Council look ahead July 17, 2023

Tonight city council will be taking a look at a proposal from Thunder Bay Transit, which involves the overhaul of the fare collection system.

The project, valued at $2.2 million, would allow for tap cards, along with credit and debit cards to be used to pay for fares.

Transit Manager Brad Loroff says there will be limited financial burden on the city.

“This project is fully funded through the federal ICIP program (Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program), so provincial and federal funding contributions are paying for the majority of costs of this project.”

If approved, the switchover would take approximately 10 months to implement on the nearly 70 city transit vehicles.

Cash will still be able to be used to pay for fares once the switchover occurs, which Loroff is optimistic having more options will lead to increased transit usage.

City staff will also be presenting the new Strategic Plan for Thunder Bay.

The three point, 10 pillar plan will guide the city, through this current term of council, with an added recommendation to extend its timeline until December of 2027.

At a press conference last week staff noted council could opt to not accept the recommendation and go about a different plan.

As well, council will be receiving a recommendation to dissolve the Sister Cities Advisory Committee, it was one of several items listed as part of cuts proposed last month.

This would save the city $25,000.

Tonight’s meeting gets underway at 6:30 p.m.