The city is taking its 50th anniversary mascot back to the drawing board.
In a statement, the city says the mascot was going to be a bird called Thunder, but it has heard complaints about its name and design.
It says some are comparing the mascot to the Thunderbird that’s sacred to some Indigenous cultures including Anishinaabe peoples.
The character was named in honour of the city, and the 50th Anniversary Committee will involve the community in choosing a new name.
It adds the committee organizing the 50th anniversary celebrations shared the bird’s design with the city’s Elder’s Council and Chief Peter Collins of Fort William First Natio, but received no complaints about it at the time.
The city had not made any other post about the mascot previously.
