Mike Bradley was thinking about more than just Sarnia when he spoke about what 2024 could hold for the city.
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“What’s bothered me more than anything in the last number of years, as someone who’s been in politics for quite some time, is the negativity and the pessimism and the anger that’s been generated in Canada — and the United States and elsewhere — is often driven by the political people,” Bradley told Golden K Kiwanis members at his annual state-of-the-city address Jan. 9.
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Bradley didn’t single anyone out and said he’s never even met Prime Minister Justin Trudeau: “Can we get some attention in this region beyond Windsor and St. Thomas,” he said, adding, “It’d be nice for once.”
But the civility and collegiality Bradley said was exemplified by the late Sarnia mayor and MP Andy Brandt has been largely lost, he said.
“Now, it’s simply a group of tribes who do not speak or talk to each other,” Bradley said. “And that, in turn, in my view, is hurting the national interest.”
Focusing on “partisanship” instead of issues on their merits “is coloring how the public reacts to the world,” he said, adding he sees a deficiency in empathy broadly and politicians can play a role in restoring it.
“There’s an anger out there in the country about a lot of things,” including COVID-19 and inflation, he said.
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“And it’s not productive in the end. If you want a better country, a better community, you’ve got to foster that” Canadian civility for which the country traditionally has been known, he said.
That applies “across the country, and here” in Sarnia, he said.
Bradley, who noted more housing is needed to address a homelessness and shelter problem in Sarnia-Lambton, talked about higher interest rates stalling some projects — 2,300 housing units in the city are approved and waiting to be built — and said another part of the strategy for Sarnia’s success and growth is getting the attention of federal and provincial governments for investment.
“We need to see federal and provincial governments particularly focus on doing things here that will help on climate change,” he said. “Not just telling us what to do, showing us how they can make investments.”
That includes investing in the petrochemical industry that’s used in all sorts of manufacturing processes, he said.
“Because we’re not just competing with Alberta, we’re competing with the midwest, the coast of Mexico, the United States — we’ve got heavy competition,” Bradley said, noting he plans to continue showing the community to federal ministers to show what’s already happening, and the opportunities that exist.
“Right now, we’re behind,” he said. “That’s not too positive, but it’s the truth.”
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