Mary Kozorys doesn’t think she’ll have a hard time taking Thunder Bay-Atikokan as an NDP candidate in the next provincial election.
Kozorys, who won the NDP nomination Thursday evening over former Schrieber mayor Madge Richardson, said she’s already heard from people in the riding that they want change. The riding was won by less than 50 votes by Liberal incumbent Bill Mauro over John Rafferty in the last provincial election.
"I don’t think that will be difficult. Having done door knocking already even in preparation for the nomination I’m hearing things at the doors indicating that the Liberal support isn’t there," Kozorys said after her win at the Lakehead Labour Centre, which saw the greatest attended nomination meeting in recent history according to NDP veteran Iain Angus.
Kozorys thanked NDP John Rafferty, whose constituency office she works for, for being a mentor to her in a tear-filled speech after her win. Although she faces Mauro and former Lakehead University president Fred Gilbert of the Progressive Conservatives, Kozorys said she’s hoping her community development experience will be an asset in October.
"I don’t shy away from that challenge that’s ahead of me," Kozorys said.
As for priorities, Kozorys said she wants to start door knocking as soon as possible to rebuild the Northwestern Ontario economy.
"It’s really looking at the human resource potential that we have in this part of the country," said Kozorys, who was born in the city’s East End and speaks four languages.
Provincial NDP leader Andrea Horwath, who attended the meeting but as an unwritten party rule left before the voting started, said Thunder Bay-Atikokan is a riding she thinks the party can win given the results of the last election. She said the McGuinty government has done nothing for the region.
"There’s really very little to point to that this current government has done to address the very serious concerns of northerners," Horwath said.
But while she’s confident the NDP platform will resonate with Northern voters, Horwath said she’s not in a position to say what her party’s platform will be.
Similar to PC leader Tim Hudak, in Thunder Bay last month, Horwath wouldn’t commit to a Northern Ontario energy rate for industry. But she did say there are many things to consider when energy can be produced cheaply in the region but still costs so much.
"The basic unfairness of that is definitely something we’re looking at," Horwath said.
Horwath said Local Intergration Health Networks are not transparent and need to be revamped. They have been a source of frustration and anger for people she added.
"They have been a colossal failure by this government," said Horwath.
