THUNDER BAY — Some Thunder Bay-area projects remain in the running for funding from the federal Green and Inclusive Communities Building program.
"I can tell you that, for sure, Thunder Bay has a funded project, and in fact Thunder Bay-Superior North has funded projects within our region," MP Patty Hajdu revealed in an interview Wednesday.
Applications for the City of Thunder Bay's covered turf facility and a proposed long-term care home on Fort William First Nation have both been excluded from the current round of funding.
So far there is no official word on the status of an application from the Thunder Bay Art Gallery for money for its new building on the waterfront, or one from Lakehead University for funding a new Indigenous learning and programming centre.
"Unfortunately I am not able to disclose yet what the successful candidates have been, but obviously it's important to me that our region gets access to federal programs like this," Hajdu said.
She said she is working with Infrastructure Canada and the successful applicants to make arrangements for those announcements.
"We'll have more to say soon. There will be lots of opportunity to celebrate across the riding," Hajdu added.
Thunder Bay Art Gallery director Sharon Godwin told TBnewswatch, "I have no news to report at this point."
A spokesperson for Lakehead University indicated the university is still waiting to hear from Infrastructure Canada about the status of its application.
Both Hajdu and Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP Marcus Powlowski said unsuccessful applicants may still be eligible for the next round of funding under the Green and Inclusive Communities Building program.
Powlowski suggested in particular that the nursing home project on Fort William First Nation still has a good chance to qualify.
He said its application failed on technical grounds.
"I was certainly disappointed, with the proviso that I did speak to the ministry who told us the application didn't include some of the things that were required. It seems that the ministry looks very favourably on this project. They invited them to reapply."
Powlowski said he's "quite hopeful" that the First Nation's project will be approved in the second round of funding.
He noted that half of the money allocated to the GICB program is still available for projects across Canada.
