Thunder Bay mayor to argue against delaying turf sports facility vote

Thunder Bay's mayor says he won't be supporting a new recommendation from city administration to delay a vote on putting a proposed $33-million turf sports facility out for tender.

Council was initially set to vote on tendering the project on Aug. 10.

However, late last week, city administration – which initially recommended council support the tendering process – changed its position, saying that the vote should be delayed until November 2021 due to financial pressures brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

A memo sent by city manager Norm Gale to the Multi-Use Indoor Sports Facility Committee on Aug. 4 states the change was brought on by new information.

That, the memo states, includes a projected $7 million deficit, costs associated with reopening city facilities – such as arenas and pools – and uncertainty about what financial relief from other levels of government the city will be eligible for.

"I obviously don't support the referral, and will argue against it," Mayor Bill Mauro said. "In my [view], everything they are saying are reasons for the referral were known to them months ago."

"The only things that have changed are actually better news pieces," he said. "We've gone from a $13-million projected deficit to a $7-million projected deficit."

"We've gone from not being sure we'd get money from the province or the federal government to know that for sure we will get money from the province or the feds, although we don't know what the amount will be."

And while Mauro said there may be costs associated with reopening city facilities, "that's not new."

"We've known that all along," he said. "We just simply don't know what they may or may not be, and, of course there are decisions to be made on what you reopen and to what level."

If council agrees to delay the vote, the project likely wouldn't be completed until late 2023, the memo states.