Thunder Bay residents looking to understand how the city plans to boost housing supply can attend a public meeting of the Mayor’s Taskforce on Building More Homes Advisory Committee on Wednesday, June 17, 2026. The meeting runs from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. at City Hall, 500 Donald St. E., and is open to anyone wanting to hear directly about strategies to create more places to live.
The taskforce was put together after Thunder Bay secured up to $20.7 million in federal Housing Accelerator Fund money in February 2024. Its job is to guide housing projects and recommend ways to speed up development. The committee brings together investors, community housing partners, and subject experts, and it meets as the city works toward an overall goal of 2,200 new homes by 2031.
Mayor Ken Boshcoff, who will not seek re-election this fall after nearly 50 years in local politics, chairs the taskforce. Under his watch, the city has seen movement on several fronts. In April, council approved selling three city-owned properties on Fanshaw Street, Tokio Street, and Arundel Street to Terralux General Contractors and Development Limited for over $5.2 million. Those projects could deliver up to 950 new units over the next four years.
The push comes as Thunder Bay receives its third year of federal housing money: $5.88 million arrived in April 2026 after the city met 86 percent of its combined first- and second-year housing supply targets. Still, the city has an ambitious goal of adding 880 more net-new units by the end of February 2027, and affordable housing lags badly. As of February 2026, only 135 of a targeted 362 affordable units had been permitted, or 37 percent, according to a recent city report. That shortfall is driving work on a new Housing Affordability Action Plan.
Housing costs remain top of mind. Thunder Bay’s median home price sat around $430,000 as of May 2026. Rents continue to rise, though at a slower pace than in previous years, and the rental vacancy rate is just three percent. Anyone wanting to follow the taskforce’s next steps can attend the June 17 meeting at City Hall.
