No decision on whether to sell the parkades in Thunder Bay’s north and south downtowns.
City Council considered the question for just over an hour Monday night, but decided to revisit the question once they have more information on October 18th.
City administration will bring them details on the expenses and revenues associated with both the Waterfront and Victoriaville parkades.
Parking Authority Board Chair Chair Chris Krumpholz believes there are benefits to keeping the parking garages in the city’s hands instead of shutting down or selling to private owners.
“If you think of Canada Day, when it’s always been free for them to park there and go down to enjoy all the festivities,” he pointed out.
“Those are options we won’t have” if the city is no longer the owner, Krumpholz argued.
However, City Councillors indicated they don’t know enough yet to make that decision.
“I probably would have voted yes if we had some time,” Northwood Councillor Shelby Ch’ng said.
Current River Councillor Andrew Foulds called for a “comprehensive report” before he could be comfortable voting on the sale.
“I need to know what protections parking would [have], or if someone was to buy this, could they build something else there or use it for something else?”
The motion from at-large Councillor Aldo Ruberto asks them to direct city staff to begin the process of selling off the parkades, which continue to lose money each year. It says he doesn’t believe the city should continue to own and operate the structures.
In 2020, a memo from the city’s then-General Manager of Development Mark Smith said the parkades have a combined average deficit of $380,000 each year.
