Latest news with #Foulds
CBC
15-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Thunder Bay City Council reconsidering temporary shelter village site
Council asks for report on previously considered locations on city's south side Thunder Bay City Council is again reconsidering its choice for the location of a proposed temporary shelter village. At its April 7 meeting, Thunder Bay City Council selected a site on Cumberland Street North as the location for the village, which would support the city's unhoused population. However, when it came time to ratify that decision at its April 14 meeting, council instead directed administration to examine Kam River Heritage Park, and a parcel of land on Fort William Road that's owned by the Lakehead Region Conservation Authority (LRCA), as potential locations for the village. Both sites have been previously considered by city council. A report is due back on April 28. "It's got to work and it's got to be set up for success," Current River Coun. Andrew Foulds said on CBC's Superior Morning on Tuesday. "I think that there are a number of pieces to that." "For me, the biggest thing is making sure that there are services close to some of our most-vulnerable citizens," he said. "And services aren't just social services, although those are really, really important. It's proximity to other services that everyday people engage [with]." Foulds explained city administration will create a report over the next two weeks, and will make another recommendation to council. Councillors were considering the Kam River Heritage Park site last fall. At the time, city administration recommended a location on Miles Street East over the Kam River park site; council voted against that recommendation in the fall. That led to administration coming back with a recommendation for the Fort William Road site, which is located across from the CLE grounds. Given the land is owned by the LRCA, the city would need to sign a lease. A report to council presented in early April noted a number of advantages to the location: The size; proximity to support services; readiness for construction (the land is flat and clear, and close to existing services like power and water); emergency access, and safety considerations (the village would be fenced in, and security and support services on-site 24/7). The Fort William Road site was up for an approval vote on April 7. However, council instead approved the Cumberland Street North site at that meeting. That brings everything back to Monday, April 14, when instead of ratifying the Cumberland Street North decision — which would have allowed the project to move forward at that location — councillors instead went back to the Kam River and Fort William Road properties as possible locations.
CBC
09-04-2025
- General
- CBC
Thunder Bay City Council votes to scrap historic tugboat
Social Sharing Any hopes to see a century-old tugboat in Thunder Bay preserved have sunk after Thunder Bay City council voted to scrap the James Whalen Monday. The Transportation Museum of Thunder Bay has been advocating to preserve the Whalen. David Muir, vice chairman and director of site and operations at the museum, made a deputation to council pitching the idea of keeping just the top part of the boat-- but to no avail. "I'm upset by it because we've invested so much time trying to make this work," said Muir. After the historic tugboat sank in 2022, the City awarded a nearly $800,000 contract to lift it out of the Kamanistiqua river. Council previously voted last Fall to preserve parts of the tug, and recycle the rest. It changed course after receiving higher-than-expected bids on the tender for preservation and recycling. Muir said preserving the top deck would add an extra $120,000 to the cost, but that the museum would eventually pay back the difference to the City. "We can make it a land based attraction that the public tourists, of which we had 6000 last year, visit and the various schools in Thunder Bay and region can actually get the feel of being on the Whalen," said Muir. Current River Ward Councillor Andrew Foulds said many are unhappy the historic boat won't be preserved. "I think it's very easy to point fingers and blame. I just think it's sad and unfortunate," said Foulds. Foulds said he put forward a resolution to save and display up to $20,000 of provisional items recognizing the story of the Whalen, but it was defeated. "There's the enormous cost to recycling it and there's not really that many options," said Foulds. Dealing with the fate of the tugboat has been a frustration for council, he said. "I appreciate the situation and I know there is a lot of documenting and pictures being taken and you know, we're going to do the best that we can in protecting some of that legacy," Foulds said. The cost to recycle the boat is approximately $580,000.
