THUNDER BAY — The City of Thunder Bay is looking for parties that might be qualified to operate the multi-use indoor turf facility now under construction.
But it is far from clear as to which operating model city administration will actually recommend to city council, and which model council will ultimately approve.
Work on the $33 million facility began in June, and is scheduled to finish in the fall of 2026.
The city announced Wednesday it has issued a request for expressions of interest (RFEOI) "to gather information on the extent of available expertise and supplier interest in the marketplace with respect to the management and operation" of the facility once it opens.
The responses to the request, it said, will be used to help determine the appropriate operating model.
Kelly Robertson, commissioner of community services, said there is a range of options.
"There could be interest from a not-for-profit or private-sector entity to manage and operate the facility, or perhaps a coalition of different groups that come together to do that. Another scenario might be that the city would operate it."
Robertson said there could also be hybrid models.
"In my career there have been some entities or groups that want to have a certain say in the operation of a facility, but maybe not take on all the aspects of managing and operating it."
She suggested council may have preference for a party that would take on the majority of day-to-day operations, "but we don't know yet if there's any group in the marketplace that wants to do that. So we need to go to the marketplace to see what interest there is."
The RFEOI points out "the facility is not available to be operated for exclusive or primary use by a single entity or collective. It is a public facility and must be primarily accessible to the public for rentals, event hosting and participation."
Fifteen potential users groups comprising seven different sports and 5,000 participants are expected to use the complex during the peak season of October to mid-May.
The RFEOI estimates that "pent-up demand" during peak season prime-time will be 25 per cent.
Interested parties must provide a list of similar facilities they have managed and operated, as well as their experience working with community user groups and organizations.
They must also disclose their anticipated annual operating costs and provide a basic staffing model.
The deadline for responding is Sept. 19, 2025.
Robertson said she expects administration will recommend an operating model to council sometime this fall.
