Ken Boshcoff (Adam Riley / Acadia Broadcasting)
Recruitment for the mayor’s task force is officially underway,
The purpose of the Mayor’s Task Force on Building More Homes Advisory Committee is to recommend additional actions and strategies to accelerate the development of a range of housing types and affordability levels to meet Thunder Bay’s housing target of 2,200 units by 2031 or a greater target that may be established through a Housing Accelerator Fund approval.
As an Advisory Committee, the task force will make recommendations directly to council. Taking into consideration the recommendations of the task force and administration, council would provide direct administration and any policy change.
The geographic focus will primarily be within the Urban Settlement Area boundary of the City of Thunder Bay, and it is recommended that the Advisory Committee consist of one member of council, being the Mayor and six selected citizens.
The six citizen positions are open to anyone as long as they meet one of the following requirements:
- Representative of a construction/trades association involved in housing construction
- Representative of a public/not-for-profit housing organization involved in affordable
housing - Representative of a real estate association
- Representative of an Indigenous-led stakeholder with affordable housing development
experience - Representative of an institution delivering construction and trades training
- Member from the public with working knowledge or research involvement in housing and
housing affordability, and development
Before approving the task force council made one adjustment that saw the mayor’s policy assistant added to the task force.
The approval of the task force has been imminent since the Housing Accelerator Fund process got underway.
On August 18, 2023, the city submitted an application to the Housing Accelerator Fund that set a target of 2,200 units to be built in three years, should the related application for $46M be awarded.
On September 21, 2023, Mayor Boshcoff confirmed the city’s Provincially assigned housing target of 2,200 units by 2031 in a letter to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, and on October 23, 2023, city council approved a Housing Pledge to the Province to achieve 2,200 units by 2031. The Pledge contained several initiatives including a Housing Accelerator Task Force that would recommend additional action and strategies to meet Thunder Bay’s housing goals.
