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74-707: Founded in 2001, the SIJHL is successor of several former Thunder Bay junior A hockey leagues and teams. The Fort William War Veterans were the first representatives of the Thunder Bay region, winning the 1922 Memorial Cup as Canadian National Junior A Champions. Although there is not abundant information on the subject, the Thunder Bay Junior Hockey League may date back to the War Veterans and existed until 1980. From 1980 until 2000,

148-653: A " knowledge economy " based on medical research and education. Thunder Bay is the site of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute. On 1 January 1970, the City of Thunder Bay was formed through the merger of the cities of Fort William , Port Arthur , and the geographic townships of Neebing and McIntyre. The city takes this name from the immense Thunder Bay at the head of Lake Superior, known on 18th-century French maps as Baie du Tonnerre (Bay of Thunder). The city

222-525: A 1:2 ratio and depicts a golden sky from the rising sun behind the Sleeping Giant, which sits in the blue waters of Lake Superior. The sun is represented by a red maple leaf , a symbol of Canada . Green and gold are Thunder Bay's city colours. The municipal law enforcement agency was formed in 1970 from Port Arthur and Fort William Police forces cornered in the late 1800s. It has over 200 sworn officers and 6 police centres. The city of Thunder Bay

296-601: A Fort Frances native, earned the win while making 29 saves. In the summer of 2009, the Fort Frances team nearly folded. With the Thunder Bay Bearcats and Schreiber Diesels leaving the SIJHL, the ownership of the Sabres decided to pull their team out of the 2009–10 season despite initially telling the press and the league that the team was operating and would not be sitting out during the coming season. It

370-646: A French fur trading outpost on the banks of the Kaministiquia River . It grew into an important transportation hub with its port forming an important link in the shipping of grain and other products from western Canada , through the Great Lakes and the Saint Lawrence Seaway , to the east coast. Forestry and manufacturing played important roles in the city's economy. They have declined in recent years, but have been replaced by

444-404: A continental climate in comparison. In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , Thunder Bay had a population of 108,843 living in 48,405 of its 50,995 total private dwellings, a change of 0.9% from its 2016 population of 107,909 . With a land area of 327.77 km (126.55 sq mi), it had a population density of 332.1/km (860.1/sq mi) in 2021. At

518-448: A generation. The city also has a law school. The city is governed by a mayor and twelve councillors . The mayor and five of the councillors are elected at large by the whole city. In addition, seven ward councillors are elected by their respective constituencies. The current mayor is Ken Boshcoff and the five councillors at large are: Mark Bentz, Shelby Ch’ng, Trevor Giertuga, Rajni Agarwal, and Kasey (Taylor) Etreni. Thunder Bay

592-503: A new homicide record with 15, giving the city a homicide rate of 13.7 homicides per 100,000 people, a rate which was comparable to cities like Charlotte, Dallas, Denver, Phoenix, and Portland in the same year. As the largest city in Northwestern Ontario, Thunder Bay is the region's commercial, administrative and medical centre. Many of the city's largest single employers are in the public sector . The City of Thunder Bay,

666-669: A return to Marathon, the SIJHL did add the Sioux Lookout Flyers . In the 2008 off-season, the Thunder Bay Bulldogs elected to retract to embolden the Thunder Bay Bearcats . Despite a strong year from the Bearcats and the Schreiber Diesels , both teams elected to cease operation in the summer of 2009. The Fort Frances Jr. Sabres claimed that they would be back for 2009–10, but their owners sold

740-459: A serious decline. Business and government relocated to new developments in the Intercity area. There has also been substantial residential growth in adjacent areas of the former Neebing and McIntyre townships. Thunder Bay is composed of two formerly separate cities: Port Arthur and Fort William . Both still retain much of their distinct civic identities, reinforced by the buffering effect of

814-425: A stylized thunderbird , called Animikii, a statue of which is located at the city's Kaministiquia River Heritage Park. The slogan, Superior by Nature , is a double play on words reflecting the city's natural setting on Lake Superior. Thunder Bay's flag was created in 1972 when mayor Saul Laskin wanted to promote the city by having a distinctive flag. The city held a contest, which Cliff Redden won. The flag has

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888-503: Is 108,843 according to the 2021 Canadian census . Located on Lake Superior , the census metropolitan area of Thunder Bay has a population of 123,258 and consists of the city of Thunder Bay, the municipalities of Oliver Paipoonge and Neebing , the townships of Shuniah , Conmee , O'Connor , and Gillies , and the Fort William First Nation . European settlement in the region began in the late 17th century with

962-510: Is 24.3 °C (75.7 °F) and the average daily high in January is −8.0 °C (17.6 °F). On 10 January 1982, the local temperature in Thunder Bay dropped to −36.3 °C (−33.3 °F), with a wind speed of 54 km (34 mi) per hour for a wind chill temperature that dipped to −58 °C (−72.4 °F). As a result, it holds Ontario's record for coldest day with wind chill. The highest temperature ever recorded in Thunder Bay

1036-598: Is often referred to as the "Lakehead", or "Canadian Lakehead", because of its location at the end of Great Lakes navigation on the Canadian side of the border. Various Anishinaabe peoples such as the Ojibwa are indigenous to the Thunder Bay Area. European settlement at Thunder Bay began with two French fur trading posts (in 1683 and 1717) which were subsequently abandoned (see Fort William, Ontario ). In 1803,

1110-881: Is represented in the Canadian Parliament with two federal ridings, split at the Harbour Expressway. South of the expressway, is the Thunder Bay-Rainy River riding, currently served by Marcus Powlowski since 2019 . The north side of the city is in the Thunder Bay-Superior North riding, served by Patty Hajdu since 2015 . Both incumbent member of parliament are members of the Liberal Party of Canada . Thunder Bay can be divided into seven wards, each of which has one councillor: Currently,

1184-721: Is represented in the Ontario Legislature by two provincial ridings, also split along the Harbour Expressway. North of the expressway, is Thunder Bay-Superior North , served by Lise Vaugeois of the Ontario New Democratic Party since 2018 . On the south side of the city is Thunder Bay-Atikokan , served by Kevin Holland of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party since 2022 . Thunder Bay

1258-841: The Mission de l'Immaculée-Conception (Mission of the Immaculate Conception) on the Kaministiquia to evangelize the Ojibwe . The Province of Canada negotiated the Robinson Treaty in 1850 with the Ojibwa of Lake Superior. As a result, an Indian reserve was set aside for them south of the Kaministiquia River. Another settlement developed a few miles to the north of Fort William after construction by

1332-850: The Canadian National Railways . The CNR closed many of the Canadian Northern Railway facilities in Port Arthur. It opened the Neebing yards in Neebing Township in 1922. By 1929, the population of the two cities had recovered to pre-war levels. The forest products industry has played an important role in the Thunder Bay economy since the 1870s. In the 1880s, Herman Finger established the Pigeon River Lumber Company in

1406-773: The Centennial Cup . The Flyers folded after the 1999–2000 USHL Season. The Northwestern Ontario region has also been represented in the past in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League . From 1968 until 1982, the city of Kenora , Ontario, was represented by the Kenora Muskies/Thistles and in the mid-1980s, Thunder Bay had an entry with the Thunder Bay Hornets . The folding of the Thunder Bay Flyers led to

1480-791: The Duluth Clydesdales of their franchise. Then, after clinching their third regular season and playoff crowns, the Wilderness won the league's second ever Dudley Hewitt Cup as Central Canadian champions. Minnesota Wilderness became the first American team to win the Dudley Hewitt Cup and the first to gain berth into the Royal Bank Cup Canadian Junior A Championship. After winning the Central Canadian Championship, it

1554-579: The Minnesota Iron Rangers . Wisconsin was sold and relocated into the same market as Duluth and renamed the Minnesota Wilderness . Three games into the season, the Sioux Lookout Flyers ceased operations and eventually their franchise when a scandal over the carding of players by their new general manager and coach left them without enough players to continue. In early 2013, the league, after multiple cancelled games, stripped

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1628-682: The Superior International Junior Hockey League . Founded in 2007, the Fort Frances Jr. Sabres were the first junior A team to play in Fort Frances since the Fort Frances Borderland Thunder left the Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL) after four seasons in 2005. The Borderland Thunder wanted to play in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League , but chose to go on hiatus when they did not receive clearance for

1702-754: The Thief River Falls Norskies . In 2019, the league added another team in Spooner, Wisconsin, called the Wisconsin Lumberjacks for the 2019–20 season. After several seasons of ownership issues and lack of player recruitment, the Minnesota Iron Rangers ceased operations for the 2019–20 season, returning the league to six teams. The 2019–20 season was then curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic with one week left in

1776-671: The Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre , the Lakehead District School Board and the Government of Ontario each employ over 1,500 people. Resolute Forest Products is the largest private employer, employing over 1,500 people. Alstom operates a 553,000 square feet (51,400 m ) plant in Thunder Bay which manufactures mass transit vehicles and equipment, employing approximately 500 people. The plant

1850-602: The census metropolitan area (CMA) level in the 2021 census, the Thunder Bay CMA had a population of 123,258 living in 54,212 of its 57,877 total private dwellings, a change of 1.3% from its 2016 population of 121,621 . With a land area of 2,550.79 km (984.87 sq mi), it had a population density of 48.3/km (125.2/sq mi) in 2021. According to the 2016 Census , 48.8% of Thunder Bay's residents were male and 51.2% were female. Residents 19 years of age or younger accounted for approximately 19.9% of

1924-459: The townships of Conmee , Gillies , O'Connor and Shuniah , and the aboriginal community of Fort William First Nation . According to the census, Thunder Bay was home to 13,565 people of Finnish descent, the highest concentration of people of Finnish origin in Canada. Thunder Bay has a large Indigenous population, representing 14.1% of the population; visible minorities represent 7.5% of

1998-631: The 1970s and 80s. Shipping on the Saint Lawrence Seaway was superseded by trucking on highways. Grain shipping on the Great Lakes to the East has declined substantially in favour of transport to Pacific Coast ports. As a result, many grain elevators have been closed and demolished. The Kaministiquia River was abandoned by industry and shipping. Thunder Bay has become the regional services centre for Northwestern Ontario with most provincial departments represented. Lakehead University , established through

2072-437: The 1970s that the region has effectively supported a junior hockey league. In 2007, the SIJHL expanded east of Thunder Bay with the Schreiber Diesels and Marathon Renegades . A Wawa, Ontario , franchise was also in the works, but never came to fruition. On December 17, 2007, the Schreiber Diesels folded mid-season claiming lack of fan support. On December 21, the team was bought by a group of local fans in an effort to keep

2146-517: The CPR sparked a long rivalry between the towns, which did not end until their amalgamation in 1970. Until the 1880s, Port Arthur was a much larger community. The CPR, in collaboration with the Hudson's Bay Company, preferred east Fort William, located on the lower Kaministiquia River where the fur trade posts were. Provoked by a prolonged tax dispute with Port Arthur and its seizure of a locomotive in 1889,

2220-614: The CPR relocated all its employees and facilities to Fort William. The collapse of silver mining after 1890 undermined the economy of Port Arthur. It had an economic depression, while Fort William thrived. In the era of Sir Wilfrid Laurier , Thunder Bay began a period of extraordinary growth, based on improved access to markets via the transcontinental railway and development of the western wheat boom. The CPR double-tracked its Winnipeg–Thunder Bay line. The Canadian Northern Railway established facilities at Port Arthur. The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway began construction of its facilities at

2294-551: The Canada Car and Foundry Company plant (opened for the manufacture of naval ships and railcars during the late World War I) re-opened to build British aircraft. Now run by Alstom , the plant has remained a mainstay of the post-war economy. It has produced forestry equipment and transportation equipment for urban transit systems, such as the Toronto Transit Commission and GO Transit . On 1 January 1970,

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2368-447: The City of Thunder Bay was formed through the merger of the cities of Fort William , Port Arthur , and the geographic townships of Neebing and McIntyre. Its name was the result of a referendum held previously on 23 June 1969, to determine the new name of the amalgamated Fort William and Port Arthur. Officials debated over the names to be put on the ballot, taking suggestions from residents including "Lakehead" and "The Lakehead". Because

2442-467: The Diesels alive. The Marathon Renegades at one point were as high as third place in the SIJHL during the 2007–08 season, but after 37 games played were forced to cancel the rest of its season citing a lack of players through injuries and player defections to other leagues. Al Cresswell, team president, claimed that the shortage of players had become a health risk. Although the 2008–09 season did not see

2516-1004: The Fort William Mission in 1905, and the federal government began construction of the National Transcontinental Railway . Grain elevator construction boomed as the volume of grain shipped to Europe increased. Both cities incurred debt to grant bonuses to manufacturing industries. Thunder Bay was the first city in the world to enact daylight saving time, on 1 July 1908. By 1914, the twin cities had modern infrastructures (sewers, potable water supply, street lighting, electric light, etc.) Both Fort William and Port Arthur were proponents of municipal ownership. As early as 1892, Port Arthur built Canada's first municipally-owned electric street railway. Both cities spurned Bell Telephone Company of Canada to establish their municipally-owned telephone systems in 1902. The boom came to an end in 1913–1914, aggravated by

2590-808: The Intercity area between them. Port Arthur and Fort William each have their own central business districts and suburban areas. Neighbourhoods include: Downtown Fort William and Current River among others. The Thunder Bay area experiences a warm-summer humid continental climate ( Köppen : Dfb ) and a continental subarctic ( Dfc ) influence in northeastern areas of the city (including that affected by Lake Superior ), but not necessarily falling in this zone. This results in cooler summer temperatures and warmer winter temperatures for an area extending inland as far as 16 km. The average daily temperatures range from 17.7 °C (63.9 °F) in July to −14.3 °C (6.3 °F) in January. The average daily high in July

2664-623: The Montreal-based North West Company established Fort William as its mid-continent entrepôt . By the 1850s, the Province of Canada began to take an interest in its western extremity. The discovery of copper in the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan had prompted a national interest in potential mining locations on the Canadian shores of Lake Superior. In 1849, French-speaking Jesuits established

2738-647: The SIJHL also made a 20-game interleague setup with the Minnesota Junior Hockey League 's Wisconsin Mustangs to diversify the league's competition. The 2010–11 season was the tenth season of the SIJHL. The SIJHL received applications for expansion by two American teams: the Duluth Clydesdales and Wisconsin Mustangs . In June, the Thunder Bay Wolverines pulled out of the SIJHL. A few days later USA Hockey rejected

2812-527: The area, and also built the Gunflint and Lake Superior Railroad , but he dissolved the lumber company and moved his operations to The Pas by 1919. Logs and lumber were shipped primarily to the United States. In 1917, the first pulp and paper mill was established in Port Arthur. It was followed by a mill at Fort William, in 1920. Eventually, four mills were operating. Manufacturing resumed in 1937 when

2886-544: The branch championship. [REDACTED] Media related to Superior International Junior Hockey League at Wikimedia Commons Thunder Bay Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District , Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury ) municipality in Northern Ontario . Its population

2960-541: The city is studying a possibilities in reducing the size of city council from 13 to a smaller number. These changes, if successful, would be implemented from the 2026 Municipal election. In September 2024, two ideas were presented: A large formation of mesas on the Sibley Peninsula in Lake Superior which resembles a reclining giant has become a symbol of the city. Sibley peninsula partially encloses

3034-465: The city its name, is about 22.5 kilometres (14.0 mi) from the Port Arthur downtown to Thunder Cape at the tip of the Sleeping Giant . The former Fort William section occupies flat alluvial land along the Kaministiquia River. In the river delta are two large islands: Mission Island and McKellar Island. Since 1970, the central business districts of Fort William and Port Arthur have suffered

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3108-525: The defending league champion Fort William North Stars in their home opener. The Lakers lost 5–2 with an empty net goal. A night later, the Lakers won the first game of their new era by defeating the expansion Thunder Bay Wolverines in Thunder Bay 3–2. Central Canada Jr. A Championships ' NOJHL – OJHL – SIJHL – Host Round-robin play with 2nd vs. 3rd in semifinal to advance against 1st in

3182-621: The federal Department of Public Works of a road connecting Lake Superior with the Red River Colony . The work was directed by Simon James Dawson (see Port Arthur, Ontario ). This public works depot or construction headquarters acquired its first name in May 1870 when Colonel Garnet Wolseley named it Prince Arthur's Landing. It was renamed Port Arthur by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) in May 1883. The arrival of

3256-633: The game 5–4 eliminating the Wilderness. With the Wilderness and Clydesdales gone, the Minnesota Iron Rangers were the remaining American team with membership in the league. In the spring of 2013, the SIJHL announced expansion to Ear Falls, Ontario , with the English River Miners and on July 11, 2013, admitted a new team in Spooner, Wisconsin , also called the Wisconsin Wilderness . The new Wilderness lasted one season. In

3330-429: The largest were Hinduism , (1.1%) and Islam (0.9%). 0.6% of residents adhered to traditional (North American Indigenous) spirituality. All other religions and/or spiritual beliefs made up 1.4% of the population. From 2012 to 2014, and again from 2016 to 2019, Thunder Bay had the highest per-capita rate of homicide among Canadian cities. Winnipeg had previously held this distinction between 2007 and 2011. In 2014,

3404-441: The lobbying of local businesspeople and professionals, has proven to be a major asset. Another post-secondary institution is Confederation College . In the 2010s, the Marina Park was developed as a tourist destination. The city has an area of 328.48 square kilometres (126.83 sq mi), which includes the former cities of Fort William and Port Arthur, as well as the former townships of Neebing and McIntyre. The city reflects

3478-443: The loss of grain transportation subsidies and the loss of European markets. The gradual transition from shipping by train and boat to shipping by truck, and the Canada–United States Free Trade Agreement have ended Thunder Bay's privileged position as a linchpin in Canadian east–west freight-handling trade. As a result, the city has lost its traditional raison d'être as a break-bulk point . However, in recent years shipments through

3552-496: The outbreak of the First World War. A wartime economy emerged with the making of munitions and shipbuilding. Men from the cities joined the 52nd, 94th, and 141st Battalions of the Canadian Expeditionary Force . Railway employment was hurt when the federal government took over the National Transcontinental Railway and Lake Superior Division from the Grand Trunk in 1915, and the Canadian Northern Railway in 1918. These were amalgamated with other government-owned railways in 1923 to form

3626-413: The per-capita rate of homicides in Thunder Bay was more than double the 2012 rate, and was over 2.5 times higher than the city with the next highest rate, with the city having a homicide rate of 10.1 per 100,000 people. However, between 2014 and 2015, the crime rate decreased by 6%. This was the second-highest decrease in any major Canadian city, behind only Moncton, New Brunswick. In 2022, Thunder Bay set

3700-447: The population. In the 2021 census, 56.0% of Thunder Bay residents belonged to a Christian denomination, down from 72.0% in 2011: 30.4% of the total population affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church , 17.6% were Protestant , 4.9% were Christians of unspecified denomination and 3.2% followed other Christian denominations, largely Eastern Orthodox . People of no religion were 39.9%, up from 26.2% in 2011. Of non-Christian religions,

3774-416: The population. People aged by 20 and 39 years accounted for 25.0%, while those between 40 and 64 made up 35.1% of the population. The average age of a Thunder Bayer in May 2016 was 43.3, compared to the average of 41.0 for Canada as a whole. A further 13,712 people lived in Thunder Bay's Census Metropolitan Area , which apart from Thunder Bay includes the municipalities of Neebing and Oliver Paipoonge ,

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3848-424: The port of Thunder Bay have stabilized, and it remains an important part of the Saint Lawrence Seaway . To rejuvenate its economy, the city has been actively working to attract quaternary or "knowledge-based" industries, primarily in the fields of molecular medicine and genomics . The city is home to the western campus of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine , the first medical school to open in Canada in

3922-471: The rebirth of junior A hockey in the Thunder Bay region. The league started under the "Superior International" label in 2001 with five teams, including the Dryden Ice Dogs , First Nation Featherman Hawks , Fort Frances Borderland Thunder , Thunder Bay Bulldogs , and the Thunder Bay Wolves . In 2006, the Fort William North Stars won the Dudley Hewitt Cup with a 7–6 overtime win over the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League 's Sudbury Jr. Wolves to earn

3996-460: The region ( Hockey Northwestern Ontario ) was represented by a single team at the junior A level: the Thunder Bay Flyers . The Flyers played their regular season games in the United States Hockey League (USHL), a USA Hockey junior A league, and returned to Canada for the playoffs. The Flyers won the Dudley Hewitt Cup as Central Canadian Junior Champions in 1989, 1991, 1992, and 1995. The Flyers were also National Champions in 1989 and 1992, winning

4070-415: The regular season and no postseason tournaments were held. The ongoing pandemic border-crossing restrictions caused the two American teams to withdraw from the 2020–21 season while the league added a new team called the Kam River Fighting Walleye . The five Canadian teams would play a few games in November and December 2020 along with two U18 minor teams , the Kenora Thistles and Thunder Bay Kings, to fill in

4144-426: The residential and central business district of Port Arthur. At the extreme east of the city, a part of McIntyre Township was annexed to the town of Port Arthur in 1892, forming what later became known as the Current River area. The former Port Arthur section is more typical of the Canadian Shield , with gently sloping hills and very thin soil lying on top of bedrock with many bare outcrops. Thunder Bay , which gives

4218-450: The rights to their players to teams across Canada. In a last-ditch effort, the town of Fort Frances bought the team and renamed them the Fort Frances Lakers , but were forced to find all new players due to the actions of the previous ownership. The Thunder Bay Wolverines elected to apply for promotion to the SIJHL for 2009–10 fresh off of their silver medal performance at the Keystone Cup Canadian Jr. B Championships. Back up to five teams,

4292-451: The schedule before the season was cancelled entirely. In 2024, the Wisconsin Lumberjacks relocated from Spooner, Wisconsin , to Ironwood, Michigan , and were renamed the Ironwood Lumberjacks . The winners of the SIJHL Playoffs are awarded the Bill Salonen Cup. Although the Jack Adams Trophy is supposed to be awarded to the branch Junior A champion, Hockey Northwestern Ontario will not bring it out unless there are two leagues vying for

4366-472: The settlement patterns of the 19th century and sprawls. Anchoring the west end of the city, the Fort William Town Plot, surveyed in 1859–60, was named West Fort William (or Westfort) in 1888 by the CPR. The land adjoining the lower Kaministiquia River became the residential and central business district of the town and city of Fort William. A large uninhabited area adjoining the Neebing and McIntyre rivers, which became known as Intercity, separated Fort William from

4440-403: The summer of 2014, commissioner and president Ron Whitehead was relieved of his post. Whitehead held his position from 2005 until 2014 and had been a member of the league executive since its inception in 2001. In 2011, Hockey Northwestern Ontario named Whitehead their Central Zone volunteer of the year. The league added a second team in Minnesota and their sixth franchise for 2016–17 season with

4514-413: The team and the league its first regional title and its first shot at the national title in the 2006 Royal Bank Cup . The North Stars were eliminated in the Royal Bank Cup semifinal in Brampton, Ontario , with a 3–2 overtime loss to the British Columbia Hockey League 's Burnaby Express led by eventual NHL player Kyle Turris . The presence of the SIJHL in Northwestern Ontario marks the first time since

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4588-414: The team was sold to new ownership and became the Thunder Bay North Stars. The Wisconsin Wilderness jumped into the lead mid-season and won the regular season and playoff titles in their first season in the league. In the summer of 2011, the SIJHL elected to expand with the Iron Range Ironheads awaiting the permission of USA Hockey and Minnesota Hockey . USA Hockey again denied the league. The decision

4662-435: The transfer bid by the Wisconsin Mustangs to join the SIJHL and the expansion bid of the potential of Duluth, Minnesota , despite approval by Hockey Canada and the SIJHL. The league sat at four teams. The two teams appealed the decision and won, officially giving the league six teams and making the league an international league. The Fort William North Stars were dominant early in 2010–11, but due to financial difficulties,

4736-424: The transfer. The Sabres new ownership group, led by Carolyn Kellaway, were approved as the seventh member of the SIJHL in 2007. On September 14, 2007, the Fort Frances Jr. Sabres played their first game at home against the Thunder Bay Bulldogs , defeating the Bulldog 5–1 and also claiming their first team victory. Alessio Tomassetti scored the team's first goal 3:14 into the first period. Goaltender Ryan Faragher,

4810-426: The vote split between the two similar names , "Thunder Bay" prevailed with a narrow plurality . The final tally was "Thunder Bay" with 15,870, "Lakehead" with 15,302, and "The Lakehead" with 8,377. There was more controversy over the selection of a name for the amalgamated city than over whether to amalgamate. A vocal minority of the population preferred "The Lakehead". There was much discussion about other cities in

4884-414: The waters of Thunder Bay and dominates the view of the lake from the northern section of the city (formerly Port Arthur). The Sleeping Giant also figures on the city's coat of arms and the city flag. The coat of arms of Thunder Bay, Ontario, is a combination of the coats of arms of both Port Arthur and Fort William, with a unifying symbol—the Sleeping Giant—at the base of the arms. The city logo depicts

4958-481: The world that use a definite article in their names. The area was often referred to as "The Lakehead" before and after amalgamation based on its geographic location. It was seen as the "head" of shipping on the Great Lakes and the "rail head". The expansion of highways, beginning with the Trans-Canada Highway and culminating with the opening of Highway 17 (linking Sault Ste Marie to Thunder Bay in 1960), has significantly diminished railway and shipping activity since

5032-433: Was 40.3 °C (104.5 °F) on 7 August 1983. The coldest temperature ever recorded was −43.2 °C (−45.8 °F) on 31 January 1996. Relatively recently, however, all-time records for both the latest first freeze and the longest growing season were set on October 17, 2021; the previous record of October 8, 2016, was beaten by 9 days, and the previous record for the longest growing season of 139 days (also set in 2016)

5106-495: Was announced that the Wilderness would leave the SIJHL at the end of the Royal Bank Cup to join the North American Hockey League , a USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier II league. The Wilderness finished fourth in the National Championship round-robin, earning a berth into the semi-final. Despite leading 4–2 in the third, the Wilderness took too many penalties and lost their lead with seconds to go in the third period. The Alberta Junior Hockey League 's Brooks Bandits scored in overtime to win

5180-457: Was appealed and on July 12, 2011, expansion was allowed by USA Hockey as well as the continuation of the Duluth and Spooner franchises. Wisconsin won their second straight league title, coming from behind in the final to beat the Fort Frances Lakers in seven games. The 2012–13 season was a season of decline for the league's American expansion. During the off-season, USA Hockey allowed the league to transfer Iron Range to new ownership and rename it

5254-411: Was beaten by a day. The city is quite sunny, with an average of 2,121 hours of bright sunshine each year, ranging from 268.1 hours in July to 86.2 hours in November. Winters are comparatively dry with the snowfall being somewhat limited and temperatures much colder than in Houghton, Michigan , on the U.S. side of the lake, where the climate is marked by heavy lake-effect snow . Thunder Bay has more of

5328-484: Was built by Canadian Car and Foundry to build railway box cars in 1912, began building passenger railcars and transit cars from 1963 onwards Alstom acquired the facility from Bombardier in 2021, which had acquired it from UTDC in 1992, and from Cancar in 1984. Lack of innovation by traditional industries, such as forest products, combined with high labour costs have reduced the industrial base of Thunder Bay by close to 60%. The grain trade has declined because of

5402-683: Was declared a "Cultural Capital of Canada" in 2003. Throughout the city are cultural centres representing the diverse population, such as the Finnish Labour Temple , Scandinavia House, the Italian Cultural Centre, the Polish Legion, and a wide variety of others. Fort Frances Lakers The Fort Frances Lakers are a junior A ice hockey team based in Fort Frances , Ontario, Canada. They play in

5476-468: Was later revealed the franchise would be sold to new ownership, but as the season drew nearer, the team had not found a buyer. In an effort to keep the team alive, the community took over the franchise and turned it into a non-profit organization . On September 10, 2009, the team rebranded by changing their name to the Lakers. The reborn community-owned Lakers played their first game as a non-profit organization on September 17, 2009, in Fort Frances against

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