February 5: Port Arthur
Mrs. Johnson offered a vacant property on Cumberland St E for the use of the 141st Battalion for use as a drill hall, and, it seems, a tax break. From the January 8th minutes, we can see that Port Arthur had already secured them space to drill in a CNR shed, so the city did not take Mrs. Johnson up on her offer.
February 5: Port Arthur
Conscription was a hot button issue in 1917, finally coming into law in August with the Military Service Act.
February 5: Port Arthur
The city of Port Arthur regularly covered the utilities costs for the military without question, but in this case, they wanted to know if the men of the Battalion had to pay for the services. Presumably, if the men were charged for the services, Council might have more debate over covering costs for a business. [continued Feb 12]
February 12: Port Arthur
By the next Council meeting, Council were satisfied that the Tailor and Barber shops were not businesses and would cover their utility costs as they did for the rest of the electricity used by the 141st Battalion.
February 12: Port Arthur
Ethel Keefer must have discovered that Port Arthur was covering utilities costs for the military and so wrote to Council to ask if they would cover the utilities costs for her Convalescent Home for soldiers. [continued Feb 26]
February 13: Fort William
Further discussion regarding how the Dominion Government was going to go about recruiting. In this case, the City of St. Catharine’s wanted Fort William to adopt a memorial (memorandum) regarding the methods of recruitment.
February 19: Port Arthur
Food production was a very important part of Canada’s contribution to the war effort. Here the Minister of Agriculture, Martin Bunnell, sends a letter appealing for increased food production.
February 19: Port Arthur
Lieut. William Dougall, originally from Aberdeen, Scotland, enlisted in Port Arthur, October 1915. He had been living and working as a newspaper reporter and was already a Lieutenant in the militia in the 96th L.S.R.. He was part of the 52nd Overseas Battalion, the 46th Battalion, and the RAF. Here the Port Arthur City Council is offering their formal congratulations for his being invested with the Military Cross by King George. Lieut. Dougall was killed in action, July 21, 1918, and is buried in France.
February 26: Port Arthur
Port Arthur City Council evidently saw the benefit of covering the utilities costs of the Keefer Convalescent Home for Soldiers, especially after a letter from the Secretary of Military Hospitals, E.H. Scammell. They decided to provide free utilities to the convalescent home and refund what they had spent on utilities to date from when they had started taking soldiers in March 1916.
February 26: Port Arthur
February 27: Fort William
B. A. Ross, the Campaign Secretary for the Ontario Franchise Committee writes to both Port Arthur and Fort William City Councils again [see January 1915]. The Ontario Government had passed a bill in February 1917 in favour of women’s suffrage; it did not come into law until April 1917. There was a worry that that would not leave enough time for women to register to vote. Here both city councils wrote to their representatives in Toronto in favour of extending the period of registration to give women enough time to register.
World War One Thunder Bay Centennial Project 