KAPUSKASING - Running for another term at Queen's Park, Guy Bourgouin is focused on improving the safety of Northern Ontario’s roads.
Bourgouin is the NDP candidate in Mushkegowuk-James Bay for the Ontario election. He is one of two candidates vying for the seat.
A trained tradesperson, he’s lived in Kapuskasing for over 25 years. He first entered politics in 2018, bringing years of experience as a steelworker.
Before being elected MPP, he represented workers across Northern Ontario, from Thunder Bay to Timmins.
“My work experience was to do a lot of work for forestry and casinos in very diversified work,” he said.
His advocacy work also saw him lobby against the softwood lumber dispute in Washington, D.C.
“And of course, when the forest industry collapsed 10 years ago, I, with my membership, managed to save a lot of our plants, working with employers and the workers to make sure that we went through these hard times,” he said.
These experiences, he says, have equipped him with the tools to represent his constituents effectively.
Healthcare is a major concern for Bourgouin. He said many individuals in his riding are without a family doctor. He also pointed out that a large number of the population in his riding speak French, making the shortage of French-speaking doctors even more critical.
“If there's a shortage of anglophone doctors, just imagine what the shortage is for francophone doctors,” he said.
“It's right throughout, not only in Northern Ontario but throughout Ontario, that there's a lack of French doctors.”
The healthcare issue is worsened by the potential closure of the obstetrics unit at Sensenbrenner Hospital in Kapuskasing, the only one within an 800-kilometre stretch of Northern Ontario, Bourgouin said.
Bourgouin has advocated for funding to prevent the closure, highlighting the risks that families would face if the unit shuts down.
“If we don't get funding, our obstetrics in Kap could close,” he said.
“So that means that for 800 kilometres, women that are expecting babies would have to go either to Timmins or other places that do offer these services, which come at a high cost, and then the conditions of our roads put these families even more at risk.”
Another major issue for Bourgouin is the state of Northern Ontario's roads, specifically Highway 11 and 17, which serve as vital arteries for the region.
In 2023, he introduced a bill that would make it illegal for motorists to cross double yellow lines when passing another vehicle.
He called the private member's bill Chad's Law as a tribute to a resident in his riding who suffered severe injuries in a Highway 11 crash near Kapuskasing in 2022.
“We've been fighting for this, my colleagues and I, to make our roads safer, because we know that this will save lives,” he said.
Bourgouin said he wants stricter licensing requirements for truck drivers and a push for laws mandating solid lines on Ontario’s roads, a measure already in place across much of North America.
“People from the north are afraid now of driving on our roads. We're afraid for our families. We’ve never seen it this bad,” he said.
Bourgouin is also concerned about education funding, specifically for school boards and bus transportation.
The reduction of $1,500 per student has left schools with fewer resources to provide for their students, a situation Bourgouin believes must be addressed.
“We know the situation for education, how it is also problematic in Ontario,” he said.
Election day is Feb. 27.
The other Mushkegowuk-James Bay candidate is Progressive Conservative candidate David Plourde.
