Where the Train Stops, Inspections Begin

On the southern edge of James Bay, the Polar Bear Express rolls to a stop in Moosonee at the end of its line. From here, there are no roads connecting to the rest of the province, only small planes to Timmins or the five-hour train ride back to Cochrane. Yet it’s here that one of Ontario’s largest construction projects is underway: a $1.8 billion healthcare complex that will transform not only Moosonee but provide much-needed access to medical services for residents across the region.

Set in the Hudson Bay Lowlands, the largest wetland area on earth, Moosonee’s location has always defined its role in Ontario’s North. First settled in 1903 as a fur trading post, the town’s importance grew with the arrival of the railway in 1932. Ever since, Moosonee has served as a transportation hub for the James Bay coastal communities, whether crossing the Moose River to Moose Factory or heading further up the western coast of James Bay to neighbouring First Nation communities.

The project’s scope is staggering. It includes acres of development with four main buildings consisting of a hospital, a long-term care and elder lodge, a hostel, and an apartment complex. These are complemented by staff housing, accessory and mechanical structures, and workers’ camps. Scheduled to take five to seven years to complete and employ hundreds of workers at any given time, it is a dramatic change for a 600-household community more accustomed to bringing in small modular buildings by rail. “Having a project of such a magnitude being built in a remote community is a real feat of logistics,” says Gerald Moore, one of the inspectors flying in for on-site reviews. “You take for granted having the right materials on hand — here, everything has to be made in-house or shipped in.”

Moosonee’s combination of remoteness and historically low permit volume has long made it difficult to fund and retain a dedicated building department. Even prior to the hospital project, the municipality relied on contracted chief building official, plans review, and inspection services for their average of fourteen permit applications per year. This arrangement allows the town the flexibility to meet its code enforcement obligations during lulls and surges in activity without the cost of maintaining an in-house department.

On his first visit, Gerald toured the limestone quarry opened specifically for the build. “They actually had to open up a quarry… they have to blast the limestone, crush it down to about four to six inches and then crush it down to what they call one inch minus. And so all of the fill is actually mined on site.” Clay and unsuitable soils are hauled to a separate disposal site,

while massive off-road dump trucks — some granted special permission to use local roads — move fill in and out.

Where concrete aggregates can’t be sourced locally, they arrive by rail at a siding built right beside the site. “All of the aggregates and material used for the production of concrete are all trained in… they have an excavator that actually pulls it out of the [rail] bin… there’s no such thing as a train dump bin.”

Under the model developed for Moosonee, virtual inspections are conducted twice a week and an inspector flies in once every two month for visits on site. Virtual inspector Grant has been managing day-to-day inspections, “We do our virtual inspections over Teams right now, but we’re transitioning to FaceTime so the video quality will be better,” he explains. “The contractor is organized — they use a colour-coded grid plan, so I know exactly which areas are ready for inspection before we even log on.”

Grant’s focus is narrow and detailed. “I’ll say, ‘I want to see this footing,’ and that’s what we look at. It’s very targeted, so nothing gets missed,” he says. Gerald’s on-site visits complement that precision with a broader perspective. While Grant zeroes in on specific components, Gerald uses his time on the ground to assess the overall picture — construction progress, scheduling, and how permits are sequencing. These higher-level conversations with the site superintendent help connect the detailed virtual reviews to the project’s bigger milestones. Eventually, the same inspector will handle both virtual and on-site roles, providing even greater continuity.

The impact on Moosonee is already clear: traffic has increased, the airport is busier, and housing prices have more than doubled in the last two years. While many residents are excited about the new hospital, the rapid growth is also straining infrastructure and affordability, and local council is working to balance the benefits of the project with the pressures it places on the community.

With jobs created, services upgraded, and interest from new developers, the project is reshaping the community’s future. When complete, the hospital will serve residents from across Ontario’s remote North, reducing the need for long, costly trips south for specialized care.

Just as the arrival of the rail connected Moosonee to the rest of Ontario, this healthcare complex will connect remote communities to life-saving services. In a place where every inspection requires careful coordination, from virtual meetings to fly-in site visits, it stands as proof that building officials can adapt their methods to meet even the most challenging conditions. It’s also a reminder that the work of building officials extends to every corner of the province — wherever the train stops, inspections begin.