THUNDER BAY – Staring down a mammoth agenda, Thunder Bay’s city council made a number of consequential decisions in a meeting that ran nearly to midnight on Monday.
Council defeated a proposed Designated Truck Route bylaw, debated a services review that recommends closing or selling a wide range of city facilities, and approved an interest-free loans program intended to address the problem of lead contamination in drinking water.
The body still only managed to tackle part of the night’s business, leaving issues considered less urgent to come back after a three week break, on July 20.
Designated Truck Route in limbo
Councillors rejected a Designated Truck Route (DTR) bylaw that would force heavy truck traffic off Dawson Road and Arthur Street and onto Highway 11/17.
Council approved the creation of the DTR in January of 2019 in a 7-6 vote. A bylaw is still required to put the decision into force, but Coun. Brian Hamilton’s change of heart on the issue since the 2019 vote swung the balance against it Monday.
The vote leaves the route in limbo, with no clear path to enact or definitively reject it. It’s a fraught situation that led council to look for legal advice on next steps.
Services review accepted
Consultants with Grant Thornton presented council with a completed program and services review Monday. The document contains 45 recommendations designed to contain costs and improve efficiency, including sweeping closures and sell-offs of city facilities.
Whether those will be implemented is far from certain. Councillors debated the way forward, with some fearing the recommendations could wind up gathering dust. A special council meeting will be set aside to review them by the end of September.
Lead water loans program
In a bid to address the problem of lead contamination in drinking water – the city estimates 8,700 homes have lead water pipes – council approved a new interest-free loans program to encourage homeowners to have them replaced.
City reopens some summer programs
The city aimed to salvage at least some summer fun with the confirmed or planned reopening of numerous programs, including summer day camps, the playgrounds program, splash pads, Sandy Beach, and indoor pools.
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Summer camps and playgrounds program
Financial statements
City Treasurer Linda Evans presented council with an update on the city’s 2019 financial statements, reserve funds, and investments.
A $3.4 million tax-supported surplus from the 2019 budget will be directed into the city’s stabilization reserve, bringing it to $13 million. City leaders have expressed the intention to use that fund to cover a chunk of this year’s COVID-19-related losses, which are estimated to total up to $13 million.
The city’s investment portfolio saw market value gains of 6.44 per cent. Mayor Mauro and some councillors would like to see the city put more of its $124 million in investments into higher-return equity, rather than bonds, but no changes were made Monday.
Waterfront market square
Prince Arthur’s Landing will be further developed, as the city finishes work on the “waterfront market square” parking lot just south of the waterfront splash pad. The lot will be paved, with shrub-planted stormwater management and power pedestals for vendors to support events.
The contract was awarded to Thunder Contracting for around $640,000.
