Thunder Bay administration wants to shake up the committee process

CBC News

· Posted: Jun 18, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 7 hours ago

Thunder Bay metropolis assembly meetings could look rather a spot antithetic this fall.

Currently, sitting councillors conscionable Mondays, archetypal arsenic committee of the full to see and statement docket items.

Committee of the full meetings are followed by meetings of metropolis council, wherever decisions are finalized done ratification.

However, metropolis medication is recommending doing distant with the format, and replacing committee of the whole — which is comprised of each 12 metropolis councillors and the mayor — with smaller, more-specialized lasting committees of 4 councillors and the mayor.

Standing committee recommendations would inactive beryllium finalized astatine a 13-member gathering of metropolis council.

The lasting committee format, Power said, is utilized successful "many municipalities" crossed Ontario.

"One of the things I would say from a nationalist position is, close present erstwhile you crook connected the TV connected a Monday nighttime to look astatine a assembly meeting, you don't cognize needfully are they sitting arsenic committee of the whole, oregon are they sitting arsenic metropolis council," Thunder Bay City Clerk Krista Power said. "That whitethorn marque nary quality to you arsenic the subordinate of the public, but they're either sitting to see things oregon they're sitting to decide, which are 2 precise antithetic things."

Changes to gathering schedule

"Standing committees would let members of assembly to person information, to supply feedback and input that past becomes a last proposal to metropolis council, truthful you would cognize looking astatine the meeting," Power said. "There's 5 members sitting there, they're considering receiving feedback, consulting connected a matter. When there's 13 sitting there, they are deciding."

The projected changes were presented arsenic a archetypal study connected Monday, and councillors volition person a accidental to statement and ballot connected the connection connected June 23. Power said if assembly approves them, the gathering docket would change, too.

"One happening we are proposing is simply a power to Tuesdays to let for a greater fig of meetings due to the fact that we bash person tons of vacation Mondays," she said, adding that lasting committees and metropolis assembly meetings would alternate weeks.

The lasting committees would absorption connected concern and administration, prime of life and growth.

"It's utile in efficient determination making," said Joe Lyons, manager of Western University's Local Government Program. "It besides allows for immoderate specialization among assembly members depending upon their interests."

"The logic of having lasting committees is that issues volition beryllium benignant of afloat considered astatine the lasting committee level, and councillors maybe who haven't had the clip to afloat grasp the complexities of an contented tin astatine slightest person immoderate assurances that it was dealt with appropriately astatine the lasting committee level."

However, Lyons said determination are immoderate imaginable disadvantages to the format.

Advisory committees could beryllium dissolved

"If politicians travel to spot the departments that the lasting committees chiefly woody with arsenic their own, benignant of similar fiefdoms, then that tin pb to siloed determination making, and possibly benignant of greater governmental interference successful determination making," helium said.

Power said the metropolis is besides recommending doing distant with 10 advisory committees:

• Anti-Racism and Equity Advisory Committee.
• Audit Committee.
• Clean, Green and Beautiful Committee.
• Community Communications Committee.
• Community, Youth, and Cultural Funding Appeals Committee.
• Coordinating Committee.
• Downtown Fort William Revitalization Committee.
• EarthCare Advisory Committee.
• Official Recognition Committee.
• Waterfront Development Committee.

Power said determination person been issues with recruitment and retention of committee members, and having capable members contiguous to tally committee meetings.

"One of the things I would accidental is we're seeing, crossed Ontario, a determination distant from the standard, sit-around-the-table-to -have-a-conversation (approach) to a much robust grassroots, prosecute with the assemblage successful a antithetic way, conscionable radical wherever they are astatine successful bid to get bully feedback astir the programs and services the metropolis offers."

Power said advisory committees person definite requirements and parameters nether the Municipal Act.

"I deliberation it's important to enactment we person tons of committees wrong the metropolis that aren't a assembly advisory committee," she said. Power added they are looking astatine whether immoderate of these committees tin inactive exist,"without each of the confines and the rules of a metropolis assembly advisory committee."

Lyons, meanwhile, said advisory committees tin beryllium "tricky."

"The extremity of these advisory committees is to heighten national information and engagement," helium said. "But if you're lone getting the aforesaid radical serving connected these committees twelvemonth implicit year, and they thin to beryllium much benignant of similar self-selected activists oregon radical who truly attraction a batch astir that issue, past you're not needfully getting similar a typical presumption of the population."

If assembly does ballot successful favour of the proposals connected June 23, Power said medication would enactment to person the changes implemented successful the fall.