Jamie Nichols

City decisions shape everyday life: whether our roads, transit, public spaces, infrastructure, and services work. I want to bring a practical small-business perspective to Council, make better long-term decisions, and ensure that residents understand what they are receiving for the money the City spends.

Taking better care of the city we already have. I would push for a clear public account of our infrastructure risks, the repairs that cannot wait, and a realistic plan to close the funding gap before we keep adding new commitments.

I will work to keep increases as low as responsibly possible, but I will not promise an arbitrary number before seeing the budget. Holding taxes down by delaying necessary maintenance or weakening essential services can leave residents with a much larger bill later.

I will ask what problem it solves, who benefits, who may be left behind, what alternatives were considered, and what we are choosing not to fund. Residents should also see the complete cost—from construction and operation through maintenance, replacement, and eventual disposal.

I support adding more housing within existing neighbourhoods through infill, secondary units, conversions, townhouses, apartments, and appropriately scaled density. Using land that already has roads and services can create more housing without continuously expanding the infrastructure taxpayers must maintain.

Established parks and valuable natural areas should not be treated as easy land for development. I would look for ways to incentivize infill or already-serviced land over undeveloped lands. Vacant City-owned land is not always the same as parkland, however, so I would judge each proposal by its housing benefit, environmental value, neighbourhood effects, servicing costs, and available alternatives.

Violence, firearms, trafficking, and immediate threats require effective policing. Addiction, mental-health crises, homelessness, and youth prevention also require health care, housing, community services, and better coordination. We need to address harmful behaviour while working on the conditions that allow it to continue.

Police need the resources required to protect the public, but a larger budget alone does not guarantee better safety. Council should ask what additional funding will accomplish, require understandable reporting, and consider whether some calls can be handled more effectively by special constables, civilian staff, or community and health services.

People experiencing homelessness deserve dignity and a realistic path to housing. Residents, businesses, and neighbourhoods also deserve safe, usable public spaces. I support safe alternatives, coordinated outreach, clear rules for public spaces, and measuring whether people actually reach stable housing rather than simply being moved elsewhere.

Reliability must come first. I would listen to riders and front-line operators, examine the causes of cancelled and late service, and require clear reporting on delivered trips, missed connections, accessibility, and travel times before deciding how routes, frequency, or funding should change.

Small businesses need safe streets, reliable transit, accessible sidewalks, predictable approvals, and reasonable notice when construction will affect them. I would also look for ways to bring vacant commercial spaces back into use and make City purchasing opportunities more accessible to qualified local businesses.

Libraries, transit, parks, recreation, and sidewalks are part of our shared public infrastructure. They give people access to opportunities regardless of income and can help address problems before they become crises. I will prioritize services that provide broad, measurable benefits and remain accessible to the public paying for them.

A connected transportation system must work for pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders, and people using wheelchairs, walkers, or mobility devices. I would prioritize safe connections, accessible sidewalks, important destinations, and winter maintenance rather than isolated projects that do not form a useful network.

Flooding, extreme heat, wildfire smoke, and severe weather already affect municipal services and infrastructure. I support treating climate resilience and natural systems, including wetlands, as part of responsible planning and risk management—not as concerns to consider only after a project has been approved.

Inclusion means more than a statement or symbolic gesture. I will listen when people identify barriers, oppose discrimination when I encounter it, acknowledge when I have failed to recognize something, and work to ensure that more residents can participate, contribute, and be heard.

I am opposed to the use of Strong Mayor Powers. Exceptional powers should never become a substitute for leadership, open debate, and consensus-building. I personally cannot think of a plausible example where these powers should be used to override the will of council. I would expect any mayor using those powers to explain the specific power, its legal basis, why it was necessary, and why Council’s ordinary democratic process was not enough.

I will listen, examine the evidence, and look for common ground without turning disagreement into a personal fight. If we still disagree, I will cast my vote, explain it clearly, and continue working constructively with the same people on the next issue.

I bring experience running a small business, working in municipal and federal settings, and seeing how public decisions affect people on the ground. I will show up prepared, listen to those affected, ask direct questions, pursue practical solutions, and remain accountable for every vote I cast.

A job may bring someone to Thunder Bay. A home they can afford, a safe neighbourhood and a good quality of life are what make them stay.

Small businesses are part of Thunder Bay’s social and economic fabric. The things they need—safe streets, attainable housing, dependable infrastructure and welcoming neighbourhoods—benefit everyone.

Council should care for existing infrastructure, public buildings and essential services before taking on unnecessary projects and costs.

Residents deserve clear reasons for major decisions and honest reporting on the results