Wake up, Shake up Thunder Bay!

On Thursday August 5th at 10am, Jay Stapleton will register as Red River Ward's best candidate for city council. Come out to city hall to support Jay and his strong vision for a more progressive City Council and a happier, healthier Thunder Bay.

Canadian Tire Money Update

Thanks to everyone who donated Canadian Tire Money, I was able to raise $260, which translated to real money through the sale of gift cards. This will cover my registration fees and much of my expenses to date.

If you have extra Canadian Tire money kicking about, and would like to support my campaign, please drop it off at The Great Northwest Coffee Company on Algoma, or at the Country Market.

Canadian Tire Gift Card Fund Raiser

Kerr from The Great Northwest Coffee Company has been raising Canadian Tire Money donations to help fund my campaign. He has bought Canadian Tire Gift Cards, and is selling them with a 10% bonus value.

If you're planning on making any major purchases at Canadian Tire, enjoy the discount. If you have a glut of Canadian Tire Money which you'd like to donate to the campaign, please drop it off at The Great Northwest Coffee Company, 250 S. Algoma, or at the Country Market.

Thanks to Kerr for his support.

Click here for details

Red River Ward

After deliberation and discussions. I have decided to register in the Red River Ward, rather than at large. I am hoping to knit together a group of people which will provide each area of the city a viable alternative voice in the upcoming election.

I will be filing my nomination forms soon, and I hope to gather a few friends and supporters there as I do. Details to come soon!

Failure to Communicate

When speaking with people about my intention to run, I hear many of the same concerns cropping up. One of the most common is that many people feel council operates behind closed doors. Though the meetings are generally open to the public, there are practical barriers that prevent many citizens from attending. As such, many people only hear of council decisions when it is too late to have any input.

I would work on creating a city council which is resposible for communicating its activities to the public - one engaged with the community, and actively maintaining open channels of communication. To this end, I will support the development of a position of a 'Staff Blogger'. This position would be held by someone with a journalism background, who is responsible for keeping a current record of what council is doing, and making it available to the public online and to the media.

City residents should never feel surprised by major projects, and they should never feel excluded from the decision-making process. It is the job of the councilors to make these decisions, but I believe it to be their responsibility to do so in a manner which is consistent with the will of their constituents. This means people must have the opportunity to remain informed, and contribute their input to the decisions that will affect them.

The Road Ahead

I understand the source of a lot of the nihilism among the youth of Thunder Bay. When I was unable to find the sort of work here that I needed to advance my career in Information Technology, I spent several years living in Winnipeg and then Toronto. It is frustrating to feel that you must leave your hometown in order to fulfill your career goals, and it is easy to become negative about the prospects available.

Living elsewhere has accentuated the aspects of Thunder Bay that I really love. Looking over Lake Superior from the top of Mount McKay, and seeing how this city blends into the most beautiful wilderness in the world is something that can be appreciated so much more after spending an extended time working in downtown Toronto. Walking down Bay St. and greeting friends and neighbours makes me feel like I am part of a community, rather than just a resident.

I hope to work with the next city council to bring our city towards a stable, healthy economy. I hope that the students who are entering high school and university this year will have a variety of options when they graduate. Providing opportunities for our youth is essential to build a sustainable community. I want to help shape a city with opportunities for myself and other young people who hope to establish a life in this wonderful place.