Have Your Say. What's Your Thunder Bay?

Help us shape how Thunder Bay tells its story.

The Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission (CEDC), in partnership with the City of Thunder Bay, is inviting residents to share their perspectives through the Thunder Bay Perception Survey, running November 9 to December 7, 2026.

This initiative supports Action A12 of the City of Thunder Bay's Smart Growth Action Plan, while also aligning with Thunder Bay CEDC's 2026–2030 Strategic Plan priority to grow Thunder Bay's population by fostering workforce opportunities and strengthening social infrastructure to attract and retain residents. By better understanding how people experience and perceive Thunder Bay, this work will help inform future efforts to strengthen the city's identity, reputation and appeal as a place to live, work and invest.

This community-wide initiative is an opportunity for everyone who lives, works or learns in Thunder Bay to share what makes our community unique, what they value most and where they see opportunities for improvement.

More than just a survey

Let's be honest: people are asked to complete a lot of surveys.

This project is about more than answering questions. It's an opportunity to share your perspective on Thunder Bay, what makes our community special, where we have opportunities to grow and how we tell Thunder Bay's story to others.

Whether you've lived here your whole life, recently moved here, work here or study here, your experiences help shape how our community is understood today and how it is represented in the future.

What is a perception audit?

A perception audit is a process of gathering feedback to understand how people view and experience a community. It helps identify community strengths, challenges, shared values and opportunities, as well as potential differences between how a community sees itself and how it is perceived by others.

The Thunder Bay Perception Audit will help build a clearer understanding of our city's identity and inform the development of a future place brand—how Thunder Bay presents and shares its unique story with local, national and international audiences.

Why your voice matters

Your opinion belongs here.

Whether it's what makes you proud to call Thunder Bay home, what you believe makes our city unique or what you think could be improved, your feedback matters.

Every resident experiences Thunder Bay differently. Understanding those perspectives helps build a more authentic picture of who we are as a community and who we aspire to be.

Your feedback, our next steps

The survey is the first step in a broader community engagement process. Feedback collected through the survey, alongside targeted community, business and tourism focus groups, will help identify common themes and inform the next phase of Thunder Bay's place branding initiative.

The goal is to develop an authentic and consistent approach to telling Thunder Bay's story, one that reflects the people, experiences, values and aspirations that make our community unique.

Tell us about your Thunder Bay. Take the Survey.