NIPIGON — A nearly 16-year-long project in Nipigon has finally made some major headway.
The federal government announced it is awarding a $37-million contract to Finn Way General Contractor Inc., based in Thunder Bay, to construct an administration and visitor centre for Parks Canada in Nipigon.
Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, was joined by Patty Hajdu, Minister of Indigenous Services, to make the announcement.
This news comes as the federal government and Parks Canada aim to designate most of the area along the northshore as the Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area.
The construction of Nipigon's administration and visitor centre is a crucial next step in the process.
Mayor Suzanne Kukko shared her excitement about the announcement with Dougall Media.
“We’ve been waiting for this to happen for a very long time,” Kukko said.
According to Kukko, the process began when former Prime Minister Stephen Harper visited Nipigon in October 2007 and announced the establishment of the Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area.
In 2015, the town completed a $2-million project that involved building water and sewage lines to what would become the future site of this new building.
“Now, we’re getting an actual headquarters and a building in Nipigon so it’s very exciting - it’s huge for our community,” she said.
“We knew it was going to happen, it’s just that Parks Canada needs to do things properly.
"They have a very good reputation for taking time and doing things properly. This is going to be a landmark environmental building and I’m really proud it’s going to be right here in Nipigon.”
The new building will be Parks Canada’s first-ever to seek Passive House Plus certification – meaning it will be built to net-zero carbon standards, with a 100-year service life and reduced energy requirements.
According to the release shared by the federal government, the building will also be outfitted with “geothermal and photovoltaic energy generation,” which will ensure the sustainability of maintenance and operation costs.
Kukko said this is the most significant investment the federal government has made into a Parks Canada administered location in Northern Ontario.
“We’re a population of about 1,600 people. We’ve really appreciated the presence of Parks Canada over the last several years.
"Nipigon is the headquarters for the conservation area and we have seen a significant increase in well-paying jobs here in our town through Parks Canada. This is now an additional influx of economic development here for us because it’s going to be a really huge attraction for people to come into town and go visit our marina and stay a little bit longer,” she said.
Kukko added that the town has not been given a specific timeline for construction, but she expects there to be some action beginning in the spring, with a tentative opening set for 2026.