Thunder Bay Art Gallery Waterfront Relocation Project

The Thunder Bay Art Gallery in partnership with the City of Thunder Bay will conduct a Phase II Environmental Site Assessment and Risk Assessment (RA) for the purpose of developing a Certificate of Property Use and obtaining a Record of Site Condition (RSC) for a 2.07 hectare former industrial waterfront property. The site is one of the most industrialized locations in the history of Thunder Bay and the proposed location for the new Thunder Bay Art Gallery. A Phase I ESA completed for the property identified 11 Areas of Potential Environmental Concern due to historic infrastructure and activities which include rail maintenance garages, fuel storage facilities, metal fabrication, wood treatment and coal storage. As a result, expected contaminants may include petroleum hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls and metals. The Thunder Bay Art Gallery expects delineation of contaminants in the soil and groundwater will lead to the completion of a Risk Assessment where site-specific standards can be developed to protect human and ecological health while allowing for the transition to park land-use designation. It is also expected that risk management measures will lead to a reduction in soil going to landfill and the resulting transportation associated GHG emissions. Additional environmental benefits can be found in the proposed design of the new gallery which will be built to the equivalent of LEED Silver level certification and incorporate high energy efficiency and waste management practices. Remediation and redevelopment of this property is identified as a goal in both the City of Thunder Bay Waterfront Master Plan and Official Plan. The Gallery is expected to be part of the first phase of transforming the waterfront into a cultural and recreational hub. Several economic and social benefits are expected either directly or indirectly as a result of the Art Gallery Relocation, from increased municipal revenue streams to improved access to recreational activities. Extensive public consultation has been conducted as a part of the Waterfront Master Plan and Art Gallery design development. The following stakeholders have already been involved in the initiative: the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MOECC), local Indigenous communities and the Lakehead Conservation Authority. This initiative could provide knowledge value for the multitude of communities nationwide that also have post-industrial waterfront properties. Specifically, this initiative may be replicable regionally as RSCs are rarely performed in Northwestern Ontario. (Project description from original funding application)