Here are some of the stories that had our attention in March 2014:
10. Dashboard video of highway crash goes viral
Sioux Lookout’s Randy Ireland’s dashboard video of his vehicle slamming into a truck rolling onto the Trans Canada near Kenora went viral. The jewelry store owner said if he hadn’t realized what was happening and hit the brakes, it’s likely the other driver might have been killed in the incident. The video appears to show the other driver talking on a cell phone as he enters the highway. OPP charged the driver on March 1 with failure to yield.
9. Prolonged winter depletes yearly snow removal budget early
Mother Nature’s wrath proved costly to taxpayers, who learned late in the month the city’s $4-million snow-removal budget had already almost all been exhausted and the city could be facing a $3.5-million shortfall in winter weather returned with a vengeance in the fall.
8. Ontario Regional Chief credits early cancer screening to saving his life
Ontario Regional Chief Stan Beardy lent his name to a worthy cause, taking part in a cancer-awareness video shot for the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. Beardy said early-screening in his case led to early detection, which likely saved his life.
7. Sentence handed down in threatening letters case
A Thunder Bay man accused of sending threatening letters to people across the city was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Eric Wirkkala, 46, was charged with 16 counts of uttering threats in 65 letters sent between July 2012 and October 2013. Recipients included politicians, police and media outlets.
6. Rallying for event centre plebiscite
Concerned Taxpayers of Thunder Bay held a rally urging city council to consider putting an event-centre plebiscite on the October ballot. Spokesman Ray Smith was adamant the public deserved a say on whether to proceed with the project, which has now ballooned to more than $114 million.
5. Province brings $14 million for gridlock relief
The Ontario government arrived in Thunder Bay with a $14-million cheque, an attempt to alleviate gridlock at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. Then health minister Deb Matthews called it an important first step in dealing with over-capacity. The money helped pay for 26 beds at Lakehead Psychiatric Hospital, 17 more spaces at the old McKellar Hospital site and 10 more acute beds at the new hospital.
4. Framework agreement reached
Matawa Chiefs and the province of Ontario signed a landmark framework agreement to start negotiations to allow development in the Ring of Fire. The agreement was not made public, but objectives include revenue sharing, infrastructure and enhanced environmental monitoring.
3. Two killed in Expressway crash
An early morning March 22 collision on the Thunder Bay Expressway took the lives of 28-year-olds Daniel Brooks and Michelle Parker. Twenty-eight-year-old Tyler Boily was subsequently charged with impaired driving causing death, dangerous driving causing death and criminal negligence causing death. A judge later denied Boily’s bail request.
2. Jacob acquitted
Kesley Jacob was found not guilty of manslaughter following his trial in the death of Barney Beaver. During his trial the 35-year-old Jacob, a resident of Summer Beaver, Ont., said the two men got into an altercation after the suspect caught the victim violating his passed-out wife.
1. Sexual assault investigation launched
Thunder Bay Police announced they were investigating an alleged February sexual assault on a Thunder Bay woman by members of the Ottawa Gee Gees men’s hockey team. Police later charged a pair of players while the school suspended the hockey team for the season.
Our Look Back series looks at some of the top stories of 2014 one month at a time. Join us Sunday when we take a look at the top stories of April.
