Thunder
Bay, Ontario: Gateway to Travel on the Great Lakes
Waterways By
Jerry W. Bird
The
last time I flew into Thunder Bay, formerly the
twin cities of Port Arthur-Fort William, it was
part of a national advertising project for Inns
Canada, a newly formed hotel and resort management
group. On my team was Peter Gold, a Calgary
photographer, who I assigned to help portray
Thunder Bay's tourism amenities. Our client's Hotel
Manager Guy Laliberte, who was well known in the
area, and somewhat of a showman, went above and
beyond the call of duty, scrounging props from
local department stores. Our concept was to depict
every type of sports activity available to
visitors. Peter captured it in a single shot of
Laliberte, decked out in flippers and scuba mask,
with snow and water skies, hockey gear, fishing
road and tackle, tennis racket, golf clubs - you
name it. Fortunately Laliberte was a bear of a man
and could stand up under the load. He later took us
to a local ski hill, to prove that the area offers
some of Ontario's best alpine and world class
cross-country ski terrain. We also visited several
of the 150 parks in the Thunder Bay area. Many
early settlers were from Finland, which accounts
for the fact that Thunder Bay is known as the Sauna
Capital of Canada.
Gateway
Information (Airport details to
come)
Located at the head of the Great Lakes and the St.
Lawrence Seaway System, Thunder Bay has been a
Canadian crossroads since pioneer days. From here,
a navigable waterway stretches several into the
heart of the North American continent through 16 of
the world's most efficient locks. As a port, served
by both Canadian National and Canadian Pacific
Railways, Thunder Bay handles all types of cargoes,
with over 600 ships visiting the port annually. As
eastern gateway to the provinces of Alberta,
Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Thunder Bay provides direct
access to Ontario, Quebec and many eastern
states.
Thunder Bay
Recreation Areas Boulevard Lake / Chippewa Park/ Hillcrest
Park
Marina Park/ Mt. McKay/ International Friendship
Gardens
Ouimet Canyon Provincial Park/ Sibley Provincial
Park
..
..
.
The
last time I flew into Thunder Bay, formerly the
twin cities of Port Arthur-Fort William, it was
part of a national advertising project for Inns
Canada, a newly formed hotel and resort management
group. On my team was Peter Gold, a Calgary
photographer, who I assigned to help portray
Thunder Bay's tourism amenities. Our client's Hotel
Manager Guy Laliberte, who was well known in the
area, and somewhat of a showman, went above and
beyond the call of duty, scrounging props from
local department stores. Our concept was to depict
every type of sports activity available to
visitors. Peter captured it in a single shot of
Laliberte, decked out in flippers and scuba mask,
with snow and water skies, hockey gear, fishing
road and tackle, tennis racket, golf clubs - you
name it. Fortunately Laliberte was a bear of a man
and could stand up under the load. He later took us
to a local ski hill, to prove that the area offers
some of Ontario's best alpine and world class
cross-country ski terrain. We also visited several
of the 150 parks in the Thunder Bay area. Many
early settlers were from Finland, which accounts
for the fact that Thunder Bay is known as the Sauna
Capital of Canada.
Gateway
Information (Airport details to
come)