose the event centre project at this time.

“Probably not,” he said. “I mean, if they want to endorse me, I’d certainly welcome it. But I don’t expect it.”

Neebing’s Linda Rydholm and at-large Coun. Larry Hebert and mayoral candidate Ken Boshcoff were the three incumbents not to earn an OTB endorsement. The group did not back a Neebing candidate.



Leith Dunick

About the Author: Leith Dunick

A proud Nova Scotian who has called Thunder Bay home since 2002, Leith is Dougall Media's director of news, but still likes to tell your stories too. Wants his Expos back and to see Neil Young at least one more time. Twitter: @LeithDunick
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