A letter is now on its way from Mayor Ken Boshcoff to Ontario Housing and Municipal Affairs Minister, Paul Calandra, committing to housing targets for Thunder Bay.

Those targets are 2,200 new homes by 2031.

The document also sets in motion the granting of “Strong Mayor” powers.

In a statement the city says staff will meet with Boshcoff to discuss several aspects of those powers including the potential impacts to operations and staff, delegating those powers to either administration or council, and how those decisions made using the powers will be communicated to the public.

No changes will be made to the operational or administrative process until the powers are formally granted by regulation on October 31st.

The powers and duties Mayor Boshcoff and any future mayors would receive could include:

• Appoint, dismiss and assign “other duties” to the City Manager
• Determine the organizational structure of the city
• Hire or dismiss the “head of any other part of the organizational structure” of the city
• Direct municipal employees to undertake research, provide advice, as well as carry out duties and implement decisions
• Appoint chairs and vice-chairs of prescribed local boards
• Establish or dissolve Committees of Council, appoint Chairs and Vice-Chairs and assign functions to Committees
• Require council to consider any matter that could advance a provincial priority
• Veto a By-law that could interfere with a provincial priority
• Propose, prepare and adopt the annual budget, and propose amendments to the budget throughout the year