THUNDER BAY – A lot has changed this year and in a short amount of time. I went from covering regional news, anywhere between the Manitoba border to Wawa, to strictly covering the city of Thunder Bay.
How I got here was easy enough. It was all a matter of saying, “Yes!”
Now, I spend my Monday evenings listening to our city council mildly debate by-laws and governance.
It’s not as boring as one might think.
However, I must admit that I am extremely grateful for everything I have learned and the people I’ve spoken with since starting my position as the regional reporter for NWOnewswatch and SNnewswatch.
Covering the region has shown me that our uniqueness makes us special, but our similarities make us united.
For the past few months, it’s been interesting to listen to the passionate people of Thunder Bay tell me their ideas on how to push this small city forward into the next generation and beyond.
The list:
Since this was the biggest story to break over the holiday, it was simple enough to follow the story to its exciting conclusion.
In the aftermath of the AV Terrace Bay mill announced shutdown, towns in the surrounding area brace themselves for the impending impact.
The sawmills in Nakina and Longlac would have to pivot to Thunder Bay adding an extra cost for transportation while Terrace Bay’s mayor, Paul Malashewski, pleads with politicians to save their biggest employer.
Spoiler alert: The Terrace Bay mill is still closed and most of the workers have all moved on.
Julie Ann Fedorak had a tough time getting local officials to look into a case of animal abuse by her neighbour. She felt she had no choice but to take matters into her own hands.
As an animal lover, this story was difficult to write. Seeing the photos splashed over social media and hearing the harrowing account of injustice from Fedorak prompted me to look into the matter.
As far as I know, the dog was removed from the property. I haven’t heard any new information about this case to date.
As the saga between the 2SLGBTQIA+ group, Borderland Pride, and the Township of Emo continues to be splashed all over social media after the pride group won the historic human rights tribunal case, I was there through most of it.
The fight over a pride declaration started at the beginning of the pandemic and escalated well after.
Out of all the stories of injustice against 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals and groups I’ve written, the case between the pride group and the town is an interesting case study worthy of academia. Perhaps there is a social scientist or cultural study major out there who can use this case to further their research.
After transitioning into the Local Journalism Initiative program and covering the city council beat for TBNewswatch, one of the stories I was tasked with unravelling was the council composition review.
The council composition committee presented their public consultation results and recommendation to council and I wrote the story thinking this was a one-and-done.
Boy, was I wrong. As the council composition committee started the second round of public engagement, my managing editor had a bright idea to extend this story into a five-part series on how council’s ultimate decisions would “fundamentally change democracy in Thunder Bay.”
I was fairly apprehensive, of course, to take on this series. How would I squeeze out five stories on council composition without it becoming completely stale by the end?
As it turns out, I got most of the series accomplished after speaking with Dr. Robert Williams, a Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Waterloo. He gave me enough information to create what I feel is a pretty good set of stories.
This is the story that keeps on giving as new information is constantly being uncovered.
Council approves the 10-part human rights-based approach and the temporary village site.
Administration does its due diligence and recommends the cheaper option, a vacant lot in the south downtown core with infrastructure already in place.
The Fort William BIA and residents in the area protest the recommended site.
Why is this story interesting?
On the one hand, city hall is taking a proactive approach to helping the disadvantaged and dispossessed.
On the other hand, local businesses are on the brink of losing their livelihoods because they feel they have to play social workers.
Ultimately, council votes against the recommended site and the process starts all over again, maybe.
Premier Doug Ford gave municipalities special powers to move along tent cities on municipal land, but we won't know how that story is going to unfold until the new year.