Members of the Thunder Bay and Area Disaster Relief Committee were shocked to learn the province wasn’t actually going to give them two-for-one dollars to help victims of the May 28, 2012 flood and sewage back-up disaster. Instead, under rules the province said local officials should have understood, Ontario would only match 20 cents per dollar raised. Earlier in the month they announced claims were being delayed while being vetted by a Toronto firm.
Leif Hobson, after a lengthy delay, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder charges in the 2009 death of Edgar Marion. Marion’s car and his burned out remains were found in the Shuniah Mines. Hobson, 19 at the time, was also charged with indignity to human remains and sentenced in September to life in prison.
Assessments made by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation drew the ire of regional mayors at the annual Northern Ontario Municipal Association meeting. Dryden Mayor Craig Nuttall was upset at the re-evaluation of Domtar’s paper mill from $50 million to $14 million, a move that he felt could cripple the city’s tax base. Thunder Bay faces a similar issue with Resolute Forest Product’s mill.
Operation Thunderbird took to the streets of Thunder Bay, protesting outside the Thunder Bay Police Service’s Balmoral headquarters. The group, which associated itself with Anonymous, claimed police incompetence over an alleged sexual assault that took place late in 2012.
Thunder Bay Mayor Keith Hobbs, a retired police officer, made a citizen’s arrest of an unruly guest outside the Community Auditorium. Hobbs was taking part at the Mining Readiness Strategy session when the suspect allegedly started swearing and being disruptive. He was led out of the facility and arrested by Hobbs when he started resisting.
Fort William First Nation got a new leader with the election of Chief Georjann Morriseau. She edged rival Michael Pelletier by a 243-238 count in the vote, taking over from outgoing Chief Peter Collins, who decided not to offer for another term.
After two years in jail, infamous plane thief Adam Leon learned he would not be sent back to prison, a judge agreeing mental health issues were a factor in his 2009 heist of a plane from Confederation College and subsequent illegal flight into U.S. airspace.
Police recovered the body of a missing 42-year-old woman in the woods behind Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre on April 29. Pauline Jean Kireto went missing in October 2012 after walking away from the hospital. A search for the woman began about a month later.
A suspect, not identified by police, was arrested and charged after someone strung fishing line across walking paths at Boulevard Lake. Police said the suspect was remorseful and had only intended to play a prank, not seriously injure someone. He was charged with mischief and released.
Police made a disturbing discovery during a drug bust, learning that bath salts had finally made an appearance in the city. The drug causes paranoia in some that can lead to violence, either self-inflicted or against others.
