“Thunder Bay: Superior by Nature.” It’s a great slogan. It not only sums up who we are and where we are, but also who we as a city strive to be. But if I’m honest, I don’t always think of my home town as ‘superior’ and I’m always curious when I meet people who actually do. People who come from all over the world and have chosen to call Thunder Bay home. One of those fine folks is reporter and CBC personality, Susan Rogers.
I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Susan this past year because of our mutual love of writing, and we’ve spent more than one evening chatting at some of the city’s many independent coffee shops. One evening, I asked this free-spirited world-traveler and newly retired journalist why - of all the places she’s been - she chose to make her new home here, “Why Thunder Bay?” I asked. It honestly boggled my mind.
“Well, I can’t say it was love at first sight,” Rogers laughed. “When you’re passing through on the TransCanada Highway, it doesn’t show well...If you’d ever told me I’d end up in Thunder Bay, I would have said you were crazy!”
Rogers has worked as a journalist from one coast of the country to the other. From Halifax to Yellowknife, Edmonton to Quebec City, Rogers has lived in many of our country’s best and most unique cities. Quite often in her busy life, Toronto was headquarters and home when eight years ago, she accepted a temporary position as a troubleshooter and transferred to the local CBC office in Thunder Bay. She had originally planned to stay no longer than a year but before she knew it, she was working as Program Manager and extended her ‘temporary status.’ When the time came for Rogers to retire however, the decision to stay had already been made.
“Thunder Bay really grew on me,” says Rogers. “I’m in my eighth year here now and I love it. When I was approaching retirement, we realized that we were not going to follow our kids around the country, so we decided to stay here. There is a richness of living and enough diversity in terms of outdoor and cultural pursuits.”
Rogers and her husband share a passion for the outdoors, with years of experience in snowshoeing, hiking, canoeing, etc. In fact, during the first few years in the region, they paddled in over fifty lakes. It is a ‘Lifestyle of the Outdoors’ that we take for granted in Northwestern Ontario, and she praised the outdoor education programs, the conservation areas and the truly unique urban river systems that enrich our lives the moment we step outside our front doors.
“One time when we paddled up the Neebing River,” says Rogers, “And we stopped for ice cream at the Dairy Queen along the way. We’ve paddled up the McIntyre to Starbucks and back. Where else can you do that?”
The great outdoors was not the only aspect of life in Thunder Bay that appealed to Rogers. A self-professed ‘foodie’, she praises the rise of small, local artisanal restaurants that has taken the city by storm. Her husband shares her interest and was one of the founders of ‘Slow Food Nova Scotia.” They love shopping at the Farmers Market, checking out the independent coffee shops and exploring the growing organic and ethnic food scene. For die-hard foodies, Thunder Bay has superseded any expectations they may have had.
“I consider food to be a cultural pursuit,” says Rogers with a grin.
She also discovered the dance style, Argentine Tango, here in Thunder Bay – something she and her husband had always been intrigued by. They saw a poster on the door of a local artist’s shop and have been avid dancers ever since.
The love of the dance has led the couple to Buenos Aires three times, all because of a cultural opportunity presented here in Thunder Bay.
“For such a small community, the music scene and the local theaters are very impressive,” says Rogers. “There might be more in a big city but it’s very expensive. Here, we have the symphony, live music, writing groups; things that just aren’t as easily accessible in a bigger centre.”
Housing prices are also affordable, according to Rogers, especially when moving from larger cities. There is a stock of small houses that are good for both young families and retired couples and Rogers admits that they are now down to one vehicle because they can walk to anything, anywhere. She is proud to say that they have never lived in a place for longer then she has in Thunder Bay.
And one of the best features? “They plow sidewalks here – that’s really not done in other cities. That’s just amazing.”
So, what’s next for Susan Rogers as she enjoys retirement in the city of her choosing?
“I’m going to take time for me to do writing,” she says. “I’ve written a play, connected with writers and that gives me enthusiasm to not only enter retirement, but embrace it.”
And having someone as well-traveled as Susan Rogers embrace Thunder Bay is a pretty great thing, actually. Kind of makes me feel just a little...Superior. Naturally.
Follow Susan’s adventures on Twitter at @SusanRogers6 or on the web at The Jubliant Jubilada (jubilantjubilada.wordpress.com)
