THUNDER BAY - Despite concerns over vandalism and loitering, the majority of Thunder Bay City Council felt adding locked gates to the pedestrian overpass to the waterfront does not send a welcoming message for visitors nor address the root cause of the concerns.
A motion was presented during Monday night’s Thunder Bay City Council meeting to direct city administration to install locking gates on the pedestrian overpass to restrict access overnight.
Rehabilitation on the overpass has been ongoing since August 2020 and it will be moved back into place this week, with a reopening scheduled for Aug. 9.
Thunder Bay Mayor Bill Mauro brought forward the motion to add locking gates to address concerns of people gathering in the structure overnight, vandalism, and litter.
The motion divided members of council, with those in support saying it is worth trying to address the issues of loitering and vandalism and protect the rehabilitation investment, while those opposed arguing it does nothing to address the root of the issue and sends the wrong message to visitors and tourists.
“If we realize we have an issue on a certain street, are we going to address the root issue or are we going to block the street off?” asked Coun. Trevor Giertuga.
“I’ve talked to many people who walk through there during the day who feel intimidated. At the end of the day we need to deal with the root issue of why people are feeling intimidated. Locking it isn’t the answer.”
Northwood Coun. Shelby Ch’ng echoed Giertuga’s concerns, saying while locked gates would solve some problems, it would be counterintuitive.
Ch’ng, along with several others on council, also raised the concern that locked gates presents a negative image.
“I travel a lot, you go to waterfronts, you come across locked gates and it just doesn’t look very welcoming,” Ch’ng said. “It’s not the right thing for this particular cross over, especially for our visitors and I don’t think it will prevent anything nefarious from happening.”
“I think we should be looking at some way of enhancing what we are trying to do to get people to go to the waterfront,” added Coun. Rebecca Johnson. “I think this is setting a negative tone to what we are trying to accomplish.”
Johnson also raised concerns that the motion was brought forward as a new business item Monday night giving councillors little time to consider the motion and not allowing any consultation with other stakeholders, including the tourism department with the city and local businesses such as the waterfront hotel.
Kayla Dixon, director of engineering and operations with the city of Thunder Bay, said with the overpass being reinstalled, city administration needed a decision in order to plan costs and installation in time for when it reopens.
Several members of city council spoke out in favour of the motion, arguing there is no harm in trying something to deter vandalism or loitering.
“To put gates up there, even on a trial basis, at least it’s a way of protecting the investment of $1.7 million to rehabilitate that project and get it back up,” said McIntyre Ward Coun. Albert Aiello.
Coun. Brian McKinnon also supported the motion, saying he has heard numerous people express concerns about the overpass and its condition.
“There are three other entrances to the park,” he said. “This is a high profile one that is right downtown and well used day and night. We are not blocking tourists from the park.”
“If we put a gate on it, we can see how it works and if it doesn’t work well, you can open the gate and keep it open,” added Coun. Aldo Roberto. “The goal is to protect infrastructure and protect people and deal with the issues we are dealing with.”
McKellar Ward Coun. Brian Hamilton asked for the motion to be referred to administration to provide council with a report including more details such as times of closure and design options.
“If you don’t want a gate in your park or fences, let’s not give admin more work,” said Coun. Mark Bentz on the referral. “I appreciate the reasoning behind the referral, but I’m not sure the times or what it looks like depends on whether you support it or not.”
The referral was voted down and original motion was ultimately defeated by a vote of five to six, with Mauro, Aiello, McKinnon, Roberto, and Coun. Peng You voting in favour, while Ch’ng, Giertuga, Johnson, Bentz, Hamilton, and Coun. Cody Fraser voting against.