DECEMBER: A hate crime investigation, devastating house fires and a prison riot

10. Investigators turned to the public to help identify a woman struck by a vehicle on Dec. 9 at the intersection of Bay and Water streets. The woman, who was a pedestrian and was not carrying any identification, was reportedly unconscious after the collision and taken to hospital with serious injuries. Thunder Bay Police officials invited the media to photograph the clothing worn by the woman at the time of the collision and share it to the public, hoping somebody could help identify her. Those efforts were ultimately successful. A 90-year-old man was charged with careless driving.

9. City police began a hate crime investigation after several vehicles in a Northwood neighbourhood were vandalized overnight on Dec. 2. At least three cars were targeted on Ashland Place, spray painted with profane and explicit language. Residents of the neighbourhood expressed shock and disgust.

8. City treasurer Carol Pollard announced on Dec. 18 she would be stepping away from her post in the New Year. Pollard had served in city administration for the past 15 years and previously worked as the town treasurer of Fort Frances. She said she was leaving for another opportunity but did not provide details. Pollard is the latest high-ranking city staffer to leave, joining former city manager Tim Commisso and former infrastructure and operations manager Darrell Matson.

7. The local generating station came under fire from the provincial auditor general, who found at $1,600 per megawatt hour, it cost 25 times more to produce power at the Thunder Bay plant than at other biomass plants in Ontario. It is expected to operate for just five days a year, while employing 60 full-time workers to generate 15,000 megawatts of electricity per year at a cost of $40 million. The facility was defended by MPP Bill Mauro and Energy Task Force co-chair Iain Angus, who said the report did not consider long-term needs.



6. The Sorrell family was left homeless after a Christmas Day blaze destroyed their South Gillies home. Nobody was home at the time of the fire, which remains under investigation. A crowdfunding page was set up online with a goal of raising $5,000.

5. Two suspects in a 2014 homicide case pleaded guilty to manslaughter. Chauncy Grover and Alyssa Jourdain both entered guilty pleas in the death of 64-year-old Leslie Perrault, who was found dead in a Machar Avenue home on Aug. 18, 2014. Sentencing will take place in 2016.

4. Jean Bartkowiak was announced as the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre’s new president and chief executive officer on Dec. 22. Bartkowiak, who replaces Andree Robichaud after she resigned earlier in the year following a five-year term, has more than 25 years of experience as a health executive. He is expected to start formally serving in the new role in January.

3. Pilot Capt. Nicholas Little was killed when the Wasaya Airways cargo plane he was flying crashed shortly after taking off from Pickle Lake on Dec. 11. Two Transportation Safety Board investigators were called in to try to determine the cause of the crash, which has not yet been determined. Little was the only person onboard the plane, which was bound for Wapekeka First Nation.

2. Two people were dead after a Dec. 27 fire in a Brant Street home. The victims were identified as 50-year-old Anne Chuchmuch and 60-year-old Wilfred Potts. The fire is being jointly investigated by the Thunder Bay Police Service and Office of the Ontario Fire Marshal.

1. A correctional officer was taken hostage for more than three hours after a riot broke out at the Thunder Bay District Jail. The disturbance started in the facility’s protective custody unit and resulted in the jail being put on lockdown for 12 hours. A number of police officers, along with paramedics and firefighters, were present outside. The incident prompted renewed calls for the provincial government to replace the 90-year-old jail.