THUNDER BAY – Thunder Bay’s municipal government says it hopes to set a tone of caution amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, as it moves its city council meetings fully online.
Only essential staff from the city clerk’s office will be present in council chambers as of Monday evening’s meeting, with councillors required to connect from home.
Though the move is not required after the Thunder Bay District was moved into the yellow zone in the province’s COVID-19 Response Framework on Friday, Mayor Bill Mauro called it an appropriate response with cases rising rapidly in the city.
“This represents an effort by Council and administration to demonstrate the seriousness of the issue and the situation we currently find ourselves in,” he said in a statement issued by the city Monday.
More than 100 new COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in the district in just over two weeks, most in Thunder Bay and the surrounding areas.
As of Monday, there were 78 cases active in the district. Three individuals had been hospitalized with the virus, two of them in intensive care.
City clerk Krista Power emphasized the importance of limiting in-person interactions, even beyond what’s strictly required by provincial or public health authorities.
“Although this is not required… city council wishes to signal the importance of the decisions each of us make every day to limit contact wherever possible,” read a statement from her office.
The city has taken measures to allow its employees to work from home where possible, the statement added.
Roughly half of city councillors have attended recent meetings in person in recent weeks, separated by plexiglass barriers, though not often wearing masks. Others connect from home through MS Teams, visible on a large screen in council chambers.
City council meetings can be watched live on the city’s website or on Shaw TV Cable 10 and Tbaytel TV Channel 110.
Citizens making deputations to city council can continue to do so in person at a remote kiosk at city hall, by phone, or virtually by connecting with the city clerk's office.
