5 candidates want to be Thunder Bay's mayor. Here are their cases for why they deserve your vote

With less than a week to go before Ontario's municipal election, CBC Thunder Bay has interviewed all five candidates for mayor to hear their plans for the city and where they stand on the major issues. 

We've allowed the candidates space to share their key platform points, have asked them questions on social issues and the role of city council in solving them, and also used questions you've sent in to us over the course of the campaign. 

Scroll through to listen to the interviews between each candidate and Mary-Jean Cormier, the host of Superior Morning. 

You can also click on the links below to read our earlier coverage of the mayor's race. 

Ken Boshcoff: 'It's experience' 

Ken Boshcoff is a veteran politician in Thunder Bay who has served seven terms of city council — including two as mayor from 1997 to 2003. He's also served two terms as an MP for Thunder Bay-Rainy River. 

So far in this municipal campaign, he's touted that experience and has emphasized his track record in working with community organizations and boards. 

"It's experience, and the fact that I have leadership skills that have been honed over the years over many organizations at many high levels dealing with sometimes difficult people and achieving considerable successes," he said. 

On addressing ongoing social issues such as homelessness, Boschoff says that if elected, he'll try to get spending commitments from federal and provincial governments, since Thunder Bay hosts so many people from outlying and remote communities in northwestern Ontario.

"We're handling a territory larger than most countries, and to ask one city of just over 100,000 to handle all those problems from innumerable municipalities and First Nations is simply unfair," he said. 

Clint Harris: 'It's a big job, a big corporation'

Clint Harris is a former publisher of the Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal newspaper, and is highligiting his business experience and community involvement as a candidate. 

"It's a big job, a big corporation," he said. "What I've learned is there's one person qualified for the job, two that are re-applying, didn't get the job done, so it's time for somebody to go in with some successes and some leadership and the skills required to run such a large corporation."

He's also called for more action from the provincial and federal governments to pay for helping Thunder Bay deal with ongoing socio-economic crises facing the city such as homelessness, gang activity and human trafficking.  

He says he sees these issues in economic terms — that solving social issues is good for the city's bottom line — and also on compassionate grounds. 

"It's time to be compassionate," he said, "and at the same time, get to the point where we can actually have a lot of savings, and the resources like police, EMS and fire can actually do the job they're supposed to be doing."

Gary Mack: 'People have to stick out their neck'

Gary Mack owns a small business and is a former social services worker and former executive director of Shelter House. He says his experience in those areas makes him best placed to be the next mayor. 

"With our social problems just glaring, and really being what's holding Thunder Bay back right now — homelessness, crime, drug use — these are the issues holding our city back in so many ways," he said. "City Hall barely mentions these issues at all, and yet they are the main issues in our city."

Addressing crime, homelessness and drug use are the top priorities for Mack going forward, despite being issues that are complex and difficult to solve, he said. 

"People have to stick their neck out and say: 'Hey this is what we can do.' But I honestly believe that as a city, we can resolve these issues quite easily and make our city such a better place to live."   

Peng You: 'We need growth'

Peng You is coming off a four-year term as an at-large city councillor in Thunder Bay. He was an unsuccessful provincial Progressive Conservative candidate in the spring election. He's also a small business owner. 

"I'm ready to hit the ground running with bold leadership, positive energy, experience and allies at all levels of government," he said. "I strongly believe that together we can grow a city to make it safer and more attractive." 

Peng You is looking at population growth and economic development in Thunder Bay as his key issues, noting that over the past three years, the population growth has remained below one per cent.

"This is unhealthy for any community, without growth, we really don't have enough tax base," he said. "We need growth to support our tax base and to protect our public services."   

Robert Szczpanski: 'You fight tooth and nail'

Robert Szczepanski is the youngest person in the race and has said he's heard people are looking for something different from politicians. 

So far, he's championed unique solutions to key issues, like pledging to go as far as donating part of his mayor's salary to restore street outreach services if he's elected. 

"We have had the same kind of politicians for as long as I've been alive," he said. "Basically the older, rich people telling us everything's fine, everything's perfect, and this is the best city in the world.

"I love Thunder Bay, but no, we need someone young, someone who's in the working class, who understands the struggles of the average day-to-day working person," Szczpanski said.     

Mental health is his top priority, and he says he's seen some of his friends die because they couldn't access the mental health support they need. 

Under his leadership, he says, council would admit there are problems with mental health support in Thunder Bay, go to the provincial government for help, and "do anything and everything" to solve the problem. 

"If something's not right, you fight tooth and nail for it," he said.