New shelter village site sought by City of Thunder Bay following safety assessment
CBC
The City of Thunder Bay is resuming its search for a site for its proposed temporary shelter village.
City council had previously approved Kam River Heritage Park as the site of the village, which will include sleeping cabins for use by Thunder Bay's unhoused population.
However, an assessment of that site — which borders on the Kaministiquia River and a CPKC rail yard — determined that it would be too costly to ensure the location's safety.
At Monday night's meeting, councillors voted to rescind its earlier approval, and directed administration to report back with a new site recommendation as soon as possible.
"This is a challenge," Current River Coun. Andrew Foulds said Tuesday morning. "It is complicated."
"There will be pluses and minuses with with each suggestion. But at the end of the day we do want to choose a site that is effective."
The city has budgeted $5.5 million for the construction of the village, and $1.5 million annually in operating costs. However, if the city meets certain timelines, it's eligible for $2.8 million in external funding.
"Am I concerned about the funding? Yes," Foulds said. "But I would say that I'm even more concerned about making sure that we have a plan that is effective, and deals with, or tries to cope with, some of the most marginalized individuals, traumatized individuals, challenged individuals in our society."
"It is now June, and certainly the number of phone calls and emails that I have already received regarding encampments is higher than it has been in the past," he said. "So I have a lot of concerns. Funding is one of them. Making sure that our neighbourhoods are safe is another one."
"Making sure that we have a system that helps, guides and supports the most vulnerable worries me as well."
In a statement to CBC News on Monday, city administration said while choosing a new site would be a challenge, "city staff are confident the project can stay on track as long as a new site is approved by council in July."
A proposal for a hydrogen-powered passenger rail connecting Calgary and Banff has been submitted to the federal government in the hopes of having it fast-tracked.
The P.E.I. Green Party is calling on government to release the fall fiscal update. The checkup on the province's finances is typically released sometime in October.
A main road in Inuvik, N.W.T., is closed and water is shut off for part of the town after a utilidor leak.
Immigration Minister Lena Diab sparred with her Conservative critic at a tense House of Commons committee meeting Thursday as the two disagreed on everything from immigration levels and deporting non-citizen criminals to what kind of salad they prefer.
A report by the City of Calgary presented to councillors says blanket rezoning has so far required only "minimal" upgrades to infrastructure.
Changes are coming to residential recycling in Toronto starting in the new year, two councillors announced on Thursday.
Before a bitumen pipeline from Alberta to British Columbia’s northwest coast can be built, there's another box that needs to be checked: a massive investment in carbon capture and storage in central Alberta.
Jeremy Tunraluk, president of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI), is on leave from his position after he was charged with assault.
The head of Canada's Leaders' Debates Commission says the independent body should stop organizing post-debate news conferences and will make changes to how it decides what leaders to invite after this spring's leadership debate was surrounded by controversy.
The Alberta Health Services CEO who took over after a controversial firing in January is now himself off the job.
Standing inside her non-profit managed rental unit in central Windsor, Ont., Sue Pare points to a crack in her kitchen floor she can’t get fixed.
Five people were sent to hospital, including one person with life-threatening injuries, after a fire broke out at a fraternity house near Western University prompting a police investigation.
A rusting and derelict ship that’s been looming large over the waterfront in Springdale for years will soon be removed and disposed of by the federal government.