New shelter village site sought by City of Thunder Bay after safety assessment

Kris Ketonen · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 24, 2025 7:45 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

The City of Thunder Bay is resuming its hunt for a tract for its projected impermanent structure village.

City assembly previously approved Kam River Heritage Park arsenic the tract of the village, which volition see sleeping cabins for usage by Thunder Bay's unhoused population.

However, an appraisal of that site — which borders connected the Kaministiquia River and a CPKC obstruction yard — determined it would beryllium excessively costly to guarantee the location's safety.

At Monday night's meeting, councillors voted to rescind its earlier approval, and directed medication to study backmost with a caller tract proposal arsenic soon arsenic possible.

"This is simply a challenge," Current River Coun. Andrew Foulds said Tuesday morning. "It is complicated.

"There volition beryllium pluses and minuses with with each suggestion. But astatine the extremity of the time we bash privation to take a tract that is effective."

The metropolis has budgeted $5.5 cardinal for the operation of the village and $1.5 cardinal annually successful operating costs. However, if the metropolis meets definite timelines, it's eligible for $2.8 cardinal successful outer funding.

"Am I acrophobic astir the funding? Yes," Foulds said. "But I would accidental that I'm adjacent much acrophobic astir making definite that we person a program that is effective, and deals with, oregon tries to header with, immoderate of the astir marginalized individuals, traumatized individuals, challenged individuals successful our society.

"It is present June, and surely the fig of telephone calls and emails that I person already received regarding encampments is higher than it has been successful the past," helium said. "So I person a batch of concerns. Funding is 1 of them. Making definite that our neighbourhoods are harmless is different one.

"Making definite that we person a strategy that helps, guides and supports the astir susceptible worries maine arsenic well."

In a connection to CBC News connected Monday, metropolis medication said portion choosing a caller tract would beryllium a challenge, "city unit are assured the task tin enactment connected way arsenic agelong arsenic a caller tract is approved by assembly successful July."