THUNDER BAY – Things got off to a rocky start Monday as city councillors met by video conference for the first time (previous remote meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic have been by teleconference). A technical issue meant those watching the online livestream missed the first several minutes of the meeting.
After that initial hiccup, though, things went fairly smoothly as council considered emergency funding for local non-profits, improvements to the Fort William Gardens, and zoning approval for two new apartment complexes on John Street Road.
Emergency funds for local non-profits
Council approved the disbursal of $170,000 in emergency funding to four local non-profits in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Shelter House ($113,900) and the Regional Food Distribution Association ($40,100) received the bulk of the funds, with Roots to Harvest and the Northwestern Ontario Women’s Centre also getting some support.
The money was drawn from a $235,000 fund council voted to create in March. The remaining $65,000 is expected to be given out in June.
Improvements to Fort William Gardens
Councillors are hoping over $1 million in improvements to the Fort William Gardens will largely be covered by grants from the provincial and federal governments. Applications by the city to both FedNor and the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) have been approved to proceed to stage two. If approved in full, they would cover around $850,000, leaving the city to pick up the remaining $250,000.
Several of the improvements are required as part of the city’s agreement with Curling Canada to host the 2021 Scotties Tournament of Hearts. They include ice deck flooring, a video scoreboard, a rigging system to suspend speakers and lights, ice plant improvements, and more.
Read our full coverage here.
John Street Road Apartments
Council gave its blessing to a zoning adjustment which will allow the development of two 28-unit apartment buildings on John Street Road. The project is headed by the owner of an existing apartment complex of similar size at John Street Road and Chercover Drive.
Council voted unanimously to remove a hold sign from the property to allow development. The property will be placed under site plan control as a condition for development.
