A long list of items were discussed at City Council on Monday, July 20.
Here’s what passed and what didn’t.
Approved
City Council will forgo a pay raise for this year, saving the city a total of $4,900. The city is also not increasing wages for non-union managers.
They voted to include $350,000 for consideration in the 2021 Capital Budget for the asphalt re-surfacing of Hutton Park Drive, from Valley Street to Mercier Street.
The city is continuing its portable battery recycling program by entering into an agreement with Call2Recycle Canada. The city expects to get $5,000 per year from the province because of the agreement.
The city is formally supporting a harmonized approach to eliminating single-use plastics across Ontario, but waiting to take action until the province or federal governments announce their plans for single-use plastics.
City Administration will explore short and long term plans for cleaning up garbage and waste from Boulevard Lake while the lake is drained for repairs to the dam. Council will receive a report on this by September 28th.
Council is supporting the joint application by the Black Sheep Mountain Bike Club and the City of Thunder Bay’s Parks & Open Spaces Division to the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) for the Trowbridge Outdoor Sports Tourism and Events infrastructure project. The city is also providing $50,000 through the 2020 Parks and Open Spaces Recreational Trail budget.
A rainbow crosswalk will be installed at the Donald and May Street intersection in August this year. The cost will be split evenly between the city, Thunder Pride, and North-West Lines.
Councillors are asking for a report with information on tightening the by-law around fireworks. It would look at restricting when they can be set off, hiring more by-law officers to respond to noise complaints about fireworks, and giving the city the ability to enforce a decibel level for fireworks displays.
City Council will be informed when the city’s Municipal Emergency Control Group decides not to host evacuees.
The city approved re-opening a list of summer facilities and activities, and added an ice arena to that list, but it likely won’t be able to open until September.
Council agreed to ask for a report about its responsibility and role in installing cameras on the stop signs on school buses.
The city is asking the provincial and federal governments to increase funding for homeless prevention initiatives, mental health supports and programs and services for those dealing with addiction.
Lost
Council defeated a proposal to look into creating a loitering by-law aimed at cutting down on drug trafficking. Councillor Aldo Ruberto will meet with the General Manager of Development and Emergency Services to craft a new proposal with the same intent, which is supposed to be brought forward at next Monday’s meeting.
Council defeated a motion to ask for more information about COVID-19 related changes to transit, the impact of those changes, and the city’s strategies to make up for lost revenues from April 1 to July 19th.
Mayor Mauro withdrew a motion asking for more information about the Health Unit’s mandatory mask order.
