The race is heating up for the Liberal nomination in the proposed new Kenora riding, with two more candidates coming forward since MP Robert Nault announced last week he was withdrawing.
Former Dryden mayor Roger Valley and Kenora lawyer Beverly Wexler have joined area aboriginal leader Charles Fox in seeking the nomination.
“I’m running because I’m confident I can win. I feel I’m qualified,” Wexler said in a phone interview yesterday. “I travel the north constantly. I take cases all over the north, in remote communities.
“It’s just another extension of what I do,” she added.
Originally from Montreal, Wexler moved to Kenora 20 years ago and set up her law practice. For the past 12 years, she has specialized in criminal law, and was appointed to the board of directors of Legal Aid Ontario by the Attorney General in 2000.
Wexler has served on a number of boards in the community, including the Lake of the Woods Business Incentive Corp. (LOWBIC), the school board parental advisory council, and the board of the local ski club.
“I’m interested in the challenge. I’ve followed politics all my life, [and] I’ve been a long-time Liberal supporter,” she remarked. “I would not have considered putting my name in the ring if Bob [Nault] hadn’t resigned.
“[He] was our incumbent and I’ve supported him for a long time.”
Wexler said a number of issues will face the riding in the years to come.
“I want to consult further with the people in the riding about the issues of importance to them, but I will say I have quite strong feelings about economic development for the riding, about diversifying the economy, about partnerships with First Nations, maintaining natural resources, and development for municipal communities,” she stressed.
“This riding needs somebody with experience,” Wexler added. “I know that I can keep our riding on the map, whether it is in Ottawa or in the boardroom of companies looking to invest.”
A commercial fisherman by trade, Valley was on Dryden’s town council for six years, including three as mayor. He retired in 2000.
He also has been president of the Kenora-Rainy River provincial Liberal riding association for 11 of the last 14 years—having stepped down from that post while serving as mayor.
“For the last 14 or 15 years, I’ve been heavily involved in policy-making and really working with the issues of the Liberals and the riding, making sure the movers and shakers in Toronto and Ottawa both understand the grassroots level,” he explained.
“With Mr. Nault’s resignation, that window opened and I had a life decision to make,” Valley said of his decision to run. Having garnered strong support from family and friends, he decided to make a go of it—with one regret.
“I really regret I won’t be working with the people of Fort Frances,” he said, adding his parents and many friends are from Rainy River District, which is slated to be split from the Kenora riding and joined with the current Thunder Bay-Atikokan one.
“I have very close ties to that area.”
Regarding major issues facing the riding, Valley looks at national issues and how they affect people locally.
“We have to have improved relations with the United States,” he stressed. “We have to be able to work like we’re family.”
Relations between the two countries can have a serious impact on tourism, Valley added, which is a major industry in Northwestern Ontario. He also cited health care as a concern.
Regarding the race for the Liberal nomination, Valley remained positive.
“It would not be good for us to have just one candidate. We need three or four or five so we can talk about the issues and share some ideas,” he argued.
“That’s how we grow. Four or five candidates will bring in a lot of memberships, and that’s how we renew ourselves. Otherwise, we sit and stagnate. . . .
“It helps make the party stronger,” he reasoned.
Fox, regional chief for Ontario for the Assembly of First Nations, formally announced his intention to run against Nault for the Liberal nomination in the Kenora riding in late January.
Nault withdrew less than a week later despite having announced in mid-January that he intended to run again.
Fox said he hoped other candidates would come forward to seek the nomination.
“As a Liberal contender, I welcome other people who would be interested in [running],” he said in a phone interview.
Fox also said there is much to be hopeful about in the riding. “For me, one of the biggest issues is the state of the economy,” he noted. “With mining and energy, there so much potential there.
“I believe that the political climate is favourable at this time,” he added, citing provincial and federal governments “crafting real partnerships” with First Nations communities.
A date has not been set yet for the nomination meeting, but an announcement is expected in March.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
