Safety and security concerns grow around former Lakehead Psychiatric Hospital

Thunder Bay's fire department will meet with Infrastructure Ontario this week over concerns about safety at the provincially-owned former Lakehead Psychiatric Hospital building.

Thunder Bay Deputy Fire Chief Martin Hynna said so far this year, firefighters have been called to four fires and one nuisance call involving someone on the building's roof since the beginning of 2024.

The most-recent fire call came in the morning of August 14. Firefighters arrived to find smoke emanating from the front of the building.

Firefighters cut away security screening on a ground floor window and broke the glass, which allowed them to knock down the fire from outside.

"They did make entry from another door just to be able to search the building a little bit to make sure there wasn't anybody in there, and to check for fire extension," Hynna said.

The LPH building which is located on Algoma Street North, near Boulevard Lakehas been empty for several years. Since it's provincially-owned, the Ontario government is responsible for its security and maintenance.

"Our main concerns are, of course, if there should be people in there and there is a fire, that we get them out safely or keep them safe," Hynna said. "However, we don't know what's happened in that building, and our firefighters entering there in the dark without any lighting, possibly with smoke."

"We don't know what's changed in that building," he said. "We can't see ... what could be of a hazard to us."

"It's considered a vacant building. We don't want to put our firefighters in danger."

Hynna said the fire department is also talking to the security company the province has hired for the property about their concerns.

A Thunder Bay police spokesperson, meanwhile, told CBC News that officers have responded to 36 calls at the former LPH since the start of 2023 (20 in 2023, and 16 so far in 2024), all of which were mischief-related, including break-ins, and trespassing.

The former LPHis located in the riding of Thunder Bay-Superior North NDPMPP Lise Vaugeois, who said she'd like to see the property sold so it can be developed into something that could meet community needs.

"We could certainly use the housing, affordable housing," she said. "Then you would also want to see businesses start to open up out there to service homes."

"We live in a climate ... where people can't sleep outside during during the winter," Vaugeois said. "We need housing. We need safe affordable housing. In my view we need mixed housing that doesn't just ghettoize people who are low income, but has people living within communities with mixed range of incomes."

Infrastructure Ontario told CBC News on Friday via email that the former LPH property is not currently for sale, but the province has been undertaking due diligence "for the future disposition of the site and to review potential future uses for the site."

The email also stated that Infrastructure Ontario increased security at the site last week, to deter future incidents.

Property under review

The 143-acreproperty is currently listed as "under review" on Infrastructure Ontario's surplus properties website; the site states that means "the province is either in the process of conducting standard property due diligence in preparation for a direct or open market transaction in the future, or the property in this category is being reviewed."

"I think the fact that people are breaking in is an indication that we need the housing," Vaugeois said. "It'sthe safety risk that concerns me most if people are living in there."

"On the other hand, adding security is, it's kind of stepping around the fact that people don't have a place to live."

Vaugeois said she's considering pursuing the matter further when the Ontario legislature resumes in October.

"I think that is something that I can do," she said. "Isee that there's a property there that that could be used."

"I think I can table something about this."

Thunder Bay City Coun. Andrew Foulds, who represents the Current River Ward where the LPH building is located, said he often hears concerns from constituents about the property.

Foulds said he'd like to see the greenspace around the building be protected, "not because we necessarily need more parks in that area, but that forested area serves a huge environmental and stormwater drainage protection to that waterway."

"I do think that the property that the LPH is actually situated on, that large lawn, provides some very, very interesting opportunities for redevelopment."

A 'great opportunity'

"I don't want to limit myself in thinking of what opportunities there are, butI really thinkthat it's an amazing area for infill, both housing, commercial or maybe even something else," Foulds said. "It's already on existing services."

"I really think it's a great opportunity."

As for security, Foulds noted that the while the building is a provincial responsibility, "the city's role is to indicate to that property owner how much it's costing city taxpayers to deal with their issue, and I guess respectfully request that they increase their presence, increase their security measures."

"It's not only to protect that property, but potentially protect the individuals, and makesure that individuals don't get hurt," he said. "We've been responding a lot, which means it's costing us a lot of money, and so something clearly needs to be done."