News

TTC Railcars to be Built Here

Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister, the currently-very-popular, Chrystia Freeland, announced $758 million in funding to help cover some of the $2.3 billion that will be needed to replace the TTC’s Line 2 Bloor-Danforth subway cars.

And she said she expects these new subway cars will be built in Thunder Bay’s Alstom plant.

In total 55 cars will be needed. The additional funding is expected to come from the province and the City of Toronto.

The TTC is being coy, saying the process of deciding who will build the railcars will be done via the normal procurement process.

The union representing the Alstom workers is thrilled with the news.

But with the Liberals currently polling into, well, oblivion, who knows what the future will bring.

But I will definitely be keeping my fingers crossed for that plant!

Daily Poll

Real vs Fake

Turns out the majority of you want them to stop Mariah and stuff her back in the freezer for this year! 55% of you voted to NOT loving her annual hit, All I Want For Christmas Is You.

Poor Mariah.

Today I’m curious, do you have a real or a fake tree?

Health

LU World AIDS Day

World AIDS Day was December 1st, aiming to raise awareness of the AIDS pandemic and to mourn those who have died from the disease.

It was first observed in 1988.

This year the theme is: “Take the rights path: My health, my right!”. It emphasizes the human rights in ending the AIDS pandemic.

To help raise awareness and focus on detection and prevention, Lakehead University is hosting its own AIDS day today (Dec 2).

In conjunction with the Thunder Bay District Health Unit, a sexual health clinic is being hosted in the Agora from 10am-2pm for walk-ins and at the TBDHU from 10:30am-4pm for both appointments and walk-ins.

It’s smart. Let’s face it. University is when you’re more likely to errr, have fun, and do so with sometimes less than clear thinking. So offering free testing is a fantastic way for everyone to take charge of their sexual health.

Don’t stick your head in the sand on this one if you’re sexually active with multiple partners because otherwise you’ll be irresponsibly sticking… never mind… you get the point (sigh lol).

Police

Message from Chief Darcy Fleury

Police Chief Fleury has been doing the rounds in the community speaking with different organizations and groups of people to get on-the-ground feedback on the state of policing in Thunder Bay.

(I’m guessing those weren’t his best days ever).

He wants us to know he understands our concerns and appreciates the input.

It seems the primary concern was the response time people faced when calling 911 and requesting police support.

Seems like our front-line officers are overrun with priority one calls, making it very challenging to respond in a timely fashion.

There used to be a police officer at my gym that I’d chat with occasionally. I remember him telling me that many shifts he didn’t have time for lunch or dinner. Bathroom breaks were even hard some days.

I don’t know the solution, but our city has a serious problem and hopefully we can start effectively addressing our social issues to help reduce our crime rate.

Click below to read the message in its entirety.

History

Historic Fountain Restoration (maybe)

The City is doing one of their favourite things and hiring a consultant to look at what it would take to get the historic Waverley Park fountain running again.

The parks department plans on hiring engineering consultants to provide detailed drawings on what it would take to repair and modernize the Hogarth Fountain.

The fountain history itself is pretty cool:

It was transported from England to Waverley Park and installed in 1964. It was a gift from Madge Hogarth in memory of her husband Maj. Gen Donald McDonald Hogarth.

So how exactly do you modernize a fountain you ask? Great question, because I had no freakin’ clue either!

The fountain doesn’t have a flow-through system (water reuse), so in it’s current state it spouts water majestically into the air, and then it just falls back down into the storm drain system.

There’s also no back flow preventer and no meter (so the city can charge itself for usage?).

So now we all learned something new today about water fountains!

If the funding is approved the consultants would finish their work in 2025.

Nature

Nor’Westers Project Protects 1,000 Hectares

The Nature Conservancy of Canada has announced a massive expansion of protected land along Lake Superior.

All told, an additional 935 hectares of forests, wetlands, and mesas (flat-topped landforms with steep sides) are now part of the protected area.

The project is called the Nor’Westers Project because part of the newly protected land is in the Nor’Westers range.

The land was purchased using private donor funds, foundations, the Government of Canada and through the Natural Heritage Conservation Program, part of Canada’s Nature Fund, the Government of Ontario, and through the Greenlands Conservation Partnership program.

First Nations News

Nuclear Waste Site

The repository for spent nuclear fuel has been selected.

And Fort William First Nation isn’t happy about it (and I suspect most of you won’t be either…).

The Nuclear Waste Management Organization has chosen the Revell Lake site, which sits between Igance Township and Wabigoon Lake Ojibway First Nation.

The repository would store the spent nuclear fuel 650-800 meters below ground.

Construction is estimated to start in 2033 with the site operational by 2045.

FWFN Chief, Michele Solomon, feels the site location does not take into account the potential dangers of transporting radioactive material that far. (which is exactly what most of you loyal readers indicated in the nuclear waste poll I ran a few issues back.)

She wants continued dialogue about the issues.

This is far from over I suspect…

Get Your Christmas On 🎄

Get Ready for the Fatman Coming Down the Chimney!

Westfort Wonderland - Westfort Village - Dec 5 - 4pm-8pm

5th Annual Carolina for Charity - Dec 6 (6pm-7pm) @ 95 Winnipeg Ave; Dec 7 (4pm-5pm) @ River Terrace Park

Dulcisono Choir Presents: A Ceremony of Carols - St. Paul’s Anglican Church - Dec 8 @ 3pm - $15-$20

The Sounds of Christmas - St Andrew’s Community Christmas Concert - St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church - Dec 8 @ 4pm-5:30pm - $20-$25

30+ Pop-Up Vendors - Goods & Co. - Dec. 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22

Santa Visiting & Photos - Vanderweese - Dec. 14, 15, 21, 22

Pet Pics With Santa - Intercity Shopping Centre - Dec. 7, 14; 4pm-6pm
* proceeds to local rescues

Santa Photos - Intercity Shopping Centre - Nov 16-Dec 24
Monday - Friday in November 3pm-7pm
Monday - Friday in December 11am - 7pm
Saturday - 10am - 6pm
Sunday - 11am - 5pm
Dec. 23 - 10am - 8pm
Dec. 24 - 10am - 2pm (he’s gotta get back to the North Pole!)

Breakfast With Santa - Thunder Bay Country Market - Dec. 14; 8am - 10am

Things to do This Week

Events In and Around the City

Elf: The Musical
Musical stage production
Magnus Theatre
December 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 (show times at 2pm & 7pm - check with Magnus for your preferred date)
$25-$55

Marianas Trench - The Force of Nature Tour
Live musical performance
Thunder Bay Community Auditorium
December 3 @ 7:30pm
$50-$250

Constellations: An Evening of Holiday Classics & Festive Favourites
Live musical performance
Fort William Historical Park
December 4 @ 7pm-9:30pm
$35

Champions of Magic - Night 1
Live magic performance
Thunder Bay Community Auditorium
December 4 @ 7:30pm
$60

Champions of Magic - Night 2
Live magic performance
Thunder Bay Community Auditorium
December 5 @ 7:30pm
$60

TBSO - Voices - Messiah
Live musical performance - Handel’s Messiah by the Thunder Bay Symphony Chorus
St. Paul’s United Church Program
December 7 @ 7:30pm
$25-$50

Story Time with Tbay Drag Queens and Crafting with Queens
Family friendly live event
Waverley Public Library
December 7 @ 2:30-4pm
$ FREE

The Book of Mormon
Musical theatre
Thunder Bay Community Auditorium
December 7 @ 7pm; December 8 @ 1pm; 8pm
$100-$225

Home of the Day

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3+2 bedrooms
3 bathrooms
3,300 sq ft

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