Mayor says 'all roads lead to Thunder Bay' as he lays out sunny forecast in state of the city address

Thunder Bay Mayor Ken Boshcoff struck an optimistic tone for the northwestern Ontario city's future in his annual state of the city address, saying it's poised for a population boom and economic growth. 

Boshcoff's speech, which lasted just over 20 minutes Monday evening, did not include new policy objectives or announcements for future initiatives. Instead, it reaffirmed his priorities just over halfway through his four-year term, including: 

• Advancing inclusion efforts. 
• Building better relationships with Indigenous people.
• Preparing for economic and housing development spurred by the mining industry. 
• Lobbying for more federal and provincial help on social issues.

"I truly believe Thunder Bay and our entire region are in a resurgence," he said, "Mining is real, population growth and new citizens are real, the economic opportunities are real." 

Boshcoff has been giving a similar message over the past year as hype surrounding electric vehicle batteries and the minerals needed to power them has grown. 

"We are poised to become a mining powerhouse, positioned to become a rising force in the mining industry," Boshcoff said. "Figuratively and literally, all roads lead to Thunder Bay." 

The speech was originally scheduled to be delivered last month before the budget process. Since then, city councillors passed a $537-million budget and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced $20.7 million from Ottawa to help spur housing development in the city. 

Boshcoff confirmed that housing remains this council's top priority. He listed ways the city is modernizing to get more homes built faster, committing to nearly 1,700 homes in the next three years. 

'"This is aggressive, but we will meet it," he said. "Now this [$20.7 million] funding will allow us to do more, faster. This is a top priority for our council," he said. 

On the economy, he pointed to record shipments through the Thunder Bay port and the growing economy around the cruise ships that have been docking at the waterfront, saying 17 different visits are expected this year, bringing thousands of tourists to the city. 

On the city's well-documented crises with addictions and homelessness, he called for help from the provincial and federal governments. 

"We invite all orders of government to come to the table and help us find those solutions to help alleviate pressure on public health and social services," he said. "We must prioritize our collaborative efforts to tackle these crises collectively."  

He also spoke about the community's relationship with Indigenous people and neighbouring Fort William First Nation. 

"Of course, we acknowledge that we still have a long way to go," he said. "We recognize the importance of fostering positive relationships and will build on this with some key initiatives and strategies."

The goal is to improve relationships with Indigenous communities with a whole of government approach, he said. 

But in his overall assessment of the state of the city, Boshcoff was optimistic, saying the future is bright.