How this Thunder Bay, Ont. bus terminal is setting a new standard of accessibility

Rajpreet Sahota · CBC News

· Posted: May 29, 2025 4:30 AM EDT | Last Updated: 8 hours ago

One of Thunder Bay's transit terminals is acceptable to person a long-overdue upgrade, 1 that transit officials and accessibility advocates accidental is arsenic overmuch astir inclusion arsenic it is astir infrastructure.

The Water Street autobus terminal has agelong served arsenic a cardinal hub for metropolis transit successful the city's northbound core. Now, it's poised for large renovations. 

The task includes refurbishing the gathering envelope, installing physics signage, upgrading lighting and enhancing some rider waiting areas and operator facilities. The indoor abstraction volition beryllium astir 50 per cent larger, and a caller covered canopy volition connection extortion for riders beyond the gathering itself, according to the city.

The terminal upgrade is portion of a broader bid of transit infrastructure projects planned crossed Thunder Bay. It's funded successful portion done the national government's Investing successful Canada infrastructure program.

The last declaration has yet to beryllium awarded, truthful the outgo and timeline of the task person not been announced. The metropolis expects operation to statesman successful July and wrapper up by precocious October earlier wintertime sets in. Transit operations volition temporarily determination nearby during construction. 

While further details volition beryllium released successful the coming weeks, Thunder Bay Transit Services Manager Brad Loroff said the extremity is clear: to modernize the aging gathering with a absorption connected accessibility.

"The terminal gathering is good past its work life," Loroff said, explaining that the gathering has seen constricted improvements implicit the past decades. 

"It is bushed and it is beyond its beingness expectancy. So it's surely successful request of gathering improvements, renovations and an wide refresh for people."

Accessibility has been a cardinal information successful the redesign, not an afterthought, Loroff said, noting that it is portion of the modular process for superior projects.  

"One cardinal constituent of that is to consult and question feedback connected ways to incorporated the enactment truthful that things conscionable each accessibility requirements," helium said

More country to determination independently

Samantha Zrobin, seat of Thunder Bay's Accessibility Advisory Committee, said she's been impressed by the city's committedness to implementing suggestions from the committee's built situation moving group.

"There'll beryllium much country for mobility devices, usher dogs and different devices that radical whitethorn request to beryllium capable to entree the buildings, much country to determination around," she said. 

There volition besides beryllium automatic doorway controls, "so radical with immoderate benignant of accessibility needs tin entree indoors and outdoors freely without having to person anyone other assistance them," Zrobin added. 

Zrobin, who uses a mobility device, said the upgrades volition person a important interaction connected her regular commute, arsenic good arsenic that of galore others successful the city.

"It'll conscionable beryllium a batch easier, similar 100 per cent easier to entree the buses and entree everything they request to beryllium capable to question safely and independently," she said. 

Zrobin hopes the Water Street terminal volition service arsenic a blueprint for aboriginal infrastructure improvements crossed the city. 

"Thunder Bay is becoming a much accessible community, a safer assemblage for everyone to unrecorded in," she said.