Thunder Bay Appoints New City Manager

The City of Thunder Bay has appointed retired two-star general John Collin as its new city manager. Collin, who previously held a similar position in Saint John, N.B. for four years and had a brief tenure as city manager in Yellowknife, was introduced on Wednesday.

The 35-year military veteran addressed the media from Western Canada while en route to Thunder Bay, expressing his readiness to embrace the new role with an open mind.

“I think I’ll be able to bring to the table a lot of understanding and different ideas,” said Collin, who successfully helped Saint John navigate financial difficulties and improve its economic situation.

“Now please don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting for a moment that Thunder Bay is in the exact same situation as Saint John. I’m sure it’s not. But if there are things that require significant change, I think I have the experience to help the team, council and staff, navigate those changes.”

Collin acknowledged that Thunder Bay is grappling with challenges such as homelessness and crime. However, he noted that it’s too early to determine the city’s most pressing obstacles.

“There are some obvious issues that every major city is dealing with right now, for example, the various social challenges – be they poverty, addiction or homelessness,” Collin said.

“No city in Canada has enough money to do everything that residents and businesses have in terms of expectations for that city. Therefore, managing resources and setting priorities is equally important.”

“It was an extraordinary process,” Foulds said. “We put in a lot of time and a lot of effort, going through resumes, interviewing and then we were presented with three strong candidates. But we were unanimous in our decision. We had three all-stars . . . and in my view and the committee’s view, John was the strongest.

“He had great experience, varied experience, strong leadership – different learned experiences.”

Current River Coun. Andrew Foulds, chair of the hiring committee responsible for finding a replacement for outgoing city manager Norm Gale, praised the selection process. Gale is stepping down next month after more than eight years in the role.

Foulds said he noted that the committee received 40 applications, which were initially narrowed down to six candidates before selecting the final three.