Last night, at the City of Thompson’s annual Organizational Meeting of Council, Mayor and Council approved a new committee structure designed to streamline council business and improve the sharing of information among departments.
Mayor: Colleen Smook
Deputy Mayor: Duncan Wong
Legislative and Finance Committee
Formerly the Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs (LIGA) Committee and the Finance Committee
Many of the issues discussed at the original Finance committee are directly related to our lobbying efforts with other levels of government, such as grants, transfers, and provincial tax allocations. By combining Finance and LIGA committees, we can more closely align our lobbying efforts with our financial priorities.
- Deputy Mayor Duncan Wong (Chair)
- Councillor Valentino
- Councillor Lundmark
- Mayor Colleen Smook
Human Resources Committee
The structure of the Human Resources Committee remains largely unchanged.
Your Human Resources Committee Council members are:
- Councillor Brian Lundmark (Chair)
- Councillor Braden McMurdo
- Mayor Colleen Smook
Public Works and Infrastructure Committee
Formerly the Public Works Committee and (partially) Development Review Committee
Infrastructure, asset management, and capital projects like road renewal and building renovations have long been the responsibility of the Development Review Committee, while maintenance activities have functioned separately under Public Works. Now, decisions surrounding upgrades will be made hand-in-hand with the departments responsible for maintaining them in the long-term. This can help is better identify areas that need attention, and better overview of the lifetime cost of new assets and infrastructure.
Your Public Works and Infrastructure Committee council members are:
- Councillor Kathy Valentino (Chair)
- Councilllor Brian Lundmark
- Mayor Colleen Smook
Recreation and Community Services Committee
Formerly the Recreation Committee and Public Safety Committee
The Community Safety Survey published in August reinforced the connection between recreation, community services, social cohesion and public safety in Thompson. As a direct result, Council has integrated Public Safety and Recreation committees into the single Recreation and Community Services Committee. Public safety will continue to be discussed in the committee, while recreation will be approached with an emphasis on accessibility and community-building, and how Thompson’s built environment can both foster community while ensuring safety.
Your Recreation and Community Services Committee councillors are:
- Councillor Braden McMurdo (Chair)
- Councillor Kathy Valentino
- Mayor Colleen Smook
Development Review Committee
The Development Review Committee structure remains largely unchanged, with the exception that capital projects are more substantially discussed in the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee. Otherwise, the committee will continue to review business and zoning applications within the city.
- Councillor Andre Proulx (Chair)
- Councillor Jeff Fountain
- Mayor Colleen Smook
Communications Committee
The Communications Committee has been dissolved: communications activities will now be planned within existing committee frameworks and centrally supported by the Communications Officer. This way, news is more directly delivered to the Communications department, and public awareness initiatives can be coordinated more directly with the departments they serve.
The Northerner 