NIPIGON — The Township of Nipigon and the CPKC railway now have an “understanding” to swap lands for a proposed Parks Canada building in the community.
A letter of understanding, signed by both parties, proposes the municipality transfer property at 1 Newton St. to the railway in exchange for land near First Street, Railway Street and Front Steet in the downtown area.
The Newton Street site is property once occupied by a plywood mill that burned down in 2007, putting 130 people out of work.
The railway land in the exchange could be used by Parks Canada to construct a multimillion-dollar Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area tourism and administration centre.
It’s “a positive development” for the township and development of the Parks Canada centre, Nipigon chief administrative officer Tim Cobban told Newswatch in a phone interview.
The letter “establishes the parameters of the deal that the railway in the township have been working on,” he said.
“Basically the deal involves swapping a portion of the railway’s laydown yard in downtown Nipigon for a portion of the old mill site.
“The old railway laydown yards would then be transferred to Parks Canada to allow them to build their tourism administration centre.
“You know, we’ve been working on this deal for the better part of a year. Negotiations have advanced pretty significantly and all parties are in agreement on the parameters.”
When the land swap will take place is not clear, Cobban said, “but ideally it would be sometime in 2027.”
Parks Canada broke ground for a Marine Conservation Area building in Nipigon in May 2024, but development halted after site work uncovered Anishinaabe ancestral remains.
Federal officials made a call-out in 2025 for alternative site proposals, including proposals from Nipigon and nearby Red Rock.
The Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area is one of five in the country, according to Parks Canada’s website.
The letter of understanding says the proposed land swap “is intended to facilitate the development of the Parks Canada centre while preserving the safe and efficient operation of the railway.”
Lisa Nyman, the regional Marine Conservation Area’s site manager, said in a written statement to Newswatch that Parks Canada has been in discussions with the township and CPKC toward securing a site for a visitor and administration centre.
“Parks Canada looks forward to continuing these discussions and will provide an update on the future location of the Lake Superior Administration and Visitor Centre when information becomes available,” she said.
