Northern Ontario Construction News staff writer
Timmins is reporting significant construction and building permit activity as it benefits from a combination of public infrastructure funding and new resource developments.
Mayor Tom Laughren, speaking to the Timmins Chamber of Commerce on Oct. 15, outlined how the city is encouraging development beyond its traditional resource industries, even as these thrive. Timmins has been celebrating its 100th anniversary.
“The signing of a partnership agreement with the Canadian Space Agency and the Centre Nationale D’études Spatiales (CNES) in France, to launch space science balloons in Canada could not have been better scripted and could not have come at a better time,” Laughren said. “This initiative will provide Canadian scientists and engineers with a new platform to test technologies and advance space science. The CSA and CNES have selected the City of Timmins to host a new mid-latitude base for launching high altitude balloons. The CSA is investing an estimated $10 million over the next 10 years in the launch base and flight campaign.”
The balloon launching facility has a $3.2 million building permit value.
The mayor also said the city awarded “the largest single construction contract in (its) history,” $64.4 million, to North American Construction Ltd. for upgrades to the Mattagami waste-water plant.
Meanwhile, The conseil scolaire public du Nord-Est de l’ Ontario celebrated the ground-breaking for Lionel-Gauthier elementary school designed by Catellan James + Partners Architects Inc., in a contract awarded to CVG Builders of Cochraine. The new building, which will replace a 87-year-old structure, will accommodate 305 students from kindergarten to grade six and will be completed by Sept. 2014. The project has a $10 million building permit value.
Mayor Laughren reported that 406 building permits had been issued as of Aug. 31, with a construction value of just over $40 million. Other major developments include:
- Lakeshore gold mill expansion – $15 million
- Autumnwood (St. Mary’s Gardens) Phase 2 – $6.8 million
- Gold Corp office/dry addition – $5.9 million
- Holiday Inn Express – $5 million
- Microtel Inn – $4.7 million
- Timmins Garage – $4.4 million
- Five Nations Energy – $1.6 million
- Timmins Native Friendship Centre – $1.5 million
- Activation Laboratories – $1.2 million
- AML Holdings renovations – $850,000
- Ontario government complex renovations – $800,000
