Neebing arena, Fort William bus service spared the axe in Thunder Bay budget cuts

Two key items facing budget cuts in Thunder Bay, Ont. appear safe, for now.

City officials have decided to keep the Neebing Memorial Arena open at least until the end of next year, and to keep the bus service running between Thunder Bay and Fort William First Nation.

Both items were at the heart of proposed budget cuts that came about during the 2023 budget process, which saw residents slamming city staff over a proposed 5.6 per cent tax levy after growth.

Councillors brought the number down to 4.4 per cent, in part by instructing staff to find $2.2 million in staffing and service cuts.

Last month, city councillors saw what that cut would look like, voting 9-1 on 22 proposed cuts including reducing city staff, eliminating transit service on Christmas Day and New Year's Day, closing the Beck Street EMS station, and ending the Citizens of Achievement event, fireworks, and movie nights in the park.

But they deferred their decisions on the Neebing ice rink and the bus service to Fort William and directed city staff to consult with stakeholders and other community groups.

The bus service is especially important since for some riders, it's their only safe way of travelling between both communities, something the city's manager of community services acknowledged.

"They have limited safe routes of pedestrian pathways to get into the city, limited alternative transit options, and the transit options that do exist, like taking a cab or possibly making use of our ride service, are quite expensive," Kelly Robertson said.

Slashing the bus service to Fort William would have saved more than $290,000 per year, but city staff are not contemplating further transit cuts, Robertson said.

Meanwhile, the Neebing arena is already booking ice time for the upcoming hockey season, so it will stay open until at least next year.

City staff are currently consulting with user groups to determine other ways to cut costs that would avoid shutting the arena down, such as raising ice fees and reducing staffing during off-peak hours, Robertson said.

Closing the arena would save the city $180,000 per year.