THUNDER BAY – Moe Comuzzi said it’s time Thunder Bay put a long-term plan in place to map out the Northwestern Ontario city’s long-term future.
Without that vision it’s going to be tough for the community to return to prosperity, said Comuzzi, a sales representative with Royal LePage Lannon Realty by day who twice ran federally for the Conservative Party of Canada, finishing second in 2011 and slipping to third in 2015.
This fall she’s running for an at-large seat on city council, saying it all starts at the municipal level.
“We need leadership, we need vision, we need economics and we need a lifestyle. We need to make sure that people and neighbourhoods grow together,” Comuzzi said.
“We need a plan. We need to figure out where we need to be in five years, 10 years and 20 years. We need to sit down with stakeholders, the business community and the community itself and decide what that’s going to look like. And then we have to be able to measure it quarterly and make sure we stay on track.”
The city has plenty to offer, Comuzzi said, starting with its location and transportation services. That should bode well for Thunder Bay’s economic future.
But it has to start from within, she said.
“We’re a diamond in the rough, but we have challenges. We have social challenges and we need to have programs in place for folks to deal with addiction and crime and homelessness and poverty,” Comuzzi said. “We can’t have economic (success) and leadership and vision without the whole package. And the whole package and plan is helping neighbourhoods and businesses grow together.”
This includes creating a more friendly business climate, said Comuzzi, who has been an entrepreneur most of her life.
First and foremost, she wants to see the amount of red tape reduced.
“We’re dealing with archaic bylaws and zoning requirements that are from the 1950s. We’re in the 21st century and we have all this technology at our disposal. We can only move forward and use that technology to our advantage,” Comuzzi said.
The municipal election is on Oct. 22.
