Thunder Bay, ON — A special meeting by Thunder Bay municipality council to discuss issues at Vickers Manor has been cancelled.
Councillors were scheduled to meet Wednesday. However, on Tuesday, the urban centre sent out a media release stating the meeting was cancelled "following confirmation that the immediate risk of utility disconnections has been resolved." Earlier reports indicated that some utilities at Vickers Manor (formerly called McKellar Place), a residence for seniors who can live independently, were to be shut off on Aug. 18,with the municipality telling residents there they should look for alternate accommodations.
However, a sign posted on the door of Vickers Manor by Synergy North, observed by CBC News on Friday, stated that electricity will not be shut off. "The Community of the city is pleased that the immediate risk of utility disconnections at Vickers Manor (325 Archibald St. S.) has been resolved," the release states. "While this progress is welcome, unease regarding building conditions and service levels remain.
It's not something we wanted to see in this citizens." Thunder Bay, Ont., families seek accountability as tenants at seniors' building strongly advised to leave Ranta shared the board has been doing what it can to help tenants who have moved out.
The city's Municipal Critical incident Control Group (MECG) continues to monitor the situation and co-ordinate preparedness efforts with citizens organizations." Theconcerns include unpaid bills, fire code violations and possible evictions.Residents of the building also told CBC News they'reno longer receiving meals, which were included under their lease agreement. "Over the past several months, tenants, caregivers and service providers have raised worries regarding building conditions and service levels," the municipality stated. "The community has collaborated with citizens organizations to share information, connect residents with supports and monitor safety-related matters within its authority." Vickers Manor is owned by SMS Property Trust Inc. Earlier this year, the building was listed for sale for $18.9 million. Ithas since been re-listed for $1. Ken Ranta, chief executive officer of the northwestern Ontario hub District Social Services Administration Board (TBDSSAB), confirmed the board did have a conversation about acquiring the building when it was listed at $18.9 million. "It was a pretty easy decision at that point," he indicated. "We wouldn't be able to jump into a pool that deep." the city, Ont., families seek accountability as tenants at seniors' building pressed to leave Tenants on edge over dozens of fire code violations, unpaid bills at Thunder Bay, Ont., seniors' building However, now that the price has been reduced, Ranta noted "it might actually be something that we would need more information on." "At a dollar, you go in and say, 'OK, so what repairs, what remediation does the building need? What is the long-term viability of of the success of that facility as new homes?'" "Haven't looked into that at all. But when somebody drops it from 18 million to a dollar, it kind of makes you ponder for a moment." Ranta confirmed he's visited the building, and the board has staff working with tenants there. "It's a lousy situation," he advised. "You've got people who are living in their homes, some of them for many, many, many years, 10 years plus, and you're faced with this situation of having to leave through no fault of their own." "My understanding is people have been paying rent and doing what they need to do. They're just not having the services delivered and bills paid. It's not something we wanted to see in this citizens." Thunder Bay, Ont., families seek accountability as tenants at seniors' building strongly advised to leave Ranta shared the board has been doing what it can to help tenants who have moved out. "The reality is we don't have an empty apartment building, or enough spaces that you could just take everybody in and move them in," he advised. "We actually have a long waiting list for a lot of our accommodation." But the board has been providing financial assistance to people who need rent support to move into an apartment on the private market. So far, he advised, the board has assisted about 25 former Vickers Manor residents. Vickers Manor also includes 12 assisted-living units for people with brain injuries or physical disabilities. Services for those tenants are provided by Brain Injury Services of Northern Ontario (BISNO). "They require two-on-one care for some aspects of their daily living requirement because they are in power chairs and their bodies just don't work anymore," stated Alice Bellavance, BISNO's chief executive officer. "They are either are quadriplegic related to a spinal cord injury, or the brain injury is significant enough that it totally impairs physical mobility. It may impair their speech and their ability to communicate." Bellavance confirmed seven residents of Vickers Manor that BISNO supports will move to St. Joseph's Care Group accommodations. "Isn't that a horrific situation?" she advised. "I mean, we got them out of there in 2014, now we have to send them back." "And then the other five, we've secured hotel accommodations, which is extremely expensive. So we are also looking at longer-term rental, however rental accommodation is scarce here in Thunder Bay." New partnership between federal government, Thunder Bay aims to simplify designs for new accommodation builds BISNO is looking to renovate the former Pinewood Court building on James Street South to create a new assisted living facility. The first phase of the campaign would create 20 units, with 30 additional spaces added in phase two. However, the organization must secure provincial investment to get the advancement off the ground. "Even if we get that tomorrow, construction can't start until January and we're looking at an 18-month build. So, we're basically looking at two years before we're going to have a suitable space," Bellavance shared. It is a priority for CBC to create products that are accessible to all in Canada including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges. Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered onCBC Gem..
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📍 Source: CBC News Thunder Bay · By: CBC News Staff · 🗓️ August 05, 2026 · 🏠 ThunderBay.Online
