One of the local MPPs under Premier Doug Ford is getting extra responsibility.
Thunder Bay-Atikokan Member Kevin Holland has been sworn in as the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark.
“It’s an exciting opportunity for me and I think it will serve us well (in the riding),” Holland told Acadia News.
“It’s a little less work than being a full-time minister, which will allow me the time to address the issues that we are facing here in Thunder Bay-Atikokan, which led to me running in the first place. It also gives me access to ministers at the same level as if I were a full-time minister.”
Holland said he got the call from Minister Clark just minutes after the new cabinet was sworn in on June 24th.
“We had 83 members that (the Premier) had to choose a cabinet from, so I knew it was going to be a difficult decision for him to make,” added Holland. “I’m okay with not being selected for cabinet in the first go around. I do believe that my 31 years on municipal council probably had some bearing on the decision to appoint me as the Parliamentary Assistant (to this portfolio).”
Holland has stated that he wants to tackle a shortage of jobs in the riding as well as secure additional employment opportunities at the Alstom Plant and support the Northern School of Medicine (NOSM) University.
