THUNDER BAY – In 25 years, Saige Niemi hopes to return to Lorne Allard’s Fisherman’s Park and help unearth a time capsule she helped bury along the Trans Canada Trail.
The 16-year-old Grade 10 history student at St. Ignatius High School joined her classmates on Monday along the shores of Lake Superior, as well as City of Thunder Bay officials, to put the lid on a sturdy silver metallic box and lower in into the not-yet-frozen Northwestern Ontario earth.
Among the items contributed by the students was a school uniform T-shirt, a Fidget spinner, and Invisibobble and a Popsocket – each item a 2017 fad.
“One other item that we also chose was a picture of our class, so we can look back and say, ‘I remember this day and I remember this class,’” Niemi said.
“We can make connections with everyone, if everyone shows up here in 25 years.”
The box is scheduled to be unearthed in 2042.
The city contributed the largest amount of items to the treasure trove, including an issue of the Summer 2017 Key magazine, a Canada 150 water bottle, a declaration of commitment strengthening relations between the city and urban Aboriginal people and the city’s response to the recent seven youth inquest. They also included a souvenir program and a baseball from the Under 18 Baseball World Cup and a copy of The City and Sprit Garden – Prince Arthur’s Landing book.
At-large Coun. Frank Pullia said the idea for the time capsule was sparked by the people behind the Trans Canada Trail, one of three locations in Northern Ontario taking part in the effort, the others being Kenora and Sault Ste. Marie.
It’s a great idea, he said.
“Time capsules always capture the spirit of the community at that particular point in time. Looking far into the future, in 25 years it will be great to go back and take a look back at today and ask what the challenges of the day were,” Pullia said.
Pullia said the commitment to the Indigenous community is the item that interests him the most.
“Twenty-five years from now – and a lot sooner I hope – we can look back and say, ‘Yeah, we had some challenges, but we’ve overcome them and collaborated to create a better future for everyone in our community.”
Iaian Mettam, a volunteer representative of Trans Canada Trail Ontario, said they chose a quarter of a century time period because it took 25 years of work to bring the trail to reality. It’s also a celebration of the country’s 150th birthday.
“Looking at it through a window of another 25 years makes a lot of sense,” said Mettam, whose group contributed commemorative pins, T-shirts, brochures and a pen.
Four other southern Ontario sites were also chosen.
