THUNDER BAY – Monday's city council meeting was dominated by a decision over where to allow a new tennis bubble at Chapples Park, with councillors ultimately dismissing concerns from city administration and supporting the location proposed by the Thunder Bay Community Tennis Centre.
One councillor also went further in his push against a 4 per cent salary increase approved for management and non-union staff, while the city awarded what could be its final contract for diesel buses before a potential transition to electrification.
Tennis bubble approved for Chapples Park
A local tennis club has secured city approval to build a six-court bubble at Chapples Park, allowing the sport to again be played year-round.
City council voted to allow the Thunder Bay Community Tennis Centre to use land to the northwest of its existing outdoor courts and clubhouse for the bubble, which likely won’t be built until 2023.
Council’s decision bucked a recommendation from administration, which raised concerns the location will require the city to revamp its site plan for the proposed indoor turf facility.
Those concerns found short shrift with councillors Monday, who said the indoor turf complex may never come to fruition and expressed skepticism over financial estimates prepared by city staff.
Bentz raises concerns over salary increases
Coun. Mark Bentz deepened his criticism of salary increases approved by city council for managerial and non-union staff last week, which included a staggered four per cent raise.
Bentz’s motion to reduce that increase to 3 per cent before ratifying the decision failed on the floor Monday, with no other member of council willing to second it.
In a second motion, the at-large councillor sought to refer a separate planned salary schedule realignment for managerial and non-union staff back to administration for review, saying the exercise will result in some employees receiving raises of “significantly more than four per cent.”
“I don’t quite think that’s what we should be doing coming out of a pandemic,” he said, adding the increase is well beyond what other northern municipalities are considering for similar groups.
Bentz's motion was barely passed on a 4-3 vote, with a report due back to council by June 27.
Bus purchase sparks electrification questions
A purchase of two new public transit vehicles sparked renewed questions over when the city will ditch fossil fuels and move to electrify its bus fleet.
The two conventional buses are expected to cost the city just under $1.4 million, with the purchase coming through the city’s participation in the Metrolinx joint transit procurement initiative.
The new buses replace two that are 17 years old, the city reported, exceeding a planned 16-year life cycle.
Coun. Aldo Ruberto questioned why the city hadn’t moved to electric or hydrogen solutions.
The city is conducting a review this year of opportunities to wean its fleet, including transit but not emergency services, off of diesel, staff said.
“These would be the last two fossil fuel buses we would look at buying” before that report comes before council, said manager of fleet services Doug Glena.
“Going slow to do the electrification study to make sure we cover all of the bases is definitely the best way for us to go with this.”
Approval of Balmoral Street reconstruction contract delayed
The approval of a major reconstruction of Balmoral Street has been delayed for at least a week, as the city coordinates with the federal government over funding.
The project will complete the rebuild of Balmoral from Alloy Drive to Beverly Street, after earlier phases rebuilt the roadway from William Street to Alloy.
City council voted on May 2 to award an $8.3 million tender for the work to Bruno’s Contracting, which submitted the lowest bid.
However, staff urged council to delay a ratification vote Monday required to confirm its decision. Project engineer Matthew Miedema said the delay was simply to ensure funds provided to the project under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) were formally announced by the federal government before proceeding.
There have been no changes to the project’s scope or funding details, he said.
Work-life policy aims to limit off-hours communications
The City of Thunder Bay has updated its policies to comply with new provincial rules meant to ensure employees can disconnect from work on off-hours.
With some exceptions, the changes to the city’s Work Life Initiatives Policy encourage workers to disconnect from work-related communications, require supervisors to ensure employees are aware of their hours of work, and discourages employees from expecting work-related communications from co-workers outside of normal working hours.
Ontario employers with 25 or more employees are required to create a written policy on disconnecting from work by June 2, after legislation passed by the Ford government last year.
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