Short answer: yes—on housing-linked actions (budget, bylaws, staff direction). No—on police operations or “sweep” orders

THUNDER BAY — Thunder Bay does have Strong Mayor powers. These powers took effect on October 31, 2023, after Mayor Ken Boshcoff accepted a provincial housing target; the city lists what the mayor can do and posts mayoral decisions publicly. thunderbay.ca

What Strong Mayor powers cover

Under Part VI.1 of the Municipal Act and related regulations, the mayor can:

• Propose the city budget (council can amend; mayor can veto amendments; council can override with a two-thirds vote).

• Hire/fire certain senior staff, reorganize departments, and direct staff in writing on work related to these powers.

• Propose certain bylaws tied to provincial priorities and require a vote; these can pass with more than one-third of council in favour.

• Veto bylaws that, in the mayor’s opinion, could interfere with provincial priorities, subject to a two-thirds council override.

The provincial priorities that Gatekeep these powers

Ontario’s regulation defines the priorities narrowly as: (1) building 1.5 million homes by 2031 and (2) constructing/maintaining infrastructure to support housing. Actions the mayor takes under Strong Mayor tools must connect to those aims. Government of Ontario

How that applies to Thunder Bay’s encampment crisis

Thunder Bay’s Enhanced Encampment Response and Temporary Shelter Village are framed as part of a housing continuum (emergency shelter → supportive/transitional → permanent housing).

That linkage gives the mayor clear room to act when the action advances housing/shelter capacity or related infrastructure. thunderbay.ca

Concrete areas where the mayor can act

• Budgeting for shelter & outreach: Propose/defend budget lines (e.g., Temporary Shelter Village capital/operating, outreach staffing, encampment services) and veto amendments that would undermine housing-linked items—subject to council override.

• Fast-tracking a managed site or supportive housing: Use the one-third rule to bring a bylaw forward that advances shelter/supportive housing or enabling infrastructure (servicing, access roads) and pass it with more than one-third support if it meets the provincial-priority test.

• Directing administration: Issue written mayoral directions to the City Manager to prioritize land, procurement, servicing, or partnership agreements that increase indoor capacity or related infrastructure. (Thunder Bay posts mayoral directions/decisions.)

• Blocking measures that impede housing delivery: Veto a council bylaw that could “potentially interfere” with the province’s housing priorities (again, subject to a two-thirds override).

Important limits—what the mayor cannot do

• Order encampment “sweeps” or direct police operations. In Ontario, operational control of police rests with the Chief of Police and the Police Services Board, not the mayor; boards and elected officials cannot direct specific operations. Strong Mayor powers do not change that.

• Override Charter/human-rights obligations. Thunder Bay’s plan bars forced evictions without viable indoor alternatives; any enforcement must still meet constitutional and human-rights standards. Strong Mayor tools don’t circumvent those.

“If you’re the mayor, what could you do this month?”

• Lock in operating dollars for the Shelter Village and outreach as housing-linked budget priorities; publish a mayoral direction instructing staff to prioritize commissioning and opening timelines.

• Table a bylaw (using the one-third passage rule) to designate/zone and service a managed shelter site and to streamline any housing-supportive site works (utilities, access).

• Issue a staff directive to prepare a rapid capacity plan (beds/rooms by date), tying it to the provincial priorities test, so subsequent vetoes/one-third bylaws have a clear housing nexus.

Bottom line

Yes—Thunder Bay’s Strong Mayor provisions give Mayor Ken Boshcoff real levers on the encampment crisis when the action advances housing or housing-supportive infrastructure (budget, bylaws, staff direction, veto).

They do not authorize directing police operations or clearing camps absent lawful alternatives and due process.

Used carefully, the tools can speed up indoor capacity—the single biggest factor that ultimately reduces encampments.