The Dream and the White Elephant

It was standing room only inside the Collingwood council chambers as the conceptual plans for the revitalization of the Collingwood Grain Terminals were unveiled on March 27, 2023.

Les Mallins, president of Streetcar Developments, explained to council that the plan envisioned by Streetcar and backed by Dream Unlimited Corp (TSX:DRM) addresses key design principles including structural preservation of the Terminals’ silos and the facade, as well as public access to the spit.

“We’re excited about the whole package of improvements and seeing it all come together,” said Mallins.

Streetcar and Dream share a portfolio of historic properties that have been successfully revitalized, including the Gladstone and Broadview hotels in Toronto. Their bold plan for the Terminals includes converting the existing structure into a multi-use destination with a hotel and a sprawling rooftop restaurant offering spectacular views of the Bay.

“We would not have bid on this if there wasn’t a hotel component,” said Mallins.

A proposed secondary structure would be constructed adjacent to the east side of the Terminals to create more than 200 residential units—rising an additional eight stories above the Terminals. A series of proposed docks and decks would enhance water access along the west side of the pier while the Collingwood Yacht Club would stay where it is.

The plan also promises to offset greenhouse gas emissions by extracting heat from Georgian Bay to provide climate control for the building. The system would utilize energy from rooftop solar panels and vertical-axis wind turbines that are not shown in the illustrations.

A proposed underground parking area on the north side of the terminals would conserve greenspace in a reconfigured Millennium Park and would presumably provide the hundreds of parking spaces that would be necessary.

During the developer’s presentation, the crowd in the council chambers listened quietly and applauded the attractive vision.

What the artist’s renderings don’t show is how the developers plan to overcome the well-known engineering challenges of developing the town’s “white elephant.”

For example, Millennium Park, the proposed location of the underground parking, sits atop 8,000 cubic metres of contaminated sediments from a century of shipbuilding in Collingwood. The sediments were vacuumed from the bottom of the harbour in the 1980s as part of the area’s remedial action plan.

Documents published by the International Joint Commission show the list of contaminants include PCBs, lead, mercury, cadmium and hydrocarbons as well as other metals. The containment lies just 12 metres from the Terminal building.

Another challenge is asbestos, which a 2017 hazardous materials survey found in large areas of the terminal building, in addition to lead, bird guano and mould. All of this could have a “significant impact on the cost and schedule for restoration works,” according to engineering reports.

The very foundation of the terminals will also come into question. Four thousand submerged wooden pilings support the concrete structure. Another engineering report commissioned by the town in 2020 found the pilings to be in fair condition considering their age but some of the outer pilings near the wharf have partially disintegrated. “A detailed structural analysis would be required in advance of any redevelopment,” the report concludes.

“What we don’t know is what we don’t know,” says Mallins, who confirms he’s seen all of the reports. “Now that we are the chosen proponent and we’ve made our plans public and the process is starting, we are going to get into a lot more detailed investigation into the structure itself.”

Years of planning and public debate have gone into the question of what to do with the landmark structure. In 2018 it was estimated that demolition of the Terminals would cost around $5 million, a figure that weighs on the town’s finances as an unfunded liability.

The actual cost of the project has not been determined but Mallins offered reporters a guess of $200 million. Agreements between the town and the developers are scheduled to be executed this spring but specifics have not been made public.

Amanda Pegg, the Town of Collingwood’s executive director of corporate and customer service, says the public discussion will continue. “Our intention is to begin the public engagement process this summer. It’s a two-year process, so following that—once all of the approvals are in place—we have about three years of construction, so about five years total for the project.”

The public can follow the decision-making process for the Terminals’ revitalization, along with other major developments taking place in the town, at Engage.Collingwood.ca.

engage.collingwood.ca