North Bay review recommends city sell downtown parking garage
An organizational review of the City of North Bay recommends the city consider selling its downtown parking garage on McIntyre Street.
Parking garage on McIntyre Street in North Bay. May 2, 2024 (Eric Taschner/CTV Northern Ontario)
The recommendation comes from the accounting firm KPMG, which audited the city’s services.
An independent, third-party review of the city and its services was requested by council in December 2022. KPMG was awarded the contract in summer 2023.
“There's always ways that we can improve and make things better, and this really gives us that chance to map out an implementation plan,” said Deputy Mayor Maggie Horsfield.
As part of its recommendation that the city clarify its community safety and well-being plan, the consultant suggests the city consider divesting the garage.
Its organizational review found the downtown parking garage, which is owned and operated by the city, has faced security challenges related to homelessness in the area.
“City staff have been trying to implement some different ways of addressing the challenges that we face at the parking garage over the past number of years,” Horsfield said.
KPMG acknowledged there have been improvements to security which are under review.
- Download the CTV News app now
- Get local breaking news alerts
- Daily newsletter with the top local stories emailed to your inbox
“The city should perform a cost-benefit analysis to determine the long-term plan for this parking garage, as well,” KPMG senior manager Sana Malik said during Tuesday’s special committee meeting.
Horsfield said council plans to look into the option further.
“A number of individuals use it for businesses and those who live in the downtown,” she said.
“Having that strategy in that report will provide more context and that research that's going to be done into whether or not parking can be moved somewhere else. Is there a great need in that area?”
The report said that understanding the future state of the parking garage will be essential in building the city’s facilities and parking department’s strategy and business plan.
“The city has already, in the 2024 budget, allocated funds to go towards the downtown parking strategy,” Horsfield said.
“Within that downtown parking strategy, we're updating our plans of parking requirements within the downtown.”
The review finds the city has historically reviewed its parking master plan every five years but the most recent update was in 2011.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
LIVE SOON Following Trump's conviction in hush money case, he is set to hold news conference
A day after a New York jury delivered a historic guilty verdict in Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee will likely look to cast the conviction and his campaign in a new light.
'Unprecedented': Human smuggling from B.C. to U.S. soars, using train, Uber and foot
American prosecutors and law enforcement officers say they're dealing with a huge increase in human smuggling from British Columbia.
Actor Nick Pasqual charged with attempted murder after allegedly stabbing estranged girlfriend
An actor who has appeared in film and TV projects like 'Rebel Moon' and 'How I Met Your Mother' has been arrested and charged with stabbing his estranged girlfriend multiple times.
opinion Six ways to put your saving on autopilot and pay yourself first
In his latest personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew explains how automating your savings and paying yourself has never been easier, thanks to the digital banking tools and apps that are out there.
The northern lights are returning to night skies across Canada this Friday
If you missed the brilliant displays of the aurora borealis over North America on May 10, you may have another chance to see them on Friday night.
A pair enjoyed pricey meals and bolted when it was time to pay. Their dine and dash ended in jail
A Welsh couple who dined out on pricey meals and bolted when the bill came is now paying the price, behind bars.
ANALYSIS Will Donald Trump go to prison? What the precedent says
Now that the jury in Donald Trump's criminal trial has made the historic decision to convict him, the judge overseeing the case will soon face a monumental choice: whether to sentence the 2024 Republican presidential candidate to time behind bars.
Reactions pour in to Donald Trump's first-ever felony conviction for a former U.S. president
After hours of deliberations, a jury of Donald Trump's New York City peers convicted him on 34 counts, making him the first the former U.S. president in history with a felony conviction.
Montreal tech billionaire charged with several sex offences
Robert Miller was charged Thursday with several sexual assault charges after Montreal police reopened an investigation into the tech billionaire.