Tbaytel employees and city officials gathered on Thursday to celebrate the naming of Thunder Bay’s new indoor turf facility.
The city-owned company has pledged $500,000 over ten years for the naming rights to the turf facility, which will be dubbed the “Tbaytel Multiplex” for the duration of the investment.
City council approved the move at this week’s council meeting.
At Thursday’s event, Tbaytel President and CEO Paul Norris emphasized the facility’s importance to the city.
“This is going to be a hub for this community for years to come,” Norris says.
As a municipally-owned company, Tbaytel pays dividends to the city.
$4.5 million in special dividends from the company have gone towards the city’s Renew Thunder Bay Reserve Fund to be allocated for the construction of the turf facility.
Norris explains that as a city-owned company, Tbaytel feels a responsibility to put money back into the city.
“We feel so privileged at Tbaytel to actually be part of this community… we direct our dollars into all the regions that we serve,” Norris says.
Mayor Ken Boshcoff frames Tbaytel’s city-owned model as an enviable arrangement that other municipalities would be lucky to have.
“Having your own assets to help finance allows us as a community to be far more independent and creative and financially stable than many other communities,” he says.
Boshcoff believes the turf facility to be a wise investment that could save Thunder Bay’s sporting communities large sums over the coming years, particularly as the city will be able to host more tournaments.
“We’re going to be able to be an even better host from the athletic and entertainment side of things,” Boshcoff says.
The Tbaytel Multiplex will offer year-round indoor recreational facilities for a variety of sports and other activities.
Thunder Bay’s city council is currently considering whether it is preferable for the city to operate the facility itself or through a third-party contract.
