Lori Santink expressed disappointment but not shock over the city council’s decision to rezone two empty lots for new housing projects in Thunder Bay, Ontario. One of these lots, located at 791 Arundel St., was among three properties sold by the city as surplus land to Terralux General Contractors and Development Limited earlier this year. Thunder Bay is facing a shortage of approximately 1,000 housing units to fulfill the current demand.
Pending necessary approvals, the city could witness the construction of over 900 new housing units, including 360 units in two apartment buildings at 791 Arundel St. (reduced from an initial 400-unit proposal), 150 units in an apartment building at 144 Fanshaw St., and 400 units in two apartment buildings at 300 Tokio St. While rezoning was required for the Arundel and Fanshaw street properties, the Tokio Street property already had appropriate zoning in place.
Santink criticized the Arundel Street proposal, stating it goes against the city’s Net-Zero Strategy and Climate Adaptation Strategy. She is a member of the grassroots group TBay Greenspace Preservation, which amassed over 2,600 signatures in a petition against the development. The group also organized a rally outside city hall that attracted over 100 participants.
Key concerns raised by the group include the potential loss of green space, aging sewer infrastructure, increased traffic without adequate winter public transportation access, and threats to local species such as the yellow-banded bumblebee, Canadian warbler, and grey fox. Due to Ontario’s Bill 60 (Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act, 2025), residents can no longer challenge municipal council decisions through the Ontario Land Tribunal concerning matters like rezoning and official plan amendments.
Santink highlighted the need for legal expertise in environmental law and Planning Act matters to explore potential avenues for addressing concerns through a judicial review, given the closure of the appeal process through the OLT. Devon McCloskey, Thunder Bay’s manager of planning services, mentioned that the city is awaiting applications from the developer for site plan control and building permits before commencing construction.
Applications for the Fanshaw and Tokio street properties are anticipated later this year, with the Arundel property to follow suit.
