THUNDER BAY – Thunder Bay’s city council voted to officially consider expanding its bylaw enforcement division Monday evening, a move advocates say could take pressure off of an overstretched city police department.
Coun. Aldo Ruberto argued the city needs to do more to prevent police resources from being wasted on non-emergency bylaw infraction issues.
“What this does is, it’s going to take a little bit of stress off police,” he said. “I know they’re overwhelmed with the number of cases. We don’t want police attending noise complaints, issues between neighbours.”
City council previously discussed the issue in January, when councillors expressed concern that bylaw complaints made in the evening were going ignored or falling to police. At the time, city administration told council to expect a report on the issue by early summer.
On Monday, Coun. Aldo Ruberto formally requested a report before the end of November, as city staff indicated they were continuing to work on the issue with police and its bylaw enforcement division.
Council passed a motion seeking recommendations on the possibility of hiring more bylaw officers and extending the division’s hours of operation, along with cost estimates.
Councillors and staff pointed to the collective bargaining agreement with the union representing bylaw officers as a stumbling block, since it requires overtime pay for work beyond normal business hours. It’s a situation the city is trying to resolve through negotiations with the union.
“A lot of this will hinge on getting something that’s palatable to the union,” said licensing and enforcement manager Doug Vincent – adding that finding common ground “could be a lengthy process.”
While supporting the motion, Coun. Andrew Foulds looked to temper expectations, warning any significant expansion to enforcement would require a “massive increase” in staff and expenses.
Coun. Rebecca Johnson was alone in opposing the motion, saying the city couldn’t afford to expand staff given the financial strain of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’m not going to even consider hiring additional enforcement officers,” she said. “Right now, we’re looking at cutting.”
Coun. Kristen Oliver asked administration to examine ways to cover any increased costs to expand enforcement by adjusting fines for bylaw infractions.
With Ruberto’s motion passed, a report on the issue will come before city council by Nov. 23.
