Keith Hobbs eyes Ontario's $11.5B infrastructure fund for event centre
Thunder Bay's mayor says he has had a full slate of meetings at the annual Association of Municipalities Ontario conference, in Niagara Falls, this week.
Keith Hobbs said he brought a wide variety of the city's concerns forward, including provincial funding for the alcohol management program, run through Thunder Bay's Shelter House, and the possible construction of a new jail.
He said he met with Brad Duguid, Minister of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure, about tapping into the $11.5 billion "Moving Ontario Up And Moving Ontario Forward" program.
As part of that meeting, funding for the proposed event centre in Thunder Bay was on the wish list.
"We've impressed upon Minister Duguid — and he is in agreement — that there has to be funding set aside for special projects, other than just roads," said Hobbs."I've said it before, I don't want roads to nothing or nowhere. When we build roads we want them going to something and somewhere."
Hobbs said he also met with the Minister of Finance about the recent tax adjustment made to the Resolute mill in Thunder Bay, by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation.
"Obviously we have an issue there and I'm on that board now so we have an inside track,which is good," said Hobbs
The Thunder Bay mayor said the subject of immigration, and the need to find more people to work in the north was also a talking point at the conference.
"We have new mines coming onstream for us so (immigration) is a big issue for us," Hobbs said.
Hobbs said he is glad he brought extra suits to the AMO conference as he has "been running" from meeting to meeting — sometimes a dozen a day — in muggy southern Ontario weather.