Dead Malls of Canada - Page 81

MolsonExport · #**1601** Posted **Oct 11, 2024, 4:13 PM**

^that's really sad. You'd think that a Yellowknife mall would be a bustling centre of activity given the extreme climate for half the year and the relative paucity of indoor spaces of any size during this time.

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the snow sculptures look awesome in that video

MolsonExport · #**1602** Posted **Oct 16, 2024, 12:59 PM**

https://youtube.com/shorts/T6JVt4h-4nI?si=G6NZhMZLTtUALdkY

MolsonExport · #**1603** Posted **Oct 16, 2024, 1:00 PM**

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MolsonExport · #**1604** Posted **Oct 16, 2024, 1:04 PM**

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MolsonExport · #**1605** Posted **Oct 16, 2024, 1:06 PM**

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softee · #**1606** Posted **Oct 16, 2024, 7:19 PM**

I recently paid a visit to my home town & found that this mall isn't even an actual mall anymore.

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Wigs · #**1607** Posted **Oct 16, 2024, 11:13 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by softee

I recently paid a visit to my home town & found that this mall isn't even an actual mall anymore.

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Ken, I support your YouTube channel with likes and watch it occasionally.
Sad to see your hometown mall turn to crap as just another plaza.

I remember Mother's Pizza as a kid. It was an integral part of my early childhood with countless friend and family birthday parties held there. I believe the chain was from Hamilton/Stoney Creek IIRC.

How is downtown North Bay faring these days?

I looked up the population estimates
2003: 55,247
2013: 54,041
2016: 52,924 (nadir)
2023: 58,388

https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/...023&referencePeriods=20030101%2C20230101

Have you noticed an increase in housing developments in North Bay? That's a pretty quick recovery from a declining population. What's changed?

softee · #**1608** Posted **Oct 17, 2024, 4:18 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wigs

Ken, I support your YouTube channel with likes and watch it occasionally.
Sad to see your hometown mall turn to crap as just another plaza.

I remember Mother's Pizza as a kid. It was an integral part of my early childhood with countless friend and family birthday parties held there. I believe the chain was from Hamilton/Stoney Creek IIRC.

How is downtown North Bay faring these days?

I looked up the population estimates
2003: 55,247
2013: 54,041
2016: 52,924 (nadir)
2023: 58,388

https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/...023&referencePeriods=20030101%2C20230101

Have you noticed an increase in housing developments in North Bay? That's a pretty quick recovery from a declining population. What's changed?

Thanks, Wigs!

Yeah after Northgate Shopping Centre expanded, the writing was on the wall for the North Bay mall.

Sadly, downtown is also in rough shape these days. The buildings and stores are still there (for the most part), but people seem to avoid the area and it feels like a ghost town now compared to how it used to be 10-15 years ago. I also did a walking video & livestream through downtown on this visit if you'd like to see how it's looking these days.

I think the recent surge in population growth is pretty much due to an influx of international immigration (mainly South Asian) & people returning/relocating to the area from the GTHA starting around 2020. Strangely, there doesn't seem to be a big increase in housing starts compared to previous years, I think the existing supply has been absorbing most of the new residents so far.

Wigs · #**1609** Posted **Oct 17, 2024, 8:12 PM**

Thanks for the info.
Sorry to hear about the downtown.

My maternal grandma (born 1920) was born and lived in North Bay with her family in the 1920s/1930s before her father found work/moved to Niagara and she attended high school in Fort Erie in the mid to late 1930s (she would regularly walk across the Peace Bridge to Buffalo when it was hopping).
She remembered how vibrant North Bay's downtown was way back then and spoke positively about the city and her formative childhood years there. It was a special place and quite possibly the gem of Northern Ontario. I remember she was pissed off when she found out former Premier Mike Harris grew up there. What a jerk that guy was

For North Bay 55-58k isn't that big of a jump but the trajectory looks like it'll be over 60k soon and heading to 70k in the next 5 years or so if growth continues. Hopefully the influx of newcomers will trigger a renaissance in the downtown.
Niagara is also benefiting from a wave of South Asians either relocating from the GTA or newcomers. The 2026 census will show they make up a sizeable percentage of the population and growing.

One well known Apple farm in Pelham/Fonthill was bought by a family from Brampton (the family were multigenerational farmers back in India) and the son of the owner was very friendly and kind, and gave my Dad and myself a tour back in October 2022.
some photos

Wigs · #**1610** Posted **Oct 18, 2024, 6:21 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

^that's really sad. You'd think that a Yellowknife mall would be a bustling centre of activity given the extreme climate for half the year and the relative paucity of indoor spaces of any size during this time.

I think we need to have a program to grow both Yellowknife and Whitehorse into larger population centres.

Anchorage is 300k in the city/400k Metro. Both Yellowknife and Whitehorse should be able to handle around 40,000-50,000 each or more. Yellowknife should be the more substantial city as it already has the taller buildings.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_in_Yellowknife

Yellowknife's Centre Square mall opened in 1990 with an expansion in 1995.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centre_Square_Mall
That's a short lifespan to end up in "dead mall" status

MolsonExport · #**1611** Posted **Oct 21, 2024, 1:22 PM**

I think Anchorage has a far more comfortable climate than Whitehorse, and especially, Yellowknife.

http://www.yellowknife.climatemps.com/vs/anchorage.php

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual maximum temperature (difference)
Average Max Temperature °C ( °F) -18 (-32) -16 (-29) -13 (-24) -7 (-12) -2 (-4) +2 (+3) +2 (+4) +1 (+2) -3 (-5) -3 (-6) -8 (-15) -15 (-27) -7 (-12)
average temperature icon Average Temperature °C ( °F) -18 (-33) -17 (-31) -15 (-27) -8 (-15) -3 (-6) +1 (+1) +2 (+3) +1 (+1) -2 (-4) -3 (-5) -9 (-16) -15 (-28) -7 (-13)
minimum temperature icon Average Min Temperature °C ( °F) -19 (-34) -18 (-32) -17 (-30) -10 (-18) -4 (-7) 0 (0) +1 (+2) +0 (+1) -2 (-3) -2 (-4) -10 (-17) -16 (-29) -8 (-14)

The average day in January has a high (low) that is 18C warmer (19C warmer) in Anchorage vs. Yellowknife.

Airboy · #**1612** Posted **Oct 21, 2024, 9:38 PM**

I've been to all 3 in summer and winter and have to say I like Whitehorse's climate the best. Whitehorse can be a lot like Edmonton's weather. Anchorage,(from the 2 times was there) is more like Vans but with more cold and Snow days. And YK can be down right nasty in the winter as the season drags on. Summers are just buggy. And Don't get me started on Iqaluit. I love going up but glad not to live there.

BlackDog204 · #**1613** Posted **Oct 22, 2024, 4:51 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by J.OT13

TrueNorth gonna own the entirety of Winnipeg soon enough.

Probably one of the main reasons Thomson bought part of the Jets. He saw an opportunity to invest in downtown Winnipeg, and bringing back our beloved hockey team gave him a lot of slack with the city and provincial politicians.

ivegotaname · #**1614** Posted **Nov 5, 2024, 2:43 AM**

I always feel bad for tourist who come to my city mostly from ocean cruises and walk around uptown Saint John with two malls and a former museum all empty in all 3 spots.

YOWetal · #**1615** Posted **Nov 5, 2024, 2:58 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

I think Anchorage has a far more comfortable climate than Whitehorse, and especially, Yellowknife.

http://www.yellowknife.climatemps.com/vs/anchorage.php

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual maximum temperature (difference)
Average Max Temperature °C ( °F) -18 (-32) -16 (-29) -13 (-24) -7 (-12) -2 (-4) +2 (+3) +2 (+4) +1 (+2) -3 (-5) -3 (-6) -8 (-15) -15 (-27) -7 (-12)
average temperature icon Average Temperature °C ( °F) -18 (-33) -17 (-31) -15 (-27) -8 (-15) -3 (-6) +1 (+1) +2 (+3) +1 (+1) -2 (-4) -3 (-5) -9 (-16) -15 (-28) -7 (-13)
minimum temperature icon Average Min Temperature °C ( °F) -19 (-34) -18 (-32) -17 (-30) -10 (-18) -4 (-7) 0 (0) +1 (+2) +0 (+1) -2 (-3) -2 (-4) -10 (-17) -16 (-29) -8 (-14)

The average day in January has a high (low) that is 18C warmer (19C warmer) in Anchorage vs. Yellowknife.

Yeah but relatively to other US climate options vs Canadian it`s pretty similar. The US size and the much better economic development. We prefer to dither away. Imagine the population if the McKenzie Valley pipeline had been built.