DRYDEN – Mayor-elect Keith Hobbs for the city of Thunder Bay says he wants to work together with northwestern Ontario to bring more power and benefit to our part of the province.
“I want to have a coalition between all the mayors of the North including First Nations leaders, and I want to be able to go to the province and the feds with a strong voice,” says Hobbs.
Hobbs plans on being a voice for the North at the Northern Ontario Municipal Association’s (NOMA) meetings, but wants this coalition to go above and beyond NOMA.
“Hydro costs, that’s another reason why I want to team up with the mayors from the North and the First Nations leaders. We need to go the province and get a special energy rate for the north,” says Hobbs.
With hopes of building on Thunder Bay’s economy, Hobbs perceives as that being an opportunity for the surrounding communities as well. He says that by building up the local areas, the youth of the north will spend more of their life in their home communities, instead of travelling elsewhere to find employment and education.
“The big thing right now is jobs, jobs, jobs and we need to bring the industry here as a hub, with spokes going outwards to the smaller communities,” says Hobbs. “By the same token, if Dryden is successful getting a big industrial base there, it’s only going to help Thunder Bay.”
Hobbs feels there is a real possibility of working closely with the area leaders and making an impact on the future of our communities.
Hobbs states, “Instead of our sister cities being overseas, I’d like our sister cities to be in northwestern Ontario.”
This piece originally ran in the Dryden Observer and is re-published on NetNewsledger.com with permission.