Council members mentioned discussions with the province about the way forward for the Lakehead Psychiatric Hospital have been a precedence on the 2025 Rural Ontario Municipal Affiliation convention.
THUNDER BAY — Metropolis officers wish to see the previous Lakehead Psychiatric Hospital property put to make use of.
They’re asking the province to demolish the constructing and switch the land to the municipality to be able to develop multi-unit dwellings like townhouses and residences there, mentioned coun. Kristen Oliver, chair of the inter-governmental affairs committee.
The province has “substantial interest in that property,” mentioned Oliver.
Oliver was joined by Mayor Ken Boshcoff, and coun. Kasey Etreni in assembly with the ministers of infrastructure and of municipal affairs and housing on the 2025 Rural Ontario Municipal Affiliation (ROMA) Convention in Toronto to debate their plans for the Lakehead Psychiatric Hospital (LPH) property.
“I have to say that from almost the day after election day, numerous groups and organizations have come forward with fairly advanced site plans and proposals for that property. Our issue would never be finding someone who is interested in or who doesn’t have the capacity,” mentioned Boshcoff.
“All of them have the capability to do that, so it is a matter of the province permitting us to get into a spot the place we are able to decide and acknowledge a young winner.”
To maneuver ahead with any growth on the property the province must switch the land to the municipality.
Oliver mentioned that the province is specializing in tackling the housing disaster with their development plans and is recognizing municipalities, like Thunder Bay, which can be assembly housing targets.
Thunder Bay noticed 256 new housing begins final 12 months, exceeding the provincial goal of 187. For 2025, town set a purpose of 350.
Oliver mentioned town’s proposals for the property appeared to be properly obtained by the ministers.
As for the LPH constructing itself, Oliver mentioned that council is requesting the historic constructing be demolished earlier than being transferred to town.
“The amount of capital dollars that would have to be sunk into that building are so substantial that it almost doesn’t seem like the best value or the best use of (tax) dollars,” mentioned Oliver.
“It’s the province’s building, so it would be the province’s move on what they’re doing with that. It wouldn’t be costing the city any money to demolish that building,” she added.
In 2018, St. Joseph’s Care Group closed its transitional care unit on the LPH.The 144-acre property and 500,000-square-foot constructing was then listed as surplus beneath a plan to speed up the offloading of unused actual property by the province.
