Thunder Bay city councillors have doubts about proposed new council composition model

Thunder Bay City councillors volition person their accidental to ballot connected immoderate proposed, and major, changes to the constitution of assembly connected Monday.

But immoderate sitting councillors accidental they person doubts astir the proposal.

The city's Council Composition Review Committee is proposing a simplification successful assembly size, and a redrawing of ward boundaries.

Currently, Thunder Bay City Council is made up of 13 members: that includes 7 ward councillors, 5 at-large councillors, and a mayor.

Under the committee's proposal, the fig of councillors would beryllium reduced to 11 — 8 ward councillors, 2 at-large councillors, and a mayor. The caller exemplary would besides spot the fig of wards reduced to four, with each ward having 2 councillors.

McKellar Ward Coun. Brian Hamilton said helium doesn't judge assembly creation should beryllium a precedence for the metropolis now.

"That is not connected the apical of mind," helium said. "We request to consolidate and unify, amongst each levels of government, amongst each governmental parties, a effect to what is happening southbound of the border."

"I don't spot immoderate existent imperative to adjusting the composition of assembly close now," Hamilton said. "I don't spot it arsenic a precocious precedence currently. I would alternatively person our unit beryllium focused connected protecting this assemblage from immoderate of the threats."

At-large Coun. Shelby Ch'ng said she appreciated the enactment the committee has done, but she, too, wasn't convinced the projected changes were necessary.

"I inactive person yet to recognize wherefore radical privation less assembly members, different than we conscionable privation less assembly members," she said. "There hasn't been a truly wide argument. I'm hoping that mightiness beryllium fleshed retired a small spot much connected Monday."

"To person two-fewer members of council, less radical doing the enactment for the aforesaid magnitude of money, I don't deliberation it sets itself up to pull the the champion of america from the community, to beryllium honest."

Westfort Coun. Kristen Oliver, meanwhile, said she likes what the committee has brought forward.

"I similar the thought of going from seven wards down to four, and having that quality to guarantee each ward has the aforesaid benignant of demographics," she said. "I besides similar the thought of having 2 counselors per ward, arsenic well."

"I deliberation it builds an accidental to stock workloads and to stock files, and to make a spot for constituents to person a mates radical they tin scope retired to and stock their thoughts and ideas."

But, Oliver said she doesn't judge a bulk of councillors volition ballot successful enactment of the recommendations connected Monday.

"I deliberation determination are immoderate concerns that person been expressed amongst different members of council," she said. "I don't privation to enactment words successful their mouth."

"Overall, I'm not wholly definite this is simply a format that volition get buy-in amongst each 13 of us."

Oliver noted the metropolis is looking astatine making different changes to however assembly operates, arsenic well.

Currently, each councillors participate successful committee of the full meetings, wherever they person reports, statement topics, and marque preliminary decisions. Those decisions are past made last astatine metropolis assembly meetings.

However, the projected changes would regenerate the committee of the full strategy with lasting committees, which would spot prime councillors beryllium connected smaller committees that absorption connected circumstantial metropolis operations oregon departments.

"What that means is possibly 5 to six members of council would conscionable connected antithetic taxable substance areas," metropolis clerk Krista Power told CBC News successful an interrogation past month. "One whitethorn beryllium prime of life, 1 whitethorn beryllium concern and administration, 1 whitethorn beryllium readying and growth."

Standing committee members would past marque recommendations to metropolis assembly itself.

Oliver said the power to lasting committees would apt code workload concerns.

Red River Ward Coun. Michael Zussino said he'd similar to spot however the projected committee of full alteration plays retired earlier making a determination connected overhauling the constitution of metropolis assembly itself.

"In presumption of lasting committees, you're going to person little radical connected them, hence the debates won't spell arsenic long," helium said.

Overall, Zussino called the projected caller assembly constitution an "interesting proposition," particularly erstwhile it comes to redrawing ward boundaries.

"One of my concerns was the outgo of campaigning, due to the fact that if you look astatine the carnal abstraction of each ward, it's a beauteous ample abstraction that you'd person to screen with signs," helium said. "I think costs would go higher, not little due to the fact that of covering that benignant of space, truthful I deliberation that mightiness beryllium prohibitive to seeing different radical possibly throwing their sanction in."

And, Zussino noted, the caller exemplary whitethorn not pb to overmuch successful the mode of outgo savings for the city.

"If you destruct 2 positions, there's $65,000 wage savings," helium said. "But present you're going to person to administer that workload amongst different people, which volition astir apt effect successful much administrative costs, which astir apt nets you the same."

Value successful re-examining wards

Current River Coun. Andrew Foulds said helium doesn't spot immoderate grounds that having 11 councillors is amended than having 13.

"If you bash determine to trim the fig of counselors, I spot an summation successful workload, I spot less lived experiences, less voices, being capable to talk astatine council," helium said. "I spot little representation, I spot little diversity, and the different happening I see, which is wide from the comments successful the report, is that determination is wholly apt an accrued request connected administrative supports which could successful the extremity outgo more."

"I don't spot the worth successful expanding the non-elected bureaucracy and decreasing the fig of elected officials."

But Foulds said helium does deliberation the metropolis should re-examine its existing wards.

"The metropolis has changed successful however it's been built and however it's grown," helium said. "I do deliberation determination is immoderate worth successful immoderate redistribution. I don't deliberation that a colonisation should beryllium the lone factor, but it should surely beryllium a factor."

If the caller exemplary is approved by council, the extremity is to person it successful spot by the adjacent municipal election.

The past clip the creation of metropolis assembly was changed was successful 1985, erstwhile the existent strategy was implemented.