The Lakehead Region Conservation Authority (LRCA) was founded in 1954, as the name Neebing Valley Conservation Authority. It became the Lakehead Region Conservation Authority in 1963. Members of the Board of Directors are appointed by municipalities: represented are Thunder Bay, Neebing, Shuniah, Oliver Paipoonge, Conmee, Dorion, Gillies, and O'Connor.
In 1946, the Ontario government legislated the Conservation Authority Act. The act provided municipalities with the responsibility for managing their watershed resources. The LRCA was founded under the authority of the Conservation Authority Act.
The LRCA has become an environmental non-profit that aims to conserve and protect the Lakehead area waterways. The LRCA manages the watersheds' risk against flooding and erosion from public and private developments, and monitors the Lakehead region's water through GIS mapping and sampling to provide safe drinking water.
Sources
- Lakehead Region Conservation Authority. https://lakeheadca.com
- Wikipedia. Conservation Authority (Ontario). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservation_authority_(Ontario)
Founded as Lakehead Teachers' College in 1960. Joined Lakehead University and became the Faculty of Education in 1969. Includes undergraduate and graduate programmes, professional development for teachers, and the Department of Indigenous Education. Since the opening of Lakehead's Orillia Campus, Education programmes have been available on both campuses.
Silver Islet Mine was founded in 1870 at the tip of the Sibley Peninsula, an area that now belongs to the city of Thunder Bay, Ontario. The silver deposit at Silver Islet was first discovered in 1868 by the Montreal Mining Company. In 1870, Alexander H. Sibley's Silver Islet Mining Company acquired the mine. The mine was built deep below the waterline, which proved challenging logistically; they used pumps and breakwaters against the rough waters of Lake Superior.
Originally, the Islet measured 50 square meters, although it grew 10 times its size with housing for miners. By 1884, a problem occurred with a coal shipment that fueled the pumps and breakwaters; it resulted in the mine flooding. In the 1910s and the 1970s, companies attempted to reopen Silver Islet Mine, yet they were unsuccessful. Today, the mining town is a small community that serves cottagers and tourists.
Sources
- Lakehead University Archive. Silver Islet Collection. https://archives.lakeheadu.ca/index.php/silver-islet-collection
- Wikipedia. Silver Islet. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Islet
Radio station based on the Lakehead University campus in Thunder Bay. The station is partially supported by the Lakehead student body. Broadcasts are at 102.7FM or can be listened to online; many programmes can also be downloaded as podcasts.
The Ninette Sanatorium was established in 1909 in Ninette, Manitoba. It was also known as the Manitoba Sanatorium. Ninette Sanatorium buildings were designed by architect W. H. Shillinglaw and built by contractor William Bell, and it was established on the shores of Pelican Lake, as prior to World War II, tuberculosis (TB) treatment generally consisted of “rest, good food, and fresh air.” Facilities included a large veranda where patients could lie in beds while sitting by the lake.
The first patient arrived in 1910. The Sanatorium officially opened with a capacity of sixty patients. By the 1920s, Ninette Sanatorium was serving 280 patients. Ninette Sanatorium became the largest TB hospital in Manitoba. Initially, it served primarily white patients.
Initially, the Ninette Sanatorium housed primarily white patients, but over time, especially after WWII, more and more Indigenous people were housed there. During the mid twentieth century, medical professionals, such as the Sanatorium’s own E. L. Ross, M.D. and A. L. Paine, M.D., believed that Indigenous communities were at higher risk for contracting TB. In 1963, over 80 Métis and Inuit men, women, and children were sent to there for treatment.
By the late 1960s, TB treatment advances lessened the need for an institutional Sanatorium. In 1965, Manitoba funded the transfer of facilities into the “Pembina House;” it provided education programs that promoted the integration of “social and academic upgrading;” and did not solely consist of TB patients. In 1972, Pembina House closed, and the remaining Sanatorium facilities did as well.
From 1973-2000, the Ninette Sanatorium buildings served as the Pelican Lake Training Centre, housing patients with special needs. In 2000, a Christian group used the grounds for retreats and conferences. Currently, the original Ninette Sanatorium grounds are privately owned.
- Manitoba Indigenous Tuberculous History Project. Ninette (Manitoba) Sanatorium. https://indigenoustbhistory.ca/history/ninette-sanatorium
- Manitoba Historical Society Archives. Historic Sites of Manitoba: Ninette Sanatorium. http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/sites/ninettesanatorium.shtml
- Ross, E L, and A L Paine. “A Tuberculosis Survey of Manitoba Indians.” Canadian Medical Association Journal 41, no. 2 (1939): 180–84.
James Whalen was born in Collingwood, Ontario in 1869. In 1875, at the age of six, his family moved to Port Arthur, Ontario. Not long after the Whalens' arrival in Port Arthur, James' father drowned and he was left as the sole provider for his mother and younger siblings.
Once out of public school Whalen entered the logging and railway contracting business with a very strong drive for achievement. He cared deeply for the city of Port Arthur and wished to develop the city as much as possible. The empire which he eventually built included logging, pebble, dredging, shipbuilding, insurance, and real estate companies. For his involvement with the dredging and shipping industries, Whalen came to be known as the man who "put the Port in Port Arthur." One of his great accomplishments was the construction of the Whalen Building in 1913, which still stands today as the Thunder Bay Hydro Building. When it opened in 1914 it was said to be "the finest between Toronto and Winnipeg."
James Whalen married Laurel Conmee, the daughter of James Conmee, Member of Parliament. Together James and Laurel had five children, Hazel, Edward, Jim, Loley, and
Margaret.
During his last years, Whalen moved to the West coast to continue working with the pulp and paper industries. Within a few years he was diagnosed with Bright's Disease, affecting his kidneys. He passed away on June 4, 1929, while being treated in a Duluth, MN hospital. In recognition of this man and his accomplishments, the city of Port Arthur honoured him with a half-day holiday.
William (Bill) Addison was born in Toronto but lived most of his life in the Thunder Bay region. While teaching sciences at Westgate High School for nearly 30 years, he also engaged in geological research and fought for the preservation of natural areas. The records held by Lakehead document his work with the Save Quetico Committee, the Coalition for Wilderness, and Parks for Tomorrow. His travels and work in the Nahanni River area are documented in the Northwest Territories Archives.
Bill was married to Wendy for 51 years, and they had two children.
Ken Armson was born in Canada, and educated in England, before returning to study Forestry at the University of Toronto. He joined the faculty shortly after graduation, teaching from 1952 to 1978. He also began working for the Ontario Government through the 1970s, performing a review of forest management practices and playing a key role in establishing Forest Management Agreements between private industry and the Province. Ken’s career with the Ministry of Natural Resources culminated with his appointment as Provincial Forester. In retirement, Ken became involved in forest history work, including founding the Forest History Society of Ontario, and writing a memoir. Ken was awarded an honourary doctorate by Lakehead in 1992, and was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2016.