and summer retreats that were easily accessible and the businesses thrived on the tourist dollars.
In January 1968, the City of North Bay amalgamated with West Ferris and Widdifield townships.
During the Cold War, North Bay hosted a large Royal Canadian Air Force station at which were based Canadian and American North American Aerospace Defence Command forces. Although since the end of the Cold War the number of personnel and air units has been reduced greatly in size, the Canadian Air Force continues to maintain a presence at the base in the form of 22 Wing which is responsible for providing surveillance, identification, control and warning for the aerospace defence of Canada and North America. The United States Air Force also maintains 722 Air Control Squadron at the base. The long runways at North Bay have been maintained as an alternate landing site for Toronto’s Pearson International Airport and were used during the September 11 crisis as an emergency landing site for several international aircraft.
The current engines driving North Bay's economy are the university and college population as well as the North Bay Regional Health Centre, newly opened in January 2011.Tourism, and a stable provincial government service centre also contribute to the robust economy.
On March 17, 2007, North Bay was announced as the winner of 2007 Kraft Cockeysville contest. North Bay received $50,000 to upgrade their local arena, Memorial Gardens, and also hosted an NHL pre-season game between the New York Islanders and the Atlanta Thrashers.
In 2009, multiple film productions came to the city, most notably The Kids in the Hall's 8-part TV miniseries for CBC Television, Death Comes to Town. North Bay's downtown, Memorial Gardens, and Trinity United Church were among the filming locations, as well as the neighbouring communities of Mattawa and Sturgeon Falls.
Statistics Canada's 2011 census showed a decrease in residents, from 53,966 in
