Percentages and bar widths are share of the total operating budget.
- TBDSSAB is the legislated service system manager for the District — it runs Ontario Works, Community Housing, Homelessness Prevention, and Child Care & Early Years Programs across every municipality in the region.
- The levy is apportioned by weighted assessment (O. Reg. 278/98) using MPAC values and local tax ratios; Thunder Bay's 2026 share is $19,225,500 — a 3.3% increase.
- The City has no direct control over the amount — it's set by the TBDSSAB Board and levied to municipalities.
- Residents consistently tell the City that police presence and response times are their top safety concern — the 2024 TBPS Community Satisfaction Survey put both at 88%, and the most recent City Citizen Satisfaction Survey flagged crime as Council's #1 issue.
- The 2026 budget adds 8.0 4th Class Constables plus a Social Navigator (1.0 FTE) to connect high-need calls with social services instead of the criminal system.
- An independent Staffing and Service Delivery Assessment concluded the Service needs more front-line officers to meet current and projected demand under the Community Safety and Policing Act.
- Mid-2025 launch of the Specialized Treatment and Alternate Response (STAR) Team — frontline paramedics trained alongside mental health and addiction partners to divert patients from the ER.
- Fall 2025: all 240.8 FTE paramedics completed The Working Mind for First Responders resiliency training; 2026 invests further in recruitment, retention, and paramedic well-being.
- Serves Thunder Bay and the surrounding region (cost-shared with neighbouring municipalities); the 2026 Contribution to Reserve Fund grows to enable ambulance replacements at current market costs.
- Covers the Mayor's Office and City Council, the City Manager's Department, City Solicitor & Corporate Counsel, Customer Service, Human Resources, and the Office of the City Clerk.
- Sets strategic direction (the Maamawe, Growing Together vision + Strategic Plan + Smart Growth Action Plan) and provides the legal, records, and HR machinery that supports every other department.
- Customer Service is the single front door for residents — phone, counter, and online — directing inquiries across all City services.
- Beyond fire suppression, TBFR handles auto extrication, hazardous materials, high/low angle rescue, ice/water rescue, and confined space rescue — all from 8 stations with 201 FTE.
- Inspections, Fire Code enforcement, and public education are steered by the Community Risk Assessment (CRA), which flags high-risk, vulnerable, and multi-unit residential occupancies.
- In 2026 TBFR operationalizes the updated City Emergency Response Plan (Incident Management System), strengthens EOC procedures, and runs coordinated exercises for severe weather and large-scale emergencies.
- Delivers shared internal services — Corporate IT, Finance, Internal Audit, Revenue, Supply Management — whose costs are mostly recovered from other program areas via inter-functional recoveries.
- Also runs Licensing & Enforcement: Municipal Enforcement Services (by-law) and Municipal Parking Services.
- Helps maintain the City's AA+ credit rating and the Government Finance Officers Association budget presentation award.
- 142.6 FTE runs the conventional fixed-route network plus Lift+ — door-to-door service for riders whose disability prevents them from using the regular bus.
- 2026 brings an Automated Fare Collection System and new scheduling software for On-Demand Specialized and Microtransit routes, filling gaps the fixed schedule can't cover.
- Thunder Bay Transit is mid-transformation: improving reliability and safety while exploring on-demand service that complements conventional buses.
- After being closed since February 2024, the Conservatory returns with improved accessibility and a new Facility Curator leading programming and displays (fully funded by new revenues).
- Solid Waste extends automated cart-based garbage collection to the remaining 30,000 residential households, while the landfill manages ~100,000 tonnes of waste annually.
- Parks & Open Spaces runs 2 golf courses (Chapples, Strathcona), 2 cemeteries, Chippewa and Trowbridge campgrounds, amusement rides at Chippewa and Centennial, and the urban forest — with an ongoing Emerald Ash Borer management plan.
- The new Tbaytel Multiplex adds modern indoor turf for sports and community events; 7.5 FTE are being added to run it.
- Fort William Gardens celebrates its 75th anniversary; a new Recreation, Parks & Facilities Master Plan kicks off later in the year to shape the next generation of facilities.
- 142.3 FTE deliver aquatics, fitness, children's and older-adult programs, cultural events, and the CYCFP community-grants program funding local non-profits.
- Beginning winter 2026, residents can track snowplows in real time and see which streets have been cleared — part of the City's Digital Strategy.
- Roads Division also deploys AI-enabled vehicle-mounted cameras for road and infrastructure inspections in 2026.
- Day-to-day: paved and gravel roadways, sidewalks, drainage, traffic markings, traffic signals, and streetlights across the whole City (90.4 FTE + Engineering's 63.2).
- Thunder Bay Public Library: 4 branches, 500,000+ book loans in 2025, 270,000 in-person visits; 2026 adds 2.0 FTE security staff and launches AI Literacy workshops.
- TBDHU public health levy is $3.15M (+5.0%); LRCA Conservation levy falls to $1.01M (−42%) while regional consolidation is paused.
- CEDC launches its 2026–2030 strategic plan Thunder Bay Forward: Building Thunder Bay's Growth Story; Victoria Avenue and Waterfront District BIAs continue downtown revitalization work.
- Pioneer Ridge (150 beds) is the first long-term care home in Northwestern Ontario accredited under Meaningful Care Matters™ — an emotion-focused Butterfly Model of care. Jasper Place adds 110 beds of supportive housing.
- Four licensed child care centres (Algoma, Grace Remus, Ogden, Woodcrest) participate in CWELCC — enrolled families pay no more than $22/day. 2026 adds 25 spaces, focused on toddler and preschool capacity.
- Meals on Wheels delivers home-cooked meals to ~250 citizens weekly, with wellness checks built in; the Municipal Homemaking Program helps low-income residents with meal prep, housekeeping, and laundry.