Municipal leaders from Thunder Bay, Ont., share their main takeaways upon returning from the Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) conference in Toronto. From left: Coun. Kasey Etreni, Mayor Ken Boshcoff and Coun. Kristen Oliver.
There were a number of topics discussed by Thunder Bay, Ont., leaders at this year's Rural Ontario Municipal Association conference in Toronto. However, the city's concerns and strategies around homelessness and the housing crisis were top of mind. Here are some of the main takeaways from some of the municipality's delegates.Municipal leaders from Thunder Bay, Ont., share their main takeaways upon returning from the Rural Ontario Municipal Association conference in Toronto.
A homeless encampment is seen in Thunder Bay, Ont., in this December 2024 file photo. Coun. Kristen Oliver says the city's human rights-based approach to homelessness is unique among other municipalities in the province. "One of the things that we really try to hammer down is that we don't want to see any gaps," Oliver said. "That we're actually going to be serving a population that is in crisis and having those wraparound supports in place."As for more permanent housing solutions, remediating the former Lakehead Psychiatric Hospital was another subject that came up at the ROMA conference, and one that's been discussed at council chambers for years.
"Certainly the interest nationally for this site and from surrounding communities of all types is pretty inspiring, and it tells you what a gem that property is," Boshcoff said. There were also conversations around filling key labour shortages in areas from paramedicine to the trades, and the province's role in supporting the city's post-secondary institutions as they cope withCoun. Kristen Oliver, seen at the podium, says Thunder Bay, Ont., relies heavily on international students, which is why she wants to see the province support efforts to keep their numbers up amid the federal government's recent caps on international study permits.
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