Thunder Bay budget 2022: What's in, what's out, and what it means for you
CBC
Thunder Bay city councillors ratified the 2022 budget Monday night, brining the final tax levy increase to 2.36 per cent after growth or $4.9 million.
Here are four things you will find in the budget and three you won't.
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More money for road repairs and other critical infrastructure
The city has moved work on Balmoral Street from Lithium Drive to Beverly Street up onto the 2022 calendar from the 2023 one. That's thanks to a wash of new infrastructure funding from Queens Park and Ottawa.
The province has increased its Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund contribution to the city by more than $4 million this year, with similar commitments for four more years for a total of around $23 million, according to a memo to the city clerk from infrastructure and operations general manager Kerri Marshall.
The city is also the beneficiary of a number of other infrastructure funding streams, including new Northern Ontario Resource Development Support funding, which shares the benefits of mining and forestry with northern Ontario municipalities, and a one-time doubling of the Federal Canada Community Building Fund.
"We've said so many times about the infrastructure needing dollars, dollars, dollars," Coun. Aldo Ruberto exclaimed during the Jan. 18 budget review meeting where it was discussed. "This is like a windfall."
In approving the enhanced suite of infrastructure projects, council also approved the addition of four full-time-equivalent staff positions to help execute them.
More money for emergency services
People who are on the waiting list for long-term care and who are seeing their wait-times increase due to COVID-19 will now have access to expanded paramedic services through the Community Paramedicine for Long-Term Care program.
Thunder Bay already has a community para-medicine program that offers services such as mobile COVID-19 testing and vaccinations to those who can't attend clinics.
The expanded program will see paramedics provide a variety of other community-based healthcare services as well.
Ontario is funding a total of 15 full-time equivalent positions to staff the program.
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