THUNDER BAY – The federal government has announced millions in funding for seven community infrastructure projects across Northwestern Ontario, including two in Thunder Bay.
The roughly $3.9 million handed out across Northwestern Ontario on Friday includes funds to build an indoor tennis centre and to support a rebuild of streetscapes in the city’s north core.
The Thunder Bay Community Tennis Centre received a commitment of half a million dollars towards a 45,500-square-foot all-season racquet sport facility.
The community group is planning to build a bubble with up to six courts to the northwest of the existing outdoor courts at Chapples Park.
The Thunder Bay Community Tennis Centre hopes that work could even conclude within the year.
“That’s what we’re going for,” said vice-president Pasi Pinta. “It’s aggressive for sure, but the tennis-playing public in Thunder Bay has been thirsting for a facility like this.”
The news comes during an “exciting time” with interest in the sport growing locally, he said, aligning with greater success Canada is seeing in the sport on the global stage.
Depending on design parameters, the group believes it’s close to securing full funding.
“We are very close," Pinta said. "We have $3 million in the kitty, if you will, and the total all-in very conservative estimate we have for the project stands at about $4.15 million.”
The organization received $1 million from the NOHFC last year, while the City of Thunder Bay previously committed $1.5 million.
The plans for a tennis bubble will also require approval from the city to use land at Chapples Park, which Pinta said was under discussion.
The City of Thunder Bay also received $750,000 towards Phase 1 of its north core streetscape revitalization project.
Part of a larger project to make the downtown more walkable and expand public space, the first phase will cost $2.2 million overall and rebuild underground infrastructure, streets, and pedestrian boulevards on Court Street from Wilson Street to Park Avenue.
The work will transform the section of Court into a “complete street,” with a dedicated bike lane, traffic calming, curbside parking, more greenery, and a safe pedestrian environment that could include widened boulevards, said landscape architect Guy Walter.
It could also involve the addition of small public plazas.
The FedNor funds “ensured the project will move forward right away,” Walter said, adding that will also help the city move on to key stretches of Red River Road in later phases.
The work on Court Street will begin this year, with the addition of green infrastructure like street trees set for 2023. The FedNor funding requires the bulk of the work on Phase 1 be completed by April 2023.
Mayor Bill Mauro welcomed the funding announcement in a statement issued Friday.
“Building up community infrastructure is vital to the long-term success of Thunder Bay, municipalities and First Nation communities across Northwestern Ontario,” he said. “In addition to the regional benefits of today’s announcement, we are pleased that $1.2 million will support our downtown revitalization project and the construction of an all-season racquet-sport facility here at home in Thunder Bay.”
Other projects approved in the Northwest include:
- $700,000 toward the construction of an outdoor pavilion and community space in downtown Wabigoon
- $517,744 toward the installation of an ice plant at the North Caribou Lake First Nation’s arena
- $499,997 toward the construction of a multipurpose outdoor recreation area in Sandy Lake First Nation
- $499,892 toward a community public outdoor green space and recreational area in Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek First Nation
- $479,428 toward a 96 x 30-foot hydroponic greenhouse in Sachigo Lake First Nation, expected to support production of 4.6 tonnes of vegetables each year
Overall, the government announced $10.9 million to support 29 projects across Northern Ontario on Friday, stretching from Sachigo Lake First Nation to Huntsville.
The funds come through the Canada Community Revitalization Fund (CCRF), a two-year, $500 million national infrastructure program launched in 2021 that supports not-for-profits, municipalities, and other public institutions.
In a statement, Thunder Bay-Superior North MP and minister responsible for FedNor, Patty Hajdu, said the funding showed her government’s “commitment to support economic development in communities of every size, in every region of Northern Ontario.”
According to FedNor, the funding will create 121 construction jobs, as well as 10 full-time and one part-time position.
