The Hoito is Ablaze

Earlier this evening, my Mom texted, "Hoito on fire!!"

She later sent me the picture that you see above.

If you are from Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada or have spent any extended period of time there then you will know about The Hoito. 

It was believed to be the oldest co-operatively owned restaurant in Canada. The Hoito was founded in 1918 by the local chapter International Workers of the World for loggers who needed cheap yet filling food. A majority of these workers were Finnish and the restaurant was housed in the basement of the Finnish Labour Temple (a.k.a. The Finlandia Club).

My family went to The Hoito on a regular basis when we lived in Fort William. It accelerated when we moved to Port Arthur on the other side of Thunder Bay as we were all of a 5 minute walk away. When I was a younger, the restaurant was exclusively communal tables but eventually transitioned to regular seating with a few smaller communal tables. The decor was plain while the food was just plain good. It was one of those places were people seeking elected office went and celebrities would make a point of checking out. 

Unfortunately, The Hoito closed its doors in June 2020 shortly after the Finlandia Club dissolved. A private developer subsequently purchased the property and last October reached an agreement with the Finlandia Co-operative of Thunder Bay to reopen the restaurant in June 2022. It appears that most of the damage to the building was to the upper level where the temple was situated, but I would have to imagine this will delay the opening for the foreseeable future. 

The Hoito is probably the most famous landmark in Thunder Bay as it was the subject of a profile in The New York Times in May 2015.

Hoito translated into English means care. If The Hoito should ever reopen there will need to be a lot of care put into it.