Township of Emo councillor Anthony Leek is the Ontario Liberal candidate for the Kenora-Rainy River riding in the Oct. 6 provincial election. Photo submitted

The Ontario Liberals are putting a fresh face into the hunt for the Kenora-Rainy River Riding in the upcoming Oct. 6 election.

Twenty-seven year-old Township of Emo councillor Anthony Leek is hoping to make inroads for the Ontario Liberals as longtime New Democrat MPP Howard Hampton has decided not to pursue another term in the Kenora-Rainy River Riding.

Elected to municipal government last fall, Leek says he has a particular interest in improving lines of communication between communities and higher levels of government.

“Municipalities and individuals work really hard to make things better,” says Leek. “But there seems to be something lacking when trying to communicate to higher levels of government. I think we could do better.”

Asked how he would navigate the north’s perceived rocky relationship with Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty’s policies, Leek says he hopes to be judged on the basis on his own character and as a northerner.

“For me, it’s not about Dalton McGuinty, it’s about representation for our riding,” he said. “Ideologically, I’m a Liberal. I’m a middle-ground kind of individual. Ontario is huge and we live in a completely different world than in the south. We need a strong voice to say we have unique situations here.”

Leek says political unity, should the Ontario Liberals retain control of the province, could offer benefits to a riding that has long been the seat of vocal opposition through Hampton and the NDP.

“After a while you start hearing the same stuff over and over on the radio about how everything is going the wrong way, but you never really know what’s going on — you just hear the negative, the cynical side of things,” said Leek. “It’s time for a change, time for us to look at the positive side of things. Having someone in this riding that’s on the decision-making side of government could make a big difference.”

Leek says the current government recognizes the potential for a new wave of investment in the region and is working to lay a foundation for responsible growth.

“We know that there is a lot of potential economic development here through mining and some stability here in forestry,” he said. “In four or five years there are some dramatic changes that could happen.”

With the potential for new resource extraction activities like mining poised to benefit the region, Leek says the province’s efforts to create a update First Nations and community consultation frameworks should advance to the next level.

“It’s time to get past the point of consultation, to engage communities and involve people directly,” he said. “So that people have control of their own destiny. Governments are there to guide and support, but at the end of the day it’s up to individuals to work hand in hand with that.”

As for the province’s long-term vision for the north — laid out in the recent Growth Plan for Northern Ontario, Leek says he thinks the document has it merits.

“As individual communities we’re all over the map. But what we’ve realized is that we’re stronger when we have a common goal — especially in the north where there is so much space between us. I think the thought behind that 20-year growth plan is to bring a sense unity. Ontario is recognizing the fact there is something unique about our regional economy. The plan is general in a lot of ways, but at least it lays out some foundations to discover where we go from here.”

By Chris Marchand