Thunder Bay got its name after "Lakehead" and "The Lakehead" split the vote

The greatest instance of vote-splitting I have ever seen resulted in the naming of Thunder Bay.

In 1969, the City of the Lakehead Act… decreed that Fort William and Port Arthur would amalgamate as of January 1, 1970, creating a new, larger city. Citizens were asked to select the city's new name by vote, with three candidates to choose from.

City of Thunder Bay [1]
Candidate name Votes [2]
Thunder Bay 15,870
Lakehead 15,302
The Lakehead 8,377

  1. Amalgamation. City of Thunder Bay (2022). ↩︎

  2. About Thunder Bay. City of Thunder Bay (2005). ↩︎