Thunder Bay's Roots to Harvest group will dig into new location in spring

Roots to Harvest is branching out to the south side of Thunder Bay.

The urban agriculture group in the northwestern Ontario city had to abandon its former site at Algoma Street and Cornwall Avenue in 2016 when the property was slated for development.

• Roots to Harvest seeks new location as development planned for Algoma St. site

But in May 2017, the organization will start planting and growing in the green space beside LakeheadAdult Education Centre on Lillie Street, said Erin Beagle, the group's executive director.

"We're pumped," she said of the new location, which offers easy access to washrooms, water and classroom space.

"All the backyards back onto this spot and it's such a lovely way to interact with the community there," she said.

It also has the advantage of size.

"We're excited that it's a lot bigger than our other site and that means summer students can really dig into meaningful work and there's always good and productive jobs to be done when you have a larger site," she said.

It also further strengthens the partnership the organization has been building with Lakehead Public Schools, through initiatives such as its high school co-op program, which helps teenagers earn money and an academic credit and is funded by the Ontario government.

The group is planning to release more details about the new space at its annual general meeting in February, and then break ground in May, when they'll also start working the plot at Volunteer Pool on the city's north side.

"It expands our reach, and our services in the city, so now we're on both sides of town, and that's really wonderful for us, and wonderful for our employees and the participants who engage with us," Beagle said.