THUNDER BAY — Ontario NDP and official Ontario opposition leader, Marit Stiles, is coming to Thunder Bay on Monday and Tuesday as part of her six-day northern portion of an All in For Ontario tour.
Stiles has already made stops all over Southwestern and Eastern Ontario, as well as the Greater Toronto Area.
In the city, she said she will meet with several people, particularly in forestry.
“I’m going to be down at the Domtar… sawmill, which I’m really excited about. I haven’t toured it before, so I’m really looking forward to seeing that and also just having a chance to speak with the workers there in the industry about what the impact they’re seeing is and what Trump’s tariffs are going to mean for them,” said Stiles.
“Thunder Bay is one of the communities that I unfortunately expect to be hit pretty hard by Donald Trump’s tariffs. Our government and our premier in Ontario have taken a real wait and see approach,” she added, noting her aim to talk with residents about how they can push back more effectively.
Stiles said she will also be meeting with many First Nations leaders, including Fort William First Nation Chief Michele Solomon and Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg First Nation Chief Louis Kwissiwa.
“I’ve been meeting with a lot of First Nations chiefs and council over the last number of weeks. I know there’s a lot of real unhappiness about the government’s Bill 5 and the way they’re just steamrolling over treaty rights and my concern is that… this is actually going to be (the) opposite effect,” said Stiles.
“It’s going to hold up a lot of the development and real opportunities that there are in the north and I know that that’s something that First Nations are concerned about as well. The government’s approach is all wrong and it’s going to end up being a battle that we don’t need in the courts or on the land.”
While initially planning to meet with wildland firefighters, who ended up being called in and cancelling, she said the other thing she will be looking to do is connect with folks about the real concerns she has heard regarding the support being given to these wildland firefighters.
“I’m going to be looking for some answers to what’s happening with the wildland firefighting right now because obviously, these communities are at risk and we have seen this government just completely fail to recruit and respect our wildland firefighters," said Stiles.
Overall, Stiles explained that she wants to ensure people know they can fight back against Trump, but also invest now to make the community stronger and will fight for them every step of the way, as well as provide opportunities.
“I’m not going to sit around until October and wait for the legislature to come back to get things done. People in Ontario cannot afford to wait,” said Stiles.
“Nobody else around is sitting around waiting for somebody to put food on the table for them. People are fighting hard for their jobs, for their communities and I’m going to be their ally and we’re going to get some things done together.”
