THUNDER BAY — City staff have found a new site option for a temporary shelter village.
The site is located on the east side of Fort William Road between the Neebing River and the Neebing-McIntyre Floodway.
The Lakehead Region Conservation Authority (LRCA) owns part of the land, and according to the committee of the whole agenda for April 7, staff will recommend to council that the city enter into a lease agreement to use a portion of their land at 1111 Fort William Rd.
The agenda report stated that the municipality owns the other portion of land, and there are two residential properties at 1069 and 1071 Fort William Rd.
The entire parcel of land was acquired as part of the construction of the floodway in 1984, according to Donna Blunt, chair of the LRCA board of directors.
Blunt said that back in February, the city approached the LRCA about the site, stating, “they have identified that property as a potential location for the temporary village initiative.”
In a March LCRA board meeting, board members decided to go ahead with the city request “in principle,” according to Blunt.
Blunt said, if council approved the site location, the city would need to execute an acceptable lease agreement with the LRCA, get approval from the Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks “if required”, and then get final approval from the LRCA's board of directors.
“We approved in principle, but there are still things that need to be considered before the board makes their final decision,” said Blunt.
When asked what is there still to consider by the board to make a final decision, Blunt said she did not have that information.
Back in October, city council voted unanimously to approve a ten-part human rights-based community action plan for responding to homeless encampments, which included a temporary village initiative.
Two proposed sites were first identified, Kam River Heritage Park and a vacant lot at 114 Miles St. East, and the Miles Street location was ultimately recommended.
However, after public backlash, Council voted against the proposed location and asked administration to bring them an extensive site selection list of all potential sites across the city.
This year, the city got $2.8 million in funding through the Thunder Bay District Social Services Board (TBDSSAB) to cover some operational and capital costs for the project.
- This story has been updated for clarity.
