Phase one of the reconstruction that will revolutionise North Bay’s Waterfront was realised Friday night at Discovery North Bay.
Caroline Di Cocco, Ontario Minister of Culture, Nipissing MPP Monique Smith and North Bay Mayor Victor Fedeli, assisted discovery President Rod Johnston with the ribbon cutting to officially mark the grand opening.
Full details contained in the release below.
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Federal, provincial and municipal leaders joined President Rod Johnston and the Board of Heritage North Bay in welcoming visitors to the grand opening of Discovery North Bay.
Caroline Di Cocco, Ontario Minister of Culture; and Victor Fedeli, Mayor of the City of North Bay, were among the invited officials that took part in the evening’s events. A congratulatory letter was also read on behalf of the Honourable Tony Clement, Federal Minister of Health, Federal Minister for FedNor and Federal Minister responsible for the Canada–Ontario Infrastructure Program (COIP).
Through COIP, the governments of Canada and Ontario each contributed up to $420,000 to restore the historic CP station into a public and central facility for public access to heritage and education. In addition, the federal government invested $500,000 through FedNor. The City of North Bay and project partners committed the balance of the project’s total eligible costs.
“Canada’s new government is pleased to have invested in this restoration of North Bay’s historic CP Station both through COIP and FedNor,” said Minister Clement. “This improved facility now showcases the community’s rich history, contributing to the vibrant cultural life of Northern Ontarians.”
“The newly renovated historic CP Rail station connects the rich heritage of North Bay to the bright future of this community,” said Minister Di Cocco. “The McGuinty government is pleased to support this project, which is a great new addition to the North Bay waterfront and a wonderful draw for visitors.”
“The City is very pleased to partner in this important tourism destination. We will continue to support the revitalization of the former CP Rail property and look forward to sustainable economic development opportunities this will bring to our downtown core,” said Mayor Vic Fedeli, City of North Bay
The newly re-opened building is an exciting mix of highly interactive, modern technology and uniquely displayed stories of North Bay’s past, present and future.
Stories from the community intertwine with hands-on exhibits to give visitors a completely new look at North Bays’ history through film, photographs, artifacts and more. The underlying theme of transportation makes use of the unique historic building to help excite visitors of all ages and interests in discovering more about our community and how we got here.
The former Canadian Pacific Railway station once acted as the “hub” of development as the town grew up around “the station.” Now, the volunteers and staff of Heritage North Bay believe its new role as @Discovery North Bay is an important step towards the creation of the future Community Waterfront Park, where the building will once again act as a cornerstone between North Bay’s beautiful waterfront and its downtown core.
