Here are our top 10 stories for the month of May 2016. We'll be presenting our annual Year in Review feature between now and Jan. 1.
- Evacuees from Kashechewan First Nation began arriving in Thunder Bay, airlifted out of the James Bay-area community after floodwaters threatened the remote reserve. Community leaders earlier that week declared a state of emergency. About 300 residents were expected to make Thunder Bay their temporary home.
- Four local firefighters hit the road to help their Fort MacMurray brethren battle a massive blaze that destroyed more than 1,600 homes and covered more than 10,000 hectares, forcing the evacuation of the entire northern Alberta community.
- Council voted to retain city hall as the south-core transit hub, ending six years under temporary status. The vote was close, just 6-5, after transit manager Brad Loroff said they considered sites on Miles and Violet streets, but found serious concerns over passenger safety and the money the city would have to spend to create a new terminal. Several nearby business owners objected to the decision, but to no avail.
- David Wilson was found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of 48-year-old Robert Barbeau, the jury rejecting his claim of not being criminally responsible. During the trial the court heard that Wilson attacked the victim with a hunting knife in the parking lot of their McLaughlin Street home. The defence claimed Wilson was mentally ill and a forensic psychiatrist said while he suffers from paranoid schizophrenia, he was only modertately ill at the time Barbeau was killed.
- James Paxton was sent to prison for eight years for preying upon at least seven underage male victims between 1983 and 1991. Other incidents occurred in 2003 and 2004. All of his victims were younger than 16 at the time of the offences. Paxton was a former bible camp counselor and babysitter.
- A school-bus crash in Gillies sent one student to hospital. The incident took place on Highway 595. The bus, which had 17 students on board, left the roadway and struck a hydro pole. Uninjured students were picked up by parents. The crash also robbed Whitefish Public School of its power, leading to an early closure that day.
- Former Fort William First Nation Chief Georjann Morriseau announced she was stepping down as a band councillor, citing a desire to spend more time with her young family. Morriseau spent one term as chief before being swept aside by Peter Collins.
- The City of Thunder Bay announced it would not officially endorse the Guardian Angels, a move that had been requested by the vigilante organization. City manager Norm Gale said the municipality simply doesn’t endorse organizations. Police Chief J.P. Levesque concurred, saying his department also won’t endorse organizations.
- A Thunder Bay teenager took home a fourth-place finish at a prestigious international science fair. Hammarskjold High School student Emily Cross was part of the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair’s Canadian entry in Phoenix, her project a discovery of a way to break down ironstone without damaging fossil specimens held within.
- A citywide fire ban was lifted, but not in time for the opening of camping season on the May long weekend. The ban was put in place at the request of the Ministry of Natural Resources after dry conditions hit much of Northwestern Ontario.
