For Paul Wolfe, the biggest issue facing Red River Ward residents over the next four years is changing demographics.
Wolfe, looking to unseat incumbent Brian McKinnon in the upcoming election, said an aging population of homeowners in neighbourhoods like College Heights, Grandview and Forest Park are going to be sellers over the next three decades. Wolfe is worried there simply won’t be replacement buyers if trends continue.
That means turning to emerging industries and learning how to integrate rapidly growing First Nations populations into the community in order to maintain and grow the tax base.
“We’re going to need to figure out a way to socially and economically integrate our young people into society, so they can own businesses and eventually buy our homes,” Wolfe said Tuesday night, following an all-ward candidates forum at the Lakehead Labour Centre.
McKinnon, a former high-school principal who has held the seat for the past four years, said the biggest issue he sees in the coming four years is finding a way to maintain the city’s infrastructure, and not just in Red River Ward.
He said he knows the city is working hard on roads, and that the Grandview area in particular is in dire need.
“We’ve been lucky that we’ve had one of the major roads each year redone, and it will continue,” McKinnon said, adding that maintaining a proper development course is also crucial.
“I think some of the infill is starting to happen in the peripheral areas of the ward. I know the area at the end of Junot and John (streets), that’s slated for some really exciting development. And then of course River Terrace will continue.”
Laury Alexander, a consultant with plenty of business background, said a couple of issues spring to mind, particularly open-air crime.
That’s what people are talking about, and it’s starting to have a negative effect in the ward, which Alexander is competing to win for the first time.
“You can see some of the crime has been shifting,” she said. “Thunder Bay police have been stepping it up with foot patrols, but it’s in the downtown areas. I’d like to see that expand into the area of Red River Road and into some of the retail sectors.”
Over-taxation is her second beef, and she promised if elected she would study the capital forecast to see where savings can be realized to reduce the burden on residents of all wards.
Jay Stapleton, the fourth and final candidate running on Oct. 25, said his most pressing concern heading into the next four years is the number of vacancies within Red River’s commercial corridor, a trend he’d like to help reverse.
The Lakehead graduate said he’d like the city to implement a progressive tax structure that encourages landowners to fill those vacancies. It would set higher taxes the longer a building is vacant and/or deemed to be derelict.
“I think that will really help the small businesses, especially along the Red River Road corridor. But there are other neighbourhoods in the city that could be targeted in the same way,” he said.
Wolfe, looking to unseat incumbent Brian McKinnon in the upcoming election, said an aging population of homeowners in neighbourhoods like College Heights, Grandview and Forest Park are going to be sellers over the next three decades. Wolfe is worried there simply won’t be replacement buyers if trends continue.
That means turning to emerging industries and learning how to integrate rapidly growing First Nations populations into the community in order to maintain and grow the tax base.
“We’re going to need to figure out a way to socially and economically integrate our young people into society, so they can own businesses and eventually buy our homes,” Wolfe said Tuesday night, following an all-ward candidates forum at the Lakehead Labour Centre.
McKinnon, a former high-school principal who has held the seat for the past four years, said the biggest issue he sees in the coming four years is finding a way to maintain the city’s infrastructure, and not just in Red River Ward.
He said he knows the city is working hard on roads, and that the Grandview area in particular is in dire need.
“We’ve been lucky that we’ve had one of the major roads each year redone, and it will continue,” McKinnon said, adding that maintaining a proper development course is also crucial.
“I think some of the infill is starting to happen in the peripheral areas of the ward. I know the area at the end of Junot and John (streets), that’s slated for some really exciting development. And then of course River Terrace will continue.”
Laury Alexander, a consultant with plenty of business background, said a couple of issues spring to mind, particularly open-air crime.
That’s what people are talking about, and it’s starting to have a negative effect in the ward, which Alexander is competing to win for the first time.
“You can see some of the crime has been shifting,” she said. “Thunder Bay police have been stepping it up with foot patrols, but it’s in the downtown areas. I’d like to see that expand into the area of Red River Road and into some of the retail sectors.”
Over-taxation is her second beef, and she promised if elected she would study the capital forecast to see where savings can be realized to reduce the burden on residents of all wards.
Jay Stapleton, the fourth and final candidate running on Oct. 25, said his most pressing concern heading into the next four years is the number of vacancies within Red River’s commercial corridor, a trend he’d like to help reverse.
The Lakehead graduate said he’d like the city to implement a progressive tax structure that encourages landowners to fill those vacancies. It would set higher taxes the longer a building is vacant and/or deemed to be derelict.
“I think that will really help the small businesses, especially along the Red River Road corridor. But there are other neighbourhoods in the city that could be targeted in the same way,” he said.
