THUNDER BAY — Among the large group of NOMA members, three out of the four provincial party leaders took to the podium to send a message of gratitude and support for the backbone of Northwestern Ontario’s civic system.
Merit Stiles (NDP), Mike Schreiner (Green), and Bonnie Crombie (Liberal) advocated for a strong system of government to combat the growing issues of affordable housing, the healthcare crisis, and the robust resource industry without retainable skilled employees.
Notably absent was Premier Doug Ford; however, his absences did not stop Stiles and Crombie from taking the chance to dig into the current government’s lack of incentive to find solutions to these issues.
In an interview with Dougall Media, Crombie said, “I wanted to say that I'm here listening and learning and that we have a lot of work to do because we have to deal with a multitude of issues that are acutely felt here in the north.
"Not only having to deal with the health care crisis, the education crisis, the affordability crisis generally, but specifically when it comes to building housing.”
Crombie feels that it is “shameful” of the Ford government to “turn down” billions of federal funding to address the housing crisis “because they're not meeting their targets.”
Speaking on the Ford government's 2024 budget, she highlighted that she has never “seen a document that spends so much to do so little; “we have every right to be asking where all that money is going and who is benefiting because it certainly isn't going to the north to help northern Ontario.”
“What I keep hearing from people here is that they feel taken for granted by this government and forgotten, and I'm feeling a level of desperation among our municipal leaders as well that is getting worse and worse every year,” said Stiles.
Although the Liberal party has an uphill battle in regaining the trust of Northern Ontarians before the 2026 provincial election, Crombie believes listening and learning about the needs of the region will build that trust back into the people.
Crombie said, “I think it's a presence on the ground, meeting local people and having them meet me and build that trust back. Bringing back that confidence, and listening to their needs, which are vastly different from the south of the province.
“I know people here in the north are tired of people in the south, in Queens Park and Toronto, making decisions for them.
"I think it's very important that Toronto comes to them and listens, and that's what I'm doing here. I'll be doing a lot more touring around the province, particularly coming up to talk about housing, health care, and the mental health addiction and resource extraction industry.”
If elected in 2026, she promises that the Liberal Party will prioritize funding public education to help replenish a diminishing workforce.
By doing so, she could open up opportunities in mining and forestry by allowing Ontario to compete with the growing economies in the United States, which she claims Ontario is “lagging” behind.
Crombie also believes prioritizing colleges and universities' healthcare programs will solve the healthcare crisis in rural hospitals.
Stiles also expressed in her speech the same resentment for the conservative government.
However, according to Stiles, the NDP is confident that if they keep pushing forward with practical solutions, the people will recognize the NDPs history in the region and recognize the reliance of the northerners.
Stiles points out, “One of the things that we're talking about, I think no other party has discussed, is getting the government back in the business of building housing.
"You won't hear other parties talk about building truly affordable housing. We can't rely on the market, especially in Northwestern Ontario; developers aren't going to come here and build condominiums."
Stiles continued, “We need to be working with municipalities and nonprofits to build housing. That's going to help us recruit and retain workers, doctors, and everybody we need to come up here and work and live.
"But we're not going to do that, waiting for some developer in a back room with Doug Ford to make a deal. It's going to have to happen with the government showing leadership and coming up with some low-cost financing options as well.”
On the other hand, Schreiner did not feel the need to take shots at the Ford government during his address.
“I'm here to present solutions for the people of Northwestern Ontario. I think one thing that separates us from all the political parties is that we believe in being honest with people about the challenges they face and the solutions we'll bring to the table.
"We spend less time putting the others down and more time talking about how we're going build up Northwestern Ontario,” said Schreiner.
Schreiner's stance on building a better future for Northwestern Ontario is a sustainable climate economy.
He believes the Green Party has a chance to gain momentum in Northwestern Ontario by supporting the forestry industry.
Schreiner said, “We see high value in mass timber buildings supporting the mining sector to power the new climate economy.
"Supporting Thunder Bay when it comes to producing transit vehicles while making sure that economic prosperity and those jobs are invested in northern communities to ensure that people have access to high-quality health care, education and affordable housing,”
“I think Northern Ontario can be a leader when it comes to mining, the manufacturing of electric vehicles, renewable energy, and building transit vehicles, which this community already does.
"I also talked about a new partnership with Queens Park, especially to address the housing affordability crisis, to increase investments in health care and education, to ensure that residents of the North have access to the services they need and that we address the affordability crisis they're facing.”
The NOMA conference is taking place in Thunder Bay until Friday, April 26.
