THUNDER BAY – City council quietly signed into law new rules on fireworks and abandoned shopping carts on Monday, while discussions on a proposed indoor turf facility and safety concerns at a local social housing complex took the limelight.
City sits on indoor turf proposals
The private sector has answered the city’s call for proposals to build a multi-use indoor turf facility, with city manager Norm Gale announcing Monday an Expression of Interest process drew eight responses. Five of those met minimum technical requirements for further consideration.
Those proponents will have to wait months for a decision, however, as the city holds out for word on a $22 million federal grant application that could give it the funds to build the sports complex on its own.
In the meantime, few details will be shared on the proposals, including their cost or design details.
Spence Court motion walked back
A motion calling for 24-hour security and stricter eviction policies at a local social housing complex was trimmed of both of those core points before it could win council’s approval.
Westfort Ward councillor Kristen Oliver moved the motion in response to concerns from residents of the Spence Court apartments, who she said were increasingly fearful after several recent incidents of violence, and alleged drug trafficking.
On Monday, she withdrew the request for operator Thunder Bay DSSAB to add security, saying she’d been advised the agency was already working on that issue.
Meanwhile, her push to advocate for “firmer” evictions rules raised alarm bells for some councillors, who said the move risked harming the most vulnerable.
New fireworks rules
Council passed a new fireworks bylaw that will slash the number of days on which residents are permitted to enjoy pyrotechnics.
The new rules will cut the number of occasions on which fireworks are allowed from seven to four per year: Canada Day, the August civic holiday, New Year's Day, and the Lunar New Year.
Penalties for breaking the rules will also increase to a provincial maximum of $500 for a first offence.
The bylaw was approved unanimously with no discussion Monday.
City aims to pull up digital bootstraps
The City of Thunder Bay will need to make significant investments – in dollars, and in changes to its workplace culture – to meet modern expectations on digital services, according to a consultant-led process to create a new digital strategy.
A first report presented Monday said the city will need to increase IT funding by 50 per cent or more, hiring several new staff, to catch up with citizen expectations – and peer cities like Sudbury.
However, consultants told councillors that investment could pay off in savings from efficiencies, as well as improved delivery of services. That’s expected to bring online payment options for things like parking tickets, water billing, municipal campgrounds, an online tax portal, and expansion of public WiFi.
Bylaw tackles abandoned shopping carts
Local grocery stores will be made responsible for shopping carts removed from their property and abandoned, as the City of Thunder Bay takes a new bylaw for a spin.
The new rules will require stores to submit plans to prevent theft and recover stray carts to the city – and pay a fee for their return, if picked up by municipal staff. Several, but not all stores, already have technology to prevent carts from being taken off site.
The bylaw was approved unanimously with no discussion Monday. It will be reviewed in three years to determine if it’s been effective.
