THUNDER BAY – Just in time for the city to start preparing their 2025 budget, MPP for Thunder Bay-Atikokan Kevin Holland announced that $10.4 million in additional funding will be allocated to Thunder Bay’s Interocean Development Servicing Program under the Housing Enabling Water System Fund (HEWF).
“It's a great day for the City of Thunder Bay as they work towards meeting their housing targets,” Holland said.
The funding will enable the City to develop approximately 100 acres of land in the Central Avenue area between Balmoral and Golf Links Road. The project will add more than two kilometres of water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure to the existing municipal service.
Over 1,200 new homes are expected to be built, taking a hefty chunk out of the city’s projected housing target of 2,200 by 2031.
“The city has indicated that the funding that is coming to them, this $10.4 million, it's gonna go a long way in getting those homes built here in going be quicker,” Holland said.
“It's not just about getting the homes built. It's about getting them built quick so that people can realize the joy of homeownership because too many are being priced out of that right now.”
Director of Developmental Services for Thunder Bay Joel DePeuter said that this project has been a top priority as the area has been consistently underdeveloped.
“This particular project is one of the best opportunities for the City of Thunder Bay to increase the housing supply. This brings services into an area in the centre of the city, both sides of Central Avenue that is currently under service and the development is very sparse as a result,” DePeuter said.
Acting Mayor and Coun. Dominic Pasqualino added a little more context when he pointed out the benefits of developing new homes inside the city limits.
“This is the beauty of it by having it in the central. We aren't really expanding the city limit. We're not spending a lot of money to put the plows out another 10 miles further. This is where we're already doing a lot of the services and with the water and sewer in there, we can actually maximize the use of the city,” Pasqualino said.
He pointed out that this is the largest expansion the city has seen since the Parkdale project 30 years ago.
DePeuter also noted the already existing homes on Central Avenue will be tied into the new infrastructure as a result of this development.
Construction for phase one, which is installing the new water and sewer infrastructure, is expected to begin in 2025 and shortly afterwards the city will begin to issue building permits for the new homes.
The entirety of the project is expected to end in the spring of 2027, according to DePeuter.
Looking forward, DePeuter expects a wide range of housing to be built in the area.
“Being central in the city, and well serviced by transit, this is ideal for higher density development. I think that there will be a variety of development from low rise to mid rise perhaps high rise development within this area,” DePeuter said.
When asked if the city was targeting some level of lower-income housing in the area, DePeuter said, “Improving affordability will certainly be an objective.”
