Thunder Bay—Superior North

Thunder Bay—Superior North is an enormous riding spanning the northern half of the city of Thunder Bay and a vast expanse of northwestern Ontario's boreal landscape. The riding stretches eastward along the north shore of Lake Superior through the communities of Nipigon, Terrace Bay, Schreiber, and Marathon, and northward along Highway 11 through the Municipality of Greenstone (which includes Geraldton, Longlac, and Nakina) and into the unorganized territories beyond. It also includes the community of Armstrong and several First Nations, including Ginoogaming, Long Lake 58, Biigtigong Nishnaabeg, and Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek.

Candidates

Bruce Hyer (NDP) — Hyer was first elected in Thunder Bay—Superior North in 2008. Born in Hartford, Connecticut, he moved to Canada and built a career as a biologist and entrepreneur in the Thunder Bay area, operating an ecotourism company with offices in Thunder Bay and Armstrong. He earned a Master of Science degree in forestry from Lakehead University for his research on the effects of human disturbance on woodland caribou, and served as head of the North of Superior Tourism Board for many years.

Richard Harvey (Conservative) — Harvey was the mayor of Nipigon, a position he had held since 2006. A businessman and outdoor guide, he had also raised sled dogs and operated his own business in the region. He entered the federal race citing a desire to stimulate the economy of northwestern Ontario.

Yves Fricot (Liberal) — Fricot had served as legal counsel for the Buchanan Group of Companies. During the campaign, he emphasized his experience working on forestry sector challenges, including efforts related to the restart of the Terrace Bay pulp mill.

Scot Kyle (Green Party) and Denis A. Carriere (Radical Marijuana) also stood as candidates.

About the Riding

The riding covers tens of thousands of square kilometres of Canadian Shield terrain, boreal forest, and Lake Superior coastline, making it one of the largest ridings in Ontario by area. The north side of Thunder Bay, with its residential neighbourhoods and commercial areas, provides the urban population base. Lakehead University, the region's primary post-secondary institution, is located on the north side and is a major employer and research centre.

The riding's resource economy has been shaped by forestry and mining. The pulp and paper industry, historically the backbone of many smaller communities, had suffered devastating losses in the years before 2011. The Terrace Bay pulp mill had undergone closures and ownership changes, and communities like Greenstone, once driven by gold mining, faced economic uncertainty. Marathon's pulp mill operations and the nearby Hemlo gold mines provided some economic stability.

The Trans-Canada Highway (Highways 11 and 17) is the sole east-west road link across the riding, and the single-lane bridge at Nipigon represented a critical bottleneck for all overland traffic between eastern and western Canada. Health care access in remote communities, broadband connectivity, and the economic future of single-industry towns were pressing local issues heading into the 2011 election.