Thunder Bay is in line to receive $6.6 million from the federal government through the Gas Tax Fund.
Mayor Bill Mauro confirms the funds are on the way thanks to Bill C-25, which was put forward by the minority Liberal government earlier in April. The bill also aimed to rename the fund to the Canada Community-Building Fund.
“It’s a direct transfer from the federal government to the municipalities,” indicated Mauro. “It doesn’t have to go through the province, it just lands in your bank account. It’s unprescribed as to what it can be used for.”
Mauro notes the funds can be put towards the multi-use indoor turf facility.
“In our reserve fund, $7 million of the money that we has set aside for the facility was from a previous 2019 doubling of the gas tax. In 2021 the federal government has done this again.” added Mauro.
The original funding from the city for the facility was pegged between $30 million to $40 million, but council heard back in March that the number had ballooned to $46 million dollars, which includes $8.8 million in interest payments on a $16.6 million dollar debenture.
Breaking Down the Funds
- Approximately $8.8 million in interest payments on a $16.6 million dollar debenture
- Just over $15 million from a dedicated reserve fund
- $1.6 million in MAT tax revenues
- $3.3 million from the Renew Thunder Bay Reserve Fund
- $300,000 from FedNor
The facility will be discussed at a public meeting Thursday April 29th starting at 5:00 p.m.
The search for a new facility was spurred on following the collapse of the Sportsdome on the CLE Grounds in a November 2016 snowstorm.
It threw the soccer community into chaos since both men’s and women’s clubs were forced to cancel their seasons because there was no place to play.
