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THUNDER BAY – Most city councillors don’t want to be forced to hold public meetings with their constituents.
In a 5-8 vote, Coun. Greg Johnsen’s motion to require each councillor to host a minimum of one ward or town hall meeting per year failed to gain the support of his colleagues, particularly at-large councillors.
The most recent at-large town hall meeting on the city’s calendar was in October 2024.
Ward Couns. Johnsen, Michael Zussino, Brian Hamilton and Albert Aiello, as well as Mayor Ken Boshcoff voted in favour, while fellow ward Couns. Dominic Pasqualino, Andrew Foulds and Kristen Oliver joined all five at-large councillors, Trevor Giertuga, Rajni Agarwal, Shelby Ch’ng, Mark Bentz and Kasey Etreni, in voting no.
Residents “want to hear from us and they want transparency,” Johnsen said.
Johnsen asked what consequences councillors would face for violating the by-law if passed.
If the by law passed, City Clerk Krista Power told council, a councillor or member of the public could bring a complaint to the integrity commissioner if anyone didn’t meet the minimum.
“I think we should save the integrity commissioner for things that are actually non-integritous, and I don’t know if that’s a word, but I don’t see how this will work,” Ch’ng said.
“The Municipal Act is clear in what we do. We passed the budget, we write policy, and we represent. I don’t want to be told how to represent.”
She said councillors are more connected than ever to their constituents online and through social media and residents have access to information from the city directly.
“I have a bit of a philosophical problem with being legislated what to do, and this is what this is. It’s legislating what you do, and it does, in fact, take a little bit of our autonomy away, Foulds said.
Foulds said there are a variety of ways for residents to engage, and how a councillor chooses to connect with the public “will be judged every four years.”
You either get rehired or you get fired. And for me, that is the ultimate decision,” he said.
Johnsen said he sees having a ward or town hall meeting as his duty as an elected official because the feedback he has gained helps him make policy decisions.
“Having a ward meeting once a year, having a town hall once a year, I think, is very beneficial to a new councillor, an old councillor, and certainly for taxpayers,” he said.
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