THUNDER BAY — Once cited for unsanitary conditions including "an abundance of garbage, crack pipes, used needles and bodily fluids," the historic Royal Edward Arms is poised for transformation at the hands of a new owner.
Ali Abbas, a developer from the Toronto area, says he will renovate the former hotel and its 64 apartments after purchasing the building from local developer Ahsanul Habib.
Habib has owned it since 2015 when he bought it from the City of Thunder Bay for $500,000.
Its recent listed selling price was $829,000.
In an interview with Tbnewswatch on Wednesday, Abbas said he "fell in love" with the Royal Edward after learning about its heritage.
"I think it's a great location...there's lots of potential, and that's why I took on the challenge," he said.
Although the paperwork for the transaction is still being finalized, Abbas has permission to begin refurbishing the 91-year-old building immediately.
He owns numerous other apartment buildings in the GTA, and said he believes in treating his tenants as if they were members of his family.
"It's a shame" the building is in the state it is in now, he said, because "everybody deserves to live in a good place."
In 2017, the Thunder Bay District Health Unit issued cleanup orders for the eight-storey structure after inspectors found unhealthy conditions. The orders were lifted once changes were made.
Building security has also been a problem in the past, but Abbas plans to install a state-of-the-art security system.
"It's going to be absolutely beautiful. I'm going to clean everything up," he said.
In addition to refurbishing the apartments, he plans to return the banquet hall, he said, "to its original glory" and reestablish a restaurant.
Abbas expects it will take up to a year to complete all the work.
He plans to move to Thunder Bay with his family in the near future to take personal supervision of the project, but said he already has a "great team' in the city working on the transition of the Royal Edward Arms.
