THUNDER BAY – Thunder Bay’s new city council held its first significant votes on Monday with little debate and no disagreement as it considered a handful of impactful files.
Council voted unanimously to lobby the province for action on school bus safety, receive more information on potential fixes to a neglected fountain in Waverley Park, and make changes to its outdoor rink inventory.
Council also received staff reports on a lead service replacement program and LIFT+ service.
The meeting began with the news city treasurer and general manager of corporate services and long-term care Linda Evans will retire in February, soon after the upcoming 2023 budget process concludes.
City to call on province to enable stop arm cameras
Council accepted a staff conclusion that it’s “not feasible” for the city to implement stop arm cameras, despite requests from local school boards.
The cameras are intended to address the “alarming” number of drivers blowing by school buses while they’re parked with flashing lights and stop arm extended, and students are getting on and off.
Though the provincial government enabled stop arm cameras in 2020, it hasn’t put in place centralized ticket processing, which is used for similar programs like red light cameras.
Until that happens, staff found, it would be prohibitive for the city and local police force to implement the program.
Councillors expressed disappointment with the situation Monday, referring the issue to the city’s intergovernmental affairs committee to lobby the province for action.
Lift+ service
The city has responded after a user of Lift+ specialized transit raised serious concerns over service levels, calling it a national embarrassment.
In a report to council, administration acknowledged some concerns while defending its management of the service. The report suggested staffing shortages are a major cause of service shortfalls, but did not identify any new recommended actions or improvements.
Staff expressed hope new software could help, while accessibility advocates argued it will take more than that to address long-standing user complaints.
Waverley Park fountain
Council asked for more information ahead of an upcoming decision over the fate of a centuries-old fountain at Waverley Park.
The Coalition for Waverley Park encouraged the city to fix up the neglected asset in a deputation Monday.
Work on the fountain, which hasn’t been operational for years due to leaks and other issues, is estimated to cost $250,000 or more.
Coalition members urged council to consider the work in the 2024 budget, along with other improvements to shore up the park’s cenotaph and connect it to walking trails.
Lead water loans
Council received an update Monday on the city’s lead water service replacement program, learning it approved just 13 new interest-free loans over the past year.
That represents a drop in the bucket compared with the estimated 1,000 local homes that have levels of lead at the tap exceeding provincial guidelines, a potentially serious health hazard. The city is currently providing filters to those homes.
Councillors questioned staff on the program, suggesting the city consider steps like expanded promotion and providing more advance notice when the city is replacing public service connections, which provides a cheaper opportunity for homeowners to do so at the same time.
Outdoor rinks
The city will discontinue two unboarded outdoor skating ponds as it looks to shuffle resources to more well-used sites, including the new Vickers Park skating path.
The two ponds, at the Vale Community Centre and in the Centennial Village neighbourhood off of Arthur Street West, each had fewer than one hourly user, on average, a city analysis found.
Meanwhile, the city plans to expand a skating path it introduced to Vickers Park last year. Staff reported 96 per cent of the 373 respondents to an online survey supported continuing the path.
The city will also launch a new boarded unsupervised rink at Dease Park this year.
