Downsizing in Thunder Bay

Overview of downsizing in Thunder Bay

Thunder Bay is one of four cities we feature in Northern Ontario, and it sits on the shore of Lake Superior. Plan your move around distance: whether you stay in the city or consider a smaller community, work out where your specialist care and hospital stays would happen and how you would get there in January.

Messages on this site go to agents on the operating team at eXp Realty. We quote no prices.

Condos and smaller homes in Thunder Bay for downsizers

Downsizers here usually look at condominium units, townhouses and bungalows. We name no building because none has been verified against a primary source for this page. For condominiums, ask for the status certificate and reserve fund study; our condo buying guide explains them. Compare formats in condo, townhouse or house. If you are weighing staying put, read aging in place or moving.

Getting around Thunder Bay and winter driving

Thunder Bay Transit publishes routes, fares and passes on the City of Thunder Bay transit page. Try your usual trips on it before you choose an address. For highway travel, Ontario 511 shows road conditions, closures and highway cameras, and winter conditions can change within a day. Our guide on getting around Ontario after 65 covers licence renewal and seniors' transit credits.

Hospitals and specialist care in Thunder Bay

Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, at 980 Oliver Road, describes itself as one of 11 designated trauma centres in Ontario, providing specialized trauma care to patients in Thunder Bay and the region. We have not confirmed the full list of its other services, so ask your doctors which of your own referrals are delivered locally.

If you live outside the city and travel at least 100 kilometres one way to the nearest specialist, the Northern Health Travel Grant may reimburse travel at 41 cents per kilometre on the round trip, plus accommodation allowances; applications are due within 12 months. Ontario Health atHome (1-833-515-1234) coordinates home and community care.

Everyday life near Lake Superior

The City's website is the place to find current parks, trails and recreation programs. We have not verified individual sites for this page, so visit the neighbourhood you are considering in winter as well as summer.

Flood mapping and regulated areas in Thunder Bay

The Lakehead Region Conservation Authority runs a Map Your Property tool for identifying natural hazards and regulated areas. If your property is regulated you need a permit from the authority for development, in addition to a municipal building permit. The authority notes that not all regulated areas are mapped and that its screening data is conceptual, so ask it to confirm the address. See also flood and storm insurance when downsizing.

For wildfire, the province says to call or text 310-FIRE (3473) in the northwest, and publishes a live fire map.

Property tax credits and land transfer tax in Thunder Bay

The City of Thunder Bay offers a Property Tax and Water Credit Program for low-income seniors over 65 and low-income persons with disabilities. The credits are $400 on tax and $200 on water. Seniors must be receiving the Guaranteed Income Supplement and meet a household income limit, owners must have held the property for a year and made it their principal residence, and tax and water accounts cannot be in arrears. The deadline is July 31 each year. The income limit is revised, so confirm it on the City's revenue page or with the Revenue Division at taxandwater@thunderbay.ca.

Sellers pay no land transfer tax in Ontario; buyers do. See the land transfer tax guide, the costs and money page and the net proceeds calculator.

Provincial money and support for seniors in Thunder Bay

The City credit above is local. Provincial support is separate and stacks with it, so it is worth mapping out before you sell. Several provincial programs apply wherever you live in Ontario. The Ontario Senior Homeowners' Property Tax Grant is the lesser of $500 and the property tax you paid, for owners aged 64 or older at the end of the tax year, and it is reduced as income rises. The Ontario Seniors Care at Home Tax Credit covers 25 per cent of up to $6,000 of medical expenses, to a maximum of $1,500, for people 70 or older, again reduced as family income rises. Both are claimed on your tax return, so ask your accountant whether they fit your income. The costs and money page and the resources page list more, including 211 Ontario for finding community services.

Questions to ask before you buy in Thunder Bay

• Which of your specialists are in Thunder Bay and which are in another city?
• How far is this address from the hospital on a winter day?
• Is the property in a Lakehead Region regulated area?
• Who clears snow and who pays for it?
• What does the condominium's reserve fund study show?
• Does your insurer cover sewer backup and overland flooding here?

When you are ready, contact us.