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YEAR IN REVIEW: April 2024

An arrest was made in the death of 38-year-old Rachelle Sakakeep, whose body was found at an Academy Drive residence.

THUNDER BAY -- Here are 10 of the top stories we covered in April 2024, as compiled by Dougall Media Director of News, Leith Dunick. 

  1. Thunder Bay Police charged a 41-year old Thunder Bay man with second-degree murder after the body of a 38-year-old woman was found at an Academy Drive residence. The murder took place in March..
     
  2. Construction finally began on a Junot Avenue transitional housing project. The 58-unit facility is being built through Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services and will feature a mixture of pod-style and independent living quarters for people aged 18 to 29. It’s expected to be completed in 2025.
     
  3. Premier Doug Ford visited the city and promised to connect five First Nations to the power grid, communities that included Marten Falls, Eabametoong, Webequie, Neskantaga and Nibinamik. While in the area, Ford also confirmed funding for a new hospital in Kenora.
     
  4. Former Thunder Bay Police Service in-house lawyer Holly Walbourne was charged by the OPP with obstruction and breach of trust following an investigation into allegations of misconduct within police ranks. Former police chief Sylvie Hauth was later in the month charged with breach of trust, obstructing a public or police officer and obstruction of justice.
     
  5. The administrator hire to oversee the Thunder Bay Police Services Board delivered his final report to the Ontario Civilian Police Commission, recommending the board govern with consensus-based decision and shared goals.
     
  6. Leadership at Nishnawbe Aski Nation made renewed calls for the disbandment of the Thunder Bay Police Service and its board, after family members of three Indigenous people who died in the city alleged a lack of communication from police.
     
  7. A high-ranking gang member was sentenced to 13 years in prison for drug trafficking. Vito Bailey-Ricketts oversaw the sale of fentanyl and cocaine in the city.
     
  8. The District of Thunder Bay Social Services Administration Board was left scrambling after learning it had lost out on $4.2 million in federal funding after Housing Minister Sean Fraser announced the province would not receive $357 million for affordable housing for not doing enough to meet targets under the National Housing Strategy Action Plan.
     
  9. The hype for the much-talked-about solar eclipse was real, but the cloud cover kept Thunder Bay residents from seeing the phenomenon up close and personal. Instead they had to settle for TV images from afar.
     
  10. The Land Defence Alliance held a rally at Waverly Park, standing unite against the burial of nuclear waste in Northwestern Ontario. The group included Grassy Narrows First Nation Chief Rudy Turtle, who expressed concerns about future leaks from the proposed deep repository in Ignace.


Leith Dunick

About the Author: Leith Dunick

A proud Nova Scotian who has called Thunder Bay home since 2002, Leith is Dougall Media's director of news, but still likes to tell your stories too. Wants his Expos back and to see Neil Young at least one more time. Twitter: @LeithDunick
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