THUNDER BAY — If everything goes according to plan, all traces of the former Oddfellows Hall in Thunder Bay's south core will be gone before mid-January.
A contractor hired by the City of Thunder Bay has started demolition of the May Street building which was severely damaged by fire in March 2020.
The city arranged for the tear-down after the owner of the property failed to comply with a demolition order issued under the property standards by-law.
The owner, a numbered company based in Markham, Ontario, also failed to comply with an order issued under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act that required it to be removed for public safety reasons.
Charges were laid against the company earlier this year under the Provincial Offences Act for non-compliance with that order, and for allegedly failing to keep the building secure from trespassers who started more fires.
The case has not been decided yet in court.
Doug Vincent, manager of licensing and enforcement for the city, says the demolition crew must remove the north wall by hand before heavy equipment can be brought in to tear down the rest of the structure.
That's in order to protect an adjacent building from damage.
The contractor already has familiarity with the building, as the firm was previously hired by the property owner.
"The owner decided not to proceed...The contractor has intimate knowledge of demolition tactics that could be used here. That really accelerated things," VIncent said.
The weather will influence how quickly the job can be finished, but Jan. 9, 2021, is the tentative target date.
May Street will be blocked off at some point during the process.
The city will bill the owner for the cost of the demolition.
If necessary, the charge will be added to the property tax bill as a priority lien.
However, there is no guarantee the city will be able to recoup all its expenses.
In the event an owner defaults on taxes, a property may be seized and put up for sale to the highest qualified bidder.
