Thunder Bay & NWO Feature
Thunder Bay poised for oil sands rebound
Industry promoters of the Alberta oil sands are predicting gradual growth in the latter half of 2010 as development projects, shelved by the recession and dipping oil prices, come back to life.
Thunder Bay & NWO News
Thunder Bay growers become destination attraction
The
kind of parties that Vanderwees Home & Garden Centre throws
usually brings out the cops.
Safeway clears space for local farmers A food research expert is adopting a wait-and-see approach to a marketing push by Safeway grocery chain to provide shelf space for locally grown food.
Doug Smith – regional growth in family genesSince recently retiring from Smith and Associates Insurance, the company his father Lorne Smith founded in 1946 after 31 years, the Thunder Bay businessman has set off on a new adventure with his wife Jacqueline as the pair have developed Lloyd Smith Solutions.
Thunder Bay Chamber head resignsMary Long-Irwin, a prominent face and vocal supporter of Thunder Bay's business community, is stepping down as president of the city's chamber of commerce.
Thunder Bay & NWO Community Profile
Situated on the shores of Lake Superior in northwestern Ontario, Thunder Bay’s unique location has defined its reputation as a major transportation hub sporting large seaport facilities, major railway lines and the junction of the Trans-Canada Highway.
The city’s location as a gateway to vast tracks of wilderness has also made it a resource base for the forest industry, a major growth engine. Efforts to develop forestry continue by building a strong value-added sector.
The Community Economic Development Commission is a chief mechanism to enhance the region’s potential. One major initiative has capitalized on the region’s resources by using Thunder Bay as a base for manufacturing and skilled labour for development in the Alberta Oil Sands.
In co-operation with Bombardier, community partners leveraged their expertise to secure a $700-million contract to develop subway cars for the Toronto Transit Commission.
Projections for the emerging knowledge-based industry are similarly optimistic. The city’s Munro Street Research Centre, revamped with a $6 million upgrade, will house the Molecular Medicine Research Centre. A projected $100 million injection into the economy is anticipated as a result of the consortium comprised of Molecular Medicine Research Centre, Lakehead University Research Lab, Lakehead Superior Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Genesis Genomics and others.
As an adjunct to a multi-targeted economic development initiative, the city will continue to capitalize on its robust tourist industry defined by such premier attractions as Eagle Canyon, Kakabeka Falls, and the vistas of Lake Superior’s shoreline and surrounding waterways.
