As part of FAN-NWO’s non-partisan election awareness work, we invited candidates for Mayor in the City of Thunder Bay to respond to the same three questions about local food systems and the issues that affect people, communities and our region.
FAN-NWO does not endorse or oppose any candidate. Candidate responses are presented verbatim, as received, and have not been edited by FAN-NWO.
Candidates for Mayor:
- Donald Baxter – No response received
- Maureen (Moe) Comuzzi
- Peter Mark John Diedrich – No response received
- Trevor Giertuga
- Shane Judge – Withdrew his candidacy*
- Volker Kromm
- Peter Panetta – No response received
- Aldo Ruberto
- Wolfgang Schoor – Did not provide a response to the questions**
- Doug Vincent
*Shane Judge withdrew his candidacy for mayor. He subsequently confirmed with FAN-NWO that he wished for his response to remain publicly available as part of this initiative.
**Wolfgang Schoor did not provide responses to the three questions. In correspondence with FAN-NWO, he indicated that he did not feel he had enough information to provide comments at this time.
Candidate Responses
Maureen (Moe) Comuzzi
What will you do to support food systems in your municipality?
Our local food system is vital for a resilient Thunder Bay. As the city grows, we must support the entire network—farmers, Indigenous communities, businesses, and community organizations. The City can bring partners together to address barriers and strengthen production, processing, and distribution. We will explore local procurement where practical and competitive. Additionally, food security must be integrated into emergency preparedness to address supply chain vulnerabilities from severe weather and disruptions, ultimately building stronger regional connections.
What will you do to protect farmland, the environment and forest and freshwater food systems?
Growth and environmental responsibility can coexist. Guided by Thunder Bay’s Smart Growth Action Plan, environmental considerations must be integrated into development planning from the start. This includes investing in climate-resilient infrastructure and protecting our natural assets. We must listen to the expertise of Indigenous knowledge holders, farmers, scientists, and residents. We can welcome new investment while ensuring long-term environmental stewardship and sustainability.
What will you do to support access to food for all?
Food insecurity is a complex issue tied to housing, income, and affordability. While the municipal government cannot solve it alone, the City can be a strong partner. I will work collaboratively with community organizations, food banks, Indigenous partners, and other levels of government to support practical solutions like community gardens and emergency food planning. Broadly, growing our economy, creating jobs, and increasing housing supply will build a community where everyone has the opportunity to succeed.
Trevor Giertuga
What will you do to support food systems in your municipality?
As Mayor, I will support a strong local food system by working with farmers, producers, Indigenous partners, community organizations, and local businesses to identify barriers and opportunities. Through smart growth, we can support local food production, encourage community gardens and urban agriculture, and make it easier for locally produced food to reach residents, restaurants, and institutions. The City can also lead by considering local food in municipal purchasing wherever practical. Strengthening our local food system supports jobs, keeps more dollars in our community, and helps make Thunder Bay more resilient and self sufficient.
What will you do to protect farmland, the environment and forest and freshwater food systems?
As a member of the Lakehead Region Conservation Authority, I understand the importance of protecting our watersheds, wetlands, forests, and freshwater resources. Growth must be responsible and should not come at the expense of the natural environment or productive agricultural land. As Mayor, I will support thoughtful land-use planning that directs development to appropriate areas, protects environmentally sensitive lands, and recognizes the importance of local farmland. Thunder Bay’s forests, lakes, and rivers are also important traditional food sources. Smart growth means growing our city while protecting the natural resources that make our region such a special place to live.
What will you do to support access to food for all?
Everyone in Thunder Bay should have access to healthy, affordable food. As Mayor, I will work with community organizations, Indigenous partners, food banks, local producers, and other levels of government to strengthen food security and address gaps in access. We should support community gardens, local food programs and initiatives that bring affordable, nutritious food closer to the neighbourhoods that need it most. But food insecurity is also connected to housing, employment, and affordability. My Smart Growth plan is about creating jobs, expanding our tax base, and building a stronger, more affordable community where families have a better opportunity to succeed.
Shane Judge – Withdrew
Shane Judge has withdrawn his candidacy for Mayor of Thunder Bay. He subsequently confirmed with FAN-NWO that he wished for his response to remain publicly available as part of this initiative.
What will you do to support food systems in your municipality?
I recently attended an event at the Regional Food Distribution Association. The speaker was an American from New York City. He has developed, largely through the school system, grow projects inside abandoned buildings. Additionally, when I asked him about supporting outdoor gardens, he said they don’t work. Too much work that people don’t want to do. He also claimed worse-off people will merely steal the growing food. From a municipal perspective, I would certainly do everything possible to encourage indoor grow projects by liberalizing the city’s zoning by-law. I would allow and encourage NGO’s to propose and develop grow projects on vacant municipal properties rent free if the foods grown were targeted and delivered to low-income families and singles. I would also permit and encourage school boards to allow indoor grow projects on school properties. These could be opportunities for students at various grade levels to gain knowledge about agriculture and well as providing a measure of food security for the families of children who attend the participating schools. I would also be prepared to explore a municipally-operated regional heating system to supply heat for indoor growing projects and adjacent low-income housing. The lead on this project could by Synergy North, the city-owned wires company that delivers electrical energy to homes and businesses in the city. I would like to see Synergy North’s brief expanded significantly to include new power generation and battery storage.
What will you do to protect farmland, the environment and forest and freshwater food systems?
Farmland within the city is a limited commodity. It is unlikely to be of a size for successful commercial farming. That said, I do not believe we should be building new housing subdivisions in rural areas. Thunder Bay has a footprint the size of the city of Montreal with less than one tenth of the population. Infill in the cores is a priority for me while we do some long-range planning about the uses we should make of larger, open spaces on the city’s periphery. We cannot afford to extend sewer and water systems into rural areas. The long-range planning for rural areas could include identifying lands with soils suitable for market-garden operations. I am a big fan of the municipality growing its own trees. We continue to buy inappropriate, large calliper trees from southern Ontario growers. I would like to see portions of our municipal golf courses turned over to the growing of appropriate deciduous trees for our tree canopy. I also believe we should not build any more structures in Chapples Park. That area should be re designed as a stormwater retention zone in order to protect downstream buildings and infrastructure. I would be p ushing senior levels of government to help with the clean-up of the lands-side of the former Northern Wood Preservers property now held in private hands. Those lands need to be remediated to eliminate the creosote contamination that remains so those lands can be put to new uses. The same goes for the clean-up of the mercury-laden ‘fluff’ contamination still offshore of the former Provincial Paper mill on the north side of the harbour. This contamination is uncomfortably close to the city’s water intake at Bare Point.
What will you do to support access to food for all?
I believe there is an opportunity to employ homeless people in indoor growing operations whose produce is targeted for food banks. I would encourage the RFDA and local food bank operators working with Indigenous housing and support operations to build hydroponic or vertical growing operations with funding from the federal government. As experience and expertise grew it may be possible to expand the operation to provide micro-greens and tomatoes to Northern Reserves, creating a virtuous circle of employment, income, and produce.
Volker Kromm
What will you do to support food systems in your municipality?
We have strong food networks such as yours, the RFDA, the farm associations, that includes many small charitable organizations that feed people. That exists!. I think we can do more. I would like to add some structure around food coalitions. I feel that many of the charitable and not-for-profit organizations are working in isolation of commercial production and supply chains. I would like to see a formalization of producers and distribution leaders, knowing that the vast majority of food comes from retailers with national or international ownership. The shift has to start, to bring production and distribution chains more under local control. You would have a role there, as would other business leaders. Any food system will not work unless there is ownership, some control, and accountability. I have always advocated to have local distribution infrastructure, that is part for-profit and part non-profit that is jointly owned and managed by local producers and First Nations. Is this possible? I believe it is. I am working with a number of groups to explore investment and ownership options. We need to work on transportation reliability, including our push into airships for the far north. I know you’re not asking about that, but it is under way. I am mindful what where the municipal jurisdiction lie, but there is always something we can advocate for, bring partners together, and form alliances. I just assumed that your group would assume some ownership of the project.
What will you do to protect farmland, the environment and forest and freshwater food systems?
Farmland, fresh water, and environment. These do not lie in the municipal role basket, but as a community we can propose policies, practices, local purchasing and oversight to protect these. We can offer those groups opportunities to partner with the city on utilities and wastewater, as monitors of our natural assets. Our goal is zero emissions from our city services. I am not sure what control we might propose in neighbouring municipalities. I am open to suggestions. I believe in partnerships. As a forester, I am passionate about forest foods. I fish, and I garden, and I care and harvest domestic animals. I will ask you, how can City Hall partner with the food systems? I don’t think the city’s food action group has the authority it needs to submit proposals. Shifting the paradigm is a group effort. As mayor and council, we will be behind you.
What will you do to support access to food for all?
You saved the toughest question to last; …..”food access for all”. It is not acceptable to leave the job of feeding the most vulnerable and hungry to charities. Some municipalities across Ontario fund food banks. Thunder Bay supports some of the work of the RFDA. It isn’t enough, nor is it the solution. I like the new concept being used in a few other places across Canada, which is the supermarket style food bank. They are managed by user volunteers. It provides dignity and is a giant step towards integrating economic autonomy. Some food is valued and is offered for sale. The details can be discussed another time. If we support local farmers by buying local and create donation / collection /market depots, we can probably “feed all”, at least feed those that need our help. City Hall isn’t designed for this level of creativity. That is why we have groups such as yours. We will start a conversation with the new council. Choose council wisely. People will do what they have always done. The new council must offer collaboration. The challenges are too huge to ignore
Aldo Ruberto
What will you do to support food systems in your municipality?
There are several things a municipality can do to create an environment for food security. Using the official plan to reserve agricultural land, zoning bylaws to protect and encourage people to use arable lands. Encouraging backyard gardens or vertical gardens. The city could also be buying local food. I believe they do that already for our senior homes. The city has good people dedicated to food security whose full time job is to educate and teach the community about food security. Covid was a good lesson for our city as to what happens when a crisis arises with food delivery. Are we prepared? We must be able to rely on ourselves when the food chain gets compromised or goes down. One of many ideas I had was to build greenhouses at the landfill. Use the methane gas plant that collects methane from the decaying garbage, to heat the greenhouses. We could also make a work plan for Ontario works and ODSP clients. This way they could earn some extra dollars and provide a needed service. Just a thought
What will you do to protect farmland, the environment and forest and freshwater food systems?
Protecting our environment means a solid official city plan with certain lands reserved for agriculture. Lobbying federal and provincial governments for a safe food security pipeline. Providing resources to educate the public as to their role and responsibilities pertaining to food security. Researching what we can and cannot do with our food supply line. This would involve looking at best practices for food security around the world. Recognizing people with great ideas about food growth and development. For example, highlighting people with new innovations as they apply to food security. Look at our water sources and make sure development does not interfere with nature. We have environmental laws in place to help protect our waterways. We also have indigenous consultation that must be adhered to. As a city we can lobby with our indigenous partners if issues contrary to our goals arise. Covid has given society food for thought. (Pardon the pun). I would ask if food security part of our emergency readiness plan? If not, why not? Also having presentations to council from experts gives the food security experts excellent exposure.
What will you do to support access to food for all?
Supporting access to all people is accomplished by supporting the social agencies that provide not only food to those who cannot access food but education on food growing, handling and cooking. Roots to harvest is a perfect example of an amazing group already doing this. RFDA is also a good example of an organization providing food to those that cannot have access. Other ways a mayor can help the food security plan. Attending fundraising events for Encouraging others to support the social organizations. Inviting food security organization to do deputations to council would provide exposure and also a platform to educate the public.
Doug Vincent
What will you do to support food systems in your municipality?
I will create a City Committee on “food security” and leverage other government levels to “think outside the box” solutions.
What will you do to protect farmland, the environment and forest and freshwater food systems?
I would re-examine the City lands and present agricultural uses and consider what, if any changes are required to mitigate potential development impact harms on the “food security” needs. More importantly, containing urban sprawl and ensuring density intensification is largely achieved, before consideration of urban expansions, especially into agricultural lands. The environment, forest and freshwater systems need to be properly assessed and advocated for the appropriate provincial agencies.
What will you do to support access to food for all?
I would review with experts in the Municipal and Provincial Emergency Management Services, the concept to better integrating the FAN-NWO, into the planning and response processes for emergencies, including ensuring surplus “food resources” are equitably dispersed in affected areas.
Looking for candidate responses from another community?
FAN-NWO invited candidates for mayor or reeve in seven municipalities in the Thunder Bay area to respond to the same questions. Responses are organized by community and published verbatim, as received.
View all 2026 municipal election candidate responses here
Election Day: October 26, 2026
