THUNDER BAY – Greg Johnsen said he’s wanted to run for city council for some time, to advocate for people who might not otherwise have a voice.
With plenty of turnover expected in 2022 and an open seat in the Neebing Ward, the St. Patrick High School teacher figured there was no time like the present.
“I teach law, I teach philosophy and history at St. Pat’s, and certainly it’s a big difference talking about this material with high school students and actually walking the path, knocking on doors and engaging with residents,” Johnsen said.
“But when I heard the outgoing councillor was giving up his post, so to speak, I thought now’s the time to do it. It’s always been a goal of mine. I’m passionate about the ward I live in, the area of the city I live in, and I’m really trying to see if we can get some of the things that other areas of the city have that we don’t have.”
Johnsen’s list includes walking and biking trails.
“My No. 1 mandate would be to get answers as to why areas like Boulevard [Lake] have fantastic playgrounds and fantastic walking routes and biking routes, and then you travel down the highway to our area of the city and we have very high property values, we pay a lot of property taxes … and yet we’re consistently left behind other areas of the city.”
Johnsen said Neebing’s playgrounds are old, bordering on decrepit. Meanwhile, Northwood got a brand new splash pad this year, which he fully supports, but still nothing for his ward.
“Neebing doesn’t have a splash pad. There are no bike paths, there are no walking paths. The paths that are there are trampled over by residents to maintain them themselves,” Johnsen said.
Johnsen is in favour of some sort of indoor turf facility, but doesn’t think it’s necessary to spend $46 million to build one.
There are cheaper, better options out there, he said.
“There is money put aside by the city for it. I don’t think it has to be a Taj Mahal. It doesn’t. I’d like to see it built in an existing building, retrofitting an area that is already up and active,” he said. “I point to the SkyDome. The Toronto Blue Jays didn’t decide to build a brand new stadium, they decided to fix the one they have, and I think that’s a good philosophy to have."
Crime and safety are also top of mind for voters in Neebing, Johnsen said. In fact, it’s the No. 1 concern for many residents he spoke with during the campaign.
He hopes some of the recommendations put forward by an expert panel appointed to advise the Thunder Bay Police Services Board will help in that regard.
“I think we have to have some patience with the independent panel," he said. "They’ve got 50-something suggestions on what to do and ideas [of] what the new police chief should be and look like. It’s a concern throughout our area of the province, and I think we also need to try to reach out to the federal government and certainly the province to find funding, to get some answers to get some help for this."
