THUNDER BAY –- The city has returned with promises from the province that their issues will be addressed.
With more than a dozen meetings at the recent Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference in Niagara Falls, Coun. Joe Virdiramo said the city was able to speak to ministers on every topic the city brought with them, from the proposed event centre to affordable housing.
On the event centre, the city told economic development, employment and infrastructure minister Brad Duguid that the project is shovel ready.
He told the city there were different types of funding programs available.
"As always they keep their cards close to their chest," Virdiramo said.
The city also met with the Ministry of Finance to ask for help to cover the costs of Resolute's mill assessment.
They reminded the ministry that the province also has to pay back its share of educational taxes over the reassessment. That went along with an approach the city had to try and get all ministries on board with changing the way property assessment appeals are done.
"They liked the suggestion," Virdiramo said.
But as always, the issue won't gain a lot of traction until communities in Southern communities are impacted. That likely won't happen until those cities stop seeing growth Virdiramo said.
"Once it starts hitting their pocketbooks," he said.
The city did get some good news that a cheque for millions of dollars is in the mail to help with its homes for the aged. But there is a hiccup in the plan to get people moving into the new Centre of Excellence for Integrated Seniors' Services.
While the city would like to see eight people at a time heading to the new facility, the province wants three to five. That would cost the move an extra hundred days and the city more money for staff.
"That would have a huge impact on us," Virdiramo said.
Overall Virdiramo said the conference was a success. A report card highlighting the city's past five years at the annual meeting is heading to council in the fall.
