Thunder Bay mayor, councillors remain at odds over his bid for provincial 'strong mayor' powers

Thunder Bay Mayor Ken Boshcoff failed to get a majority of city councillors to support him in a bid to request so-called "strong mayor" powers from the provincial government to kick-start housing development, but he says he plans to carry on and apply for them regardless.

Boshcoff has indicated for weeks he'd seek these powers since Ontario Premier Doug Ford included Thunder Bay and three other northern Ontario municipalities on the list of communities eligible in August, but he's maintained he'd prefer to do it with council's support. 

He'd hoped to get that support during a city council meeting Monday, but that didn't happen. Councillors voted 9-4 against a resolution supporting the mayor on this. Council members who spoke against it framed the issue around democracy and protecting the democratic process at city hall. 

On Tuesday, Boshcoff said he planned to go ahead with the request, though he has yet to file the paperwork officially. The councillors who oppose this are doing so for "partisan reasons," he said.

"We have to build these units and the target is simple," he said. "To me, let's get on board with the provincial program, which we're quite eligible for. To me, it's just a matter of laying down partisan guns." 

The strong powers are being offered to municipalities and allow mayors to pass bylaws with the support of just one third of council, as well as veto bylaws passed by council on matters involving provincial priorities. Mayors will be able to propose the city budget, reorganize city departments and hire or fire the city manager and some department heads.

In exchange for taking on these powers and easy access to the province's $1.2 billion "building faster fund," the city must commit to the target set by the province to build 2,200 new homes by 2031.

These homes are desperately needed to fill current demands and also to prepare for an expected influx of mining and related economic activity in the coming years, Boshcoff said. 

"The mining boom is quite real," he said. "When I see my council resisting, I need to nudge these people. I don't want to miss out on provincial largesse or entrepreneurial advantages."  

City councillors on both sides of the issue spent much of Monday's three-hour meeting in debate and questioning administration about this, with Coun. Dominic Pasqualino giving a prepared speech on the issue. 

"I am not in favour of the strong mayor legislation. Unfortunately my say on this matter will not directly affect the outcome of this decision," he said.  

Strong mayor powers, Pasqualino said, would change the dynamics at city hall and on the city council, making an argument that these new powers would threaten the democratic process. 

"A strong mayor would not have to use reason to get his views accepted, but could rather rely on his brute strength as a strong mayor," he said. 

Coun. Andrew Foulds made a similar argument, saying that in the nine months since the election, housing is the issue that has the most unity around the council table. 

"What I fail to see is the connection between housing and … strong mayors," Foulds said. "My comments do not reflect our current mayor, or any current mayor, but this legislation is an extraordinary concentration of power in one office."

"The question becomes, what is the cost of democracy?" he said, referring to the provincial money that is being offered to mayors and municipalities that take the pledge. 

Coun. Kasey Etreni received confirmation that the strong mayor powers are not directly linked to Ontario's housing accelerator fund – but that money would be easier to access if the powers are requested.   

"I'm just feeling like we're getting a carrot dangled in front of us," Etreni said about the housing accelerator fund, while asking if the money could be accessed without strong mayor powers. 

Coun. Rajni Argawal, who is a realtor and land developer, supports strong mayor powers, saying the process to get a home built in Thunder Bay is too long even though the city is short an estimated 1,000 units. 

"We are short on housing. It's a federal cry, it's a provincial cry, it's a municipal cry," she said. "It's not Thunder Bay alone, it's everywhere. What we need to do is cut red tape." 

Still, there are unanswered questions about how that will work in practice. 

Though the city has released a short report examining the implications of the new powers, city clerk Krista Power said Monday they still do not have all the answers. 

"We continue, like all municipalities affected, to undertake due diligence and work in a timely and smooth manner to attempt for a smooth transition," Power said.

City administrators will likely send further reports to city councillors and the public for review, Powers said. Until then, the only answers administrators may have to some questions are "it depends, or maybe," she said. 

Boshcoff is required to bring a plan forward to the province on his housing targets by Dec. 15.