Thunder Bay – CIVIC Election – Thunder Bay belongs at the table with Ontario’s Big City Mayors, and as your At-Large Councillor, I will vote and fight to have our city formally join the 29-municipality coalition declaring an official state of emergency over the community safety, addiction, and humanitarian crisis. For too long, Thunder Bay has felt left behind by senior levels of government.
I am Patrick Cully, and as a stay-at-home dad who has spent years successfully fighting bureaucratic federal gridlock to get what my daughter needs, I know exactly how to go to bat for this city.
I will use that exact same fierce advocacy to force the provincial and federal governments to treat Thunder Bay’s crises with the urgency they deserve. My Pro-Safety Vote & Core ProposalsDeclaring the Emergency: I will immediately bring forward or back a motion to align Thunder Bay with Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM).
This collective pressure is the fastest way to unlock provincial funding for local HART (Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment) Hubs, taking the financial burden off local property taxpayers.
Enforcement & Illegal Firearms: I will advocate for targeted funding from the federal Building Safer Communities Fund to give the Thunder Bay Police the exact tools and extra staff they need to crack down on inter-provincial drug trafficking and illegal guns.
Mental Health and Emergency Services Diversion: By using emergency standing to demand our fair share of provincial Roadmap to Wellness dollars, we can scale up non-police community outreach and mental health crisis teams. This immediately frees up our police officers to lower emergency services response times for Priority 1 violent crimes.
Youth & Community Prevention: I will vote to strongly fund community-based safety initiatives, after-school programs, and local youth hubs. Reclaiming Thunder Bay’s “Giant Heart” identity means protecting our kids and investing in them before they find themselves in trouble. Funding and What Changes From the Current Approach
What Changes: The city’s current approach relies too heavily on local property tax dollars to fix systemic, national problems. My approach shifts our strategy from polite asking to relentless, aggressive political advocacy.
We will act as a unified front, using emergency declarations as legal levers to demand outside money.
The Cost & Funding: By tying our local strategies directly to provincial emergency requests, the municipal cost is heavily mitigated. We will seed local initiatives using existing tax stabilization reserves and aggressively backstop the rest with provincial health funding and federal anti-gang grants.
The 4-Year Scorecard: Measurable Results
After four years, Thunder Bay residents should judge my performance based on clear, public benchmarks:Response Times: A measurable reduction in emergency services response times for violent offenses.
Outside Dollars Secured: Millions in new, dedicated provincial and federal emergency funding specifically designated for Thunder Bay’s addictions and housing sectors.
Visible Progress: A drop in downtown neighborhood disorder as specialized crisis workers divert non-violent calls away from police.
Youth Safety: A significant rise in youth center enrollment, proving we are effectively rebuilding our community from the ground up.
Thunder Bay needs an At-Large Councillor who won’t just manage the decline—you deserve a fighter who knows how to go to bat against Ottawa and Queen’s Park to bring our funding home.
Patrick Cully
Candidate for At-Large Councillor – Thunder Bay
