THUNDER BAY — A long-time advocate of skateparks in Montreal is praising the efforts of the Thunder Bay group that's establishing an indoor skatepark at the former Cumberland Cinema Centre.
The facility at 115 Cumberland Street North should be completed before Christmas.
It will be open to any community members to promote skateboarding, BMX and scootering in the city.
"This is the kind of thing that changes people's lives – youths' lives and adults' lives," said Montreal city councillor and former Deputy Mayor Sterling Downey.
At a recent skateboard event in Montreal, he met Vanessa Bowles, the founder and executive director of Thunder Bay's Female Boarder Collective and the Cinema 5 Skatepark.
Downey was intrigued by the Thunder Bay project, so he decided to visit the city for four days to learn more about it and see what he might do to help.
He's offered to share his expertise.
"It was really inspiring. I'm involved in all skateboard culture in Montreal, and getting adequate skateboard infrastructure in the city. Seeing the support in Thunder Bay is absolutely incredible," Downey said in a recent interview.
"A skatepark is something like a youth centre with social workers or youth workers, but they're your peers in the community, and parents, supporting each other. You're talking about getting youth engaged and learning about skills, actual applicable skills, through a community that will support them through the other troubles and trials in their lives."
He said an indoor facility is particularly important after more than two years of the pandemic, during which many people have felt "locked away" during the winter months.
Organized physical activity contributes to positive mental health, Downey said, and gives youths a sense of identity and greater confidence.
Bowles started the Female Boarder Collective in 2020 to give women and girls, and members of the LGBTQ community, a safe space and an equal opportunity in the skateboarding community.
"That just tied in really well with being able to open an indoor space so that we can keep programs going all winter long," she said
Public programs include after-school programs, Christmas, March break and summer programs, PA day programs, private group lessons, parent and tot skates, and 35+ skates.
Bowles said that on top of those, there's a focus on the female LGBTQ area of Cinema 5, in collaboration with the Female Boarder Collective.
Programs will include manufacturing, editing, video photography and different art programs.
"Those programs are super-important, because if we look at the skateboard industry, it's 98 per cent male-dominated. So giving women and our LGBTQ community the opportunity to break into that industry is really important, and I don't see anything like this happening anywhere in Canada," she said.
Bowles is grateful for the support received from throughout the community.
"We have been so blessed," she said, pointing to a recent donation of lumber by Resolute Forest Products, as well as support from other local businesses, the Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission, and from numerous individuals whether through fundraising or other means.
Recently, a crew has been installing the flooring for skateboarding.
Bowles said "There are definitely some bumps and barriers that we've run into" along the way, including with the flooring, but added "we do have a clear path on how we're going to be doing that."
While the flooring was being laid down, construction of the actual skatepark elements was set to begin.
The target for opening to the public is early December.
Downey, who said he's fallen in love with Thunder Bay, is impressed with how much faster the project is proceeding than it would have in Montreal years ago.
He and his peers began lobbying for facilities when he was 14 years old, but he was 40 before the city decided to spend money.
Montreal's investment of millions of dollars in outdoor skateparks has paid off, he said, as Montreal native Annie Guglia competed in skateboarding at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
"This is what this does. You will have a kid from [Thunder Bay] go to the Olympics one day because of something like this."
