Some changes could be coming to the way city council operates in Thunder Bay, Ont.
Review explores how to streamline decision-making, better balance workloads
The City of Thunder Bay is seeking feedback from the public as councillors consider making structural changes to the way city council operates.
Currently, all members of the 13-person municipal council participate in committee of the whole meetings, where they receive reports, debate topics and make preliminary decisions before final decisions are made at city council.
City staff are looking into what it would take to replace the committee of the whole system with standing committees, where a select number of councillors would sit on smaller committees that focus on specific city operations or departments.
"What that means is maybe five to six members of council that would meet on different subject matter areas," said city clerk Krista Power. "One may be quality of life, one may be finance and administration, one may be planning and growth."
Members of the standing committees would then make recommendations to city council proper, she explained.
Many other municipalities use a similar model, said Power, with the goal of streamlining decision-making processes.
"One of the things I think this council is looking at is efficiency, right? They're really busy," said Power.
"Connecting with the public is very important to the members who are elected on our council, and I think they're challenged with time."
Making municipal politics more accessible
City administration is also assessing the nearly 20 advisory committees in place, where members of the public help inform council about key issues — from community safety and well-being to the environment.
While some of these committees are required by law, Power said community members often face barriers to participating in them.
"If you're a single mom in Thunder Bay and you've got kids to get to Activity A and Activity B, do you have time to sit on a monthly committee meeting? Maybe not," she said.
"But you may have time to fill out a survey, to attend a focus group, to give information at the library, whatever it happens to be — so how can we ensure that citizens are engaged as much as possible and [make] that accessible to them?"
Westfort councillor Kristen Oliver says she likes the concept of being able to hone in on her areas of interest, namely community services, in smaller standing committees.
She admits the "balancing act" of managing meetings, emails, constituency calls and community events can be a challenge. However, restructuring the council system could make municipal politics more accessible, she said.
"Talking to people that might be interested in running for council, the time commitment is a concern," Oliver said. "If we could look at ways of establishing more specific ways in which we could participate in our civic duties, I think it'll help provide some better time management opportunities for members of council."
The importance of community engagement
Ken Shields is a frequent flier at Thunder Bay council chambers. The active transportation activist has made many deputations to council over the years and said he makes an effort to keep up to date with meeting agendas.
His main concern with the proposed changes relates to the advisory committees, and whether any key issues will fall to the wayside if some committees are cut.
He also wants to see more done to encourage public participation in municipal affairs, pointing to the low turnout at the last budget question and answer session earlier this year.
"The feedback I received afterwards was people thought that they would have to be in a meeting and put their hand up and do some public speaking and all; that's not for a lot of people," Shields said. "Maybe let them know what the format would be ahead of time, that may be helpful for some."
Whether it's attending a council meeting, an open house or completing a survey, Shields said it's important to not take these opportunities for granted.
"The best, I think, and easiest democracy we have to access is our local one," he said.
"I don't think there's anything more important than working with politicians and administration to make our society better. We've seen what happens when politicians don't listen, so it's good that we have the local people that are engaged."
Community members can fill out a survey on the city's website until March 31 to provide feedback about the proposed changes to the structure of city council, before staff report back to councillors in June.
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