Thank you, Meegwetch, Merci, Kiitos, Grazie, and Tika hoki!

THUNDER BAY – With 2018 coming to a close, it is a fantastic time to reflect on the year behind us, and more importantly to make plans for the year ahead of us. 

For NetNewsLedger, it has been a remarkable year. We have worked hard to improve our services and continue laying strong foundations for an exciting future.

Heading into 2019, NetNewsLedger will continue to strive to deliver the high-value information that supports transparency and helps inform our city and our region.

Over the past four months, we have been working with Sencia Canada here in Thunder Bay on the development of a new website. Our goals were to make the site faster, responsive, and to allow greater inclusion of video into articles. One of our goals is to make it easier for you to find local, regional, national and international coverage of issues that matter to you, our readers and viewers. This past week, we saw the results of these efforts in a final viewing. The new site will launch in the first week of 2019.

We would like to thank all of you for your continued support, readership and viewership! 

You might note we don’t publish an end of the year overview on what has happened over the course of the past year. For the most part, our eyes are on the future.

A favourite quote – “All my hopes and dreams are of the future, I plan on spending the rest of my life living there”.

Looking back at 2018 our community and region has seen both good and bad. We have seen efforts from local people that demonstrate the very best – the dedication of volunteers at Camp Quality, caring and making a difference in the lives of children. We have seen the very best in the efforts of many in the Annual Toys for the North, the dedication of community groups like the Nokiiwin Tribal Council, Matawa Education, Oshki Wenjack Education, and many others to help those who need it the most.

In 2018, Thunder Bay has also experienced things that should start our community on a path to unity. The reports on the Thunder Bay Police Service and Thunder Bay Police Services Board should be an impetus to positive change. The accusations of systemic racism will hang over our city like a dark storm cloud. However, by working together in solidarity and with an eye to solutions we will bring brighter days to our community.

Seriously the OIPRD and OCPC reports offer our community some real insights.  The new Chief of Police Sylvie Hauth has already stated she accepts the report and is working for change. There have been steps in positive directions taken for some time now. The Police Services Board is moving to a public effort and with support, change can and will happen.

We need to support all of those who are willing and ready to make a positive difference. Thunder Bay is sitting at a crossroads, the decisions we will all make in the coming year are going to set the course for our future.

In 2018 it was very enjoyable to report on the ongoing efforts of Watay Power, as the goal of bringing northern communities onto the power grid continues. This is a project of historic size, it will change the lives of people living in far northern communities.

One of the more enjoyable stories we reported was on how the City of Hamilton reached out to two First Nation communities to donate fire trucks.

Another is sharing the ongoing coverage of the Attawapiskat band Midnight Shine.

Working with our friends at North Star Air we were able to cover the trip north to Fort Severn for the screening of Indian Horse.

Oshki Wenjack has been sharing success stories as graduates have been taking their paths forward in life. NetNewsLedger has been proud to share the message of accomplishment.

In 2019 one of our goals is to provide you expanded coverage of civic politics. Stay tuned as they say.

The coming year will certainly have its share of challenges and opportunities. Every year does, but as we keep our focus, and seek to share news and information, our determination to be your reliable source for news continues.

From all of us at NetNewsLedger we wish you all a very merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year.

We look forward to working even closer with you in 2019. Thank you, Meegwetch, Merci, Kiitos, Grazie, and Tika hoki!