Thunder Bay, Ontario — Lori Santink says she's disappointed but not surprised by the Lakehead council's decision to rezone two vacant properties for new accommodation developments in Thunder Bay, Ont.
Santink lives near 791 Arundel St., one of three properties sold by the Lakehead as surplus land to Terralux General Contractors and Advancement Limited earlier this year. the Lakehead region isshort about 1,000 new homes unitsto meet demand. Pending approvals, more than 900 new units could be built in the urban centre: 150 units in one apartment building at 144 Fanshaw St.
400 units in two apartment buildings at 300 Tokio St. While the Arundel and Fanshaw street proposals required rezoning — which was approved by municipality council Tuesday night — the Tokio Street property was already zoned appropriately. "It contravenes theNet-Zero Strategythe community has, theClimate Adaptation Strategy— it just doesn't make sense," Santink told CBC News on Wednesday about the Arundel Street proposal. Santink helped form the grassroots groupTBay Greenspace Preservation, which had more than 500 followers at publication time.
in Thunder Bay is seen Wednesday.
She indicated the group collected more than 2,600 signatures in a petition opposing the progress and held a rally outside urban centre hall earlier this week that drew more than 100 participants. About 100 people participate in a rally outside the Lakehead region community hall on Tuesday to oppose the rezoning of two vacant properties. (TBay Greenspace Preservation/Facebook) Among the group's main unease are loss of green space, aging sewer infrastructure, increased traffic with lack of access to public transportation during the winter and risks to species of concern in the area — including the yellow-banded bumblebee, Canadian warbler and grey fox. The Ontario government'sBill 60 (Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act, 2025)means residents can no longer appeal municipal council decisions through the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) concerning areas including rezoning and official plan amendments, Santink explained. "In situations like this, municipality council are the final arbiters of the Planning Act matter. They have to make sure that they've done their due diligence, right? I personally don't believe they did," she confirmed. "I would love to have a lawyer who's versed in environmental law and Planning Act matters contact us, and be willing to do some pro bono work, because the only way that we could address any of the worries with these is probably through a judicial review, since the appeal process through the OLT is no longer an option for us." Devon McCloskey, Thunder Bay's manager of planning services, noted the municipality is waiting to receive applications from the developer for site plan control and building permits before construction can begin. Applications for the Fanshaw and Tokio street properties are expected this year, with Arundel to follow. The land at 144 Fanshaw St. in Thunder Bay is seen Wednesday. It could see 150 new homes units. (Marc Doucette/CBC) "The developer has made many, many changes to their proposed renderings and layout to accommodate alarm that have been brought forward by the public already," McCloskey noted. She remarked the projects have been subject to several preliminary studies so far, looking at things such as traffic, transportation infrastructure and environmental considerations, "with [an] expanded public consultation process." She added the projects are an substantial part of the city's Smart Growth Action Plan, as "they support a range of accommodation options on existing services" and "unlock underutilized public lands for new homes to support sustainable growth." Signs that say 'Save Our Park Space' line the streets near the proposed growth at 791 Arundel St. in the regional capital. (Marc Doucette/CBC) Coun. Andrew Foulds, who represents the Current River ward where 791 Arundel St. is located, opposed the property's rezoning. That stated, "what I am inspired by is the level of public engagement that this particular item brought forward, [which] I have never seen in my 20-year career." "Not only were people of [the] Current River ward concerned, but people from across the urban centre were very, very concerned." 'Consensus is never going to be possible' Leia Minaker is an associate professor at the University of Waterloo's school of planning and director of the Future Cities Institute. Much of her research focuses on how communities across Canada are dealing with the residential development crisis while handling competing opinions on what developments should look like. Common misgivings she hears about new homes proposals include traffic, loss of parking and privacy, shadows from tall buildings and changes to the neighbourhood culture. Leia Minaker, an associate professor at the University of Waterloo, researches how communities across Canada are dealing with the accommodation crisis. (Submitted by Leia Minaker) "One of the projects we're working on is meant to integrate data from across municipal silos, so that we can actually visualize the kinds of trade-offs and what the neighbourhood will likely look like in the future," she advised. "Consensus is never going to be possible, but I think that we could be a lot clearer about what the impacts are going to be, where and for whom." In northern Ontario, where buying a house has historically been more affordable, Minaker stated communities are projecting population growth from mining projects and other economic activity proposed in the region. "I think northern cities, and especially bigger northern cities like the regional capital, have a huge challenge in the next little while about thinking about how and where to grow," she advised. Santink noted she'll closely monitor the developments and hopes to see more communication from the urban centre throughout the process. "I think it's imperative, given again that this is a city-led initiative, that the public, the general public, is being made aware of what's going on.".
Community members are encouraged to stay informed and share this information with friends and family. Following trusted local news sources helps ensure everyone stays up to date with events and announcements affecting Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario.
🔗 Read the original report from Web Search
For more local news, weather, sports, events, and community updates across Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario, visit ThunderBay.Online — your trusted source for everything happening in the region.
📍 Source: Web Search · By: News Staff · 🗓️ August 13, 2026 · 🏠 ThunderBay.Online
