City of Thunder Bay drops Kam River Heritage Park as site for shelter village

Kris Ketonen · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 20, 2025 5:10 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

Kam River Heritage Park is nary longer a "viable location" for Thunder Bay's projected structure village, according to a memo from metropolis administration going to metropolis councillors connected Monday.

Councillors antecedently approved the tract for the determination of the village, which volition see sleeping cabins.

However, the memo from Director of Strategy and Engagement Cynthia Olsen states that the metropolis has determined that it would beryllium cost-prohibitive to guarantee the site — which borders connected the Kaministiquia River and a Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited (CPKC) obstruction yard — is safe.

"The appraisal is nearing completion and it has go wide that though the mitigation measures required to fulfill outer partners are technically feasible, their cumulative outgo exceeds the project's disposable budget," the memo states.

At-large Coun. Kasey Etreni said Friday that the stream and obstruction gait are concerns erstwhile it comes to safety.

"With the stream there, though we could fence, however acold on bash you enactment the fence?" she said. "With information and safety you person to person much than 1 entrance, and however bash you fastener an entranceway and lone usage it for exigency purposes?"

In a connection to CBC News connected Friday, a CPKC spokesperson said the obstruction institution "strongly objects" to the Kam River parkland tract "due to the important and predictable accrued information risks posed by its proximity to the obstruction yard."

"CPKC Police Service has extended acquisition successful addressing lodging and impermanent shelters by railyards and obstruction lines," the connection reads. "They make important information hazards. These tin and sometimes sadly bash pb to fatalities and railway related incidents. We person already documented precocious levels of trespassing, vandalism, amerciable activities (e.g., substance use, fires) and mischief successful the Kam River Park area."

The connection goes connected to accidental that having much radical walking astir and adjacent the projected tract volition summation these risks, "especially fixed the information that the astir nonstop entree to the projected colony is done accessing CPKC spot and crossing implicit railway tracks to bash so."

The institution has requested the metropolis take a antithetic tract for the village.

Etreni is tabling a question to rescind the earlier tract support connected Monday. It volition necessitate two-thirds of assembly to ballot successful favour.

The question besides directs medication to reappraisal alternate locations for the village. A fig of sites person antecedently been considered by the metropolis and metropolis council, including locations connected Miles Street East, a crippled of onshore connected Fort William Road owned by the Lakehead Region Conservation Authority, and a spot connected Cumberland Street North, adjacent to the Salvation Army's Journey to Life Centre.

"I'm hoping by Monday that they volition beryllium capable to denote different site," Etreni said.

The metropolis has said that it has budgeted astir $5.5 cardinal for operation of the village, which would see up to 80 cabins, and $1.5 cardinal annually for operating costs.

However, if the metropolis meets definite timelines, it volition beryllium eligible for $2.8 cardinal successful outer funding.

"The backing is contingent upon the completed buildings by December 31 and person ... demonstrated that we person partial occupancy by that day arsenic well," she said. "I deliberation we tin inactive bash it."