THUNDER BAY – In its first meeting the city council’s growth standing committee gave Science North its blessing to move forward with acquiring waterfront property for an $80 million new facility.
Coun. Trevor Giertuga (chair), Rajni Agarwal, Kasey Etreni, and Dominic Pasqualino were in attendance. Mayor Ken Boshcoff was absent.
City staff put forward a recommendation that the committee support the planned development of the new Science North building on Sleeping Giant Parkway.
Science North’s chief executive officer, Ashley Larose, and director of operations, Mitch Seguin, made a case that with the committee’s endorsement of the site, the organization can move forward with the next steps in the development process, which includes asking for further funding from all levels of government.
“We would like some site confirmation, as a letter of intent from the city. And once we have that, we’ll progress through our detailed design. And then of course, before any shovels are in the ground, we have some other major gates or approvals required, which include major capital funding. So this project will require all three levels of government financial support to really happen,” Seguin said.
Kerri Marshall, commissioner of growth, said the “letter of intent, lease arrangements and any future financial considerations will return to council at later stages.”
Once approvals are in place, construction of the Science North building is slated for 2027 with a grand opening expected in 2029, Seguin said.
Last spring, the federal government gave Science North $20 million towards the planned facility. Seguin said the total estimated cost of the project is $80 million.
He also said the Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission has promised its support for the project, but that is dependent on a letter of intent from the city, which has yet to be approved by council.
As the site in question is a brown field, Pasqualino asked city staff if Science North would be responsible for any environmental cleanup.
“As part of this project, Science North would be responsible to investigate the lands and determine their suitability. And that is part of the process and work that would occur after tonight, once this site is identified as a potential site for this purpose,” said Joel Depeuter, director of development services.
Agarwal inquired about parking, pointing out that on-site parking is not included in the design schematic.
Seguin said, “we know that what’s shown on that property right now does not include parking, and so parking would be required in close proximity to the site, and those discussions are still being had with the city right now.
Depeuter said that the Pool 6 master plan supports additional parking, and the city is currently having internal discussions with the engineering department and transit to include parking near the waterfront facilities.
“The facility at the site would be carried forward in the visioning exercise for Pool 6, which is also an opportunity to review the provision of parking and how parking can be provided efficiently,” Depeuter said.
The committee unanimously endorsed the city’s recommendation, escalating any necessary bylaws to be presented to city council for approval.
