The Thunder Bay Hornets were a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Thunder Bay , Ontario , Canada. At their height, they won two consecutive bronze medals at the Western Canadian Junior B Championships - the Keystone Cup and later were in competition for the National Junior A Championship, the Centennial Cup , as members of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League .
78-911: The Hornets were formed in 1982 to provide a Junior B team to the Thunder Bay -region. In their first year, they joined the Junior B Schreiber North Stars and the Junior A Thunder Bay Kings to form the Hockey Thunder Bay League —the region's only Junior league. In both seasons in the TBJHL, the Hornets would win the City Junior B Crown but fall to the Thunder Bay Kings in the City Junior Finals. In 1983,
156-653: 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
234-525: 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
312-646: 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 They have declined in recent years, but have been replaced by
390-725: A Junior A league in the neighbouring province to the West. The Hornets were accepted and were granted the right to be the Thunder Bay Amateur Hockey Association 's Junior A representation instead of the Flyers. After a .500 record in their first season, finishing 3rd in the South Division, the Hornets were put out early in the MJHL playoffs. In 1985–86, the Hornets fell seven games below .500 for 4th in
468-442: A continental climate and experience extremes in weather. Winters in both provinces can be classified as harsh with Arctic winds and −40 °C (−40 °F) temperatures possible. Winter temperatures in both provinces average between −10 and −15 °C (14 and 5 °F). In contrast, summers can be hot with temperatures exceeding 35 °C (95 °F) at least once per year in most locations. In Canadian politics, Western Canada
546-404: 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
624-448: 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
702-707: A history of support in Manitoba and British Columbia. The western provinces are represented in the Parliament of Canada by 104 Members of Parliament (MPs) in the House of Commons (British Columbia 42, Alberta 34, Saskatchewan and Manitoba 14 each) and 24 senators (6 from each province). Currently, of the 104 western MPs in the Commons, 64 are Conservatives, Liberals hold 21 seats, the New Democrats hold 18 and
780-503: 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,
858-459: 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
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#1732794199045936-425: 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
1014-503: 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
1092-570: 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
1170-667: Is also composed of members from the federal Conservative Party's right-wing and many former Reform Party supporters. Following the 2017 provincial election in British Columbia, the British Columbia New Democratic Party formed a minority government with the support of the British Columbia Green Party , following the defeat of Christy Clark 's Liberal Party government by a vote of non-confidence. As of October 2020,
1248-606: Is currently associated with a general Conservative Party lean, contrasted with a proportionally greater Liberal Party lean in Central and Atlantic Canada . Liberal Party strongholds exist particularly in Greater Vancouver and Winnipeg. The social democratic New Democratic Party had its origins on the Canadian Prairies and in the mining and pulp mill towns and railway camps of British Columbia and has
1326-632: Is further subdivided geographically and culturally between British Columbia, which is mostly on the western side of the Canadian Rockies and often referred to as the " west coast ", and the "Prairie Provinces" (commonly known as "the Prairies "), which include those provinces on the eastern side of the Rockies yet west of Ontario - Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Alberta and British Columbia are also sometimes subcategorized together, either as
1404-733: Is largest city proper at over 1.2 million people. As of the 2016 Census, Statistics Canada recognized ten census metropolitan areas within Western Canada, including four in British Columbia, three in Alberta, two in Saskatchewan, and one in Manitoba. The following is a list of these areas and their populations as of 2016. From 2011 to 2016, the fastest growing CMAs in the country were the five in Alberta and Saskatchewan: Calgary (+14.6%), Edmonton (+13.9%), Saskatoon (+12.5%), Regina (+11.8%) and Lethbridge (+10.8%). These were
1482-598: 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,
1560-399: Is open to cold Arctic weather systems from the north, which often produce extremely cold conditions in winter. Winters are generally quite cold, though some areas can experience a phenomenon known as the " Chinook wind ", wherein warm winds raise the winter temperatures temporarily. In contrast, summers can fluctuate from cool to hot and are generally wetter. Saskatchewan and Manitoba have
1638-881: 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,
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#17327941990451716-721: 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
1794-841: 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
1872-850: 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
1950-512: The Pacific Ocean to the west, while Manitoba has a coastline on Hudson Bay in its northeast of the province. Both Alberta and Saskatchewan are landlocked between British Columbia and Manitoba. The Canadian Prairies are part of a vast sedimentary plain covering much of Alberta, southern Saskatchewan, and southwestern Manitoba. The prairies form a significant portion of the land area of Western Canada. The plains generally describes
2028-671: 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
2106-602: 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
2184-459: 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
2262-584: The "Rockie Provinces" or "mountain provinces" owing to both hosting large swathes of the mountain range, or due to shared socioeconomic factors such as their highly urbanized populations (three of Canada's five largest cities are Calgary , Edmonton , and Vancouver ) and significant interprovincial mobility between the two. Alberta and Saskatchewan, having once been united as a single territory, are also sometimes subcategorized together due to shared political and economic histories, as well as similar historic migratory patterns from Eastern Europe. The capital cities of
2340-631: 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
2418-583: The BC NDP hold a majority government in the legislature. The New Democratic Party holds a majority in the Manitoba legislature. The 2023 Alberta general election reduced the United Conservative Party 's seat count, but they held on to a majority. The Saskatchewan Party holds a supermajority government in its legislature. Energy and agriculture are Western Canada's dominant industries – and this region, with only 11 million inhabitants,
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2496-517: 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,
2574-614: 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
2652-551: 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,
2730-447: 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
2808-1004: 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
2886-515: The Greens hold 1. Western alienation refers to the notion that Western Canada has been excluded economically and politically from the rest of Canada. The West has been the most vocal in calls for reform of the Senate , in which Ontario, Quebec , and particularly Atlantic Canada are seen by some westerners as being over-represented. The population of Ontario alone (13.1 million) exceeds that of all
2964-626: The Hornets (after they officially disbanded). The Flyers would go on to win two Clark Cups as American Champions and two Centennial Cups as Canadian Junior A Champions. TBJHL Years MJHL Years 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
3042-974: The Hornets travelled to Portage la Prairie, Manitoba to compete for the Keystone Cup . Up against the Portage Terriers and Selkirk Fishermen of the Manitoba Junior B Hockey League as well as the Saskatoon Wesleys from the North Saskatchewan Junior B Hockey League . The Hornets would finish with a bronze medal. In 1984, the Keystone Cup was hosted by the Schreiber North Stars in Schreiber, Ontario . Portage and Selkirk would be
3120-682: The Hudson's Bay Company, which controlled most of the current area of Western Canada, northern Ontario and northern Quebec, the area known as Rupert's Land and the North-Western Territory . In 1870, the British government transferred the lands of the company to Canada. The area of Western Canada not within British Columbia was established as the Northwest Territories under Canadian control. The western provinces other than British Columbia were established from areas of
3198-808: 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
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3276-623: 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
3354-416: The Northwest Territories: As of the 2016 Census , the total population of Western Canada was nearly 11.1 million, including approximately 4.65 million in British Columbia, 4.07 million in Alberta, 1.1 million in Saskatchewan, and 1.28 million in Manitoba. This represents 31.5% of Canada's population. Vancouver is the largest metropolitan area in Western Canada at nearly 2.5 million people, while Calgary
3432-408: The Pacific Ocean. Winters are typically wet and summers relatively dry. These areas enjoy the mildest winter weather in all of Canada, as temperatures rarely fall much below the freezing mark. The mountainous Interior of the province is drier and has colder winters, but experiences hotter summers than the more moderate coastal areas. Lytton, British Columbia , a small town that sits at the confluence of
3510-409: The Rocky Mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. The Canadian Rockies are part of a major continental divide that extends north and south through western North America and western South America . The continental divide also defines much of the border between Alberta and British Columbia. The Columbia and the Fraser Rivers have their headwaters in the Canadian Rockies and are
3588-474: The Senate were a body that had more direct political power (for example via an arrangement more similar to the structure of the Australian Senate or the United States Senate rather than the UK model), then their region would have more of its concerns addressed at the federal level. Other westerners find this approach simplistic and either advocate keeping the status quo or may support other models for senate reform. The combination of all of these issues has led to
3666-407: The South and the same playoff result. In the Flyers first two years in the USHL, they were equally dismal. After 1986, the Hornets took leave of the MJHL and eventually disbanded. This allowed for the Thunder Bay Flyers to stack their rosters with local talent instead of share. From 1987 onward, the TBAHA would allow the Flyers to represent the region in the Centennial Cup playdowns in place of
3744-442: The Thompson River holds the record for the hottest temperature ever recorded in Canada at 49.6 °C (121.3 °F) on 29 June 2021, and is regularly referred as Canada's hot spot in summer with temperatures easily reaching the mid to high 30 °C 's (upper 90s to low 100s °F) in July and August and sometimes top 40 °C (104 °F). Alberta has a dry continental climate with warm summers and cold winters. The province
3822-569: The West , is a Canadian region that includes the four western provinces just north of the Canada–United States border namely (from west to east) British Columbia , Alberta , Saskatchewan and Manitoba . The people of the region are often referred to as "Western Canadians" or "Westerners", and though diverse from province to province are largely seen as being collectively distinct from other Canadians along cultural, linguistic, socioeconomic, geographic and political lines. They account for approximately 32% of Canada's total population. The region
3900-409: 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
3978-515: The arrival of European colonization . As Britain colonized the West, it established treaties with various First Nations, took control of other areas without opposition and fought with other First Nations for control of Western Canada. Not all lands were ceded by the First Nations to British control and land claims are still ongoing. In 1858, the British government established the Colony of British Columbia , governing that part of Canada still known as British Columbia. The English government established
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#17327941990454056-413: 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
4134-402: 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
4212-415: The concept known as Western alienation , as well as calls for Western Canada independence by various fringe groups. Regarding provincial politics, from May 2001 to June 2017, the British Columbia Liberal Party formed the provincial government in British Columbia, though despite the name is not formally allied with the federal Liberal Party and is widely seen as centre-right or conservative in nature. It
4290-412: The expanses of largely flat, arable agricultural land which sustain extensive grain farming operations in the southern part of the provinces. Despite this, some areas such as the Cypress Hills and Alberta Badlands are quite hilly and the prairie provinces contain large areas of forest such as the Mid-Continental Canadian forests . In Alberta and British Columbia, the Canadian Cordillera is bounded by
4368-430: 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
4446-408: The four western provinces, from west to east, are: With the exception of Winnipeg, which is the largest city in Manitoba, all other western provincial capitals are in the second-largest metropolitan areas of their respective province. The largest cities are Vancouver , Calgary , and Saskatoon respectively. Western Canada is the traditional territory of Indigenous and First Nations predating
4524-429: 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,
4602-441: 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
4680-443: 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
4758-405: The only CMAs in the country to register growth over 10%. The three fastest growing CMAs - Calgary, Edmonton, and Saskatoon - were unchanged from the previous intercensal period. Western Canada consists of the country's four westernmost provinces: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. It covers 2.9 million square kilometres – almost 29% of Canada's land area. British Columbia adjoins
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#17327941990454836-496: 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
4914-413: 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
4992-447: 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,
5070-416: 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 ,
5148-424: 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
5226-426: 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
5304-405: The second- and third-largest rivers, respectively, to drain to the west coast of North America. To the west of their headwaters, across the Rocky Mountain Trench , is a second belt of mountains, the Columbia Mountains , comprising the Selkirk , Purcell , Monashee and Cariboo Mountains sub-ranges. The coast of British Columbia enjoys a moderate oceanic climate because of the influence of
5382-472: 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
5460-432: The two other teams. Both Ontario teams were badly outplayed by the Manitoba teams, but they would meet in the bronze medal game won by the Hornets 8–4. In 1984, the Kings were granted expansion into the American Junior A United States Hockey League and renamed themselves the Thunder Bay Flyers . With no real competition in the area, the Hornets took a chance and applied for entry into the Manitoba Junior Hockey League ,
5538-426: 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
5616-474: 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
5694-580: The western provinces combined. The total population of Atlantic Canada, however, is 2.3 million, and this region is represented by 30 senators. Thus, Ontario is under-represented, Quebec has representation proportional to its population and the Atlantic provinces are over-represented. Westerners have advocated the so-called Triple-E Senate , which stands for "equal, elected, effective." They feel if all 10 provinces were allotted an equal number of senators, if those senators were elected instead of appointed, and if
5772-552: 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
5850-433: 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)
5928-522: 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
6006-484: 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
6084-763: 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. Western Canada Western Canada , also referred to as the Western provinces , Canadian West or the Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as
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