(Northern Ontario Business published the following story on its website on September 4.)
THUNDER BAY — A 40,000-square-foot heated cargo shed will be constructed at the Keefer Terminal in Thunder Bay at a $3.5 million cost.
Construction for the foundation will begin this fall, however, “it has not been tendered out yet,” Tim V. Heney, director of terminal operations at the Thunder Bay Port Authority says. Completion of the facility is slated for 2004 The new facility will assist in the present and future industry shipment needs, since businesses will be able to access CN (Canadian National Railway Co.) and CP (Canadian Pacific Railway) railways, located at the start of the Harbour Expressway.
“We serve the industries in Northern Ontario, mostly forest products, and also Bombardier (Transporation),” Heney says. “Because this building is heated, we are building it as a multi-purpose facility in hopes of attracting perhaps a manufacturing tenant. We do have feelers out there.” This addition will add to the terminal space, which now covers 540,000 square feet. Existing contracts like the CP trans-load on lumber will only increase as the terminal diversifies its access to shipment. “We have had a lot of success in the forest product business through the years so we are pretty excited about that,” Heney says. The Thunder Bay Port Authority will be footing the cost, since the organization does not receive government grants.