As every reporter will tell you, narrowing down a year of work to just five stories is next to impossible, no matter the parameters.
As the editor who set the parameters this year, all I can say is maybe next year we'll be writing top-10 lists.
I spent most of the year as a TV reporter with covering first the region then the city for TBT News. In October, I took over as managing editor for the three Newswatch sites. It's been a rewarding new challenge and I look forward to starting a new year in the new role.
To get this list down to only five, I had to leave out events of historic proportions, like the Ignace nuclear decision; life-and-death issues like highway safety, homelessness and the health care crisis; multiple disasters and states of emergency in First Nations; serious political quandries like Thunder Bay's council composition process; and all of the fun, lighthearted and uplifting stories that balance out the heavy.
I chose to focus on five stories that are still unresolved, and will certainly continue to make headlines in 2025.
The Terrace Bay mill closure continues to impact the region
2024 started off with devastating news for Terrace Bay, with the closure of the mill there and mass layoffs. The mill was by far the town's largest employer and an important part of the region's forestry industry. As the anniversary of the closure approaches, there is no sign yet as to when, or whether, it will reopen.
Dryden mill runoff is increasing Methylmercury contamination
In May, a new study showed that present-day effluent from the mill in Dryden is exacerbating the contamination caused by historic mercury dumping in the Wabigoon-English River system. The scientists behind the research held an urgent press conference, urging politicians and industry to act quickly to stem the problem. To date, no actions have been announced to address the issue.
Mamakwa put Elders at the centre of a history-making speech
Kiiwetinoong MPP Sol Mamakwa made history this year when he formally addressed Queen's Park in an Indigenous language for the first time in the existence of the province. Speaking in his first language, Anishininimowin, Mamakwa asked the premier to follow though on a 2018 election promise and to build new long term care beds in Sioux Lookout. Doug Ford re-committed then and there to building the beds, although no news has been released since then confirming when that might happen.
Supreme Court sends Canada back to the treaty negotiation table
After a long-fought court battle saw the First Nations of the Robinson-Superior Treaty suing Canada and Ontario for over $100 billion, the process was cut short by a ruling from the country's highest court. The Supreme Court gave the government a harsh rebuke and a strict six-month deadline to renegotiate the terms of the treaty. With nearly 150 years of back-pay owed to the First Nations, the payout could be the biggest in the country's history – and the clock runs out in January.
Activists fight for safe consumption site in Thunder Bay
One issue that seems like it might be over and done with is that of northern Ontario's only safe consumption site, Path 525, which is slated for closure in March. However, local harm-reduction advocates say they'll keep fighting to save the facility. In the meantime, NorWest Community Health Centres, which runs the facility, could pivot and become one of the first to run the new HART hub facilities the province is pushing.
