Thunder Bay - The 2023 Canadian City Parks Report

We’ve switched to biennial data gathering for the city profiles — The data available here was collected in early 2022 and originally published in last year’s Canadian City Parks Report.

City Profile

Thunder Bay

2022

Ontario

Population: 108,843

Thunder Bay has the highest percentage of parkland that is natural area at 85%.
Thunder Bay has the third most hectares of parkland relative to population with 19 hectares per thousand people.
Thunder Bay is one of 57% of cities that has a seniors strategy that includes parks.

A baseball diamond at Chapples Park was recently converted into Thunder Bay’s first official cricket pitch, meeting demand from local cricketers and making the city more welcoming to a growing population of international students.
A 250-metre skating trail opened at Vickers Park to diversify the activities open to local residents this past winter. The skating trail was a pilot to test the types of ice conditions the city would be able to maintain, with the hopes that the trail will return in future winter seasons.
The newly opened Northwood Splash Pad includes a Water is Life theme based on Anishnawbe teachings and features Indigenous storytelling elements, informed by consultation with local First Nations communities.

ha of parks & green space / 1000 people

Total parks and green space

Total hectares of parkland and green space that is publicly accessible and owned, leased, or under a management agreement by the municipality. This number should capture all parks and green spaces that are perceived/used by residents similarly to parkland.

Specifically, it should include:

Actively managed parkland
Natural parkland/areas
Other municipally owned, managed, or leased open spaces that are used as public green space

Excludes:

Golf courses
School yards, if owned/maintained by the municipality
Active (open) cemeteries
Sports stadia
Parking lots
Institutional and other publicly owned green space
Other parks/green spaces that are not owned, managed or leased by the municipality (e.g. privately owned public spaces)

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2,070 ha total

85%

of parkland is natural area

Natural parkland

A natural area is a green space which receives a relatively low level of maintenance and supports natural or naturalizing vegetation. Natural areas may be publicly accessible (e.g. via trail networks) or areas with limited/little public access.

Natural areas may include:

trails or walkways
washrooms
environmentally sensitive/protected areas
stormwater ponds/water bodies located within natural areas

Excludes:

parking lots
actively managed parkland

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1,769 ha total

15%

of parkland is actively managed

Actively managed parkland

Total hectares of parkland that is actively maintained by the municipality for community use. These parks often contain built and natural amenities such as: park furniture, planted trees/beds, sports fields, playgrounds, and mown grass.

Includes:

plazas and “grey” spaces used for public recreation, when maintained by the parks department
small ponds/water bodies located within actively managed park spaces

Excludes:

natural areas
hazard lands
school yards
active (open) cemeteries
golf courses
sports stadia
parking lots

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301 ha total

of total city land is parkland

32,824 ha of total city area

Dog parks

Off-leash dog areas

Includes both standalone dog parks and off-leash dog areas within parks.

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Community gardens/urban farms

Community gardens/urban farms are food-growing gardens available for the public to use that may require membership. This includes community orchards.

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Playgrounds

Public washrooms

Total number of permanent public washrooms in parks that are open year-round or seasonally. Excludes portable toilets.

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0 winterized public washrooms

$66

Parks operating expenditures / person

Operating expenditures (actuals)

Direct operating expenditures (not including revenues) for 2021 for maintaining parks and natural areas. This number will be used with your current year population to understand operating budget spent per person.

Includes:

planting and maintenance of trees in park/natural areas
graffiti & vandalism repair
management, administration & operational staff salaries
consultant/contractor costs
parks horticultural plantings
maintenance of closed cemeteries if carried out from the parks operating budget
parks litter pickup & waste disposal
inspection and maintenance of splash pads, playgrounds & outdoor fitness equipment
maintenance & replacement of park furniture
public toilets where maintained from parks budget
sports field maintenance
snow clearing and ice control for parks & natural areas
any other parks/green space maintenance costs except cemetery costs where the cemetery is "active"

Excludes: golf courses, swimming pools, indoor recreation facilities/halls, forestry, and zoos.

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Parks operating expenditures / person

$4,980,400

Parks capital expenditures

Capital expenditures (actuals)

Capital expenditure for all capital items related to land improvement works completed during the 2021 financial year.

It includes:

Both new and renewal work
Capital items carried forward from previous years
Salaries and wages for all staff involved in the design, planning and delivery of capital projects.

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$68,253

Total philanthropy/sponsorships

Total amount donated to the city through philanthropic sources or corporate sponsorship in 2021 to fund park-based projects.

Excludes: