North Bay's Main Street getting a facelift
Main Street in North Bay is getting its first major facelift since the 1980s and there's plenty of work to be done.
"The power supply, the water supply, the sewer, everything that needs to be upgraded will be upgraded," said North Bay Mayor Peter Chirico.
"All the sidewalks, the crosswalks, lighted crosswalks throughout the downtown. The major corners will all be redone so it's easy for travellers, easy signage to follow.”
The project was supposed to happen in 2022 but due to COVID-19 and small business recovery, the project was put on hold.
Businesses on Main Street will be affected by the construction but the hope is that it will benefit them long term.
"It does have to be done, it doesn't matter if you did it in 10 years it would still be a pain point," said Downtown North Bay and Waterfront executive director Amber Livingstone.
"Any time you interrupt a business with construction it's an interruption and a big pain point.”
Livingstone said the city is going to work with the contractor to help mitigate the impact.
“As they dig things up, they're going to have bridges so that everyone can still access the businesses that are having construction done," she said.
Chirico told CTV News he hopes the revitalization changes the negative view some people have of the area.
"Hopefully we can make it into a people place," he said.
"Hopefully we will see additional development come along with this, as we start to invest that the property owners will be investing and upgrading their properties ... Increasing tendency downtown, more rental units, those are the ultimate goals."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.