THUNDER BAY – Drinks, snacks and diapers were set up on the tables.
More than a dozen people, some wearing Canadian Red Cross vests, sat in chairs, busy with their laptops or chatting with each other near the wall.
Two employees from Loomex Group, the company assisting with the wildfire evacuation in northern Ontario, waited at a table on the opposite side of the vast hall’s entrance.
Everyone and everything at Fort William Gardens arena in Thunder Bay, Ont., was prepared to welcome those escaping the wildfires affecting several communities.
But as of Monday evening, no one had signed up to stay at the arena that has been converted into an emergency shelter. Over 150 green cots were spread out across the venue’s large floor – none of them used.
Daina Proctor, executive vice-president for Loomex Group, mentioned Tuesday afternoon that the spaces remained empty.
“I’m not aware of it changing … I am aware that the need continues to be a possibility,” she said during a phone interview. “So for as long as there may be somebody that needs to come and lay their head down, it is there.”
Premier Doug Ford visited the arena Saturday while in Thunder Bay and stated that this provincially led center would offer accommodation, food, and medical services to those displaced by wildfires.
The center opened late last week before the premier’s visit, Proctor explained.
While evacuees have stopped by to ask about available services and support at the site, they haven’t chosen to stay there yet, she noted.
“We can appreciate that maybe not all family members want to stay there for the prolonged aspect of this situation and this evacuation,” she said. “Some are asking for places with bedrooms or more private space.”
The arena doesn’t need to be full for it to serve its purpose, she added.
“The province makes a determination to be ready and that’s exactly what the site is for … to be ready should it be needed,” she said.
“I’m proud of the team for holding the site together and making sure it’s serving the community. In some ways, I’m quite happy that communities haven’t had to mass evacuate.”
Proctor mentioned Loomex is also managing sites in Kapuskasing and Timmins as part of its wildfire response efforts.
Over a dozen areas, mostly First Nation communities, are under mandatory evacuation orders as fires continue burning through thousands of kilometers of dense forests in northern Ontario. Thick smoke has covered much of the province and beyond.
Officials report more than 1,800 individuals have fled their homes due to wildfires.
Thunder Bay serves as the closest urban center near significant fires in northwestern Ontario and is currently hosting around 500 people who are staying in hotels and motels across this city of roughly 130,000 residents.
Evacuees are also passing through Thunder Bay International Airport on their way to Toronto and Niagara Falls.
The arena belongs to City of Thunder Bay.
“To support ongoing response efforts, the city has provided Fort William Gardens to prepare as an evacuation hub for evacuees arriving from airport should additional capacity be required,” stated a city announcement on Monday.
The statement added: “The site has been fully set up and is ready to receive evacuees if need arises.”
Loomex is also operating two more reception centers in Thunder Bay aimed at helping those fleeing from fires according to officials’ remarks.
This report by The Canadian Press was first July 21, 2026. Sharif Hassan , The Canadian Press
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This report by The Canadian Press was first July 21, 2026. Sharif Hassan , The Canadian Press
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