Look back: June 2010

1 Contract awarded
Bombardier landed a contract that will see the local plant build 182 light-rail vehicles, which could amount to an average of 250 jobs for the local plant over a 10-year period.

Transportation Minister Kathleen Wynne made the announcement on June 14 at the plant, saying the province planned to invest $770 million to have the vehicles built for the Metrolinx in the Toronto area. This is in addition to the $1.2 billion light-rail contract awarded to the company in 2009.  
 
2 New clinic stirs controversy
Some Westfort-area business owners expressed disappointment at the decision to locate the city’s third methadone clinic in their neighbourhood.

J.B. Evans owner Jack Moro said he wasn’t upset at the treatment centre, but worried that the proximity could potentially scare customers away. The Ontario Addiction Treatment Centre is located at 218 Frederica St. W. Moro said merchants were also upset the OATC did not consult the Westfort Village Association before deciding to set up shop.
 
3 HST exemptions in place
The federal government agrees to point-of-sale exemptions for First Nations people, with the pending arrival of the harmonized sales tax on July 1. Ottawa had long balked at the idea, leading to protests by Aboriginals concerned at an increased cost-of-living and/or more paperwork.?

The government was going to allow First Nations people to apply for rebates on the provincial sales tax portion of the HST.
 
4 John Street drug bust
About $800,000 worth of marijuana was seized from a John Street home on June 3. An executed search warrant under the Controlled Durg and Substance Act uncovered approximately 40 kilograms and $13,000 in cash were seized. Police were tipped off by a confidential source, and said it would put a major dent on marijuana distribution in the city and outlying region.
 
5 ZZ Top rocks the Auditorium
Texas rockers ZZ Top blasts through a set of old favourites.?

The bearded bad boys of rock easily sold out the Thunder?Bay Community Auditorium, dazzling the audience with ‘80s hits like Legs, Sharped Dressed Man and Gimme All Your Lovin’.
 
6 Poll results favourable to Horizon
A poll, commissioned by Horizon Wind Inc., shows that two-thirds of city residents favour the Toronto-based company’s plan to put 18 turbines on the Nor’Wester Mountain range.

A total of 703 people were questioned for the survey, which also showed that about 60 per cent of Neebing Ward residents opposed the plan. Opponents cited ruined views, health concerns and endangered species as reasons for not wanting the turbines built.
 
7 Conservative riding candidate steps down
Conservative candidate Michael Auld steps down, citing health reasons. Auld, who beat out Nipigon Mayor Richard Harvey for the right to represent the Tories in Thunder?Bay-Superior North in the next federal election, said health worries had prevented him from effectively campaigning for the six months since his nomination, and looked to hamper him down the road. Harvey would later win the nomination in a second vote, beating out former Lakehead University Student Union president Richard Longtin.
 
8 MPs not budging on long-gun vote
The city’s two NDP?MPs maintained they would stick to their guns and vote against the federal long-gun registry, despite the calls from party leader to keep it. Bruce Hyer said he works for his constituents, and that is how they demanded he vote when it came up in September.
 
9 Cold cases re-opened
Thunder?Bay police re-opened a pair of cold case murder files on June 1, hoping for information that might lead to an arrest in the 1966 deaths of Doreen Hardy and Jane Bernard. While they received plenty of tips during the campaign, to date no arrests have been made in either case. 
 
10 Parade axed
City officials announced that they would be scrapping the annual Canada Day parade for Thunder Bay.
 
The popular Water Street parade was shelved because of the ongoing construction at Marina Park. City officials cited congestion due to the construction and limited access to Marina Park entrances as reasons for the 2010 cancelation.  Because of those reasons, city officials said they believed putting the parade on hiatus for one year would be the best option.