Finnish Labour Temple owner and community look to rebuild iconic building after fire in Thunder Bay, Ont.

It's been over a week since a devastating fire broke out at the historic Finnish Labour Temple in Thunder Bay, Ont.

The investigation into the blaze is ongoing, but community members are already trying to think of a way to pick up the pieces of the northwestern Ontario landmark, which was also home to the famous Hoito restaurant.

"You know, the building was like a part of my family. It was like one of my children and now it's gone, you know, so, I mean it's been really hard," said Brad McKinnon who purchased the building in 2020.

McKinnon said the last week has been a whirlwind of emotion as he tries to sort through the aftermath of the fire. On the night of the fire he had just arrived in Sault Ste Marie, Ont., when he heard that flames were tearing through the building.

He said he turned around and made the eight hour drive to Thunder Bay. When he arrived around 3 a.m. on Dec. 23, city firefighters were still battling the blaze.

"This is a tragedy," he said."We're not going to let the building stay in this condition. We're going to rebuild immediately as soon as we can."

McKinnon said he is committed to reviving the most iconic features of the building, including the Bay Street facade, the tower, and the cupola.

As of Tuesday, McKinnon was waiting on the next steps of finishing up the investigation, processing the insurance claim, and cleaning up the building to avoid further risk or damage.

"I mean, it's probably one of the most iconic buildings in Thunder Bay. It was a tourist attraction. It was a sanctuary for the Finnish Community," he said. "It was a symbol of hope, care, generosity and, and it's gone. And to leave it, you know, just to let it go like that would be a crime in itself," he said.

McKinnon said rebuilding might not happen until the spring, but said in the meantime he hopes to retrieve an antique weight scale that was one of few heritage pieces left in the building, according to the Finlandia Co-Operative of Thunder Bay.

The human-sized scale was at the entrance of the Hoito Restaurant for decades. McKinnon hopes to display it in some sort of case outside for people visiting the Bay and Algoma neighbourhood to see.

"Just to use that as a symbol for going forward and determination, and the restaurant will come back and the building will come back," he said.

McKinnon's eagerness to rebuild has been welcome news to the Finlandia Co-Operative of Thunder Bay, who were scheduled to reopen the Hoito Restaurant in June of 2022.

The organization's interim president, Paula Haapanen, said the board is "of the same mind", and will be working on coming up with a plan for next steps at their first general meeting on January 16.