THUNDER BAY – Kathy Suutari caught the political bug earlier this year, when she ran for the New Blue Party in the 2022 provincial election.
As she knocked on doors and spoke to the people of Thunder Bay-Superior North, the issues came bubbling forward.
“I didn’t win in the provincial election, and I wasn’t expecting to,” Suutari said. “But I learned a lot, and it just drove me to run at it more in this one. I think a lot of our problems start off in our region and in our cities, and we need to work on the problems.
“We have a homeless situation, we have a fentanyl situation, we have tent cities growing in my backyard and I think we need to deal with the basics and not worry about spending money on special projects. That money can be helping the situation we’ve created and that we’ve never really dealt with over the 10 years that I’ve lived in Thunder Bay.”
Suutari said crime and drugs, which go hand in hand in her mind, are the top issue facing voters in Red River Ward, where she is one of six candidates on the ballot.
“The violent crime index in this city is 176.1, which is higher than Winnipeg. We had a 44 per cent increase in sexual assaults from the end of 2021. And we’re not even telling people these things,” she said.
“I don’t know that council can actually fix the problem, but it comes from our policing system as well. We have become a society where socialism has become the predominant language of any election. We have to be very careful what we say about people because it could be construed as racism. I really think the police have to be allowed to do their jobs.”
Suutari said there has to be better use for police time than transporting criminals to and from hospital or handing out COVID-19-related fines.
The council hopeful said if she’s elected, she won’t make any decisions without getting the will of the people of her ward behind her first.
This includes any talk of an indoor turf facility.
Council has already shelved a $46-million plan, but is expected to weigh its options moving forward in the coming term.
Suutari said now is not the time.
“We have money issues. The city is not equipped to spend all kinds of money to support new projects. My campaign is solely dealing with prior issues that never got resolved or looked at. It doesn’t mean I’m not for it down the road. I’m just not for it right now. We have alternatives that were brought forward. We can deal with them right now.”
