Demolition begins

Adios to the old Canadian Tire!

The Heafey Group began demolishing the old Aylmer Canadian Tire in mid-December to make way for an imposing mixed project. The new seven-storey building will harbour 330 condo units and a supermarket on the ground floor.

“We’ve started the first step. Once the old building is removed, the company will need to decontaminate the soil before digging the foundation. The work site will be very busy after the holiday break,” noted Guy Leblanc, Galeries Aylmer manager.

To the disappointment of some pedestrians, the contractors barricaded the sidewalk on the east side of Wilfrid-Lavigne in order to excavate under the sidewalk to relocate certain utilities.

Several months behind schedule, the $70 million tripartite project hit a few bumps along the way. One involved decontamination work, as revealed by Lucerne councillor Mike Duggan during the City Council meeting held in Aylmer this fall. Any problems now seem settled between the buyer and the seller.

The developer estimates that the new ground-floor Super C should be ready by summer, 2018, and the condos by spring, 2019.

The  residential component, handled by Le Groupe Maurice, includes a five- and a seven-storey tower, both along Wilfrid-Lavigne Boulevard. Le Groupe Maurice owns and operates more than a dozen residences for retirees across Quebec.

The Heafey Group is building the 3,700 square-metre supermarket, with a modern design. The current Super C in the Galeries is roughly 1,670 m2, while the Super C in the Plateau has over 4,600 m2. Super C is owned by Métro Inc.