THUNDER BAY – Mayor Bill Mauro projected cautious optimism as to how Thunder Bay’s economy will emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic during a virtual town hall Tuesday evening. Mauro was joined by Community Economic Development Commission (CEDC) CEO Eric Zakrewski to answer residents’ questions on the topic over the course of an hour.
It’s the second virtual town hall Mauro has held to field questions on the pandemic, after addressing health-focused questions alongside Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janet DeMille three weeks ago. The event was available on Shaw TV, the Tbaytel Community Channel, and the City's website.
In his remarks, the mayor stressed that recovery would not come at the flick of a switch, but looks set to be a gradual and sometimes painful process.
“The new normal may not be what existed before we got into this situation,” he said.
Zakrewski agreed, saying it could take years for some industries to fully recover. His agency expects the region’s tourism sector, particularly hard hit, to take three years to reach pre-pandemic levels, for example. He said the CEDC was already preparing aggressive advertising campaigns to bring back tourists, with some ready to launch as soon as travel restrictions begin to lift.
But both men sounded notes of confidence. The local economy has solid foundations, said Mauro, pointing to “recession-proof” institutions like the college, university, and hospital. The expansion of what Mauro called the knowledge economy had made the city better prepared to weather disruptions than it has been in the past, he believes.
Developments in the mining sector could help the regional economy in the medium term, Mauro said, alluding to the possibility of new mines coming online – though it was too early to give specifics, he said.
The mayor also anticipated some injection of funds from higher levels of government for infrastructure projects.
“That’s what governments generally do when you find yourself in a recession, so we’re expecting to see some of that assistance,” he said.
In the nearer term, Zakrewski said the Scotties Tournament of Hearts women’s curling championship, scheduled to be held in Thunder Bay in late February of 2021, could come at the perfect time to boost the city’s economic recovery. The 70 to 90 hours of national television exposure associated with the event should yield tourism benefits for years to come, he added.
In the short term, Mauro encouraged residents to do whatever they can to support local businesses.
“They’re the risk takers, they’re the entrepreneurs in our community, they’re the ones investing their own money,” he closed the town hall by saying. “We look to them on so many occasions to support local events, so we really need to do everything we can to help bridge them through this pandemic.”
Questions and answers from the event will be posted on the city’s website, the mayor said, with city staff doing their best to provide answers as well to those that had not been addressed over the course of Tuesday’s town hall.
