To the citizens of North Bay
I was born and raised in North Bay. I raised my children, operated a successful business and invested in this community. I care deeply about North Bay and its future.
Over the past 30 years, I have witnessed a serious deterioration in our local economy, business environment and public administration. This decline did not happen overnight, nor can it be attributed to one person or government. But its causes are clear.
North Bay has a college, a university, a modern regional hospital and four-lane highway and train access to Southern Ontario. These are important assets, yet we have not achieved the economic growth, private investment or population expansion that should have followed.We must be honest about why.
For too long, our leadership has lacked a realistic, measurable and sustained strategy for rebuilding the local economy. Plans and announcements have been made, but residents are rarely given clear targets or objective reports showing whether those targets have been met.
I have been fortunate to travel extensively and to own and operate businesses internationally. I have seen governments and institutions perform well and poorly.
One lesson has been consistent: competent leadership changes outcomes.
North Bay still has significant advantages—its location, educational institutions, health-care infrastructure, transportation connections, natural surroundings, mining expertise and, above all, its people. What has been missing is a shared strategy capable of converting those assets into sustained economic growth.
Successful communities establish clear objectives, appoint capable people, measure performance and change direction when results are not achieved. North Bay needs to do the same.
Public officials should be judged by outcomes: jobs created, businesses attracted, projects completed, tax assessment added and young people given a reason to build their futures here.
I do not believe North Bay’s decline is irreversible. But we can no longer excuse continued underperformance. The first responsibility of leadership is to face reality. The second is to explain it honestly. The third is to produce a credible plan and accept responsibility for its results.
North Bay faces a serious and complicated challenge. Addressing it will require , municipal expertise, business experience, cooperation and a credible plan. Change will not come simply from electing people who promise it. It will come from electing people who understand municipal government, know how to develop and implement a strategy, and are prepared to be accountable and then benchmark their results.
The time for excuses has passed. The time for measurable action has arrived.
I believe Jamie Lowery brings the years of experience, practical understanding and leadership required to begin turning North Bay in a different direction. This is not a personal criticism of other candidates. It is a judgment about what this important moment requires. North Bay needs a mayor prepared to confront difficult realities, work well with council and the community, able to ask the difficult questions and diligently pursue measurable economic progress.
Jamie Lowery is the best candidate to provide that leadership now. Use your vote wisely!