GREENSTONE – The Ontario Provincial Police building in the Geraldton area is set to be replaced by a new building closer to Highway 11 and downtown Geraldton.
Greenstone council on June 23 authorized the municipality’s chief administrative officer to sign a development agreement with Greenstone Gold for a new OPP detachment building north of the current police station.
Councillors also voted to give the CAO authority “approve any minor amendments” required for the agreement, as plans for the new cop shop along the highway are not yet finalized.
The new OPP station will be located “just south of First Bridge” near Kenogamisis Lake, Mayor Jamie McPherson said after the council meeting.
The provincial police said in late 2023 that construction was scheduled for 2025.
However, a spokesperson for the police service told Dougall Media this week a timeline for the new detachment’s construction and opening hasn’t been set yet.
A new building is needed because “the current OPP station is going to be in a hole” eventually as the open-pit mine south of Highway 11 expands, McPherson said.
“And it's important to the Ontario Provincial Police that they have a new building which is on the Highway 11 main (east-west) thoroughfare through Greenstone,” he added.