Look back: Sept. 2010

1 homicide investigations
City police were kept busy as they investigated three homicide cases in as many weeks.

Two Thunder Bay women were charged with first-degree murder on Sept. 3 after the body of Verna Patricia Sturgeon, 30, was found in a room at Travelodge Airlane Hotel. Thunder Bay Police Service officers charged Joanne Vivier, 33, and Michelle Morris, 28.

Patrick Kanate, 19 was charged with second-degree murder in the Sept.14 stabbing death of Keegan Williams, 25, on High Street. Two teens, aged 14 and 15, were charged with second-degree murder following the beating death of a 16-year-old Sachigo Lake girl whose body was found in the woods near County Park.

2 Harper comes to town
Prime Minister Stephen Harper came to town for a series of photo ops, a party rally and the first anniversary of Canada’s Economic Action Plan. The Conservative Party leader said he had assurances that construction at Marina Park is on schedule, on budget and shouldn’t miss the March 31, 2011 deadline.

3 Former mayor runs at-large
Former mayor Ken Boshcoff filed for the at-large race in the October municipal election. The 61-year-old spent 17 years on council, six as mayor and holds the Liberal nomination in the federal Thunder Bay-Rainy River riding; a seat he’s also held previously. Boshcoff won the at-large seat.

4 Hydro facility opens
Thunder Bay Hydro opened its $9.6 million Mapleward Renewable Generating Station. The station will remove 263 million cubic feet of methane gas from the environment and use it to produce enough power to light 3,000 homes annually in Thunder Bay.

The investment could net the city a total of $15 million over the course of a 20-year contract with the Ontario Power Authority.

5 Power calls it quits
A Northwestern Ontario political icon called it a day.

Greenstone mayor Michael Power announced he wouldn’t seek another term in the municipal election. Power, 68, cited his wife’s ailing health and the need for new blood at the top as the community morphs from a primarily forestry-based economy into one dominated by the mining sector.

6 Multiplex poll
While not scientific, the city said its initial questionnaire shows that Thunder Bay is generally in favour of a proposed $60 million multiplex arena. The city took responses from 460 people over a two-month period.

Eighty-three per cent of those who participated in the poll made supportive comments about the project either explicitly or implicitly, the city said.

7 Bearskin purchase
A Winnipeg-based company signed a $32.5 million letter of intent to purchase Bearskin Airlines. The current owners of the airline said a purchase by Exchange Income Corporation would allow the company to progress and grow while having a minimal impact on operations.

8 Waterfront sneak peak
The city gave the public its first look at the two 51-unit condominiums for the waterfront.

At $300 a square foot, developers say the units will cost between $330,000 and $600,000 a unit when they hit the market.

The condominiums, which overlook Lake Superior, will range from 1,100 to 2,000 square feet. Construction on the buildings won’t begin until a hotel deal is signed and 50 per cent of the units are sold.

9 Candidates step forward
There were 50 candidates running for municipal office after nominations for the Oct. 25 election closed Sept. 10. Six people were running for the mayor’s chair while 19 entered the at-large race. McIntyre and Neebing Wards had five candidates each while McKellar, Northwood and Westfort Wards had three.

The Red River Wards was a four person race and the Current River Ward was a head-to-head contest.

Despite the number of candidates, council chambers saw little change following the election. Only the mayor, McKellar Ward and one at-large seat were changed from the previous council with 10 incumbents returning.

10 Fighting the Far North Act
The Grand chief of Nishnawbe Aski Nation Stan Beardy said the time for talking was over and his organization would start peaceful protests over the provincial government’s Far North Act. Blockades and other actions were not ruled out by NAN as the government’s third reading of Bill 191 was scheduled for Sept. 16 at Queen’s Park.