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Candidates vying to lead one of northern Ontario's largest municipalities agree that public safety, homelessness and aging infrastructure will have to be among the top priorities for Thunder Bay's next council.
Nine candidates are competing to replace long-serving mayor and former member of Parliament Ken Boshcoff, who is retiring from municipal politics. He was first elected councillor in 1979 and served two stints as mayor, first from 1997 to 2003 then again in 2022.
Trevor Giertuga, who's running for mayor after serving as city councillor since 2000, said the rise in crime and homelessness is the main challenge facing the city. If elected, he said he would increase police resources and build more housing.
"I would like to see us return back to neighbourhood policing with more boots on the ground in the areas, so we could target high-risk areas or high-crime areas," he said, noting that Thunder Bay used to have a crime prevention council whose members included Indigenous leaders, business owners and others in the community.
Statistics Canada's crime severity index, based on police-reported data, for Thunder Bay increased 18 per cent from 2024 to 2025. The Thunder Bay police website shows the city's crime severity index has been higher than both provincial and national averages from 2020 to 2024.
The District of Thunder Bay’s Social Services Administration Board estimated in an August report that there were 1,129 homeless people in the city by the end of last year and that at least 58 per cent of them identified as Indigenous.
Earlier this month, the city's long-awaited temporary shelter village with 80 private cabins and shared washroom and kitchen facilities welcomed its first residents. But Giertuga said the city needs more permanent housing instead of temporary solutions to homelessness.
"The village has opened and although I was opposed to it, we're in it now, so it's a matter of making sure it's run properly," he said, adding that the $12.5 million spent on the project should have gone toward permanent housing.
Moe Comuzzi, a real estate broker with extensive business experience who is also running for mayor, said the temporary village is a well thought out project and she would be committed to moving it forward if elected.
"It gives people dignity and the opportunity to have a nice, warm, safe place to help them," she said. "Whether or not they need services for mental health and addictions, the services will be there for them ... or whether they're just waiting for an affordable home that takes a little bit of time to build."
Comuzzi said building more housing and infrastructure is part of the goal to attract more investment and growth, as the city is an economic hub in northern Ontario.
"Industry, small business, and mining, critical minerals — I mean the opportunities are endless," she said.
Giertuga said he would also focus on increasing the city's tax base to avoid steep rate hikes for residents. He said Thunder Bay has a $30-million infrastructure funding gap and city council has been raising the capital budget by five per cent a year to make that gap smaller.
But he said promising to freeze property taxes is not realistic.
"Other candidates have put forward a tax freeze for 2027 and I ask, 'then how, where, are we going to get the money or what services are we prepared to cut?'"
Comuzzi also said a tax freeze is not feasible.
"Everybody's feeling the pinch at the grocery store and at the gas station. Businesses are feeling that stress too. So, growing Thunder Bay for all of us is the right step in the right direction," she said.
Since Thunder Bay is a regional service hub in northern Ontario, Giertuga said he would also advocate for more federal and provincial funding to help the city serve people from nearby communities.
"We have 30,000 people in the city that are not on our census that have come from outlying communities, and not just unhoused people, people coming for cancer treatment, people coming for other medical treatment, people coming for all sorts of different reasons," he said.
For mayoral candidate Volker Kromm, a project manager and business leader, the rise in poverty is a key issue.
"These last couple of years, we've seen a steady decline and such an increase in the effects of poverty on the streets and the drug culture and the cost of living and the whole of the affordability issue," he said.
"The poverty is growing, there aren't enough jobs. In some cases, there isn't the training available, and these people can't afford to live here because there aren't enough affordable houses, so they end up on the streets."
Thunder Bay's 10-year housing and homelessness plan says getting enough affordable housing will continue to be a problem since the average cost of building a single new unit is $450,000 and "the available funding does not stretch far."
Kromm said the city needs to better co-ordinate with federal and provincial government agencies and other groups that help homeless people and those struggling with addiction.
"We have a lot of great social service organizations ... They're doing the best that they can, but they work separate," he said.
Lindsay Martin, executive director of the Elizabeth Fry Society of Northwestern Ontario, said her organization supports homeless women and gender-diverse people, including those who struggle with substance use and mental health issues, but has never had much contact with or support from the city.
"A lot of NGOs, or non-for-profits or charitable organizations, they rely on community, they rely on government funding, and the municipality doesn't necessarily step in to support organizations like Elizabeth Fry Society," she said.
"It would be good if they started to co-ordinate with work that's already being done and support it in that way."
Martin said the next city council should advocate for more support from the province to address issues that lead to homelessness, such as lack of affordable housing and mental health care.
"Without housing, folks are out there struggling ... temperatures drop to -35 here at times, and that's a death sentence for people who are unhoused in our community," she said.
Peter Diedrich, a mayoral candidate who worked for decades in telecom, technology and venture capital consulting, agreed that more co-ordination with higher levels of government is key to addressing long-standing issues in Thunder Bay.
"The role of a new mayor and a new council is to actually make that co-ordination process work and work flawlessly," he said.
"It's not just a municipal problem. Much of the funding and resources need to be coming from provincial and federal sources, and I don't think that I should go as mayor without a good plan. I don't want to go and beg for money."
Diedrich said collaboration with the province is part of his goal to build more housing, have 90 per cent fewer homeless people and zero tent encampments in Thunder Bay in four years. He criticized the previous administration for allowing designated encampment sites in parks, "where children are playing with their families."
Kromm said a lot of people he met during the election campaign expressed disappointment and frustration about the work of previous city councils.
"I was shocked a little bit at the lack of enthusiasm that people have for the municipal election," he said.
"When I'm knocking on doors, they say, 'Oh, I guess we'll have to sit down and kind of take a look at the issues,'" Kromm said. "If they're a business or a homeowner that's been affected by some of the homelessness or the crime issues, then they're keenly engaged, but still, it's a fairly small percentage of people that are responding."
The city said a total of 9.52 per cent of eligible voters, or more than 8,700, cast their ballots in advance as of Thursday morning. The overall turnout in Thunder Bay's 2022 election was 43 per cent.
Kromm said people need to pay closer attention to what the candidates are saying.
"Take a look at the councillors, take a look at their skill sets, what do they bring to the table?" he said. "If you vote on name recognition, you're going to get what you've always had."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2026.
By Maan Alhmidi | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Want that trendy hand sanitizer, but for a fraction of the price?💰
Whether it's food, toiletries or other everyday essentials, everything seems to be getting more expensive, and saving money on anything feels like an accomplishment.
I've been making a lot more trips to Dollarama lately (both for work and for fun), and I've learned you can save a lot of money if you know what to buy.
The discount retailer has seriously upped its game, and you can find some great stuff that easily holds its own against pricier products.
After plenty of tried-and-tested items (some wins and some fails), I've built a pretty solid list of my favourites.
Here are 13 Dollarama dupes that have actually replaced brand-name products for me.
Paul Frank hand sanitizer.
Asymina Kantorowicz | Narcity
I've been buying hand sanitizer at Dollarama for years, and now you can get this Paul Frank dupe of Touchland's spray sanitizer. Touchland isn't cheap, selling for around $14 a bottle, so the $2.50 price tag here is a steal. The only tough part is actually finding it because it keeps selling out (at least at my local store).
Price: $2.50
An eyelash curler.
Asymina Kantorowicz | Narcity
Brand-name eyelash curlers cost way more than they should. A Revlon version goes for almost $8, while a Sephora Collection one costs $22. When mine broke, I went straight to Dollarama to see if they had one, and I was pleasantly surprised to find this Pure Silk curler. It's been my go-to ever since.
Price: $2.75
Travel tumblers at Dollarama.
Asymina Kantorowicz | Narcity
Dollarama is the king of dupes for water bottles and travel tumblers. Over the years, I've picked up S'well and Stanley lookalikes, and more recently, the Nespresso Travel Tumbler dupe caught my eye at Dollarama.
I've been using it for iced coffee and smoothies, and I love that it costs just $4 compared to $30 for the original.
Price: $4
Napkins.
Asymina Kantorowicz | Narcity
I've been buying these dinner napkins for years. They're a classic white, they feel high-quality, and I honestly can't tell the difference between these and pricier brands. A 75-pack of Royale napkins at Walmart can cost $7.97!
Seriously, why would you buy them anywhere else?
Price: $1.75
Scrubber sponges.
Asymina Kantorowicz | Narcity
I always have scrubber sponges stocked up at home for dishes and cleaning, and this pack at Dollarama comes with 10 sponges for $1.25, which breaks down to just $0.13 each.
I get that Scrub Daddy sponges are super popular right now and much cuter than these yellow ones. But they sell for several dollars apiece ($4 at Dollarama), so you can save a lot by just switching to these regular ones.
Price: $1.25
Spices at Dollarama.
Asymina Kantorowicz | Narcity
Dollarama may not carry every spice, but the selection is solid. From paprika to onion powder and oregano, you can stock up on plenty of pantry staples. The best part? They're only $1 each, which makes the price hard to beat. For example, Walmart sells Club House paprika in a 119-gram package, which works out to $5.69 per 100 grams.
The Dollarama version is $1 for 62 grams, or $1.61 per 100 grams. That's a big difference.
Price: $1
Green olives at Dollarama.
Asymina Kantorowicz | Narcity
I'm not picky about green olives, and I think the ones at Dollarama are just as good as the Unico ones you'd find at Walmart or other grocery stores. They're stuffed with red pepper paste and are nice and salty, so they're perfect for a charcuterie board, a salad or a Caesar. Walmart sells the same-size jar of Unico olives for $2.97, so you're saving almost $1 by shopping at Dollarama.
Price: $2
Wet wipes at Dollarama.
Asymina Kantorowicz | Narcity
Now that I have a toddler, spills and messes happen all the time, so I always have wet wipes in my car and bag. I used to buy Wet Ones, but at the rate I go through them, I switched to this Dollarama version a while ago. At $1.25 for a pack of 40, they work out to about $0.03 a wipe. A 20-pack of Wet Ones wipes at Walmart can cost $4.27, or $0.21 per wipe.
Price: $1.25
Easy Erasers.
Asymina Kantorowicz | Narcity
These Easy Erasers are a dupe for Mr. Clean Magic Erasers, and they work just as well. I use them for cleaning around the house and even on the rubber soles of my sneakers. Dollarama also sells the name-brand version, but at $2 apiece for the Mr. Clean ones, these Easy Erasers are a win.
Price: $1.75
Moisturizing Cream Soap on display: Aloe & Chamomile blend.
Asymina Kantorowicz | Narcity
I buy both the small Spa Soap hand soaps and the big refills because the price is much better than at other stores. I personally also like that the scent of these Aloe and Chamomile Dollarama soaps isn't overpowering. The bottle pictured is 473 millilitres, which works out to $0.37 per 100 millilitres. A 332 millilitre bottle of Softsoap at Walmart sells for $3.47, or about $1.05 per 100 millilitres.
Price: $1.75
Bubble bath at Dollarama.
Asymina Kantorowicz | Narcity
A bubble bath is the ultimate form of self-care for me, and I'm a sucker for anything lavender-scented. I love this one from The Spathecary at Dollarama, and at $4.50 for the bottle, it's a bargain compared to Dr. Teal's, which sells for almost $10 at Walmart.
Price: $4.50
Zipper Seal bags at Dollarama.
Asymina Kantorowicz | Narcity
Not all zipper storage bags are created equal at Dollarama, but these Zipper Seal ones have passed the test at my house, and I always end up getting more. They're great for the freezer, and I especially love the write-on labels so I can jot down what's inside and when I froze it. A 30-pack of medium bags costs $1.25, while at Walmart, a 28-pack of medium Ziploc bags sells for $4.
Price: $1.25
A silicone muffin pan at Dollarama.
Asymina Kantorowicz | Narcity
I bake a lot of muffins these days, and I've been using these silicone muffin pans from Dollarama for over a year now. They've held up just as well as any pans I've used in the past, if not better, since the silicone prevents the batter from sticking. They're comparable to the Trudeau muffin pans, which come in a similar confetti design. That one sells for around $40 on Amazonon at regular price, so I'll stick with my $5 Dollarama version.
Price: $5
Two people have been attacked after leaving a Bruno Mars show at BC Place Stadium, in the second violent incident after a major concert in Vancouver this year.
Vancouver police say the pair from Calgary were attacked near the Gastown neighbourhood at about 11 p.m. Wednesday as they walked from the concert.
Police say the male victim was repeatedly hit with a sharp object that may have been glass, cutting his left forearm, while the female victim was pushed into a light pole.
Officers arrested a 34-year-old man who had two outstanding warrants, and he has been charged with assault, assault causing bodily harm and assault with a weapon.
The male victim was treated at the scene by paramedics while police say the suspect is in custody awaiting a bail hearing.
The attack comes after an AC/DC fan was attacked and seriously injured after the band's concert at BC Place on Aug. 13, when he was punched in the face from behind, causing him to fall and strike his head on the pavement.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.