Former MPP Howard Hampton has endorsed longtime friend Brent Calder in his run for the mayor’s seat this coming October.
Hampton, who was born in Fort Frances, said during a visit to the region last week that Calder gets his endorsement for a few reasons.
“One, some people are ‘me’ people; they think about me, me, me,” Hampton said. “Other people are ‘we’ people: ‘What can we do together, what can we accomplish if we work as a team?’ Brent’s always been a ‘we’ person, always. So was his dad, and so were his brothers and sisters. In a town like this, that’s one of the most important things.”
Hampton also added that despite having gone away to build his career and work, Calder has returned to the area.
“The second thing is, you know, I grew up here. My work took me away. I had to live in Toronto because that was where the work was,” he said. “Then when I left the legislature, I worked for a law firm there. But I came back because you want to give back. Brent did the same thing. He grew up here, worked here for a while. He left to form a company. It was pretty successful. He brought it back. You want people who are prepared to make an investment in the community, and he’s done that his whole life, and [his wife] Mary too.”
Calder said he agrees with Hampton’s view of what’s needed from future community leaders.
“It’s time to give back to the community. We’ve been, basically, all over the world. But this has always been home. I think with the challenges of what I’ve done in my lifespan, I can bring that back to Fort Frances and make sure this is a great place to live. Because it has been for all my life, we want to continue that.”
Calder said he wants to leave a Fort Frances that young people want to live and stay in.
“We’re not getting any younger; I want to make sure that the younger people have a choice to live in Fort Frances. Have the opportunity, and that’s going to mean creating jobs,” he said.
“That’s going to be the next challenge over the four years. There are companies out there that are looking around to invest money in towns and stuff out there. And Fort Frances has got to be ready to make sure that we grab onto those people. And the secondary thing is we’re surrounded by First Nations. And those First Nations are getting a lot of settlements and stuff, and I’ve talked to a few of them, and they’re getting interested. This is the central point for them, and some of their investment is going to involve Fort Frances, and we’ve got to be ready for that too. The reconciliation that is going to be part of my platform going forward.”
