- Bombardier workers got the bad news they had feared, when the international conglomerate announced it was laying off 550 local employees as contracts began to run out later in the year. The company called a town-hall meeting at their Thunder Bay plant to give them the bad news. The layoffs represent about half the company’s 1,100 strong workforce.
- One person was killed after a fire swept through the kitchen of a Bethune Street residence. Firefighters arrived on scene at about 3:30 a.m. The body of the 34-year-old male victim was located in an adjacent bedroom. Police later ruled the fire as an arson and said they were investigating it as a sudden death.
- Thunder Bay earned the country’s second highest score on Canada’s national violent crime severity index. It was the eighth straight year the city finished in the top three nation-wide, notching 159.7 score. Only Winnipeg, at 161.4, fared worse.
- First-degree murder charges against four men wanted in the 2016 disappearance and suspected murder of Justin Duncan were stayed. The Crown has one year to decide whether or not to bring the charges back and move forward with the prosecution. Duncan, a known gang member, was last seen in Thunder Bay. His body was never found.
- A teen was arrested and charged in conjunction with a pair of suspected arsons after fires broke out at residences on Queen and Hartland Street. Sam Varghese was taken into custody in Niagara Falls, Ont. and charged with seven counts of forcible confinement and arson. The second fire left one resident critically injured as a result.
- Canada Day celebration brought thousands out to Fort William Historical Park and Prince Arthur’s landing. The country celebrated its 152nd birthday with plenty of music and food, cultural fun and of course, the always popular fireworks display that lit up the Thunder Bay sky when the sun disappeared for the night.
- Tickets for the 2019 Thunder Bay Blues Festival didn’t last long, not with the likes of Bryan Adams topping the bill. Marina Park was filled to the brim with 21,000 music fans over the three-day run, Adam joined by legends like Burton Cummings Tom Cochrane, 54-40 and Johnny Reid.
- The federal government formalized with 24 First Nations community to connect 17 of them to the Ontario power grid by 2023. Then Minister of Indigenous Services Seamus O’Regan made the announcement in Fort William First Nation, taking the $1.6-billion plan one step closer to reality.
- Thunder Bay residents were on high alert as reports swirled that two British Columbia murder suspects might be travelling in Northwestern Ontario. OPP urged the public not to approach Kam McLeod or Bryer Schmegelsky. Their bodies were later found in Manitoba.
- Hockey fans were shocked to learn former Nashville Predators captain Greg Johnson had died in Michigan. Johnson, who started his NHL career with the Detroit Red Wings, spent seven seasons with Nashville, retiring in 2006. His death was later ruled a suicide.
Between now and Jan. 1, tbnewswatch.com will be presenting our annual Year in Review feature, with a look back at the top news stories each month throughout 2019. We'll culminate with our top 10 news stories of the decade on New Year's Day.
