THUNDER BAY – NEWS – Mayor Ken Boshcoff has sent a letter to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to officially commit to meeting the provincially assigned housing target of 2,200 homes by 2031.
Strong Mayor Powers
Despite a vote from City Council opposing the move to get “Strong Mayor” powers for the city, the move toward the Ontario initiative continues at City Hall.
The decision is not one in the hands of Council.
Starting next week, administration will begin meeting with Mayor Boshcoff to discuss potential impacts to operations and staff, impacts of delegating other powers to administration and/or council where applicable, and how decisions made using Strong Mayor powers will be communicated to the public.
Designated task teams will examine the processes affected should the Mayor choose to use the Strong Mayor powers.
In a media release Administration states, “No changes will be made to City operations or administrative processes until Thunder Bay is formally granted Strong Mayor Powers by regulation. The earliest the powers would come into effect is October 31, following the addition of Thunder Bay as a city with Strong Mayor Powers to Ontario Regulation 530/22”.
Strong Mayor powers could include
- Appoint, dismiss and assign “other duties” to the City Manager
- Determine the organizational structure of the city
- Hire or dismiss the “head of any other part of the organizational structure” of the city
- Direct municipal employees to undertake research, provide advice, as well as carry out duties and implement decisions
- Appoint chairs and vice-chairs of prescribed local boards
- Establish or dissolve Committees of Council, appoint Chairs and Vice-Chairs and assign functions to Committees
- Require council to consider any matter that could advance a provincial priority
- Veto a By-law that could interfere with a provincial priority
- Propose, prepare and adopt the annual budget, and propose amendments to the budget throughout the year
