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The Port of Thunder Bay was what began Port Arthur and Fort William, the founding communities of Thunder Bay. Commercial activity has been and continues to be the mainstay of the Port and a significant sector in the economy of Thunder Bay. Government activity regulates the various users of the Port. The Canadian Navy is represented by the Naval Reserve Division HMCS GRIFFON. Recreational users derive a lot of benefit from the Port. What follows is a description of the Port and various maritime groups that are part of the Thunder Bay maritime community. |
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The Port of Thunder Bay is 8th on the total tonnage list of annual shipments for all Canadian Port Authorities. In 2008 the Port counted 9 operating grain elevators and a malt house which directly employed more than 400 operating and management personnel supported by a further 105 persons engaged in inspection, sampling and weighing. The 2nd and 3rd largest commodity movements through the port are coal and potash. Other cargoes are salt, steel, aggregates, petroleum and liquid chemical products, and forest products (mainly lumber and wood pulp). The Port offers a full range of vessel services and Lakehead Industrial and Marine (formerly PASCOL Engineering) operates a vessel maintenance and repair facility with a dry dock capable of hull repairs to maximum Seaway vessels.
Under the provisions of the Canada Marine Act, the Thunder Bay Port Authority is responsible for the operation of the Port including ice breaking, maintenance of aids to navigation and the breakwater, and dredging. It operates Keefer Intermodal, which includes a warehouse facility and railway marshalling yards, and administers Harbour Park subdivision. |
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HMCS GRIFFON is a Naval Reserve Division (unit) in the Canadian Navy. GRIFFON’s purpose is to recruit and train people to crew the Maritime Coastal Defense Vessels (MCDV), and support a dive team and Harbour Defense. There are 12 MCDVs, 6 in Halifax and 6 in Esquimalt. The vessel’s function is to patrol the coasts, assist with search and rescue, and clear mines. GRIFFON also has a dive team. People train one night a week and go away for summer training and work. Once people are qualified they can obtain short-term contracts for employment. GRIFFON is located at 125 Algoma St. N. Contact GRIFFON at (807) 343-5200. GRIFFON's Boat Shed and the Lake Superior Sail Centre Boat shed are located on the waterfront north of the marina. |
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Shown in the picture is a RHIB. The Rigid Hulled Inflatable Boat is used by both the regular force and reserve force navies. It's primary Function is to transport armed boarding teams to vessels of interest and for harbour defense. It's two pontoons provide unsurpassed stability and the rigid hull allows for maximum speed. It is 24 feet in length and weighs over 2 tonnes. It can carry 18 persons plus a crew of 2. It's top speed is around 45 knots and is an extremely stable and maneuverable boat. It is powered by a 6 cylinder turbo charged diesel engine with a range of approximately 100 nautical miles. | ||
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The ANCHORAGE is a memorial to the navy and merchant navy ships and sailors who perished in the Battle of the Atlantic; see The Commemoration of the Battle of the Atlantic. It is located at the Marina, north of the CN Station. |
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The Coast Guard delivers the following programs:
The Base at Keefer Intermodal houses the maintenance center, the CCGS CAPE CHALLION crew quarters, and the radio station (MCTS). The MCTS station services an area on the Great Lakes from Sarnia to Thunder Bay, Lake Winnipeg and Churchill on Hudson Bay. The lifeboat, CCGS CAPE CHALLION built in 2003, has a crew of four, twin diesels and a speed of 26 knots. |
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Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary The Coast Guard Auxiliary is members who use their privately owned vessels in a volunteer capacity. The Auxiliary supplements the full-time Coast Guard, doing boating safety education, and providing search and rescue coverage, which is particularly important in areas where a Coast Guard Life Boat such as the CAPE CHALLION is not stationed. Rick Oldale is the Director of District 7 of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, which covers Thunder Bay and the north shore of Lake Superior. Vessels in District 7 include: Loon Magic, Melissa, Marion G., Irish Mist, Morning Star, Omiga II, Bounty Hunter and Sea Scape. |
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Ontario Provincial Police – Thunder Bay Detachment
North West Region WATERWAYS POLICING
Introduction The Police Services Act (PSA) sets out the general responsibilities of the OPP in respect to jurisdiction, enforcement of federal and provincial laws, traffic patrol and assistance to municipalities. In addition to, or in meeting such general responsibilities, certain specific functions performed by the OPP are discussed in the following policy. Enforcement The function of navigable waterways law enforcement must be distinguished from that of search and rescue, and enforcement includes the enforcement of laws regulating the operation of and required equipment on vessels.
Navigable waterways Navigable waterways within and bordering on the Province may be classified into three general categories:
As part of this responsibility, the OPP enforces all federal and provincial legislation including the:
Communications Equipment An OPP vessel shall, whenever practicable, and as local conditions require, be equipped with such communications equipment necessary to contact other vessels equipped with marine band radios.
Screening Device Whenever practicable, OPP vessels shall be equipped with an approved screening device as defined in the Criminal Code and its regulations.
Stopping Marine Violator When a member finds it necessary to stop a vessel, they shall make the necessary maneuvers with the utmost regard for the safety of all concerned. |
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Thunder
Bay Fire & Rescue Service The Thunder Bay Fire & Rescue Service provides citizens with a highly trained emergency service capable of handling various emergency situations ranging from fire suppression, extrication, hazardous materials, vehicle and industrial accidents, medical assistance, defibrillation, high & low angle rescue, confined space rescue and ice and water rescue. Thunder Bay Fire & Rescue Service also conducts ongoing Fire Code Enforcement and fire cause investigations and is committed to delivering fire & life safety education, juvenile fire setter intervention and programming for youth, seniors and our community partners. www.thunderbay.ca/Living/City_Services_and_Info/Guide_to_City_Services/Fire.htm |
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Thunder Bay Tug Services Ltd: The company was established in 1989 with a leased tug, but then purchased the Point Valour in 1993, which towed the James Whalen from Quebec to Thunder Bay. The Tug Glenada from Sarnia, was added in 1995 to help with the increase in “ship assist” work in Thunder Bay. The Tug Miseford was purchased in Port Maitland and sailed here in September 2004. Thunder Bay Tug Services Ltd. is locally owned and operated by Captain Gerry Dawson. It’s primary business is “ship assist” work in the Thunder Bay Harbour, and the Glenada has also towed barges to Isle Royale. The Tug Glenada and crew rescued two men from the propellorless Grampa Woo, off Thunder Cape in 15 foot waves in October 1996. Captain Gerry Dawson, engineer John Olson and deckhand Jim Harding were awarded Medals of Bravery by the Governor General in Ottawa in 1997 for this rescue. |
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Ten commercial fishing vessels fish Whitefish, Lake Trout and Herring from Thunder Bay to Hurkett. The fish are sold to Presteve Fisheries of Sault Ste. Marie and Kemp Fisheries of Duluth, which export the fish around the world. In Thunder Bay the commercial fishing vessels dock at the mouth of Current River. Some of these vessels are also in the Coast Guard Auxiliary. |
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Prince Arthur's Landing Marina Situated in beautiful Marina Park on the shores of Lake Superior, the Marina can be accessed off Water Street in the north core of the City. The Marina is open May 15 through October 15 annually and offers 271 slips for City residents and visitors. Also available are water moorings and dry land storage facilities. Services include washrooms, laundry and shower facilities, pumpouts and fuel (gasoline and diesel). Attendants are on duty 9 am to 9 pm all season. On-site security is available from 9 pm to 9 am. Boat launch ramps are available for use by the public on a user fee basis. Marina Office (Seasonal) Redevelopment of the existing marina and building a condominium is being planned. See also Waterfront Development.
The Pool 6 Cruise Ship Facility opened in July 2009. It is located south of the Prince Arthur's Landing Marina and is the site of the former Saskatchewan Pool 6 elevator. Clelia II is pictured here in July 2009. |
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The Park celebrates the heritage of the river that Fort William was built up on. Fort William was originally located in what is now called the East End and a memorial cairn on McNaughton St. marks the location. Small lake vessels berthed along the river near Simpson St. The warehouses on Simpson Street bear witness to the past shipping activity of the region. The opening of Keefer Terminal in 1960 meant the closing of these wharfs beside Simpson St.. The James Whalen was built in 1905 as an ice breaking tug and worked in Thunder Bay Harbour until its retirement. She is now berthed permanently at the Kaministiqua River Park. The Sailors' Memorial Park at the Kaministiqua River Park
helps us to remember local merchant sailors lost in the Battle of the Atlantic
in World War 2. The memorial was originally located on the N. M. Paterson &
Sons property off James St. by the Kaministiqua River swing bridge. N. M. Paterson & Sons Ltd was a Thunder Bay shipping company. Norman McLeod Paterson purchased his first grain elevator in Fort William in 1912. His company grew to include elevators in Thunder Bay and the prairies and a marine division. The marine division closed in 2005. During World War 2, twenty of Paterson's canellers, small ships that could transit the locks at Montreal, transported war materials. Their routes were the bauxite shuttle from the Caribbean, along the Eastern seaboard as far north as Greenland and the convoys to England. The ships lost were:
Taken from The Ships of the Paterson Fleet by Gene Onchulenko and Skip Gillham, 1996 Riverbank Traders |
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The Rowing Club is located on the Kaministiqua River south west of the park. |
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Lakehead Power and Sail Squadron Lakehead Power and Sail Squadron is a squadron of the Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons, and it offers courses for recreational boaters: Boat Pro, VHF Radio, Boating, Piloting, Advanced Piloting, Celestial Navigation, Sea Sail, Sea Power, Marine Maintenance and Weather. Boat Pro and Boating courses give people the recreational boating qualification. |
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The club was founded in August 1945 with the goal to further boating in the area. It offers members such privileges as:
The New Crew Program Each year the Thunder Bay Yacht Club offers four days of instruction in basic sailing and an introduction to sailboat racing. The New Crew Program takes place in early June. It consists of three hours of in-class instruction followed by on the water sailing experience on keel boats owned by members of the Thunder Bay Yacht Club. The philosophy of the program is based on the conviction that the best way to learn to sail is to crew on a racing sailboat even if your long term objectives in sailing do not include racing. If you join a crew, you will gain considerable experience learning from experienced skippers and fellow crew members. The objective of the course is to make participants comfortable and contributing members of a racing crew. Anyone interested in learning to sail is invited to contact Bill Dunlop at 768-5885. |
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 Lake Superior Sail Centre
- Sea Cadets
The Lake Superior Sail Centre runs sail training programs for local Sea Cadet Corps: RCSCC Vindictive (Thunder Bay North); RCSCC Fort William (Thunder Bay South); RCSCC Onondaga (Nipigon); and RCSCC Endurance (Terrace Bay). The Sail Centre is located on the Thunder Bay Harbour, just north of Marina Park. The Royal Canadian Sea Cadet programme is for young men and women ages 12 to 18. The Canadian Forces in partnership with the Navy League of Canada run the programme. |
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Fort William Historical Park is a provincially-funded historic site operated by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism. Through its living history program, the Fort depicts the fur trade activities of the North West Company at Fort William Historical Park, inland headquarters and site of the Company's annual Rendezvous from 1803-1821. It has been rebuilt on its present location, further upstream from its original location. Shown here is the monument on McNaughton St., in the Fort William's East End commemorating the original site for Fort William. Beyond the railway cars is the Kaministiqua River. |
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The Neebing Voyageur Brigade is an historic re-enactment group dedicated to the preservation of fur trade history. Over the last 30 years, hundreds of young people have learned and gained an appreciation for our voyageur heritage and life styles through their participation with the Neebing Brigade. |
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Commercial fishing was one of the first activities in the
port. It was strong prior to the coming of the sea lamprey with the opening of
the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1960.
