Voters in Thunder Bay will find 14 candidates on the ballot for At Large Councillor positions, which do not represent a specific ward.

Residents can cast a vote for up to five candidates: the five with the most votes will become the new crop of councillors.

Heather K. Dahlstrom did not respond to an interview request from the Acadia Newsroom.

Rajni Agarwal (incumbent)

Rajni Agarwal is coming off of her first term as a city councillor, and says there is still plenty of work to be done at City hall.

She is focused on attracting commerce and industry to the city, “so that we can take that pressure off of the residential tax base, so that people can do more with their families in the community.”

She is most proud of council’s work on a project to place memorial banners around the city for Remembrance Day, and the South Core Roar festival.

Looking ahead to the next term, she wants the city to focus more on cleanliness.

“If industry, business, or people are going to be looking at moving to our community, we need to keep it clean. It’s our first impression and it’s the one that will pay off tenfold.”

Mark Bentz (incumbent)

Mark Bentz represented Northwood Ward from 2003 to 2014, and returned as a Councillor At Large in 2018, serving ever since.

Though he considered retiring from politics, he decided to run again knowing there will be many new faces on City Council in the coming term: “I thought I could help the new council, help mentor and impart some knowledge about governance and finance and all those good things.

Going forward, Bentz wants to see the city do more to address its $30 million infrastructure deficit, which the city plans to do over the next 30 years.

“I don’t think we’re going to make it, I just don’t see the plan that’s in place as getting us there, so I’ve asked for administration to look at that.”

In his last term, he is most proud of the efforts to beautify the south core.

“That’s going to change that area of the city dramatically.”

Kasey Etreni (incumbent)

If re-elected, Kasey Etreni will be entering her second term looking to keep up the momentum of city council on growth, public safety, and housing.

She says voters are typically coming to her concerned about affordability, transit, safety and well-being.

Etreni is very glad to see the Temporary Shelter Village finally opening. She acknowledges that it took longer than many residents hoped — “but we have to recognize the population that we’re asking to come into this space.”

She supported the development at 791 Arundel Street, though she distinguishes green space from parkland, which she says she wouldn’t develop.

She points out that “If I were to build 360 individual homes, that amount of space would actually be substantially more than this multi-residential unit. So in my world, we’re actually saving greens space by building a multi-residential unit instead of having single-dwelling homes. And we have to recognize we need housing.”

Etreni maintains that she has always and will always listen to the public on these projects, but “we have to look at all of the pieces, and then come up with a decision. And those decisions aren’t easy.”

Gene Capar

Gene Capar says his experience working at The Gameshelf in the south core has placed him directly in the middle of Thunder Bay’s homelessness and addictions crisis.

“I’ve seen the crime. My store’s been broken into. Usually once a week I have to ask someone to move away from our doors, you know, checking on people who are passed out in our parking lot,” he says. “Not because we don’t want them there, but because I don’t want them to get run over.”

Capar says he grew up in poverty, raised by a single mother on benefits, and lost both of his parents to addiction.

“I’ve been there and I want to be a voice for people who are closer to that situation,” he explains.

On developing housing, he feels “there are better ways,” than using green space: “I look around and I’m looking at lots that are empty, places that we could be building. Green Space is an absolute last resort because one of the best things about living in Thunder Bay is the green space and the natural beauty that our city possesses. So paving over that, no thank you. I think Joni Mitchell warned us about that like 50 years ago.”

Gary Christian

Gary Christian currently works as the Executive Director of the North Superior Workforce Planning Board, and has also worked with the government of Ontario and the Royal Canadian navy.

He says homelessness has personally affected his family, and is motivated to “get those people in the places they need, the support they need,” which he says will also bring down crime rates.

He says a problem with city politics is that “no one’s talking to our kids,” and is proposing that Thunder Bay establish a youth council to help city council address issues affecting youth, such as the fact that three quarters of young people who leave Thunder bay don’t come back.

“We’re losing a whole lot of talent. Our retention levels are extremely low,” he says.

On a similar note, Christian says senior safety is a huge issue right now, with seniors in TBDSSAB properties “saying they’re afraid to leave their unit, because you know there’s someone doing drugs in the hallway or there’s a drug deal going on… These are people who worked all their lives, built Thunder Bay as what we are today. All they want is a nice quiet place to go, that they can afford to go too.”

On the use of green space for housing, Christian points out that Thunder Bay has enough vacant land for 20,000 units, arguing that “if there’s infrastructure already there, should we not use that first?”

Julie Colquhoun

With a background in medical education and experience working in policy-making, Julie Colquhoun hopes to bring a different perspective to City Hall: “the work that I do and the way that I approach things is very data-driven, evidence informed, while integrating social determinants,” she says.

“I’m looking at the bigger picture so that when a decision is made, it’s followed through on.”

She feels the city needs to lobby the province more on highway safety and resources for homelessness, mental health and addictions.

“we really need long-term care facilities or homes for them where they’re provided with the care and they’re not living on the streets,” says Colquhoun, connecting the current crises with a decline in funding for crucial services, as well as the closure of the Lakehead Psychiatric Hospital.

She also wants the city to grow its tax base in order to address aging infrastructure and continue funding services, which she says means growing the population, and examining “how we attract and retain people.”

Patrick Cully

Patrick Cully is a stay-at-home-dad to a First Nations daughter with autism, which has informed his activism over the past few years.

“I’ve done nothing but fight for the last six years for my little girl… It’s always one battle after the next, whether we’re advocating for services, supports, or you know, extra funding from Ottawa,” he says.

“I want to take that same fight to City Hall and make sure that we are not forgotten about, that we’re able to access the resources that would help make Thunder Bay a safer, more inclusive, brighter community for everyone,” Cully adds.

He feels that a program like the Temporary Shelter Village, despite some concerns, “is necessary right now because people are dying,” but he also worries that the shelter is built a bit too much like a jail.

“It doesn’t mean I don’t think we need those places, but I think there’s a little bit more we could be doing in terms of compassion and empathy for all the parties involved.”

When it comes to using green space for housing, he says “I am absolutely vehemently opposed,” and instead suggests redeveloping areas like the Simpson Street south end corridor: “It would breathe new life into an entire neighbourhood.”

Stephanie Danylko

Stephanie Danylko was motivated to run for office because of the Arundel Street development, which she is very opposed to.

“We have thousands of constituents that were against taking away the green space. That is a biodiverse forest. It’s an area that was never clear cut… So I really started to question, who do the councillors represent?”

Danylko draws attention to the fact that Thunder Bay has vacant and underutilized lands that could accommodate more than 20,000 homes, “so it’s not true that we need to get rid of green space.”

She believes that the city is not paying enough attention to the condition of its roads.

“I’ve been driving for 33 years and this is the worst it’s been,” remarks Danylko.

She was very excited about the Temporary Shelter Village, but has grown increasingly concerned as individuals in the city’s homeless encampments have told her they don’t intend to use it.

“A lot of our money went there, no one wants to see people living in tents, and yet there’s a lot of people living in tents.

Danylko became embroiled in a controversy involving Movati Athletic’s change room policy in 2023, which has became the subject of some discussion in the current election.

The At Large challenger encourages the public to consult a letter she published on Facebook, and adds that “I look at all people as being equal. Doesn’t matter where they’re from. People are humans, and that’s really all there is to it.”

Tyler Goode

Tyler Goode is a cultural mental health worker at Matawa Education.

He decided to run for public office because he says that in surveys, 90 percent of students at Matawa say they do not feel safe in Thunder Bay.

“So that’s one statistic I would like to see hopefully changed. I don’t know how we’re going to go about doing it, but I think number one would be more community events, more gatherings, just enlightening people on who we are and how we do things.”

Goode has mixed feelings about this term of council: he approves of the new Smart Growth Action Plan and the Temporary Shelter Village (“we just need to give it a chance,”) but he was unhappy to see green space used for the development of housing.

“I’m a family man, I listen, I’m a fighter, and I’ve come from poverty. Like I’ve come from nothing. My parents weren’t really in my life. Everything I’m doing right now is something I’ve done for myself and for my children,” he says. “And I want that to be reflected in the city as well. This city was my fresh start, and I want it to be everyone else’s, like, whatever it needs to be. I just want everyone to be happy in the city and have the chances that I’ve had to succeed.”

Dino Menei

Dino Menei hopes to bring his experience in construction, demolitions, recycling, and dealing with hazardous materials to the city council chamber.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anybody in council in the past 30, 40 years that’s got the experience that I have in there, and I think that would be a good thing to bring to the table.”

He feels that the city can do more to address homelessness, and argues that there is more than enough land in the city to find places to establish campsites, shelters, or other means of housing individuals.

Menei recognizes that in city hall, “you’re not going to please everybody… so the best thing you can do is the best you can, try to give the taxpayers what they want.”

Menei feels confident that he’ll be able to navigate local democracy with ease.

“I get along good with everybody and I do business with a lot of different contractors in town. I get along with every single one of them,” he says. “And I’ve got no problem dealing with other people. Doesn’t matter if they’ve only got a dollar in the bank or they’ve got $1 million, doesn’t make a difference to me. Doesn’t matter what colour, race, or whatever, we’re all humans. We all have a name.”

Jamie Nichols

The founder and CEO of Rose N Crantz Roasting Company, Jamie Nichols says he wants to use his experience as a small business owner to reduce barriers for business owners in city bureaucracy.

“Small businesses are struggling right now. Things are changing globally and locally,” he says. “I’m running for council to hopefully make it easier for small businesses to cut through the red tape, to break down the barriers that prevent businesses from thriving.

Nichols says crime is a big challenge for businesses right now.

“I’m not going to suggest I have all the answers, but I don’t think the needle has moved on a lot of those things over the last few years, and I want to change that.”

The coffee business owner believes there is a nuanced answer somewhere between ‘lock them all up’ and ‘left everybody run rampant in the streets.’

Nichols hopes to see the city spend less time and money on large projects, and more on maintaining what it already has.

“I’m not really big on flashy prestige projects. I think we need to focus on the little things, the boring stuff like city infrastructure.”

This interview was produced by Jake Henriksen-Willis.

Robert Trevisan

Having recently retired from running a chiropractic clinic, Robert Trevisan is ready to take on a new challenge and feels that he has a lot to offer the city: “I’ve been dealing with people for over 38 years, so I have the ability to listen when necessary.”

Trevisan is looking for the city to attract more businesses, but says that “you want businesses that are going to help keep our youth here instead of moving away.”

He wants the city to pay more attention to intimate partner violence, and to ensure that the city makes sure everyone has access to proper housing and food, “because that is a form of prevention, and prevention is always better than trying to fix something because you get nickeled and dimed otherwise.”

He adds that “Prevention initially looks more expensive, but in the long term it benefits everybody and prevents unnecessary financial strain in the city.”

Trevisan argues that the city needs to be firmer and less wishy washy in the way it carries out its plans.

“As far as housing, that’s been just ridiculous. I mean, once you have all the information at the time based on everybody’s inputs, you have to act on that. Right or wrong, deal with it. To just constantly change this, no, we don’t want to do that, not in my backyard… That doesn’t benefit anyone,” he says. “All it does is it costs more in the long run, creates irritation throughout the citizens and businesses.”

Peng You

Peng You formerly served as a Councillor At Large from 2018 to 2022, and is perhaps best known in the city for providing free Tai Chi classes for more than 30 years.

“I’m a community person,” he says. “I’m a results-driven guy. Many people, especially seniors, know that I’m reliable and trustworthy, so that’s how I’ve earned my reputation.”

You was a big advocate for the Smart Growth Action Plan, and feels he has more ideas for ways to bring change Thunder Bay for the better.

He says that on the campaign trail, voters are telling him that they want better accountability from the city in how it spends its money: “Why do we spend that much? What’s the result?”

The Tai Chi master and small businessman believes public engagement is a critical piece of good governance.

“This is not a city council’s city. It is a citizen’s city… You have to have our citizens get engaged, involved. And poor engagement to me is kind of worrisome.”

Ontario’s municipal elections are set for October 26, 2026.

More information about Thunder Bay’s election can be accessed on the city website.