Move will create 30 full-time jobs, 27 in Thunder Bay and also be worth about $10 million in construction activity to the local economy.

THUNDER BAY – It won’t be long before all donated tissue in Ontario is stored and processed in Thunder Bay.

Officials with the non-profit Lake Superior Centre for Regenerative Medicine on Friday announced in conjunction with the province that the company will become the new tissue transplant hub, creating 27 new jobs in Northwestern Ontario.

The planned expansion is also expected to generate nearly $10 million in economic activity during the construction phase.

David Stezenko, the executive director at Regen Med, says it’s an exciting day for the city, one that’s been many years in the making.

“We’ve been chosen to host and house Ontario’s consolidated tissue processing and distribution centre, so we will be processing muscular skeletal heart-valve tissue and skin for burn tissue right here in Thunder Bay and sending them out to surgeons across the province,” Stezenko said.

The decision means the company will have to expand its existing laboratory, which opened for business in 2009.

“It’s going to mean, even in the early years, about 30 full-time positions for skill jobs in Thunder Bay,” Stezenko said.

He’s thrilled the company landed the designation.

“This has been so long in coming. I’ve only been here for four years, but for many of my colleagues and our board, they’ve been here for so many years,” he said. “This is the goal we’ve been shooting for, for a decade.”

It’s also a sign the province is starting to show faith in the abilities of the Northwest.

“For all of us in Thunder Bay, we know that doesn’t happen very often. We fought hard that we were the right place to house this processing centre. It’s been proven and we’re just delighted to bring this to Thunder Bay,” Stezenko said.

MPP Bill Mauro said it’s an example of what the city can do when it comes to job creation for knowledge-based work and economic diversification.

“It’s really a strong testament that Thunder Bay can do anything and I would say I learned very clearly early on through the angioplasty experience that there is an inherent resistance from southern Ontario to some of this work ending up in places like Thunder Bay,” Mauro said.

“That’s been the fight for a very long time. We had to prove it and we’ve managed to do that.”

Once processed, tissue can be stored for future use for up to five years.