June 24, 2024
Council appointed a new City Manager and Fire Chief while rejecting a proposal to sell three small parkette properties at Holly Crescent, Thistle Crescent, and Thornloe Drive. A decision on selling two other vacant city properties at 172 and 168 Street was pushed to January 2025 for further consideration. The rejections suggest council wants more time to evaluate how best to manage the city's surplus real estate.
June 3, 2024
Council approved a $42.7 million indoor turf sports facility after a confusing sequence where they first defeated the proposal, then passed it moments later—the final version commits the city to designing and building the facility through a design-build process with ongoing operating costs starting in 2026. Council also delayed a decision on an infrastructure and engineering report until June 24, with the vote narrowly passing 10-3 in favor of the postponement. Three routine resolutions covering a contract, cemetery by-law amendment, and lease agreement were also ratified.
March 25, 2024
Council remained deadlocked over a Hillcourt Estates land sale, with multiple tie votes preventing progress on whether to move forward or delay the project, ultimately deferring the decision to March 2025 and extending the general land sales deadline to March 31, 2026. In other business, council approved seven routine administrative by-laws covering fee updates, procurement rule changes, and staff reorganization adjustments, and confirmed minutes from earlier meetings.
February 12, 2024
Council approved Thunder Bay's 2024 budgets totaling $389.5 million in operating expenses and $79.9 million in capital projects, covering water, wastewater, solid waste, and waterfront services. In a rare defeat, councillors rejected a proposal to push back Victoria Parkade repairs by a year and shift $1.03 million in funding to 2025, meaning the work will proceed as originally scheduled. Council also approved golf course fee increases ranging from 1.72% to 5.26% for 2024, and authorized recruitment for a new City Manager while establishing a Housing Task Force to tackle local housing challenges.
November 27, 2023
Council capped a proposed Multi-use Indoor Sports Facility at $30 million and directed staff to redesign the project to meet that limit, excluding field size reductions but exploring cuts to amenities and environmental standards—Stantec Architecture will study alternatives and report back by March 24, 2024. Council also approved a $38 million budget amendment for a major facility project with a switch to Ontario Building Code standards and required a business plan review by March 25, 2024. A motion to delay financing decisions for Soccer Northwest Ontario's indoor sports facility failed, and a proposal to shorten the Integrity Commissioner's response timeline from 30 to 15 days ended in a 6-6 tie and was defeated.
August 28, 2023
Council approved a new City Treasurer appointment and passed five by-laws that included installing new street lights on Central Avenue, removing planning restrictions on Mapleward Road, and designating site plan control areas for two properties. The meeting was largely procedural, with council confirming previous meeting minutes and approving routine administrative and departmental updates. No major contentious issues or significant policy changes beyond these infrastructure and planning adjustments were raised.
March 27, 2023
Council directed staff to compile a list of city-owned properties, including parks, that could be sold to raise revenue, with a report due by September 18, 2023—a 9-3 vote that signals the city is exploring asset sales to address budget pressures. Council also approved updated municipal fees and charges that will increase what residents and businesses pay for various city services. The meeting was otherwise procedural, with council confirming agendas and approving meeting minutes from earlier sessions.
February 6, 2023
Thunder Bay Council approved a tight 2023 budget that cuts $1 million in spending through service reductions across multiple departments. The city will delay the Jumbo Gardens Community Centre closure to December, reduce indoor pool hours at two facilities, defer leaf and yard waste pickup expansion to 2024, and cut $25,000 from police services while slashing the Police Services Board honorarium budget by $44,000. Council also directed administration to find an additional $1 million in cuts to offset a one-time withdrawal from the reserve fund, with proposals due by December 18.