Ken Boshcoff is once again Thunder Bay's mayor, and he's got a lot of challenges ahead
Boshcoff won 38 per cent of the popular vote in Monday night's mayoral election
At first, it looked as if it would be an easy win for Ken Boshcoff. The first polls came in and showed he held a sizable lead in Thunder Bay's mayoral vote. It seemed like the makings of a landslide.
Friends, family and supporters chatted between sips of wine and cocktails, snacking on shrimp and other hor d'oeuvres at Boshcoff's results watch party.
But then, shortly after 10:30 p.m., the energy left the room. A sudden surge of results Monday turned the walk-off win into a tight two-way race with small business owner and former Shelter House director Gary Mack.
Boshcoff hung on in the end, though it took until nearly midnight before CBC's Decision Desk projected his win over four other candidates, and final unofficial tallies from the city showed he'd be back in the mayor's office — a seat he last held from 1997 to 2003.
"It was an interesting finish right to the wire, and I have to congratulate my opponents. It was a very honourable campaign," Boshcoff said after his win.
His term as mayor won't officially start until Nov. 15, with his official swearing-in ceremony coming two weeks after that, but Boshcoff will certainly have his work cut out for him.
From addictions and homelessness, to infrastructure projects to policing, there are a lot of complex, multi-jurisdictional issues to tackle in the next four years.
But what exact policies and actions Boshcoff will take aren't clear.
Selling experience, but no detailed platform
Unlike most mayoral candidates across the province, where candidates have detailed platforms for voters to peruse and compare, Boshcoff didn't make many promises during the campaign.
His campaign website didn't include any policy proposals, and in interviews before and after his win, Boshcoff focused more on his 30-plus years of experience in public office than specific priorities.
"None of these are new issues to our city, or to humankind at all. The fact that they all seem to hit Thunder Bay at once is what the issue is," Boshcoff said right after his win.
"The priorities almost find themselves. We're going to have to get through the next budget almost immediately, and so I'm ready to do that job."
What priorities will make their way into the budget and future council decisions remain to be seen, but there is a long list of issues waiting for debate.
Addictions, mental health and homelessness
In Thunder Bay, the toxic drug crisis has hit hard.
On a per-capita basis, more people died in Thunder Bay last year than in Vancouver, as well as every other public health unit in Ontario.
Meanwhile, encampments have been growing throughout the summer, with the people living outdoors facing violence and verbal abuse.
At least three life-saving outreach services are not running this winter due to a lack of money and staff, and at a forum earlier this fall, one social service agency director said she personally knew of at least seven people that died in the streets this year waiting to be housed.
There are also more than 900 people on a wait list for social housing, according to a report from March to the Thunder Bay District Social Services Administration Board.
There have been some developments in recent years to expand transitional housing units, increase the number of addiction treatment and withdrawal management beds, and bring a safer supply of opioids for people living with addiction.
While most of the funding for those initiatives came from the provincial or federal governments, they came following co-ordinated lobbying efforts by city agencies and politicians.
WATCH | Ken Boshcoff reacts to his mayoral win Monday night
Prior to the election, Boshcoff told CBC's Superior Morning that Thunder Bay, as a regional centre, needs "massive infusions of federal and provincial dollars because we're handling a territory larger than most countries.
"To ask one city of just over 100,000 [people] to handle all those problems from innumerable municipalities and First Nations is simply unfair," he said.
But he will be just one of countless mayors across the province trying to get more money out of the Ontario government.
Infrastructure and legacy projects
Like many of the mayors and city councils before him, Boshcoff will also have a vote in expensive decisions.
Many in the city are waiting on if and how Thunder Bay will create an all-season turf facility for soccer players and fans.
Before the election, Boshcoff had indicated some frustration with the length of time and cost to build the site.
"A modestly priced turf facility is vital to letting kids run around and do exercise, so I can see a facility without a fancy restaurant for around $15 or $20 million that we can use," he said in an interview before the election.
"We know that a turf facility would be well utilized, so you don't have to go hugely into the hole to do one."
That's not the only multimillion-dollar project that requires debate and a decision waiting for the new mayor. There may be a decision looming on a new police headquarters, which at last estimate could cost $56 million.
The policing crisis
On the policing front, there's a long-standing, well-documented crisis happening at all levels in the city force.
Boshcoff, who will have a seat on the police oversight board, will play a role in selecting a new police chief after former chief Sylvie Hauth was simultaneously suspended for allegations of misconduct and announced her retirement next summer.
He will be surrounded by a number of new faces — with at least two new provincial appointees, and the term of municipal appointees Georjann Morriseau and re-elected city Coun. Shelby Ch'ng coming to an end (with the possibility of renewal).
The board's decision-making power will be limited for the time being, as provincially appointed administrator, Toronto-based lawyer Malcolm Mercer continues to hold the sole vote.
But they have a lot of tall tasks on their plate, dealing with internal divisions and external investigations, as well as a serious lack of trust from Indigenous people and leaders in the region — with an outstanding call for the entire Thunder Bay Police Service to be disbanded in an effort to create a police force that all residents can trust.
In the interview with CBC's Superior Morning prior to the election, Boshcoff was vague when asked about how he would deal with the issues around policing in Thunder Bay — once again falling back on broad statements about his experience and character over actual promises and plans.
Community well-being and public safety
Closely linked to questions of policing, are what many mayoral and councillor candidates have been referring to as community or public safety.
Police have noted a rise in gun, drug and gang activity in the city, in part because of the ability of gangs to sell illicit substances for significantly higher prices in the north as compared to southern Ontario.
It has been a particularly deadly year as well, with at least 12 homicides reported by local police — the most murders in Thunder Bay in one year in recent memory. A confidential report by Broken Trust investigators, leaked to CBC News earlier this year, suggests there may be more deaths sliding under the radar of police.
Boshcoff will have to balance calls from the local force to expand the number of police officers in the streets, with a growing movement to divert resources and service calls away from police and toward social service agencies.
There are also many in the city, police included, calling for more "upstream investments," where the focus is on youth and community connectedness, well-being and creating safe spaces.
A major win for the city came back in 2018, when the federal government announced $5.6 million for a new youth inclusion program — based in the Limbrick/Vale, the Windsor/Picton/Blucher and the Simpson/Ogden neighbourhoods.
That programs funding will run out in March 2023, and city council will be presented with a report and recommendations on how the city may move forward, according to city crime prevention council coordinator Lee-Ann Chevrette.
Trying to boost the economy
Of course, there is the perennial election topic of how to boost the local economy.
Thunder Bay has been working hard in the past several years, even through the pandemic, to revitalize downtown cores, attract national and international sporting and business events, and bring in novelty businesses like cruise ships.
Boshcoff has talked a lot about attracting tourists to the city, and making sure the housing and education systems are ready to welcome new workers.
"We have the greatest potential. There are seven, at least, mining operations ready to commence operations near us if we can be prepared."
But ultimately, the success of this mayor will depend on their ability to work with the new council, and their capacity to leverage money from the provincial and federal government.
Boshcoff will have four years to demonstrate how his experience will help him address these major challenges.
And on many of these vital issues, voters will be watching closely.
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