Ontario is investing $1 million in a northern waterfront development project to enhance amenities and attractions that will ultimately increase tourism.

With funds provided from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC), the town of Nipigon will build a 40-foot lookout tower on Railway Street that offers a panoramic view of Lake Superior, including the first provincial cable suspension bridge, currently under construction and hyped as a future tourist attraction.

Nipigon will also build a lagoon boardwalk that opens public access to the water, and a park, which will host festivals, concerts and special events.

Michael Gravelle, minister of northern development and mines and chair of the NOHFC, said the development will also create new jobs for northerners and build on Nipigon’s reputation for “great fishing and magnificent natural landscapes.”

Nipigon has envisioned a waterfront development since 1981, hoping to amplify the tourism economy, environmental technology and research to complement the establishment of the Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area.

The tourism investment is part of Ontario’s four-part plan to develop the province, which includes building new public infrastructure.

Construction of the look-out tower, which will become the town’s highest point of elevation, is expected to start this spring and be completed next summer.