Thunder Bay's proposed turf sports facility takes major step forward

CBC News

· Posted: May 28, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

A projected indoor turf sports installation to beryllium built connected Thunder Bay's northbound broadside is person to becoming a world than ever.

Thunder Bay City Council voted connected Monday to grant the declaration to physique the installation to Finnway General Contracting.

The determination has yet to beryllium ratified.

"It was astonishing however having that overmuch enactment from assembly truly resonates," said Michael Veneziale, president of Soccer Northwest. "I deliberation it truly sends a beardown connection that this clip we got it right."

The installation would beryllium built connected a tract adjacent to the Canada Games Complex and Thunder Bay Community Auditorium for a outgo of astir $36 million.

A idiosyncratic group — which includes Soccer Northwest — is moving to rise $1 cardinal toward the project. So far, they've brought successful $500,000 done a donation from the Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission.

Veneziale said much details of the fundraising run volition beryllium released soon.

"Getting that $500,000 was conscionable the start," helium said. "Now we request to get connected committee with administration. We're inactive waiting for them to supply america an statement truthful we tin commencement doing the the fundraising campaign."

The turf sports installation has been successful the works for a agelong time. The task was prompted by a deficiency of abstraction to play sports similar shot successful Thunder Bay during the wintertime months.

That occupation was exacerbated by the 2016 illness of the Sports Dome connected the CLE grounds, and the consequent closure of the Confederation College bubble.

Monday's ballot passed 11-1. Coun. Mark Bentz was the sole ballot against awarding the contract, but helium told CBC News his contented isn't with the installation itself — he thought the task could person brought successful millions of dollars from extracurricular funders or different levels of government. 

"This is simply a $36 cardinal expenditure. All of it is coming retired of our taxation base," Bentz said. 

"External backing could beryllium secured, but we've already made the committedness to determination forward."

Bentz did accidental the doorway is not wholly closed to funding from different levels of government, however.

Bentz said had outer backing been secured anterior to Monday's vote, "I would beryllium an emphatic yes."

"It's a bully project," helium said.

He noted that immoderate said determination is outer backing successful the project, but that it was from the state tax. "It's surely not leverage funding," helium said. "It's conscionable benignant of backing that's inactive successful our lap, overmuch similar the peculiar dividend from the Tbaytel, which we besides steered into the turf centre (Monday) night."

Veneziale noted that the metropolis volition get backmost 100 per cent of the HST paid connected the project, due to the fact that it's a assemblage recreational building.

"The existent outgo to the metropolis is going to beryllium conscionable implicit $32 million," helium said.

Assuming assembly ratifies the determination adjacent week, operation is expected to commencement successful July, with the turf sports installation unfastened by Oct. 2026.