THUNDER BAY — A pair of longstanding eyesores in the Simpson Street area will be gone before the end of the year.
The City of Thunder Bay plans to have a contractor tear down the former European Bakery and the former Hells Angels clubhouse in the 600 block of Simpson.
Both structures were severely damaged by fire, the latter in 2019 and the former in July 2023.
The old bakery building was further damaged in April when an out-of-control pickup truck smashed into it.
The city subsequently acquired both properties through a failed tax sale process.
Prior to the incident with the vehicle the city had already been working with engineers to determine the structural integrity of the two buildings in an effort to determine whether they could be salvaged or whether they would have to come down.
Deanna Walker, manager of realty services for the City of Thunder Bay, said there are some challenges surrounding the demolition.
"There are some structural complexities with neighbouring buildings that we are working through and with our engineers and with those property owners, and that obviously adds time to the process . . . The issues are with how these buildings are attached or affect the neighbouring structures that will remain standing. It takes a little time to work through that because of the ages of these buildings and how they have kind of morphed into one another over time."
She said demolition is expected to be completed during the current construction season.
"We do want to bring these buildings down as soon as possible because we definitely want to get that block looking better."
In the meantime, Walker said, the properties remain secure and are being patrolled by security personnel.
There's no decision yet on how the properties might be used post-demolition.
"Normally, we would look at a piece of property, determine whether it was ready for sale, or if we wanted to do further work or studies to determine what its highest and best use would be. What would best serve the interests of the City of Thunder Bay . . . what type of development would we want to see there, and what is actually permitted there based on environmental factors."
Walker said it's not just the condition of the land that comes into consideration but also – in this case – its proximity to railway tracks and how traffic moves through the area.
