Local man misses out on Red Dog Inn

With word Monday that the sale of the Red Dog Inn to Sioux Lookout businessman Don Lee is all but finalized, a local business owner is disappointed his plans for the building may have fallen through.
Since the doors on the hotel were chained shut more than a month ago, Craig Sanders, who owns The Place and 364 Store here in town, has been trying to purchase the Red Dog Inn. He plans on expanding The Place, which is located right next door.
“I talked to Mr. Lee for about a half-hour last week and I got no sense from him where he’s going . . . whether he’s receptive or not,” said Sanders. “It had been my hope I could secure the one end of the Red Dog and do renovations.
“I’m a little bit disappointed,” he added. “I had been trying to buy the Red Dog Inn.”
Sanders wants to expand The Place, creating more room while adding a bakery and expanded deli section. “We want a more full-service type of grocery,” he remarked.
Lee confirmed he had received some interest from a local businessman about the Red Dog property, but wouldn’t say if selling part of the building was an option.
Sanders said he plans on expanding whether he can work out a deal with Lee or not. “I am very much hoping I can work something out with him [Lee],” he said. “[But], at some point, I have to move forward with my other plans.”
Those plans were to expand the existing building rather than renovating the east end of the Red Dog—the newest portion of the building which includes a large banquet hall.
“It’s difficult for me to wait,” Sanders said.
He also acknowledged it is difficult for Lee to make a decision in such short order, too. “It’s difficult to have him walk in and make a decision,” he conceded.
“I had hoped to go this fall, but it will probably be spring, now,” Sanders added.
As first reported in Monday’s Daily Bulletin, Lee has not finalized every detail of the sale yet, though he said that could come very soon.
“It’s not final yet, no,” Lee said Monday from his home in Sioux Lookout. “It may be on Friday. If you see me [in Fort Frances] on Monday, it’s official.”
Lee noted only minor details need finalizing before he can take possession. “We’re going to plan on re-opening it and run it as a hotel again,” he confirmed.
Lee said he is an experienced business man. He currently owns the Fifth Avenue Bar and Grill in Sioux Lookout, and had owned a hotel in the past. He also noted his family has had lots of experience as business owners.
The Red Dog formerly was owned by a group of area First Nations.