THUNDER BAY — Housing, crime and highways are three things on Mayor Ken Boshcoff’s mind as he looks toward the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference set for Aug. 17-20 in Ottawa.
“Our issues are similar to many other municipalities, not only in Ontario but across Canada and indeed the world: the opioid crisis, the housing crisis, as well as ensuring that we can handle the capacity for housing and growth,” Thunder Bay’s mayor told Dougall Media.
He noted that the city has been recognized for its progress on the housing file.
Last month in Thunder Bay, Premier Doug Ford lauded the city for building 262 new homes in 2024, well beyond its target figure, and announced $880,000 in additional money for the municipality through the Building Faster Fund.
Thunder Bay–Atikokan MPP Kevin Holland said the city “is showing what is possible when we all work together towards a common goal.”
Containing “national crime operations” has become “extremely expensive” for municipal police services, he said, so there needs to be more discussion on how police boards can become “more effective in managing the resources and sharing the cooperation to help the police” tackle that challenge.
The importance of highway safety is “one thing that every municipality in the district is completely on board with,” he said.
“We support each other, because, you know, adding an additional passing lane or twinning a section of another part of highway … every community benefits in the improved safety.
“And to the credit of the province, they get it, and they know what the demands are, and I think they've been very supportive of our case.”
Issues relating to housing are important to the District of Thunder Bay Social Services Administration Board (TBDSSAB) as it joins Boshcoff and more than 2,500 other participants at the AMO conference, a news release from TBDSSAB said.
Key topics for the district board include “developing more supportive housing stocks” and safety in community housing, the release said.
Brian Hamilton, chair of the TBDSSAB as well as a city councillor, said the board “is the delivery agent for critical provincial programs like Ontario Works, social housing and childcare.
“The AMO conference provides an opportunity to meet directly with ministries to explain the impacts of their funding decisions and advocate for district-focused policies that strengthen systems and improve outcomes for the people we serve.”
Fostering a “supportive housing environment” is crucial, Hamilton said in an interview Thursday.
That means ensuring safety, “health-care supports and peer support” so that “people can stay successfully housed,” he said.
“The whole goal of that program is to make sure that people are in the right housing stream and to make sure that everyone is as safe as possible.”
The district board’s news release said meetings have been set up with the ministries of municipal affairs and housing, health, education and the attorney general.
Created in 1972, AMO represents more than 400 municipalities in Ontario.
