Thunder Bay’s city council appears set to decide the location for the city’s Temporary Shelter Village Initiative.
On July 14, council tentatively approved 114 Miles Street East as the host location at Committee of the Whole, with six councillors voting in favour and five voting against.
Councillors Shelby Ch’ng, Kristen Oliver, Brian Hamilton, Greg Johnsen, Kasey Etreni, and Andrew Foulds voted in favour.
Councillors Dominic Pasqualino, Trevor Giertuga, Rajni Agarwal, Albert Aiello, and Mark Bentz voted against.
The decision at Committee of the Whole needs to be confirmed or denied at Monday night’s city council meeting.
Red River Ward Councillor Michael Zussino and Mayor Ken Boshcoff were not present to participate in the initial vote, but the mayor has signalled his willingness to vote yes on the site.
Mayor Ken Boshcoff has put forward a motion to slightly adjust the decision approved at Committee of the Whole.
“This memorandum provides confirmation that I believe that the temporary village is a safer, healthier alternative to unmanaged encampments,” said the mayor in his memo. “The initiative is a short-term measure necessary to manage encampments and act as a bridge until more affordable, accessible housing options are available.”
“The status quo is not working.”
He is asking council to approve asking city administration to report back in 2027 with a full report of the status of the village.
This would allow city council to consider necessary changes and evaluate the success of the project and the associated costs.
If city council opts to reverse course and decline the Miles Street location, then $2.8 million in grant funding would be in jeopardy.
To meet the deadlines to receive the grant, at least 40 units must be ready to start accepting occupants by December 15, 2025, and the remaining units must be fully operational by February 27, 2026.
Because of this, the city plans to have construction underway in August if approved at city council.
If the location is finalized city administration will continue working through the process of selecting contractors for the project.
The village will be temporary, and it is seen as an interim solution that bridges the gap for the unhoused while permanent supportive housing and other homelessness supports are developed.
The hope is that the project will help people living in encampments by providing access to essential services like housing and social supports off-site.
The city also highlights that it will help downtown revitalization by reducing the population in unmanaged encampments.
The city has a few initiatives aimed at easing concerns raised throughout the site selection process.
The plan is to establish a Neighbourhood Liaison Committee to support communication and improvement.
An additional $125,000 will be given to the Fort William BIA for the duration of the project to support security enhancements.
An additional $50,000 is also being allocated in the city budget to support the cleanliness of the south core.
The 142 Simpson Street and immediately adjacent properties are also being removed from the future identification process for recognized encampment locations.
The city also hopes to have more Eye on the Street Program cameras installed where possible.
