Northern Ontario developments!

[Gitfiddler]

Originally Posted by shreddog

^^ Brainfart, but what is the bridge at the start of the video??

Love the call out to Crystal - oooohhhh.

And the Hoito.

Though if he does another it needs to include Kangas and the Thunder Bay Restaurant.

[Gitfiddler]

The proposed condo development in Fort Frances is on the agenda for an in camera session of the committee of the whole tonight. . . .

[russman]

Northwestern Ontario Streetview images are now online!

I feel sorry for the poor 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 who had to drive 5 hours up to Armstrong though.

[vid]

I imagine Scott Street is what Simpson Street would look like if people here cared.

[vid]

Potentially good news for Atikokan:

Opportunity in waiting

A Thunder Bay-based company secured a $335-million loan guarantee to build an iron ore refining plant in Atikokan, but is stuck waiting for the province to approve the project.

http://www.tbnewswatch.com/news/81250/Opportunity-in-waiting-

I checked it out in Streetview. It looks even worse off now than it did last time I was there.

[tjernobyl]

The former Port Arthur General Hospital is to be demolished.
http://www.tbnewswatch.com/news/82522/Former-hospital-coming-down

Also, the contract has gone out for the demolition of the Twin City Gas (King's Stereo) building and the Brodie Street Bus Terminal. Demolition is to begin in April. The site of the temporary terminal is to be decided by mid-March. Though I'm loathe to be negative, I think they may be cutting it a bit close...

[russman]

Shame that the hospital couldn't be saved, but it could be a good spot for a new residential development (high rise condo), maybe with some retail space in the parking lot across the street.

[F. Lionel]

I think that it will more likely be re-developed into a new lab facility since it is so close to the existing Labs on Munro. The clean up and remediation of the site would be too expensive (I would think) for anything residential. I could see a residential complex going in across the street but, as nice as it would be to see newly built ones, none of the commercial ventures in that area have survived the closing of the hospital. The Sampan Restaurant and North Algoma Confectionery are both sitting empty right now, just waiting for new businesses. I would think either of those would be smarter moves for neighbourhood businesses.

Either way, as nice it was to dream of the hospital being re-used in its present form, it is good to see that they are going to have it demolished and move on.

I am quite interested in seeing what will happen with the LPH property after it closes. I hope most of it gets retained as parkland but it would also be nice to have some streets extended through to connect the Shuniah neighbourhood more directly with the main areas of Boulevard Lake.

[vid]

If you look at zoning maps, a subdivision was planned for that area but never happened. It looks like they got as far as surveying the main streets, then gave up. I've mentioned before that I think a recreation area would be beneficial to the neighbourhood, with the wings in the rear of the LPH being demolished to make room and the front office being expanded into a library/community centre for the NE end of the city. I can see the norther part of the LPH property being re-zoned high density or commercial to fit in with the current high density area at the end of Toledo.

I don't know if I posted it here or not, but DJ.SURF.RULES from cptdb.ca mentioned a rumour about transit using Donald Street between Brodie and Archibald as a temporary transfer area. I was hoping it would be closer to SkiHaus or Take a Hike, I'd like to use those businesses as bus stops to prove a point about urban transit infrastructure to their misled proprietors.

There wasn't much remediation for the McKellar hospital's conversion, but I think the law is different if the building is torn down completely. The property will probably become a lab of some sort, the area is becoming sort of a research node.

[eternallyme]

This makes me think, what would be the biggest potential catalyst for massive economic growth in northwestern Ontario? (If it was politically manageable since bureaucrats at Queens Park would likely block it)

[vid]

Allowing the mining developments in the Ring of Fire to proceed, with a requirement that they hire as many aboriginals as possible (ie, any that want the job and can be trained to do it) and locate their processing plant somewhere between Nipigon and Schreiber. Media is already hailing this project as an "economic savior"; employing aboriginals would do a lot to fight the economic issues faced by native people in the far north, and placing the plant near Schreiber or Nipigon will bring the north shore communities back to life. There would be other economic benefits for the city itself, since it is the regional centre.

If you think the government will block the mining developments, then it would have to be the research sector, but that won't have as many benefits as the Ring of Fire projects. The city could be a catalyst for development by designating some part of the city, like Algoma/Munro, as a research area. There could be incentives involved to attract businesses, they could work with upper levels of government to set up some sort of fund to support them in the early months of their operation so that they can get off the ground and start running. It won't employ as many people and doesn't benefit the region as a whole but outside of mining and government/services/retail it is quickly becoming all we've got. I think they should set up a similar research park near the airport.

[eternallyme]

Originally Posted by vid

Allowing the mining developments in the Ring of Fire to proceed, with a requirement that they hire as many aboriginals as possible (ie, any that want the job and can be trained to do it) and locate their processing plant somewhere between Nipigon and Schreiber. Media is already hailing this project as an "economic savior"; employing aboriginals would do a lot to fight the economic issues faced by native people in the far north, and placing the plant near Schreiber or Nipigon will bring the north shore communities back to life. There would be other economic benefits for the city itself, since it is the regional centre.

If you think the government will block the mining developments, then it would have to be the research sector, but that won't have as many benefits as the Ring of Fire projects. The city could be a catalyst for development by designating some part of the city, like Algoma/Munro, as a research area. There could be incentives involved to attract businesses, they could work with upper levels of government to set up some sort of fund to support them in the early months of their operation so that they can get off the ground and start running. It won't employ as many people and doesn't benefit the region as a whole but outside of mining and government/services/retail it is quickly becoming all we've got. I think they should set up a similar research park near the airport.

I agree, those need to be approved and gone ahead right away. Sorry tree huggers from the big cities, but that is NOT your land!

[vid]

Aboriginals don't like it either, but they have to realize that if they oppose every industrial development, nothing is going to change for them. They have to find a way to fit this kind of thing into their culture, or find a way to make their own culture more economically sustainable so that they can get out of their rut. A lot of them don't seem to want to do it but we're seeing some promising things from their leaders and youth. I think some of the protests might even be grandstanding by their leaders, which only hurts their people even if the intentions are good. Ultimately we should look at improving communication and co-operation between First Nations, the province, and the municipalities.

[vid]

Went by the construction of the old folks home at the Isabella School site the other day.







Depending on the materials they use it might not look too bad.

[shreddog]

Originally Posted by vid

Went by the construction of the old folks home at the Isabella School site the other day.

Was the school torn down?? If so, does anyone have pics?

[tjernobyl]

School was demolished July of last year. See page 27 of this thread for details and pictures.

[vid]

Isabella demolition, YMCA demolition

[shreddog]

Originally Posted by tjernobyl

School was demolished July of last year. See page 27 of this thread for details and pictures.

Thx!

[russman]

Update on McKellar Place and FWCI http://tbnewswatch.com/Video/18638/McKellar-Redevelopment

[vid]

Shuniah wind farm update: http://www.tbnewswatch.com/news/Default.aspx?cid=84198

Transit is going with Donald between Brodie and Archibald for a transit centre, which will involve closing that stretch of Donald: http://www.tbnewswatch.com/news/Default.aspx?cid=84167

The aforementioned retirement home at the Isabella School Site is slowing its construction to prevent high interest rate payments as it is ahead of schedule and will open at the wrong time of the year if they continue work: http://www.tbnewswatch.com/news/Default.aspx?cid=84064

The LRCA's proposed offices on the triangle of land by the Floodway has been cancelled or at least postponed; I think that site would be better for some sort of hotel catering to businessmen who don't care about the facility's location: http://www.tbnewswatch.com/news/84158/LRCA-back-to-drawing-board-

Virdiramo and the heritage advisory committee are going to try to get Dease and Heath pools on the heritage list to save them: http://www.tbnewswatch.com/news/84159/Protecting-the-pools-

Piles are being driven into the ground at the future site of Leon's Furniture. They started fiddling with their soil ziggurat a few days ago.