Former Fort man plans to relocate to RR and run for NDP in next election

Ken Johnston
Editor

The new riding boundaries have not been formally drawn yet, but one man is already standing at the gate eager to run for M.P. of Rainy River-Thunder Bay riding.
Larry Richardson, who says he is 65 and holding, has deep roots in the Fort Frances area and was in Rainy River on Friday, where he says he plans to reside when he runs for the Federal New Democratic Party nomination for the new riding.
While he has been in Edmonton, Alberta for about 30 years now, he said that he “Got a burning in my stomach to return and run.” Before leaving for work in the west, he had served eight years on town council in Fort Frances in the 1960s and tried to win a seat in the provincial legislature twice. “I ran against Bill Noden who was like God, having brought the causeway to be. I also lost the liberal/labour nomination to Kenora’s Pat Reid.”
Richardson’s family were pioneers in the Buriss Township area; his father a homesteader there in 1898. He said he has always had an affinity for this area and is looking forward to relocating to Rainy River.
So why move to Rainy River, when most of the votes that will likely elect the next Rainy River-Thunder Bay riding will be in the Thunder Bay area? Richardson says, “In my opinion Rainy River has the most potential in the District and if elected I plan to build on that potential.”
He also said that if the mayor of Thunder Bay gets the liberal nomination to run, “He won’t have any interest west of Atikokan.”
Richardson realizes that the majority of voters will be in the Thunder Bay area and says he has great ideas on how to improve areas of the city, such as Simpson Street.
In Rainy River he sees the answer to a great future being the creation of many small industries that employ 5-10 people. “It is not the big industries that this area has the most potential for, it is the small ones.” He also sees the toll-free border crossing as the best place to cross into this region as a tourist. “I will do everything I can to promote this border crossing and increase the traffic levels here.”
Richardson has worked at Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton and said, “I see tourism potential here.”
He said he has garnered the support of long time NDP’er Owen Lindsay and hopes that the support across the region grows and that he is nominated to run in the new riding, in what everyone is expecting will be a spring election.
He has taken out a post office box in Rainy River and is looking for a place to rent for now.