Victoriaville mall demolition to start in July

CBC News

· Posted: May 30, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 7 hours ago

A south-side Thunder Bay landmark is coming down this summer.

Demolition of Victoriaville promenade — which opened successful 1980 — volition statesman successful July, the metropolis said astatine a media lawsuit connected Thursday.

The enactment is portion of the Reimagine Victoriaville project, which volition spot Victoria Avenue reopened to vehicular postulation betwixt Brodie and Archibald streets.

"You'll commencement to spot the contractor mobilizing to the country adjacent week," Aaron Ward, manager of the city's engineering section, said astatine a groundbreaking ceremonial to people the commencement of the task connected Thursday. "The archetypal happening they're going to beryllium doing is putting up their operation fencing and their staging areas disconnected of Archibald Street, as good arsenic disconnected of Justice Avenue."

Following that, impermanent entree to country businesses volition beryllium acceptable up, Ward said, with the demolition opening successful mid-July.

"They're expecting the full promenade operation volition beryllium down in two months, oregon 2 months and a week," Ward said. "Come extremity of summer, the full country volition beryllium unfastened to the aerial again."

Ward said postulation volition erstwhile again beryllium capable to thrust on that conception of Victoria Avenue by October 2026, and the wide project, including streetscaping and landscaping, should beryllium done by June 2027.

"It's invigorating," Thunder Bay Mayor Ken Boshcoff said. "I deliberation this, also, is portion of the assemblage spirit."

"People tin consciousness the the uplift of each these types of projects that are going connected arsenic they each travel together," helium said. "You tin spot the assemblage strengthening successful the new prosperity."

McKellar Ward Coun. Brian Hamilton — Victoriaville is located successful the McKellar Ward — said revitalization of the city's downtown areas is simply a precedence for metropolis council.

"This is simply a large constituent of the southbound broadside revitalization," helium said. "This is similar six years successful the making."

""As agelong arsenic I've been connected council, this has been a large and important task for me, but not conscionable for me, for really the residents and the adjacent neighbourhoods."

"I couldn't beryllium much happy."