Here are the top 10 stories from January 2017, as compiled by tbnewswatch.com editor Leith Dunick:
1. A trailer hitch, thrown from a passing vehicle, struck and severely injured 34-year-old Indigenous woman Barbara Kentner, while she was walking on Cameron Street with her sister. The incident was labeled a hate crime by some and led to the arrest of 18-year-old Brayden Bushby, who was charged with aggravated assault. She later died and the charge was upped to second-degree murder.
2. Ottawa murder suspect Jonathan Ranger was apprehended early in the month. The 32-year-old was arrested following a pair of high-risk vehicle stops. Ottawa police had earlier issued a notice that Ranger should be considered armed and dangerous, following an incident that saw a 30-year-old Ottawa man die of gunshot wounds. Another woman was hospitalized in the alleged shooting.
3. The suicides of two 12-year-old girls in Wapakeka First Nation led Nishnawbe Aski Nation leaders to call for a co-ordinated emergency response by both the federal and provincial governments. Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler called the suicide epidemic a crisis. His call came after the launch of the People’s Inquiry on suicide by the Mushkegowuk Council.
4. Forty-five-year-old Rachel Lagarde of Fort William First Nation was identified as the victim of a fatal collision on Highway 61 near the Kaministiquia Bridge, sparking safety concerns about the busy stretch of highway and a controversial merge lane. The following month 48-year-old Gary Walker was charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death.
5. The Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board and its teachers waged a war of words that threatened to end with the board locking out its employees to end a negotiation impasse in a lengthy contract dispute.
6. Human trafficking charges were laid against a pair of Toronto men after an extensive search for a missing 17-year-old woman who was found in Thunder Bay and later safely returned to her family home. Police arrested 20-year-old and a minor in the case. Both were charged with trafficking and prostitution offences.
7. Sylvie Hauth on Jan. 18 was sworn in as the city’s first female deputy chief, taking over from the now-retired former Deputy Chief Andy Hay. Hauth called it “quite an exciting adventure,” and promised to hit the ground running after just three weeks to prepare for her new role – which would expand greatly later in 2017.
8. City administration recommended the Chippewa wildlife exhibit be permanently closed, a move council would go on to approve. The move came after vandals damaged a pen and allowed a captive eagle to escape.
9. Admissions to the newly opened Hogarth Riverview Manor began after a two-month moratorium imposed by the province following nine outstanding compliance orders that caused concern for inspectors. St. Joseph Care Group CEO Tracy Buckler said the issues surrounded patient care and safety.
10. About 1,500 local veterans welcomed the reopening of the city’s Veteran Affairs office, which had been closed under former prime minister Stephen Harper. Roy Lamore, who served in the Second World War, said the two-year wait was tough, but he was glad the Liberals kept their campaign promise.
