Demolition work on St. Joseph's Hospital in Sudbury underway
Greater Sudbury Mayor Paul Lefebvre announced the city has approved the demolition permit for the site of the former St. Joseph's Hospital on Paris street, during a news conference in Bell Park Friday morning.
"What's next for the old St. Joes Hospital has been a topic of discussion in our city for more than a decade. Since I've taken office in 2022, it's something that I've heard about from residents almost every week," Lefebvre said.
The mayor thanked city staff for delivering the demolition permit in less than half of the normal time "while upholding high standards for safety, engineering and accountability."
Signs reading "danger due to demolition" and "danger due to falling debris" are now posted on the fence surrounding the property. Construction crews can also be seen working on-site and will be using "heavy machinery" to complete the process," according to Lefebvre.
The building has been vacant since 2010, when Niagara Falls-based developer Panoramic Properties purchased the site. In 2012, city council approved the company's plan to convert the hospital into 125 condominiums and build an adjacent structure with an additional 85 units, but that redevelopment never materialized.
Although the building was transformed into Canada's largest mural in 2019 with a vibrant paint job, many Sudbury residents have continued to see it as an eyesore.
In 2023, Panoramic announced a new plan to demolish the 75-year-old hospital and replace it with three new residential towers. The proposed development includes dedicated to seniors' living, offering 109 units, complete with nursing stations and common areas. The remaining two towers will feature 421 condominium and apartment units.
Last year, Mayor Paul Lefebvre said the city would give Panoramic $1.7 million to help develop the downtown Scotia Tower, which is also owned by the Panoramic if the company started working on demolishing the hospital.
CBC News has reached out to Panoramic for comment but has not yet received a response.
At Friday's news conference, Lefebvre said he's developed a "good working relationship" with Panoramic and it's estimated the complete demolition of the building will take place over the next few months.
He said council has discussed raising property taxes on vacant properties to prevent similar situations in the future. However, Lefebvre said the old hospital case is an exception, and the city does not expect to encounter such situations moving forward.
"For me, the fact that they want to invest this important capital in our community and create over 500 units right over here, to me, it's gonna it's gonna be transformational for our city," Lefebvre said.
About six years ago the Up Here festival commissioned the artist, known as RISK, to paint the 80,000 square foot mural on the hospital.
Jaymie Lathem, the general manager of We Live Up Here, the Sudbury-based non-profit that puts on the Up Here festival said the organization began conversations about the mural with Panoramic in early 2019, with the understanding that the building was going to be demolished the following year.
"We wanted to kind of build this vibrant and colourful farewell to this historical landmark by turning it into a really large contemporary art piece," she said.
"We always had the understanding that it was going to be demolished the following year and was going to act as a temporary mural." As time went by and the building was still standing, Lathem said, "we were just as disheartened as the majority of Sudburians."
She says public art is supposed to only last for a short period of time and that the mural on the hospital was never meant to stay an extra five years.
"I think any building that is left unattended for this period of time will deteriorate and become an eyesore," Lathem said. She said her organization supports taking down the building and repurposing it.
CBC News spoke with people at nearby Bell Park this week. All of them said they're relieved to see the building demolished.
Sudbury resident Debbie Rodgers said she's "glad it's being torn down," calling the property an eyesore, especially with its smashed windows.
Sandra Harris agreed, saying the former hospital "looks like a mess." Her friend Colleen Joyce agreed.
"I am so grateful they're gonna tear it down," Harris said. "I mean, [Bell Park] is our pride and joy here, and people are seeing [the hospital] and driving past… and it just looks terrible. It's an eyesore."
Others had mixed feelings. Pablo Gil-Alfau said he appreciated the building's historical presence, but added it's time for change.
"I do like history being shown and being able to see it when you'd like to, especially for young people. You don't have to see what it looked like in a book," he said. "However, everything has its time, has its place. Even this interesting decor was nice for a while, but I see it's time for it to come down."
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