The re-opening of the James Street swing bridge has left many people in and around Thunder Bay smiling, and that includes the Chief of the Fort William First Nation.
Peter Collins adds he’s heard from many people over the last 24 hours, including the 2nd person to cross it. “My sister was actually the second one to cross the bridge yesterday at around 4:30. She phoned, screaming, yelling “I’m the 2nd one, I’m glad we’re going across!”
After speaking with many in the community yesterday, Peter Collins noted the importance of the bridge to the whole area after it was closed for 6 years. “Not only our community, but also the municipality, and the city, and the Westfort area. I talked to the folks at Robin’s [donuts], and they’re already seeing the impact on the traffic in their coffee shop.”
The Fort William Chief admits it was a waste of time and money in a court battle between CN Rail and the city to determine who would fix and pay for the bridge repair after a fire closed it, but sometimes it takes a court to make these decisions.
And, he acknowledged the former mayor and city council for the work they put into getting this done.
