THUNDER BAY – City officials gathered around the sunken square inside Victoriaville Centre on Thursday to mark its final days.
Starting at the end of next week, the mall itself will be closed. Security fencing and temporary access points will be set up to allow businesses and the city's Civic Centre to remain open during the demolition and reconstruction of Victoria Avenue.
Finnway General Contractor is expecting it will take two months to bring down “the entire mall structure,” Aaron Ward, manager of engineering, told Newswatch.
“You can imagine if you're one of the businesses here, such as the Chapple Building or Rene Larson Law Office, by the end of summer, you're gonna have natural daylight again in your space, which will be, I'm sure, a huge welcome change for them,” Ward said.
These original buildings have not seen the light of day in decades, since before the mall opened in 1980.
The design work for the project was “rather complex,” said Joel DePeuter, director of development services, particularly given the way the mall structure is integrated into the old buildings.
“This project's been in the planning process for years. It took some time to determine if it was even possible to demolish Victoriaville. It's very exciting to be at this point where the project's going to happen,” DePeuter said.
Stephen Marguerite, chair of the downtown Fort William Revitalization Committee, said contractors will not be using a wrecking ball, nor will there be an implosion to take down the structure.
“It's going to be a slower process of dismantling everything, seeing if there's anything that can be recycled or reused,” he said.
Once Victoria Avenue is reopened to the public, in October 2026, Marguerite said he can see the south core area as a new hub for businesses.
“There are already new businesses moving into downtown Fort William. You're starting to see some of those changes.
"Since the committee started, we’ve always said we're not trying to be like downtown Port Arthur in the Waterfront district. They have their sort of uniqueness, and ours we see it as a place where there are a lot of offices, a lot of business opportunities,” Marguerite said.
“This isn't a nightlife place like other parts, but there are really exciting opportunities for businesses to have offices. With all the people working, it'd probably be a great place to have a lunch place, or something, you know, with grab and go. There are a lot of really exciting opportunities, and just listening to the work that the BIA does and some of those new businesses in there, it's encouraging.”
McKellar Ward Councillor Brian Hamilton said the reimagine Victoriaville project is about investing in the neighbourhood.
“Not just in this infrastructure project and the businesses in the downtown, but really it's going to help support the revitalization of the neighbourhoods adjacent to here as well,” Hamilton said.
“Since I've been on council, we've basically rebuilt Syndicate and Archibald and Brodie. We've done a lot of infrastructure projects around here. We continue on Leith Street and Simpson Street this year, but that work continues," he said.
"These revitalization projects and infrastructure are absolutely critical not only in the revitalization of the downtown but the entire neighbourhood as a whole.”
The overall completion date for the project is set for June 2027, which includes all landscaping work, streetscaping, and amenities.
