Thunder Bay—Superior North

Encompassing the northern half of the city of Thunder Bay and a long ribbon of communities along the north shore of Lake Superior, this riding stretches eastward from the Sleeping Giant peninsula to the pulp-and-paper towns of Nipigon, Terrace Bay, Schreiber, and Marathon. Inland, it reaches north into the boreal interior as far as the municipality of Greenstone. Several First Nations, including Ginoogaming, Long Lake 58, Biigtigong Nishnaabeg, and Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek, are located within the riding.

Candidates

Patty Hajdu (Liberal) — Hajdu earned a bachelor's degree in anthropology from Lakehead University and a master's in public administration from the University of Victoria. After working as a graphic designer and creative director in Thunder Bay's marketing industry, she shifted to public health, spending nearly a decade as a health planner and drug strategy coordinator at the Thunder Bay District Health Unit, where she co-authored the Thunder Bay Drug Strategy. From 2012 to 2015 she served as executive director of Shelter House, Thunder Bay's largest homeless shelter, launching the SOS Street Outreach Service for people experiencing homelessness. She entered the 2015 race as a first-time candidate.

Andrew Foulds (NDP) — Foulds was a biology teacher at Westgate Collegiate and Vocational Institute in Thunder Bay and a veteran municipal politician, serving multiple terms as city councillor for the Current River ward. He had previously sought the provincial NDP nomination in Thunder Bay—Superior North and was active on issues including poverty, economic development, and environmental policy through his seat on the District Social Services Administration Board.

Richard Harvey (Conservative) — Harvey carried the Conservative standard in the riding, contesting a seat in a region where the party had historically struggled to gain traction.

Bruce Hyer (Green Party) — Hyer was the sitting MP for Thunder Bay—Superior North, first elected under the NDP banner in 2008 and re-elected in 2011. He left the NDP caucus in April 2012 after voting in favour of ending the long-gun registry, a stance he said honoured his promise to constituents. He sat as an independent for over a year before joining the Green Party in December 2013, doubling the party's parliamentary caucus. Before entering politics, Hyer had worked as a biologist and operated an ecotourism company in the Thunder Bay area, and he headed the North of Superior Tourism Board.

About the Riding

Thunder Bay—Superior North is a riding of vast distances and resource-based communities connected by the Trans-Canada Highway. The northern neighbourhoods of Thunder Bay anchor the population, with Lakehead University, the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, and Bombardier's rail-car manufacturing facility among the largest employers. Along the Lake Superior shore, the pulp-and-paper industry that once sustained towns like Terrace Bay and Marathon had contracted sharply, forcing communities to look toward mining and renewable energy. Marathon drew attention from a proposed chromite processing facility linked to the Ring of Fire mineral development in the far north. Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, on the peninsula forming Thunder Bay's harbour, and Wabakimi Provincial Park—one of the world's largest boreal forest reserves—highlighted the riding's natural assets. The 2015 campaign featured an unusual dynamic: the incumbent MP was running under his third party banner, while a first-time Liberal candidate and a well-known NDP city councillor competed for the votes of residents anxious about job losses and northern economic development.