Victoriaville demolition in Thunder Bay, Ont., sees slight delay

The long-in-the-works demolition of Victoriaville Centre in Thunder Bay's south core is facing a delay. But it's a short one.

Work to demolish the mall was originally slated to begin in April. However, on Tuesday, the closure of the tender period has been extended until April 10, said city engineering manager Aaron Ward.

The extension, Ward said, comes as a result of two main things.

"One is just requests from the actual bidders themselves due to the complexity of the project," he said. "It's quite unique to have building renovations, building demolition and road construction all in one contract, so there's lots of sub-trade work that need to coordinate."

"Another factor is also the whole tariff situation, with what's going on in Canada and the U.S. right now," Ward said. "The city, as well as other cities across Canada, are trying to work through tender wording and situations, to cover these ever-changing (tariffs)."

Ward said as a result, demolition of the mall is now expected to begin in May. However, the delay hasn't affected the project's scheduled completion in October. 2026.

The project will see the mall structure itself taken down, and Victoria Avenue reopened to traffic between Brodie and Archibald streets.

Aldo Ruberto, interim chair of the Fort William BIA, said the one-month delay is reasonable.

"We're fine with it," he said. "The completion date's the same date, that's great."

"We've been this patient, it's been like six years," Ruberto said. "So what's an extra month?"

Ruberto said he hopes the work will bring new life to the area.

"I'm excited, I'm looking forward to it," he said. "When we have things happening in the area, which are new and exciting and are going to be a plus for the area, that benefits everybody, right?"

"It benefits all the businesses, the people living downtown, increases prices of properties and makes everything attractive."