THUNDER BAY — As the Thunder Bay Public Library prepares to launch consultations on a new facilities plan, some city councillors are making no secret of their desire to reduce the number of branches it operates.
Several councillors have publicly floated the idea of cutting one of the city’s four library branches in recent weeks, saying they hope to find savings by closing one or both of the downtown branches, both of which require millions of dollars in maintenance.
The library, meanwhile, has charged that those costs built up due to chronic under-funding by the city.
Library CEO Richard Togman said the agency is already leading its own “facilities master plan” that will evaluate current locations — the publicly-owned Waverley, Brodie, and Mary J.L. Black branches, and the rented County Fair branch — and potential changes.
"Everything will be on the table" in that process, including the possibility of closing branches or building new ones, he said.
“We really want to take the opportunity to say, if we had to imagine our library system from scratch, what would that be? It’s really this opportunity to reimagine and re-envision.”
The library’s board has been working on the plan for over a year, and will soon seek feedback from the public.
Togman acknowledges the downtown branches are aging and present some challenges, with Brodie built in 1912 and Waverley in 1950s.
“A lot of our infrastructure is legacy, and some of that legacy is amazing and worth continuing, and some of it, it’s maybe time to move on from,” he said. “We’ll be going to the community and really taking that feedback to heart.”
“Some people may be very attached to certain neighbourhood branches, [and] we know there’s been talk in the community about a new branch in the intercity area, like a central branch idea. Right now we’re weighing all those considerations.”
Togman believes the downtown branches serve as "critical social infrastructure” for the city, in the south end in particular.
“Closing the library there would really be hugely impactful to that neighbourhood. It would send hundreds of people onto the streets, especially over winter.”
Coun. Michael Zussino, council’s representative on the library board, sees that value.
“The two older [branches] are the ones that are most in need to repair,” he said. “But I see the need for them in our community ... They serve for computer access [and] warmth for some people.”
However, Zussino is interested in at least considering a merger the two downtown branches.
“It's a double-edged sword,” he said. “But the [downtown branches have] issues in terms of accessibility and parking.
“I think if you get a newer facility, you won't have to spend so much on capital because you might be leasing the place instead of owning [it], so that's something to consider.”
Togman has also expressed a desire to find a new leased location in the County Fair area, saying the interior of the plaza it currently rents is neglected by its ownership.
While the library is an independent entity with its own board, it relies on the city for funding, meaning it will need to get council on board with any significant capital plans.
Several city councillors have said they want to cut back on branches.
During a recent budget meeting in which he led an unsuccessful push to cut $100,000 from the library’s budget, Coun. Albert Aiello made the case.
“Me personally, I don’t believe we need four libraries in the city of Thunder Bay,” he said. “Just based on population, based on usage, I think we have to take these kinds of steps.”
Coun. Brian Hamilton recently questioned if the library is “spreading [its] resources too thin,” suggesting closing a branch could help extend hours at remaining locations.
The library's hours are limited on evenings and weekends, something Hamilton called a significant issue as a working parent.
In an email, Coun. Mark Bentz expressed similar sentiments.
“I am interested in seeing the library’s new master plan and hope that it more strategically places resources to serve the community,” he said. “A central resource library with a north and south satellite makes sense to me, and it’s also what I am hearing from some community members. This approach would likely provide a more modern library system at lower cost.”
Bentz pointed to information recently provided by administration at council’s request, comparing the library to other Ontario library systems, drawing from a 2021 survey by the Ontario Ministry of Culture, Tourism & Sport.
The numbers suggest the city spends significantly more per capita on library services, but also maintains significantly fewer branches per capita than average.
Some communities have far more branches, like Sudbury with 13 or Chatham-Kent with 11, the report states, while others like North Bay and Sault Ste. Marie have only one or two.
Thunder Bay’s 0.5 square feet of library space per capita is below the provincial average of 0.7, the chart showed.
It found Thunder Bay’s library cost per capita was $57.48, higher than all but Guelph.
Togman called the chart misleading, and provided councillors with alternate 2021 data from the Ontario Library Service and the BMA Municipal Management Consulting Report, which shows costs only slightly above average.
“I wish administration and council had come to the local library for answers about the library system, because the data administration provided was relatively incomplete and inconsistent,” he said.
With files from Vasilios Bellos, TBT News
