With all of the
candidates signed up and off and running, it is now time for the candidates
running for municipal office in Thunder Bay to present their platforms and
debate the issues they feel will define and shape municipal government here over the next four
years. While no one can
predict the future, there are a number of issues that face municipal government
in Thunder Bay and will affect its ability to deliver public services. The role of municipal government is
technically not to provide services to the public but to provide services to
the owners of property. However, when
said and done what the City of Thunder Bay ultimately does is provide public
services to everyone.
First and foremost,
municipal services need to be paid for and so a key issue is the long-term
fiscal sustainability of municipal services in Thunder Bay. This of course then becomes tied to property
tax rates, provincial grants and user fees – the three main sources of
revenue. The City’s finances in terms of
its credit rating are good
though as I have noted before it is easy to be prudent when the ultimate
budgetary insurance is simply
raising taxes. However, given
that there has been a gradual shift to the residential property tax base, the
candidates will need to address how much more can the residential taxpayer bear
in terms of increased tax rates especially when the tax rate increases have
been accompanied by rising user fees for water. What can be done to make city services more cost-effective?
Second, there is the
city’s social fabric within which we can include crime rates –
particularly homicides – as well as the homeless population, racism, poverty
and the growing use of food banks. The
social fabric of Thunder Bay is a crucial issue given its effect on both the
quantity and quality of life for its residents.
It is also an important issue from the prospect of attracting new
investment in the city given the poor press Thunder Bay garners in major media
outlets in the Toronto area. While there
is reason for
hope, at the same time continued hope requires action. How can we deal with our pressing social issues?
Third, is the issue of
future
municipal governance. Thunder
Bay currently has a council of twelve plus a mayor with five of the councillors
At-Large and the remaining councillors ward-based. We do need to have a conversation as to
whether this is still the best institutional framework for municipal decision
making. The At-Large/Ward hybrid harkens
back to Amalgamation in 1970 as a compromise to deal with the need to make city
wide decisions in the face of strong regional loyalties to the old municipalities
and neighborhoods. However, it is not
1970 anymore and some thought should be given not only to having a smaller
council - as a signal that there is a commitment to efficient government - but also one that is either all Ward based or all At-Large. As noted in an
earlier posting, my preference would be for an all Ward based system.
Fourth, is the general
issue of what I would broadly term city development but encompassing not
only the city’s economy – about which City Council actually not do much about
directly – but also its urban development, infrastructure development (I would include a new bridge over the Kam here) and
demographics. Aside from providing an
environment conducive to business via tax and regulatory policy and ensuring cost-effective
and appropriate services and infrastructure, City Council cannot really turbo start
the local economy. That is a function of
national and international economic conditions and the demand for what we do
here. Ultimately, what can we sell to the rest of the world from Thunder Bay? Tourism is one area where we can
still do more as a city. However, we are
also hampered economically by having a spread-out city that is costly to service
with new housing developments springing up willy-nilly in outlying areas. However, we have made some progress in
core-specialization with many government services in the former south downtown
and a thriving cultural/arts/restaurant scene on the north side adjacent to the
waterfront. We also face an aging
population that is quite pronounced given that so many of our youth have
left. While the First Nation’s
population is young and growing, much work needs to be done to ensure they are
equipped with the human capital necessary to maximize their economic potential
and many of those tools are under the purview of the federal and provincial
government. There are no easy or quick answers here but one hopes candidates have pragramtic and workable ideas.
Finally, I am somewhat
cautious about bringing up the next point but feel that I should despite the
fact it is the kind of thing that some candidates may latch onto and neglect
the more important and difficult issues already covered. We can all recall the last municipal election
when the debate was consumed by the Events Centre with all other major issues relegated to the sidelines. Still, I would be remiss if I did
not mention that 2020 will be the 50th Anniversary of the creation
of Thunder Bay and we should give some thought to what type of events or
projects we will use to commemorate Thunder Bay’s amalgamation
in a manner that is positive and celebrates our potential. Again, I have had thoughts
on this in the past but there may be other ideas out there.
So, without further
ado. Let the campaign debates begin!