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THUNDER BAY, Ont. — Advocates are calling on the newly elected -- but familiar -- mayor of a northern Ontario city to address a host of social issues facing the community after he made no such promises during his campaign.

Ken Boshcoff, who served as mayor of Thunder Bay, Ont., from 1997 to 2003, will re-assume the role once again after a narrow victory on Monday over four other candidates.

Boshcoff's return to the mayor's chair comes as the city is grappling with several social issues, including an opioid addiction crisis, homelessness and calls for policing reforms to improve the relationship with Indigenous residents.

Holly Gauvin, the executive director of Elevate NWO, an organization that offers services to underserved communities, said it's concerning that Boshcoff didn't commit to any plans to tackle homelessness and opioid issues. 

"I certainly didn't get a sense of what he was for or what he was against," she said.

"There wasn't a lot of commitment made around many issues in our city, even beyond homelessness and overdose-related issues."

Although he didn't make any promises during his campaign, Boshcoff said he is committed to addressing the city's opioid and homelessness problems -- which he called "obvious social issues" -- by bolstering the local economy to finance these efforts.

But he said addressing these issues will also require federal and provincial support, and he will co-operate with organizations that are working on the ground to advocate for that.

"We are blessed with very knowledgeable and keen and caring group of both volunteers and professionals who have to know that their political people are listening to them," he said. 

"I know enough that I need the backing of many of these organizations to give me additional clout to make the case."

Thunder Bay leads the province in opioid deaths per capita, and the city's opioid death rate was more than four times the province's in the first quarter of 2022.

Gauvin said Thunder Bay and northern Ontario need more resources to address that ongoing crisis as well as the homelessness one, and she is ready to work with the new mayor's office to continue advocating the federal and provincial government for support.

"We have people dying, seven people, seven people, just from my caseload last year, died waiting to get into housing," she said. "That can't happen .... That's not everybody else. That's just people that I personally directly worked with."

Gauvin said the homelessness crisis is mostly affecting Indigenous residents, with that population accounting for 85 to 90 per cent of Thunder Bay's homeless.

Boshcoff's return to the mayor's chair also comes amid calls for policing reforms in the city.

Last month, an independent expert panel called for more Indigenous representation in top positions of the Thunder Bay Police Service and the board overseeing it as the force searches for a new chief and the board is due for a changeover this fall. Sylvie Hauth, the city's police chief, was suspended in June over allegations of misconduct.

A series of reviews have scrutinized policing in the city and found evidence of systemic racism in how it handles cases involving Indigenous people. Indigenous leaders have called for the service to be dismantled altogether because of an erosion of trust.

Tamara Bernard, an Indigenous educator and advocate, said the city needs to increase public awareness around racially motivated crimes that are targeting Nishnawbe people who have no choice but to leave their communities in northern Ontario and go to Thunder Bay to access health care and education. 

She said it's critical for the members of the local police to understand the colonial history in Thunder Bay, and its effect on Indigenous people including mental health, sexual violence and human trafficking of Indigenous women and girls.

"If we don't understand those overt signs and symptoms of trauma and unresolved grief that show up in Nishnawbe people, then we'll never able to walk forward together towards truth and reconciliation," she said. 

"It really does start with education first. It really starts with learning what is the true history that's happened here on this land, and how that has impacted the outcomes, the social determinants of health and well-being of Nishnawbe people in this region."

Boshcoff did not speak to any plans for policing reforms or improving Indigenous relations.

The newly elected mayor won by about 1,400 votes over Gary Mack, a coffee shop owner and former social services worker. His campaign came after a failed attempt at the mayoralty in 2014, when he lost to the incumbent.

Kevin Cleghorn, an adjunct political science professor at Lakehead University, said Boshcoff's experience and name recognition helped him win the election this time around. 

"When you had a crowded field like we had in the mayor's race, it wasn't unexpected that someone with his experience would come out on top," Cleghorn said.

"Incumbents have a huge advantage in municipal campaigns. And even though Ken wasn't actually an incumbent, he has served in so many capacities that he's almost considered as such."

Boshcoff, 73, was a city councillor between 1979 and 1997 before winning the mayor's seat the first time. He was elected locally in Thunder Bay again in 2010 as councillor-at-large after one term as Liberal MP for Thunder Bay-Rainy River from 2004 to 2008. 

The mayor-elect said he believes he won because residents trust his ability to tackle the issues facing the community. 

"My election was largely based on trust, earned trust, and my dedicated commitment to the community," he said. 

— By Maan Alhmidi in Toronto.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 27, 2022. 

The Canadian Press