{"id":1002,"date":"2026-06-16T16:17:39","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T20:17:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tbaygreenspacepreservation.ca\/?p=1002"},"modified":"2026-06-16T16:17:39","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T20:17:39","slug":"the-citys-hypocrisy-in-planning-and-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tbaygreenspacepreservation.ca\/?p=1002","title":{"rendered":"The City’s Hypocrisy in Planning and Development"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Where, when, and how the City applies the principles of good urban planning favours some developments over others. in many cases, like the developments being proposed in older neighbourhoods, those principles are completely ignored. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A recent TBNewswatch article entitled \u201cCity proposes more than just housing for Central Avenue lands<\/a>\u201d, includes comments from City employees extolling the virtues of the proposed development for the Central Avenue lands. The development will use the \u201cgold standard\u201d of utilizing different modes of transportation so it\u2019s not solely car dependent. These different modes of transportation, cycling, walking, and public transit, will be \u201cintegrated into the community in a much more – both ecologically and in a sustainable manner\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We applaud this type of good urban planning but question the hypocrisy in its selected application. Why is this type of urban planning good for the Central Avenue lands, but not for the massive 400 unit apartment complex, housing upwards of 800 people or more, that is being proposed for 791 Arundel St?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We remind our readers that 791 Arundel is in the Shuniah neighbourhood of Current River and is a car dependent neighbourhood lacking even the basics such as continuous and connected sidewalks. There are no sidewalks along Hudson Ave and much of Arundel St itself, until Black Bay Rd., approximately 2kms east of the proposed development. At that point you\u2019ll need to jaywalk to get to the other side of the street where a sidewalk actually does exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not just Hudson Ave and Arundel St either as the entire Shuniah neighbourhood lacks continuous and connected sidewalks. If you\u2019re out for a stroll, be prepared to walk part of it on the road. That holds true for the mail carrier, the kids getting off the school bus, parents out pushing a stroller, transit users, the elderly or the mobility impaired, and anyone else attempting to navigate the neighbourhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cycling is an alternative mode of transportation for many residents whether by choice or need.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the City does not maintain its cycling infrastructure in the winter months so cycling is not a viable year-round transportation option. Outside the winter months, cycling is common along the Active Living Corridor. However, this infrastructure is grade-level with nothing but temporary flimsy blue bollards requiring users to share the road with vehicles travelling at 50km\/hr or more. The issue of speeding vehicles on Hudson and Arundel is well known. This past September, a speeding truck \u201csmashed through a bus shelter, snapped two hydro poles and damaged seven other vehicles in an early morning crash\u201d<\/a>. TBNewswatch called it “carnage on Hudson”. Nine months later, that bus shelter at Hudson and Toledo has yet to be replaced.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What about transit? Surely the City\u2019s proposal for one of the largest apartment complexes in the history of Thunder Bay would be built in a neighbourhood with great transit access, right? Think again. Thunder Bay\u2019s transit system is one of the worst public transit systems in the province. It\u2019s been the subject of several national news stories. Buses are often delayed or just don\u2019t show up, leaving transit users stranded. This isn\u2019t a recent problem, our City Council is well aware of the issues since it\u2019s been ongoing for years. No real effort has been made to try to resolve the issues other than transit management requesting service be reduced even further. Adding insult to injury, transit management has recently increased transit fares despite the poor service. So, the proposed development on Arundel will be serviced by one bus, the Hudson #7, running every 30 – 45 minutes at the Hudson\/Toledo bus stop with no bus shelter. By the way, the Hudson #7 doesn\u2019t run east of Toledo St, so if residents want to access the few businesses that are available at Hodder and Arundel, they need to be prepared for a long ride and a bus transfer.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The proposed development on Arundel isn\u2019t in a walkable, bikeable, or a transit-friendly neighbourhood. Where was the support for \u201cdifferent modes of transportation\u201d for this proposed development? Why is it appropriate for the Arundel proposal to be a car-dependent development which will negatively impact the entire neighbourhood \u201cecologically\u201d, and not be \u201csustainable\u201d? Why doesn\u2019t it qualify for the \u201cgold-standard\u201d? Are Current River residents, both current and future, less worthy of good urban planning?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In another example of good urban planning principles applied for some developments, but not others, City Administration officials go on to discuss how they also want to see mixed use development. Mixed-use means apartment buildings with commercial storefronts on the bottom floor, and apartments above. A City official stated \u201cPart of why we feel that’s a great idea is like the lights are on after five o’clock. There’s eyes on the street after five o’clock.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Again, we applaud this type of good urban planning, but why aren\u2019t our downtown cores worthy of this type of development? There are a number of city-owned lots in the south core that would be perfect for mixed-use development. Why isn\u2019t the City pushing to have mixed-use developments built in our downtown cores where there would be \u201ceyes on the street\u201d, not only after five o\u2019clock, but 24\/7? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given the level of dysfunction, violence, shoplifting, public intoxication, drug use, and panhandling going on in our downtown cores, surely this would be one way of revitalizing these areas. Why aren\u2019t our businesses in these areas worthy of the same good urban planning? Isn\u2019t developing our downtown cores with a residential component, key tenets of the City\u2019s Official Plan, and the Smart Growth Plan? Why is good urban planning in the form of mixed-use development being considered for the Central Avenue lands, which won\u2019t be developed for several years, while our downtown cores further deteriorate from the lack of good urban planning?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good urban planning must be utilized in ALL areas of the city, not just in future developments. Yes, it\u2019s harder to apply those same urban planning principles in established areas than to design them into a brand new, shiny community, but that doesn\u2019t mean we shouldn\u2019t try. Favouring one area of the City over another only leads to residents moving to those areas with better urban planning, hollowing out existing neighbourhoods and furthering their decline. We have seen this type of decline along Simpson St, much of the neighbourhood surrounding the downtown core in the south, and in many other areas of our city. Shouldn\u2019t the City be focusing on revitalizing those areas first, before they consider destroying our greenspaces and parks to develop even more areas that lack the principles of good urban planning?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order to attract new residents to our city and keep the ones we already have, we need ALL neighbourhoods to have quality infrastructure like connected and continuous sidewalks, quality public transit, cycling and walking trails, and most importantly, neighbourhoods that we can feel safe and secure in every day, whatever the hour. We need all new developments, including the revitalization currently underway in our downtown cores, to incorporate the same type of good urban planning principles being proposed for the Central Avenue lands. Doing otherwise shouldn\u2019t be an option.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Where, when, and how the City applies the principles of good urban planning favours some developments over others. in many 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