What do you think?

[Guest TerryK]

This should start a good debate! lol

Ok, as a lifelong resident of Thunder Bay, I can say I've seen a lot of change (and a lot of non-change) in the overall health of the economy. I've seen the good times with all the high paying mill, bush, mine, shipyard, elevator jobs etc. and now I see the almost complete demise of most of these industries. I've seen council turn down numerous large business proposals but approve one call center after another with their low paying, no benifits and no future jobs, and then have the nerve to do "pat ourselves on the back" press releases spouting how these types of business' are providing so many jobs, even though most will close up shop within 5 years.

They close down all the temporary CHARITY casinos in favor of a "better" government run deal that only pays 5% of the slot revenue to charity and the feds have the NERVE to call it Charity Casino? Where is the other 95% going, not to mention 100% of all the other game profits?

The non-stop poor decision making in this city boggles the mind. Need more? How about the $55,000 "bird" sculpture hiding at the Simpson st. "park" by the river? Who see's this thing anyway? Most people are either unaware the park exists or are too scared to go near it because of the type of people that frequent the place. And who's idea was it to waste who knows how much putting a park there in the first place? Or maybe somebody likes the so called art at the entrace to the airport? How much did we pay for this pile of rocks and blue concrete with grass growing up through the cracks?

One of my favorites is the Current River Dam fish ladder. Many people lobbied for many years to get this much needed fishway installed and when it finaly happened I was overjoyed. The only problem is that with the privately owned power generation plant installed around the same time (not sure anymore which came first) water levels fluctuate so drasticaly that the fishway is rendered usless. People have been telling me for years that it's not as bad as I say but I drive by that thing at least twice a day and I see it high and dry at least 50% of the time during the steelhead run plus the lower river bone dry every day while they refill the lake for the next generating cycle. In my opinion, the whole project was a tremedous waste of time and money and that is a real shame because if you know the upper Current like I do, you would know how great a stream it is.

So now we see the waterfront development project cycling up once again. I was and still am a huge supporter of this project right from the beginning stages and no one wants this thing to work more than myself, but I can't help but wonder how long it will be, and how much money council will waste on studies, before they manage to scare away investors and kill the whole deal for the third time.

I'm not trying to be negative (ok maybe I am) but it just gets so frustrating that the same cycle just keeps repeating itself over and over again. I dearly love this city, it's people, it's parks, fishing, hunting and it's closeness to nature but how long can this visious cycle continue? For the first 40 years of my life I never for a minute thought about leaving Thunder Bay and I always defended the city when people would tell me "there's nothing to do in Thunder Bay" but every day brings me closer to what I see as the inevitable day when I pack up the whole family and get the hell out of Dodge. I'm 45 years old and I would never in a million years have thought that I might have to start all over again at my age, and just look at all the industry workers that are in the same boat as me. I know the whole loss of big industry deal is not really anyone's fault and it's just a product of the times, but why are we sitting on our hands waiting for our city to die?

I guess my whole point here is that we as a city need to do SOMETHING to attract big business and industry to Thunder Bay of we are doomed to become mearly a drive by on the Trans Canada.

What's your take?

[Guest Dan]

I can't really argue with any of the points that you've raised Terry. The airport entrance is one that I'm particularly peeved about. On the other hand, I don't think that our city council has much power to change the local economy. It is what it is. As a tradesman in this town, I've seen and felt the effects of the changes. I have a feeling that we've bottomed out and better days are ahead. Another 8 or 9 years and I'm off to fishing freedom. That's all I'm hoping for personally.

[Guest Munshaw]

Thunder Bay: A Ghost Town

I read this post yesterday, then got this link in my e-mail this morning. Thought it was good timing.

[crisop 65]

funny how the video has been removed.

[Abes 5]

I've been at our new Hospital quit a bit lately visiting a family member and I can only imagine what all those stupid looking pillars had cost. I think the building looks like crap and unfinished because of the pillars.

The inside is fairly nice though for a hospital. The architect dropped the ball on that design and how much money was wasted on it. Like Terry said about some big industries looking to come here only to be shot down by someone in Government, and now the city suffers. More and more minimum wage jobs created but nothing else. And have you heard those new blurps on the radio stations about people that have moved from T.bay and then returned because T.Bay has so much to offer, it's like someone is trying to convince everyone to stay here. I personally would'nt like to move but it's very possible as I work in the Lumber indusrty. Even if I wanted to take up my fathers trade it's up and down like a yo yo and way to many of them here for the amount of work thats around. Well that my rant for the day... I'm not against the water front idea but after all the work is done whats left other than more minimum wage jobs....Ok I'm really done now...

[Guest loggerpete]

Its always people with money that get voted into parliment or city counsels,these people are good with they`re own money but they don`t care about spending your tax money on stupid things.

Like a hospital we didn`t need,or the casino thats does more harm to our comunity than good.

If I were to check every politicians books in this country I guarantee I would not find one honest one!!!

I would bet my life savings on it!!!

Pay your taxes , sit back and watch the circus.

[Guest Big Moose]

Well Terry I think I'm going to have to agree with you on whats happening to our city.

The way that council wastes money on "improving"the look of our city is a joke if you ask me,The rocks at the airport are ridiculous,The park on simpson street who wants to enjoy watching a clan of drunks and solvent sniffers stumbling around and not to mention all the other hooligans wandering around waiting to find some sort of trouble, The fish ladder is forsure a waste of tax $$$ I think that was wrong from the get go. Onion lake is to be demolished which is another joke why destroy an established walleye population that lots of residents enjoy fishing because it's so close (myself included),Not to mention the millions wasted at chippawa park on a polluted beach nobody can swim at. The high paying jobs in this city are gone and as a bush worker I have felt this on a personal level.I can say that in my ten years in the bush it's been a steady rapid decline.Now on the north shore where there used to be atleast 7 paper mills there are 2 for now Bowater lingering on death as well as Terrace Bay I don't see that lasting long.The elevators are all but done,Mine sector jobs are hard to come by due to the cost of training and your still leaving the city to get them.Pretty soon the only jobs left will be call centers,old folks homes and social workers and drug abuse councilors for all the mixed up "badass" kids around here.It makes me sick to see the way that the city is heading I personally think it's time to get rid of all the good ole boys and gals that are patting each other on the backs with all thier kick backs down at city hall and vote in some new fresh blood and with that come some fresh ideas into our city because the current council is lost and just don't have a clue.This is my two cents and all I'm gonna say for now I'm getting a little angry over this topic and I'm goin to count to 25.

Anyone else?

[Guest petey]

Although I have been out of Thunder Bay for three years now, I did grow up there. This is a city that I hated to leave (due to no work....go figure) and long to return to. All of the statement you have posted hold water. It always seemed to me that the council almost wanted to stay a shut off "small town". Where else do you have that much waterfront, combined with such a beautiful view? Although I see that the waterfront development is in the news again(still read the CJ daily online), why were all the previous proposals turned down, or swept under the bridge, or whatever? Pretty sure Call centers arent going to bring in a rash of development. I agree that there is little that can be done with the economy. Things are tough all over. But maybe a little pro-action instead of just reaction might go a long way toward attracting new business that don not revolve around bothering people a dozen times a day. I think that maybe the good ole boys should be voted out next election. Seems that as long as I can remember it has been pretty much the same crew in power there. Get some new blood in and get something done so I can return home. (Selfish, but what can I say).

Petey