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Public weighs in on reimagining Victoriaville and downtown Fort William

A drop in session was held to allow the public to share ideas and suggestions for the future of Victoriaville, while online surveys are still available

THUNDER BAY - For a business owner that has been operating out of the Victoriaville Centre for more than 20 years, discussions around the future of the space have been going on for too long and it’s time to accept that building is here and find a way to make it work.

“I’m getting tired of this process. I just want a decision made,” said Kathy Scerba, owner of Croc’N’Dial Sandwiches and a member of the Victoriaville board of management. “The building is built. Lots of people disagree it was built in the first place, but it’s here. Let’s make the best of it. Let’s make it work.”

The future of Victoriaville Centre is once again in the spotlight, as public consultations got underway on Tuesday to gather feedback on the future of the space.

Urban Systems, who was hired by the city to determine what can be done with the mall, will still be gathering feedback online until Nov. 11.

Jeff Palmer, a community planner with Urban Systems, said it is a two-step process, the first of which is to gather ideas and feedback from the community.

“Our ideas are provocative because we want to stimulate discussion,” he said. “Phase one is to encourage dialogue and get people thinking about what Victoriaville can be and what downtown Fort William will look like in 25 years. Really a visioning exercise about what people want the neigbourhood to be going forward and where there are opportunities and where there are shortcomings.”

Palmer believes there are opportunities for Victoriaville and downtown Fort William because it is a valuable public space, but he recognizes there are financial challenges.

It is estimated that operating the mall for another 10 years would cost approximately $9 million, while demolishing the mall would cost the same.

“It does need to be rethought,” Palmer said. “Because the facility is 40 years old now there are investments that need to be me made. We need to spend some money and what are the best ways to spend that money.”

Palmer added that the mall is nearing the end of its lifespan and repairs are needed. According to Scerba, the skylights on the roof are the originals from 40 years ago.

“It’s something we are trying to work on,” she said. “We’ve had engineers look at it. We are going to do a test area of a new product to hopefully stop the leaking. To majorly do the roof, we are looking at $2 to $3 million to fix the skylights because of their age.”

There is always an economically viable option, Palmer said, but it’s about finding the most economically viable option that also aligns with the desires and goals of the community.

Victoriaville was modelled after a project in Quebec City that was completed 15 years before the mall was built. However, that covered street has since been reopened and Palmer said there are not many examples of completely enclosed streets working in Canada.

“Not in the middle of the main street,” he said. “That is not common and I would say not desirable. The idea of downtown is that it’s easy to get around. Restoring that is important however that ends up happening.”

Scerba said she would like to see the mall remain as she feels many in the area see it as a safe space for families and seniors to gather, despite the negative attention Victoriaville generates on social media.

“I’ve seen negative things and positive things here,” she said. “The positive, there’s lots of people downtown, lots of families. Victoriaville is a good place for them to come. We have functions here that are free for families to come to, which is a bonus. There are all kinds of services downtown.”

Urban Systems will gather feedback from the public and present the city with three options in January. Further public consultation will take place on those three options once they have been determined.  

Palmer said this work and consultation is about more than just Victoriaville, it’s about reimagining the entire downtown south core.

“It is the start of a larger project that looks at reimagining Victoriaville and reimaging downtown Fort William,” he said. “This is only the first phase of a 20, 30, or 40 year project to revitalize the community and that’s how long it takes.”

The survey can be filled out online at the Reimagine Victoriaville webpage.  



Doug Diaczuk

About the Author: Doug Diaczuk

Doug Diaczuk is a reporter and award-winning author from Thunder Bay. He has a master’s degree in English from Lakehead University
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