Thunder Bay mayor mulls what he'd do with 'strong mayor' powers in exchange for housing pledge

Thunder Bay is set to become the latest Ontario municipality to receive so-called "strong mayor" powers from the province, but first Mayor Ken Boshcoff has to promise to build 2,200 new homes by 2031. 

The city released a public report Sept.13 to inform of the potential changes that could result from the province's strong mayor powers, while Boshcoff and other city staff met with reporters last week as to discuss implementation.

The report, which does not include a judgment on whether the extra powers would be necessary, says city administration is working with colleagues across the province about best practices. It's not clear exactly how much this could cost, but there may be a need to hire more staff in the mayor's office, the report states. 

The new powers allow the mayor to pass bylaws with the support of just one third of council, as well as veto bylaws passed by council in certain cases involving provincial priorities. They will be able to propose the city budget, reorganize city departments and hire or fire the city manager and some department heads.

Boshcoff has yet to explicitly confirm he would be signing the pledge, but implied he would be seeking strong mayor powers.

"These enhancements to the mayors list of duties, I think, would be really helpful."

Mayors in Sudbury and Sault Ste Marie have told CBC News they're not interested in strong mayor powers. Staff in North Bay have said the issue is under review.

Boschoff said the main reason he'd like to sign on to this pledge was to get access to the provincial housing funding.

Cities who meet the province's housing targets can receive money from the new three-year, $1.2-billion fund to pay for housing infrastructure.

The 'Building Faster Fund' program will provide $400-million in annual funding for municipalities that meet at least 80 percent of their annual housing target assigned by the province.

Boshcoff said its unlikely he'd use those powers to override a council majority, but didn't rule it out.

"I'm a democrat," said Boshcoff. "I don't really see drawing on them very often."

At-large Coun. Mark Bentz said that while he trusts Boshchoff will use the powers responsibly, he thinks they could be tools of destruction if placed in the wrong hands. 

"The worst case scenario is a mayor gets elected that does not have any organizational skills or hiring skills and starts making all sorts of changes that could be very expensive to the community." Bentz said.  

Bentz said that the potential negative impacts of strong mayor powers outweigh the potential benefit of getting homes built quicker. 

"They're kind of watering down the democracy," said Bentz. "There must be another way other than potentially courting with very expensive mistakes."

The new strong mayor powers will take effect at the end of October.