THUNDER BAY — For a brief period this week, the appearance of a work crew and a backhoe had some Thunder Bay residents thinking construction was finally resuming at the former Finnish Labour Temple on Bay Street.
But it turned out the workers were just there to do some tidying up.
Developer Brad McKinnon indicated to Dougall Media on Tuesday he's not ready yet to announce a date for the resumption of construction.
The landmark building and the historic Hoito Restaurant were destroyed by fire in December 2021 in the midst of a restoration by McKinnon, who purchased it the year before for conversion to residential units.
After the devastating fire, he restarted the project with a new plan, and completed foundation work in late 2022, but there's been no construction since then.
In June 2023 the developer said he fully intends to complete the project, but can't restart it until a lawsuit he filed against another party over the cause of the fire is settled.
He also cited rising costs for building materials, high interest rates and a shortage of skilled labour, but assured the community "the Finlandia will be rebuilt. And it will be a legacy building that will stand for another hundred years."
In December 2023 McKinnon suggested that, depending on progress in the court case, "we could see crane work starting as soon as late spring [2024]."
The Finlandia Co-operative has plans to lease space in the new building to reopen the iconic Hoito.
In an interview, spokesperson Paula Haapanen said the group reached out to the developer in April and was told he still hoped to resume construction sometime this year.
"I suppose you could say no news is good news," she said. "We did touch base with him, and I would say the tone of the message was positive."
In the meantime, the Finlandia Co-op continues to serve up some popular items from the former restaurant at the Thunder Bay Country Market.
Haapanen said the public should watch for some new menu items that will be offered in the near future.
