THUNDER BAY – The City of Thunder Bay has issued an apology for falsely claiming its elders’ advisory council was consulted on the design of its 50th anniversary mascot. It's the second time the city has apologized over the rollout of the mascot.
The city earlier apologized for “the hurt caused” by the mascot, originally named Thunder, after some online commenters interpreted it as a disrespectful portrayal of a Thunderbird – supernatural beings that feature prominently in the stories of many North American Indigenous cultures, including those of the Anishinaabe.
That apology, issued via Facebook on June 27, originally included a statement indicating the elders’ council had been consulted on the issue.
“We shared the creative concept of the mascot in late 2019 with the City’s Elder’s Council and Chief Peter Collins of Fort William First Nation,” it read. “None raised issues with the concept.”
The Facebook post was edited the following day to remove the reference to the elders’ council.
On Friday, the city issued a second apology over Facebook,
“We sincerely apologize to the Elders Council for not reaching out to them or the broader Indigenous community prior to the launch of the 50th Anniversary mascot and confirm the final concept for the mascot was not approved by the Elders Council,” the apology read.
“We have learned from this experience and, with humility and resolve, commit ourselves to continued collective learning and working with and following the guidance of the Elders Council in a meaningful way moving forward.”
The city’s 50th anniversary committee has said the mascot will still be used, but with a new name determined in consultation with the community.
