MPP Holland’s 2024 Insights
BY SANDI KRASOWSKI, LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER THE CHRONICLE-JOURNAL
Kevin Holland says the provincial government was listening in 2024, and it led to progress for Northwestern Ontario. The MPP for Thunder Bay-Atikokan, and Associate Minister of Forestry in Doug Ford’s Conservative government, says healthy communities make a stronger economy and one can’t exist without the other. Holland has attended three roundtables with the agencies that provide mental health and addiction services in the city to learn of their concerns. As a result, he brought more than $42 million in funding for support services, healthcare aimed at staff retention, linear and PET CT scan equipment for Regional Cancer Care, and expansion of the emergency department to create a dedicated mental health and addiction space.
“We listened to them, and I took that back to Toronto, and we were able to provide them with that funding,” said Holland. “We also announced the establishment of the Superior North Specialized Treatment and Alternative Responders (STARS) program, a youth wellness hub and a safe sobering site. Holland said the “substantial” funding is key to “getting a handle” on some of the mental health and addiction issues in the community. With Holland’s advocacy, the province increased its investment of $5.5 million to $16.5 million into the homelessness prevention program.
This month, $8.3 million of that funding was allotted for the creation of 66 new spaces in the city. A total of 190 housing spaces were created in the last three years with funding from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation. “Those spaces aren’t just a roof over the head, they come with the services to help the people on a pathway to a better life for themselves,” he said, adding this includes mental health and addiction services, medical care, employment services and education opportunities. “It’s really about providing those wrap-around services because there’s not just one thing you can do to address this. Wrap-around services help people provide for a better life for themselves.” Construction of new living spaces has become a priority for all levels of government. This housing project has been developed through 2024 on Huron Avenue.
Thunder Bay also saw investments of $14 million into local businesses, $3.2 million for labour and skilled trades training programs, $3.5 million for community and social services and $9.4 million to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry for wildland firefighting. Holland said there is so much opportunity right now, calling it “exciting times.” He said we just have to start capitalizing on all the research that’s been done. “Forestry has been the cornerstone of our economy for generations,” he said. “While we see mining ramping up – and we’re going to see investments coming into Thunder Bay, particularly around processing – we have to continue to make sure that we’re not losing track of forestry.”
In the role of associate forestry minister, Holland says it’s a “real priority for him. “We’re developing new strategies to help the forestry industry when the pulp market starts dropping off so it’s not volatile for the forestry sector,” he said. “We can do that by bringing on new value-added businesses associated with forestry to use up our biomass and our forest and mill residuals so that we don’t experience these dips in the system.” Holland said mining is going to be a big part of the progress for the economy in Thunder Bay. “And we have to secure a lot more energy to meet the needs of all the investments and the companies that we’ve been bringing into Ontario,” he added.
The province is investing heavily in the development and expansion of the Toronto Transit Commission lines and since the federal government made its commitment of one-third of the costs, there’s now a wait to see where the cars will be manufactured. Holland is optimistic that Thunder Bay’s Alstom plant will see some of that work.
Holland is also optimistic that Thunder Bay will see some development announcements around the natural resources sector that will have a “profound effect” on the local economy.