THUNDER BAY – CIVIC POLITICS – As a proud father, Afghan veteran, and Thunder Bay resident I know our community has not lived up to its potential. I was born and raised here but like many my age I moved away searching for a brighter future. During my time away I served with the Canadian Forces and had the opportunity to live and work across Canada and the world. It was then that I had a profound realization—Thunder Bay was where I wanted to be. So naturally when my wife Lindsay and I thought about where we wanted to raise our four young children we could not think of a better place than Thunder Bay.
Ten years ago I made the difficult decision to forgo a secure future in favour of following my heart back home. I won’t lie, it has been a real struggle to re-establish myself here but I sure am glad I did!
I want my kids and yours to have the opportunity to go to great schools like St Francis, Fort William Collegiate, and Lakehead University like I did.
But, we need more jobs like the ones I’ve been fortunate enough to find, working at Bombardier on the assembly line or coordinating an adult education program like I did at Frontier College, jobs that allow families to stay here in Thunder Bay.
One hundred years ago our twin cities thrived on the promise of tomorrow. Somewhere along the way the Lakehead stumbled. Instead of rising to become the Chicago of the North, we began settle for mediocrity. Rather than tempting others to find their futures here, we encouraged our children to find their future elsewhere. We stopped embracing change and chose to fight it instead. I want to find a new way forward. The choice to stay in Thunder Bay and to see the promise of our past finally realized should be the natural one for our youth.
To accomplish this I believe we need to focus on five key areas; revitalizing Fort William’s downtown, reviving the Port of Thunder Bay, reinvesting in Tbaytel, rejuvenating Thunder Bay Transit, and regenerating Thunder Bay Hydro.
My name is Robin Rickards and I am announcing my candidacy for one of the five Councillor-at-Large positions in this year’s municipal elections because I believe we can realize the promise of Thunder Bay. I need your help to do it, so please visit me online at www.robinrickards.ca where you can volunteer, donate, and work with me to show Thunder Bay a new way forward.
Robin Rickards
Candidate for Councillor at Large
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