Here are our top 10 stories for the month of January 2016. We'll be presenting our annual Year in Review feature between now and Jan. 1.
- The public got its first official hint the Lakehead Public School Board had closures on its mind. In a report released early in the month, the board indicated it wanted to close Sir Winston Churchill Collegiate and Vocational Institute and seven-year-old Superior Collegiate and Vocational Institute, along with several elementary schools, a cost-saving measure that drew the ire of parents and students. The board’s final decision wouldn’t be made until October.
- After weeks of work, the Nipigon River Bridge fully reopened to two lanes of traffic after temporary repairs were made to the span, which failed in January, shutting the Trans-Canada Highway to traffic for nearly a day.
- Horizon Wind Inc. announced it was going to sue the province for $50 million over its kyboshed turbine farm on the Nor’Wester Mountain Range. The company alleged the Ministry of the Environment deliberately delayed the renewable energy approval process and accused the government of negligent misrepresentation and misfeasance of public duty.
- A Thunder Bay Police Service officer was charged after his work-issued Glock and three magazines of ammunition were stolen from his personal vehicle. Sgt. James A. Glenna was charged with careless storage of a firearm and breach of a firearm regulation. The firearm and one of the three magazines of ammunition was eventually turned over to police.
- Two suspects in a 2014 Field Street death of 44-year-old Lloyd Oiskineegish pleaded guilty to manslaughter. Felton Sakanee and Keith Mishenene were among the first to be arrested in the case. Two other suspects were also accused in the case.
- Relatives of residents at the newly opened Hogarth Riverview Manor expressed concern that the province wasn’t providing adequate staffing levels and that residents were sometimes waiting hours for breakfast or get out of bed. The complaints led to changes in staffing levels.
- City officials announced they would begin the process of looking into the feasibility of a safe-injection site for Thunder Bay, which would be a first outside of Vancouver. The $45,000 study was conducted in conjunction with a similar one in London, Ont.
- A man deemed a sexual predator was sentenced to five years in prison (less 93 days for time served), in an historical sexual assault case. Gary Bruce Lamont pleaded guilty to five counts of sexual assault against five male victims between the ages of 17 and 24 between 1993 and 2007.
- The city sent a letter to nearby businesses asking owners what should be done with the controversial Victoriaville Mall. Among the suggestions was demolishing the 36-year-old facility and returning that portion of Victoria Avenue to a city street.
- Thunder Bay Mayor Keith Hobbs went public with his desire to sell off yet another city-owned golf course. Hobbs said developers could turn Strathcona Golf Course into a new subdivision and generate more tax revenue for city coffers. The city’s golf division has been a money-losing venture for years.
Here are our top 10 stories for the month of February 2016. We'll be presenting our annual Year in Review feature between now and Jan. 1.
