Province pitches in $2 million for food warehouse expansion in Thunder Bay, Ont.

Sarah Law · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 25, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Sat wrong the woody ammunition of the expanded warehouse, Volker Kromm points to wherever a surviving works partition volition be.

"There volition beryllium a batch of cognition sharing present and wherever we're sitting close present actually, there's gonna beryllium a ceremonial circle," helium said.

"A overmuch better, overmuch improved abstraction that truly reflects the vibrancy and the quality of northwestern Ontario."

The warehouse enlargement task astatine the Regional Food Distribution Association (RFDA) successful Thunder Bay, Ont., has been a agelong clip coming. The $6.9 million-project was announced successful January, and volition spot a caller 5,200 square-foot summation to the installation connected Syndicate Avenue.

The enactment provides nutrient to 37 spouse organizations and 47 First Nations crossed the region. The caller abstraction volition let for much nutrient storage, occupation training, and nutrient acquisition programming successful a assemblage kitchen.

On Wednesday, the provincial authorities announced $2 cardinal for the enlargement done the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund.

George Pirie, Minister of Northern Economic Development and Growth, was joined by Kevin Holland, MPP of Thunder Bay—Atikokan arsenic good arsenic Thunder Bay's politician Ken Boshcoff to denote the funding.

"There's much families that request assistance than ever before, and having these facilities built — and having the authorities enactment the needs of citizens — surely helps to capable that gap," said Pirie.

"These types of facilities are critically important to guarantee that we proceed to physique steadfast communities."

A household of 4 successful the Thunder Bay territory spends much than $1,200 a period connected basal nutrient items, according to the Thunder Bay District Health Unit. Meanwhile, demands for nutrient banks and repast programs support going up.

"The request is growing," Kromm said. "What's happening politically, we are bracing ourselves, tying up our belts and saying, 'All right, hole for the worst.'"

Teaching radical astir however to hole steadfast nutrient is simply a cardinal precedence of the warehouse enlargement project, helium said.

"There volition beryllium truthful galore schools done present coming from close crossed the region," Kromm said. Our extremity is to beryllium capable to person acquisition spell close crossed northwestern Ontario each the mode to Hudson's Bay."

'Everybody needs help'

Even with the backing boost from the province, the RFDA inactive needs to rise $1.5 cardinal for the project.

Bruno Niederer, seat of the RFDA's superior fundraising campaign, said it's been hard seeking enactment erstwhile assemblage members are contending with the rising outgo of living.

"There is simply a batch of request retired successful the community. We are not conscionable alone; everybody has a project. Everybody needs help," Niederer said.

"People are worried, OK, with the tariffs and what's going connected contiguous successful the world. It's not similar it utilized to be."

While Thunder Bay is simply a generous community, helium said, organizations are inactive competing for fundraising dollars successful bid to conscionable their goals.

Addressing the assemblage successful the warehouse portion operation continued outside, Pirie shared the communicative of however his parent experienced poorness during the Great Depression.

He described however she lived successful an abandoned bunkhouse insulated with moss, with bare floors, nary moving h2o and small heat.

"I asked my mother, 'What was it like? How did they survive?' And her reply was due to the fact that that full assemblage worked together, helped each other," Pirie said.

"When they had other food, they shared it, and that's however we survived. And successful fact, that's what this installation represents — radical moving unneurotic to assistance those successful request passim the community."

Meal prepping with locally-grown foods

Although it whitethorn beryllium ambitious, Kromm said the anticipation is to implicit operation by the extremity of August and clasp a expansive opening ceremonial successful the fall. 

In the meantime, "we're going to beryllium much and much babelike connected volunteers due to the fact that we truly privation to determination into healthier foods," helium said.

That's wherever the acquisition portion comes in, helium said. For example, radical successful bluish communities whitethorn beryllium unfamiliar with ingredients specified arsenic lentils, chickpeas and kale, but helium wants the RFDA to assistance thatch them astir the benefits of making meals from bulk foods.

"I deliberation we request to spell backmost a mates of steps, turn our ain food, rise [our] ain protein, and that has to beryllium brought into the classrooms, the universities and precocious schools," Kromm said.

"That'll besides bode good with the section farmers and section production, truthful it's a large determination to alteration what's been happening, reversing the tide."