10. City police revealed they drew their guns 88 times in 2014, an increase over the previous five-year annual average of 56. Police chief J.P. Levesque blamed the increase partially on the increase in knife use by the public, but said police also had to put down 29 animals, which added to the high number.
9. Striking Community Care Access Centre workers walked off the job for nearly three weeks, joining a province-wide strike. After two years of wage freezes, employees were seeking a wage hike to help offset cost-of-of living increases. An arbitrator stepped in and the labour dispute came to a quiet end.
8. Nishnawbe Aski Nation hosted a multi-day gathering for friends and families of missing and murdered indigenous women, inviting the public to share their stories and memories of their loved ones. It was also an attempt to pressure the federal government to take the issue more seriously.
7. The Chippewa Wildlife Exhibit came under fire after Couns. Rebecca Johnson and Shelby Ch’ng suggested the city should close the zoo. Johnson said the city could save $100,000 a year by shutting it down, while Ch’ng, the newly elected Northwood Ward representative, suggested it’s ethically wrong to keep animals locked up in zoos. Volunteer supporters of the zoo circulated a pair of petitions to show public support.
6. Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau paid the city its first pre-election visit by any of the major party leaders in 2015. Trudeau met with city officials and held a well-attended public meet-and-greet at the Da Vinci Centre.
5. Mayor Keith Hobbs said despite previous reports, the proposed event centre was in fact eligible for federal funds, just not the Building Canada money the city had hope to be awarded.
4. Hospital president and CEO Andree Robichaud announced late in the month she was leaving after five years at the helm of Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. Robichaud, who left in June, took over a hospital system in the Greater Toronto Area and said her biggest accomplishment was making the facility more accessible to the public.
3. Mayor Keith Hobbs said enough is enough and decided to look into his legal options after discovering unflattering comments about him and his family online. The mayor said the vile and vulgar comments crossed a line and told media he planned to have his alleged online bully charged with libelous slander.
2. A two-vehicle collision turned tragic on Feb. 20 when 22-year-old Natasha Campbell of Barrie, Ont. and 22-year-old Zachary Huibers were pronounced dead as a result of the horrific crash that also sent a 62-year-old woman to hospital with minor injuries.2
1. CN announced it was taking the City of Thunder Bay to court in order to get a ruling once and for all about its obligations surrounding the James Street Swing Bridge. The city had earlier rejected the railway’s final offer, which would have opened the rail deck to alternating one-way traffic. Both Mayor Keith Hobbs and Tim Commisso said they were happy to see the matter hit the courts, though questioned the company’s sincerity to negotiate.
