THUNDER BAY – Andrew Foulds says he’s still got work to do as Current River’s representative on city council.
Fiercely proud of his roots in the ward, Foulds was first elected to council in 2006. Over the course of the past 16 years he’s worked tirelessly to improve the quality of life for those living in Current River, pointing to projects like the Boulevard Lake dam and the new playground at Centennial Park as just two of the projects of which he’s proud to have pushed for around the council table.
“It really matters,” he said. “I’m deeply, deeply committed to not just Current River ward, but to the City of Thunder Bay. This is the city that I call home, that my wife and my children call home, that my parents call home.
“It really matters to me what happens in this city. I’m hopeful my children have opportunities to be employed here, if they wish to. I want my entire family to be safe here. So the decisions that city council makes are critical. They’re important and they really matter to the day to day lives of citizens.”
Foulds said he’s hopeful he’s contributed in the past and equally hopefully he can continue to contribute in the future.
He’d like to start with infrastructure, which he believes is broader than just roads.
“I really think we need to be looking at more investment in our trails. I think we do need to be looking at our roads. I think we need to be looking at being a climate-ready city. For the first time, living in Current River, I had water damage in my basement,” Foulds said.
“This spring we had all kinds of damage to our home. We’re seeing natural disasters increase. We’re seeing in the east coast and the southern United States disaster after disaster. Climate change is real and we need to be prepared. What I’d like to see in the ward is more investment in being climate ready.”
This includes roads and storm water systems, said Foulds, a high school teacher at Westgate Collegiate and Vocational Institute.
“But going back to the original question, I’d really like to see some investment in our trails because we have some great playgrounds and I want to make sure that people can bike to them and they can walk to them,” he said.
Asked why voters should give him a fifth term on council, Foulds said he’s hopeful he’s done enough – and then some – to earn their trust.
“The last three years have been crazy. There have been families and people who have tremendously struggled. We need to recover. We need to recover as a city and as people we need to recover and emerge out of the pandemic,” he said.
“I’d like to be part of a leadership team that contributes to that. I’d like to think that over my terms on council I’ve performed for the citizens of Current River and for Thunder Bay. I’d like to think I’ve delivered, and I’d like to think I’ve earned their trust. I would be honoured to serve them again.”
