Look back: July 2010

1 Baseball fever
Thunder Bay residents were bit by the baseball bug in July as the World Junior Baseball championships got underway.

Thousands flooded Port Arthur Stadium for a chance to watch the 11 national teams battle for the top prize. The tournament had some bumps along the way. Team Venezuela’s late arrival gave International Baseball Federation officials and tournament organizers a bit of a headache as they scrambled to re-organize the schedule without making too many significant changes.

Despite the early issues, tournament officials and organizers unanimously declared the event a success.

Team Chinese-Taipei claimed victory over Australia by a score of 8-4. Team Canada came in fourth place with an 8-2 loss against Cuba.

2. Big Thunder rejections
Ontario’s ministry of tourism rejected all six proposals from six different groups hoping to re-open Big Thunder.

One group, the Friends of Big Thunder, were told the province rejected their offer because criteria, such as access to capital, providing a sustainable operation and environmental consideration weren’t met. Despite three of the group’s five stakeholders sending letters of support, the province told Friends of Big Thunder they didn’t have the support of stakeholder.

3 Hospital loan paid off
Several city councillors say with the hospital loan paid off, residents want to lower the city’s property taxes for next year. The city made its 10th and final payment for the hospital debenture and several councillors said they wanted to pass on the $3.3 million annual savings to city ratepayers in the 2011 budget. However, some councillors said it was too early to tell where the money should go as future projects could require the additional funds.

4 Science Centre finds NEW CEO
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre looked east for its second CEO. The regional hospital picked Andree Robichaud, former president and CEO of New Brunswick’s Regional Health Authority A, to take over from outgoing president and CEO Ron Saddington.

5 More blues at the waterfront
The Thunder Bay Blues Festival boasted a lineup of 20 musical acts including headline performers Robert Randolph, the Blues Traveler and Taj Mahal.

Getting Taj Mahal into Canada proved a difficult task, but the bluesman didn’t call it quits. He took a $350 cab ride from Duluth all the way to Thunder Bay and arrived half-an-hour behind schedule. The show carried on and even had a guest appearance by Chicago Blackhawk’s Patrick Sharp holding the NHL championship trophy high above his head.

6 LU president says goodbye
Outgoing Lakehead University President Fred Gilbert said his final goodbye to the University. Gilbert spent 12 years as LU’s president and said he was proud of the university’s accomplishments such as the medical school, research activity, athletics and the beautification of the campus.

7 Lyme disease diagnosis
A veterinarian’s Lyme disease diagnosis made it the first known case of a dog contracting the disease from a tick in this area.

A local veterinarian confirmed with Tracie Smith that her dog, Chance, had contracted the disease, likely from a tick that found its way onto the pooch during a walk through Chapples park. The animal had lost its appetite and suffered from stiffness in what appeared to be a sore shoulder. The owner said she was partly relieved to learn that the symptoms were from a treatable case of Lyme disease and not the alternative – a bone tumor.

8 Beardy meets the Queen
Queen Elizabeth’s royal visit became a reminder of her relationship with Canada’s First Nations when she met with area chiefs.

Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Stand Beardy and other NAN chiefs met with the Queen at Queen’s Park in Toronto. Beardy said it was an exciting day and he reminded the Queen that Canada’s treaties were legally binding and that the nation has an obligation to honour the relationship.

9 Finlandia celebrates 100 years
A local landmark celebrated its 100th year in July.

The Finlandia Club officially turned 100 in March but celebrations were held off until the summer. Pancake breakfasts and a street fair were part of the weekend-long party for Thunder Bay’s famous and historic building.

10 Racist graffiti
Police looked for the person or people responsible who spray painted disturbing messages at several locations in the city, including one that read "kill Indians" on a sign near a high traffic area. The racial message was crudely painted on a retail sign near the Thunder Centre and Intercity Shopping Centre.

Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Stand Beardy said the message was troubling and added that everyone should be concerned when they see a message like that.