Transforming Terrace Bay in turbulent times: How a northern community ventures toward revitalization

It's afoggy afternoon, in Terrace Bay, with the sun just barely peeking out over the clouds. Despite the unfavourable weather, the beauty of the town can't be missed with Lake Superior hovering just beyond the shore of the northernOntario community.

Through the front doors of the township municipal office, Mayor Jody Davis waitsbehind the front desk to welcome us with a smile and firm handshake.

Davis has been mayor of this town for four years, and has lived here for more than three decades. He's seen it struggle like many small northern towns to maintain its economy and population through turbulent times.

But Terrace Bay hasmade it this far, and has gone through somesignificant changesin recent years.

Davis is hopeful that a bright future is ahead, if the town can harness its potential, and focus on adaptation.

The mill that made the town

Terrace Bay, located about 220 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay, was once an economically stable town with a thriving pulp and paper mill owned by the Kimberly-Clark Corporation, and established in the 1940s.

"The community was nonexistent before then," said Davis.

The mill was the lifeline of the town.

"When I moved here in 1975, the community was probably about 1,200 to 1,400 people, [but] with the expansion that was completed around 1978 . [the mill] employed about 3,000 people."

"It was a good time for everybody and things were booming in town."

But the good times didn't last. Soon enough, thepulp and paper industry wasenteringa period ofuncertainty, Davis said. The mill went through several difficult periods as well as some changes in ownership.

"When the mill was down, people had to seek employment so there was a lot of outsourcing where people travelled to Western Canada, especially to take on jobs," Davis explained.

"It was a challenging time."

According to Davis,the mill operated on-and-off until 2012, when it was finally bought by a Fortune 500 company from India called Aditya Birla.

"Some people are not quite sure if the mill will stay running even though the latest I've heard from the mill is that they've made money in 2017," he said.

Now, the town hopes to keep striving towardadaptability and revitalization, with the focus on tourism and a place for seniors to retire,as a way to sustain itself without relying solely on the mill.

"Council at that time decided we needed to look at reinventing ourselves a little bit and taking more ownership because it was traditionally a company town," Davis said.

The town's pride and joy

The first place Davis wanted to show us was the sandy beach of Terrace Bay and the future site for an RV park.

"Right now [and] almost every night we have an average of five or six trailers and campers that come and park at the beach and stay here overnight," Davis said.

Driving down a winding road that opens up to a beautiful beach with spectacular views of Slate Island Provincial Park a group of islands in northern Lake Superior Davis explained to us how the current beach, virtually untouched by human infrastructure, will soon be home to a Parks Canada pavilion, boardwalk, and canoe and kayak rental.

Drive to the beach

6 years ago

Duration 0:33

This sandy beach in Terrace Bay will soon be home to a Parks Canada pavilion, boardwalk and canoe rental businesses. With infrastructure soon to be built, this beach will become a place for tourists to enjoy.

A revitalized township means more collaboration among various financial bodies. Thanks to the support of the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund, FedNor, Parks Canada and the town of Terrace Bay, Davis said he's excited about the $3.2 million project that will hopefully attract more tourists and boost the economy.

"The way we manage things, the township will be providing 10 per cent," said Davis. "[But] we have ownership after so we have to maintain it."

He added that he's also hoping to attract more people to the waterfront district by bringing electricity down to the beach to fuel more options for those who choose to park overnight.

"We're looking to entice private operators to run businesses, [and] they need some infrastructure for that so there it is a draw for people."

Leaving the beach, we approached the town's pride and joy the lighthouse. It mimics the design of the lighthouse on Slate Islands;in 2011, the town decided to re-create it with the hopes of captivating travellers.

The red and white structure, about 15 metres tall, stands tall in the heart of downtown Terrace Bay.

At the bottom of the stairs is a guest book, half full with signatures from visitors who have come through town, including people from Canada, the U.S. and Europe.

"I think it's around 10,000," Davis said of the number of travellers who have visited. "I don't know where it is, but there's a people counter here somewhere."

The town wants to be known as a tourist stop and they have the support of the community behind them.

"I don't know anybody that lives in the community that hasn't been to the top of it at least once," Davis said.

At the top of the lighthouse, Davis points to the city's municipal office which also serves as a multi-use space.

"That's our hockey arena, our curling club, our bowling alley and a lot of meeting rooms," he said, drawing attention to the services the town offers.

Those are critical as the town strives to attract not just tourists, but new residents.

Views from Terrace Bay Lighthouse

6 years ago

Duration 0:46

Views from Terrace Bay Lighthouse

A place to retire

The town's centre consists of alibrary and a new seniors centre which was once an old school that was bought by the town.

"This is the best seniors centre in all of northwestern Ontario," boasted Edna Arthur, the coordinator of the Superior Seniors Club. "We have so many activities for seniors to do."

"It's a small town and there aren't that many activities so they come here and spend time with their friends and make new friends."

"If we get one more person out of their house, that's our goal," she added.

If we get one more person out of their house, that's our goal.- Edna Arthur, Coordinator at Superior Seniors Club

Arthur and her husband gravitated to the northern community from southwestern Ontario six years ago,after seeing what the town had to offer.

"It seemed like Terrace Bay was a progressive place and very accepting," Arthur said.

Just off the main activity room through the community kitchen, a game of pickleball was underway in the centre's gymnasium.

"We don't have activities where people don't come," Arthur said. "If they stop coming to one activity, we'll replace it with something else."

Adapting to the growing diversity

With the purchase of the mill by Aditya Birla in 2012, new workers from India began to immigrate to town as they took on roles at the facility. These workers came on work visas with their families and began a new life.

In the 2016 census, out of the 1,611 people who lived in Terrace Bay, 70 people spoke a South Asian language. With the noticeable boost in the Indian population, businesses in the city had to adapt to the needs of the growing diversity.

Tony Commisso has been a key part of that transformation and adaptability.

Commisso is the owner of Costa's Food Market, the only major grocery store in Terrace Bay. A second-generation owner of the store, Commisso's family came to nearby Schreiber from Italy and opened that location in 1942 and their Terrace Bay shop in 1960.

He said the town was at its best when the mill was in operation, but times were tough when the mill slowed down. When the economy changed, the grocer sold less.

Now, he said, the town is ethnic "from another part of the world." As the new families moved in, Commisso brought in more diverse products to the grocery store to accommodate the demand of the families. After being invited for a home-cooked Indian meal, Commisso said he got a better understanding of which products to keep in stock.

From mustard oil and chickpea flour to drumsticks and paratha(a sort offlatbread), Costa's carries what the people want.

"It's tough to try to be everything for everyone," said Commisso, referring to meeting those needs in a smaller community. "We've tried to adapt."

The first brewery in town

Brian Doig is a man of many hats. Currently serving as an IT specialist in Terrace Bay, Doig is also the co-owner of a new craft brewery that's expected to open in a few months.

He said he stumbled on the idea while visiting a vacant property with his brother-in-law.

"We have about 5,000 square feet on the main floor with a loading dock and we were standing around one day in the main area and it kind of looked like a bar," Doig said.

The pair then started thinking of what a great idea it would be to start the town's first and only craft brewery, called Slate Island Brewery.

"This is one of the only industries where I know where all other craft brewers collaborate with one another as opposed to compete," Doig explained. "One of the tours that they are trying to do is a circle route of the craft breweries around Lake Superior."

"One of the test [brews] we are working on right now is a tequila stout, where we are soaking tequila in oak chips and adding it into a stout beer just for a variation," Doig said.

Doig used the skills of local artists and carpenters to design the new bar, which has an art gallery next door.He's hoping this will attract visitors to stay a little longer in Terrace Bay.

"Our bar is actually done up in the shape of a boat ... and we also have a scaled model of the lighthouse built into the bar," Doig explained.

Doig and his brother-in-law are currently in the licensing phase of the project and have taste-tested nine brews. They are hoping to open the bar in about four to six months.

"When tourists come through the community, what we are trying to do is catch them for that [so] when they stop we want them to stay for that extra few hours," Doigsaid.

"My thought is that if they are trying craft beer and they like our product, they might have to spend the night."

Terrace Bay's main attraction

To end our day, Davis brought us to the Aguasabon Gorge, a main attraction in Terrace Bay.

As we walked the flat boardwalk, we felt the cool mist as weinched closer tothe lookout. The final sight was beyond compare with the water gushing over the rocks with intense speed.

"We've worked very hard at promoting Terrace Bay as a unique place that has something different to offer," Davis said.

"We hope we can develop this so that people want to come here ... and stay for a few days."