Latest news with #Hillyard
CBC
a day ago
- Business
- CBC
Assessments of new Thunder Bay temporary shelter village site underway
The City of Thunder Bay is moving ahead with site assessments at the new location for its temporary shelter village, with hopes of starting construction there next month. Thunder Bay City Council chose the Hillyard site — located at the end of Alloy Place — at its meeting last week. "A number of assessments are currently underway," said Cynthia Olsen, the city's director of strategy and engagement. " "They include archaeological assessment, environmental impact studies, environmental site assessment, flood assessment, and we'll also be conducting an on site safety assessment like we've done with other locations with community partners," Olsen said. "Once we get through those phases, we'll be able to review the findings, discuss any mitigation measures that might be required, and then move into design." The village, when complete, will include 80 sleeping cabins for use by the city's unhoused population, as well as on-site support services to help them transition to permanent housing. Olsen said the city has issued requests for proposal for the design and construction of the village, and its operation. "The design-build RFP was extended to August 1 really to give the proponents time to reassess what they were submitting based on the new site location," she said. "The operator RFP is still in process, and we're in a blackout. So I can't say anything further than that." City council has considered many potential sites for the village over the last year. In the case of Hillyard, it was brought forward last Monday by Coun. Mark Bentz, after council declined to ratify its earlier approval of a location on Miles Street East. The city has budgeted about $5 million for the construction of the village, and $1.5 million annually for operations. However, if they meet certain construction and occupancy timelines, they'll be eligible for $2.8 million in provincial funding. Olsen said the city hopes to see construction start in August. And, she said, there's a possibility that the village may be able to recoup some costs through rent charged to some of its residents, depending on their financial situations. "We will anticipate that some individuals will be in receipt of Ontario Works, Ontario Disability Support Program, potentially even Old Age Security, and be able to contribute their shelter portion towards the rental cost," she said. "But that will not be a requirement to be admitted." "It wouldn't be just like a regular landlord," Olsen said. "This is a program that would meet the exemption criteria under the Residential Tenancy Act." "It would provide services like life skills, employment, or health services. And by doing so, by providing those components of a program, you would be exempt under the Residential Tenancy Act." Lower ranking The Hillyard site scored 73 per cent on the city's ranked site analysis. The rankings list a number of strengths for the Hillyard site: it's municipally-owned, large enough to fit the needed number of units, and accessible by emergency services. In addition, the use of the site doesn't interfere with any city growth goals, and there are currently no active municipal uses of the site. However, there are some challenges with the site, as well, including its distance from transit and external supportive services, its "very low" readiness for construction (the site is currently a treed lot), as well as its distance from established encampments. Also the site is considered high risk in terms of safety due to high traffic, proximity to "sensitive use areas," industrial businesses, and a rail corridor. "Certainly we are aware that nearby businesses have concerns and we are very open to engaging," Olsen said. "We are actually working towards doing a specific session for the nearby businesses, with date, time, and location all to be determined." "But we are working with the support of the Chamber of Commerce who has been connected with those businesses." Olsen said the city will also be establishing a neighbourhood liaison committee. "This will allow the opportunity for two way communication between the local businesses, residents, the city and the operator, and it gives us a point of contact," she said. The Miles Street East site, meanwhile, scored 87 per cent in the city's ranked site analysis (it was the highest-scoring site), with the city citing its proximity to support services and encampments, safety, space, and accessibility by emergency services as strengths. "I definitely support the project in general, the idea of it, as long as it's temporary and it leads to permanent housing," said Brendan Carlin, executive director of Shelter House, which is located near to the Miles Street East site. Concerns over distance Carlin said Miles Street East was his preferred location for the village. "I feel like (Hillyard) was chosen quite suddenly and because of the funding constraints, there wasn't a real good debate around it," Carlin said. "My personal concerns about it would be distance." "We are a soup kitchen, so we feed people here, a lot of the people that are going to be in this village," he said. "We're a long way from there. And the other large soup kitchen is on the other side of town, Dew Drop Inn, and it's about the same distance away from them as well."
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Vaughn Hillyard To Join MSNBC As Network Taps Additional Correspondents In Advance Of Split From Comcast
Vaughn Hillyard will join MSNBC as senior White House correspondent, as the network has hired a group of journalists for its team in advance of its split from Comcast and sister network NBC News. Hillyard has been an NBC News White House correspondent but has contributed to MSNBC. More from Deadline Senate Strikes AI Moratorium From Donald Trump's "Big, Beautiful Bill" Donald Trump Talks Of Deporting Elon Musk And Unleashing DOGE On Him: "We'll Have To Take A Look" Senator Backs Away From Compromise Over AI Moratorium In Trump's "Big, Beautiful Bill" - Update Also joining MSNBC will be Laura Barrón-López as White House correspondent, David Noriega as MSNBC correspondent, and Marc Santia as an investigative correspondent. The split, expected to be completed later this year, has left questions of who will go where. Figures like Andrea Mitchell and José Díaz-Balart are staying with NBC News, while figures like Ken Dilanian and Antonia Hylton are landing at MSNBC. MSNBC will be part of Versant, the newly branded entity of cable networks and other media properties formerly owned by Comcast. With NBC News no longer a sister network, MSNBC is building up its own news division. Hillyard has covered three presidential elections for the network, and landed interviews with figures like Steve Bannon, just before he served a four-month prison sentence. Hillyard also interviewed Vice President Mike Pence in 2018 following the Pittsburgh Tree of Life Synagogue shooting, among other high profile assignments. Barrón-López was White House correspondent for PBS NewsHour and a CNN political analyst. She also covered the Biden administration for Politico, and was part of the PBS team that won a Peabody for coverage of the Israel-Hamas war. Noriega will be based in Los Angeles. He was a national correspondent for NBC News and reported across the country and international on issues including migration. He received an Edward R. Murrow Award for his reporting from Mexico. Santia was a reporter on criminal justice, security issues and investigations for NBC4 in New York since 2012. He's covered national stories, including mass shootings and natural disasters, and won a regional Murrow award for a story on a former United Airlines flight attendant who honored friends and coworkers lost in the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. Best of Deadline 'Poker Face' Season 2 Guest Stars: From Katie Holmes To Simon Hellberg Everything We Know About 'The Devil Wears Prada 2' 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Yahoo
New flight simulator for unveiled students
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Hillyard students with a goal of learning to fly won't have to dream anymore. Hillyard Technical Center is partnering with the FlyTech Pilot Academy to give students realistic flight experiences with a full-motion flight simulator. While the simulator may be a fun hobby or club for many students, it's also meant to provide opportunities for those interested in exploring an aviation career. Any time spent in the simulator can be counted as flight hours required for obtaining a pilot's license. The idea of bringing a flight simulator began in November, when representatives from both FlyTech and Hillyard's administration attended the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Foundation High School Aviation STEM Symposium in Atlanta. The symposium aimed to give educators the tools and resources to assist students with a passion for aviation while also creating networking opportunities with professionals in the industry. The flight simulator will be operational Wednesday afternoon. Check back for more on this story.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hillyard Technical Center hosts district competition
186 students from seven different trade schools competed in a skills competition at Hillyard Technical School on Monday. The school hosted the Northwest District Skills USA competition, where students can compete and showcase different skills they've learned during their time in trade school. Students competed in areas such as: carpentry, advertising and design, nurse assisting, welding and welding fabrication, collision repair and refinish, IT, automotive, basic CPR and more. 'This is good for students to come in and to showcase what they've learned,' said Brian Weed, a lead skill supervisor and carpentry instructor at Hillyard. 'It puts them out in front of industry leaders, so our judges are people from the trade.' After completing the skills portion of the competition, students move on to the leadership competition in Platte City, then to the state tournament in Linn, Mo. Any student headed to the national competition will compete in Athens, Georgia. 'All their competition is reviewed and graded by judges,' said Weed. 'So they're ranked first and second place in this contest. We'll move on to state contest in April.' Hillyard students won't know if they've advances until the end of the week, however, school leaders have high confidence they will. Weed said the competition is a good partnership for not only students and teachers, but companies in trade industries as well.
