Downtown Revitalization on Robin Rickard’s Mind

THUNDER BAY – CIVIC POLITICS – Robin Rickards is looking at a few critical issues during the Civic Election Campaign. One of the key planks in Rickard’s platform is the revitalization of the downtown Fort William neighbourhood.

Rickards says there are a number of ideas that should be implemented. Restoring streetscapes, encouraging a more livable downtown area are key parts of the plan.

Rickards says “I remember how much more active the area was back when the movie theatres were open, after they closed you could hear a pin drop in the downtown”.

The goal is increasing walking traffic.

“Last year we subsidized Victoriaville to the tune of a loss of $350 million”, states Rickard.

Embrace Change Don’t Fight It – Rickards

Rickards says, “100 years ago our twin cities thrived on the promise of tomorrow. Somewhere along the way the Lakehead stumbled and we lost our footing. Instead of rising to become the Chicago of the North, we began settle for mediocrity. Rather than tempting others to find their futures here in Thunder Bay, we began to encourage our children to find their future elsewhere. We stopped embracing change and chose to fight it instead”.

“But there is a way forward,” shares Rickard. “It is very common these days to disregard our past, our history as irrelevant in this age of profound technological change. We forget however that the forefathers of our two great cities lived in another era equally marked by rapid technological change. They showed uncommon wisdom in the choices they made and we could do worse than to follow the successful path they forged a century ago. That path was built on five solid pillars that over the years have been allowed to fade”.

For more information visit www.robinrickards.ca