As towns and cities across Ontario gear up for their municipal elections, experts are optimistic about seeing a boost in voter turnout compared to four years ago.
In Thunder Bay, Ont., turnout was slightly above average at just under 43 per cent during the 2022 election, while the provincial average hovered around 33 per cent.
Kristen Oliver finds those numbers hard to grasp.
“I really struggle to try to understand why people think that their voice doesn’t matter,” said Oliver, who is stepping away from politics after serving two terms as the city’s Westfort ward councillor.
“You really should pay some sort of attention to [municipal politics] because you are impacted every single day. Having said that, some people just don’t see that their opinion or their thoughts are valued.”
Thunder Bay will be electing a new mayor since incumbent Ken Boshcoff isn’t running for re-election. There will also be at least two new at-large councillors and fresh representatives in the Northwood, Red River and Westfort wards.
Coun. Kristen Oliver, who represents Thunder Bay’s Westfort ward, has served as a city councillor since 2018. She is not seeking re-election for the 2026-2030 term. (Sarah Law/CBC)
Oliver hopes more than half of Thunder Bay’s voters will participate in the election and she urges residents to remember “there are many people that have fought for your right to vote.”
“There are countries in this world that don’t have this opportunity,” she added.
Causes of Low Voter Turnout
Several factors lead to lower participation rates in municipal elections, according to John Beebe, director and founder of the Democratic Engagement Exchange at Toronto Metropolitan University.
“One is at the municipal level, there’s no political parties, right? So it’s harder for people to know who to vote for,” Beebe said.
John Beebe is director and founder of the Democratic Engagement Exchange at Toronto Metropolitan University. (Markus Schwabe/CBC)
“People are also feeling sort of disconnected from politics. There’s a sense that politics is ugly, is partisan, and so that sort of turns people away from engaging in democracy.”
The Democratic Engagement Exchange aims to change that by having conversations with people about issues they care about and connecting those concerns with local elections, he explained.
One positive sign is that advance voter turnout is on the rise; however it doesn’t guarantee higher overall participation rates.
Another encouraging development has been community organizations hosting their own events aimed at boosting engagement , Beebe noted.
The option to vote online , especially in smaller communities , has also helped , he mentioned.
Where To Vote In Thunder Bay
People can vote online in Thunder Bay any time until 8 p. m. ET Monday evening when polls close.
Voters can cast a ballot in person at these locations on Monday from 10 a. m. until 8 p. m. ET : P >
” Ward 1 Current River P >Current River Community Centre , 450 Dewe Ave. North End Community Centre , 954 Huron Ave.
Ward 2 Red River P >Thunder Bay 55 Plus Centre ,700 River St.( accessible voting devices will be available ). Algonquin Avenue Public School ,160 Algonquin Ave. S.
Ward 3 Mc Kellar P >Oliver Road Community Centre ,563 Oliver Rd. CLE Heritage Building ,425 Northern Ave.
Ward 4 Mc Intyre P >North Mc Intyre Recreation Centre ,2051 Government Rd. Woodcrest Public School ,867 Woodcrest Rd.
P WARD5 N ORTHWOOD p>Kinsmen Youth Centre ,609 James St. N. Ecole Elsie Mac Gill Public School ,130 Churchill Dr. W.
Ward 6 Westfort
Kingsway Park Public School,315 Empire Ave. West Thunder Community Centre,915 Edward St. S.(accessible voting devices will be available).
Ward7 Neebing West Arthur Community Centre ,1914 Arthur St. W.
More information on how t o vote i n Th u nder B ay c an b e found here. p>
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