THUNDER BAY – The District of Thunder Bay Social Services Administration Board celebrated 25 years this week.
Staff, board members, and community partners were invited to TBDSSAB’s Thunder Bay office for cake, refreshments, and a chance to reflect on the past 25 years.
Brian Hamilton, board chair, said it was really exciting to see members of the board, along with partnering organizations, come together to celebrate the milestone.
“Everybody's here to celebrate the 25 years. It's a really exciting time and ultimately a time to celebrate what we've achieved as an organization and to, you know, take a breath,” he said.
“Oftentimes we talk about the people that we serve and I hope today that we could really take this back for everyone to really let them know that this is for you, the people that are delivering the services, today is ultimately for you.”
TBDSSAB was formed in 1999 by the province through the District Social Services Administration Boards Act, which created a combined total of 47 consolidated municipal service managers and District Social Services Administration boards to administer provincially funded programs.
The first programs TBDSSAB offered centred around Ontario Works but eventually grew to include child care and community housing.
“Initially it was new, taking on responsibilities from the province of Ontario and so it was really just figuring out how to do things and also concerns from municipalities in the district about the fact that they now had to pay for things that they weren't responsible for previously,” said Bill Bradica, who is set to retire as chief administrative officer at the end of the year.
“There was a lot of effort put into meeting with councils back then to explain what we were doing and getting them on board. Over time, I think we've done a good job of doing that.”
Both Hamilton and Bradica said the the outlook for the TBDSSAB's next 25 years is very bright.
