THUNDER BAY – Brad DesRochers says he sees a lot of missed opportunities fall by the wayside in Thunder Bay.
He’d like to help the city land some of them, one of the main reasons he decided to put his name forward in Neebing Ward, looking to replace outgoing Coun. Cody Fraser, who decided to step aside after one term in office.
“There’s a lot of potential that I feel that we’re not capitalizing on, and I really think I’m in a position to seek some meaningful change in the city,” DesRochers said.
As a civil engineer, he said he’s big on infrastructure, an area that has him tremendously concerned looking at future expenses that will be needed.
“I look around and I see our infrastructure is crumbling and we really need to invest meaningfully in our infrastructure before it becomes too late,” he said.
“To facilitate this infrastructure improvement we need money. I think economic growth and development is a big [issue too], to really increase our tax base in order to pay for these improvements.”
One piece of infrastructure on the minds of voters is the proposed indoor turf facility, which has an asking price of about $46 million as presented most recently to council.
DesrRochers said his wife plays indoor soccer, so he understands the need, the only time her league can find time being 10 p.m., which doesn’t work for a teacher.
That said, he’s not willing to break the bank.
“I think what was proposed isn’t a viable solution. That price tag isn’t something the city can digest right now. I think there are more economic alternatives, potentially private sector, to fill that service gap. But it’s definitely a need that the city does have,” DesRochers aid.
Crime and safety is another topic being discussed at the door.
With a growing guns and gangs problem, residents of the city, even those in more rural Neebing Ward, aren’t feeling safe.
DesRochers said Thunder Bay needs to take a proactive approach, rather than a reactive one.
“We definitely do need to invest in non-standard policing, try to eliminate or decrease the demand on our first responders and try to address the problem more at its roots rather than the first responders,” he said.
When asked why voters should choose him above the other five candidates running in the ward, Desrochers said it’s his unique perspective that sets him apart.
“I’m a very analytical thinker and I think it allows me to systematically look at a problem and come up with a unique and innovative solution,” DesRochers said. “With my background, I’m able to inform city council on some of the best aspects that may not be understood and some of the consequences to the problems that we have.”
