A local citizens group is asking people where they think the city will be in 2030.
The Citizens Coalition of Thunder Bay was formed in February when a group of people were sitting around a coffee shop discussing city issues. Coalition spokesperson Brent Kelso said the group realized that Thunder Bay does not have a long-term plan. That’s when they decided to form the coalition and hold meetings where people get together, discuss the issues and eventually present it to the new city council after the October municipal election. Kelso said he feels that there is a disconnect between city officials when it comes to plans for Thunder Bay.
"(It should be) city hall and the citizens of Thunder Bay coming together and having a dialogue needed on the future in terms of projects and spending priorities and how to deal with some of the issues pertaining to crime and safety," Kelso said at a meeting Tuesday evening. "A lot of people feel that City Hall is a little bit too informal and we’re always consulting after the fact when a project might be staring up or halfway done."
Kelso said the most popular issues up for discussion are taxes, crime sustainability and spending priorities on large projects such as the waterfront development. The idea is to gather all of the information being discussed and form questions to ask candidates, several including two current city councillors were at the meeting Tuesday, this fall. Then the vision outlined by the coalition will be presented in a deputation to city council after the election. Kelso said the way Thunder Bay currently operates lacks vision for the future. Many cities such as Winnipeg and Victoria have long-term plans for 2020 or 2030.
"I don’t think the status quo is working for us and we need to be visionary and we need to be imaginative when it comes to the future of the city," Kelso said.
