THUNDER BAY - Here are the top stories from March 2018, as selected by tbnewswatch.com editor Leith Dunick. We'll be rolling out our look back at the year gone throughout the rest of December, culminating with our most read stories of the year on Jan. 1.
- An Office of the Independent Police Review Director report that substantiated allegations of police misconduct during the investigation of the death of Stacy DeBungee led First Nations leaders to call for the resignation of then police chief J.P. Levesque. The 126-page report found the criminal investigations branch of the Thunder Bay Police Service, as well as lead investigators, had prematurely ruled DuBungee’s 2015 to be non-criminal.
- Charles Casmey, wanted in connection to the city’s second homicide of 2018, surrendered following an East-End standoff. The suspect blockaded himself inside a McTavish Street residence. The 31-year-old was wanted for second-degree murder in a McLaughlin Street incident that left a 63-year-old Joseph Harry Pruys dead and a 25-year-old woman injured.
- The Ontario Court of Appeal overturned Shaldon Wabason’s 2015 manslaughter conviction in connection with his alleged role in the death of 54-year-old Robert Topping, who had been fatally stabbed in a Minnesota Street home after a helping his former partner during a home invasion. The court ruled a statement given by Wabason during his trial should not have been included as evidence.
- A Thunder Bay Police Services officer pleaded guilty to discreditable conduct for Facebook comments he made about the local Indigenous community. The 30-year veteran expressed remorse for his remarks, which included the line, “Well, lets stop giving the natives money and see how that goes,” and “Natives killing native and it’s the white man’s fault natives are drunk on the street and it’s the white man’s fault natives are homeless.”
- The Thunder Bay International Airport got some welcome news from the province, handed $5 million to spruce up its terminal. The work included expanding the departure lounge and a new customs clearance space.
- Dozens of women marched on International Women’s Day in front of Mini Queen’s Park on James Street, dressed in pink pussy hats and decrying the need in 2018 to still be fighting for the likes of equal pay and reproductive rights.
- Hercules actor Kevin Sorbo had his invitation to the 2018 ThunderCon event rescinded after community backlash erupted when it was announced he’d be a feature guest at the October event. Sorbo had faced criticism for his comments on Muslims and also appeared at an event sponsored by an organization that opposes LGBTQ rights. He later called the cancellation a publicity stunt.
- Premier Kathleen Wynne was joined in Thunder Bay by federal Indigenous Services Minister Jane Philpott, who announced Ottawa would spend $1.6 billion to help Wataynikaneyap Power hook 16 First Nations community into the power grid.
- A 28-year-old man was charged with arson and killing an animal after a fire at a Banning Street home left three dogs dead. The man was arrested under the Mental Health Act.
- A bilateral public transit agreement was announced that could bring up to $60 million in federal and provincial dollars under a new infrastructure funding initiative. The money would be spread over a decade and used to improve the Thunder Bay transit system.
