ISSUE #72

Good morning,

Thank you so much to everyone who sent me a lovely email when I missed the last two issues.

I have the best readers!

In today’s issue, we cover:

• Green standards for new builds 🟩

• Daily Poll -Should we adopt GDS?

• Medical shuttle started 🚌

• Council votes down changes ⬇️

• Saturday morning shooting👮

• Black Eyed Peas coming 🎶

• Election not focusing on Indigenous issues 

• Things to do this week 🗓️

• House of the day - $1.2M custom built home 🏡

- Marcus Luft

Local

Green Standards for New Builds

Members of the Thunder Bay Climate Transition Collaborative are going to be pitching city councillors tonight that the city should adopt green development standards (GDS) for new home units.

GDS are rules that developers must follow in order to ensure more energy efficient builds.

The goal is to eventually reach net-zero emissions.

Currently there are more than a dozen communities in Ontario that have adopted the standards.

This isn’t coming out of nowhere, and won’t be unfamiliar to the city.

Back in 2020 the city declared a climate emergency and adopted a net-zero strategy with specific targets for the building sector:

• 100% of dwellings built after 1980 be retrofitted by 2040

• 100% of all municipal buildings be net-zero by 2035

• 100% of dwellings built before 1980 be retrofitted by 2030

• 90% of new construction meet net-zero standards by 2030

• 80% of all commercial buildings be retrofitted by 2030

Let us know below if you think the city should adopt these standards.

Daily Poll

Today’s question is:

Monday’s Results:

You can download the full results (including comments) here in an Excel file (email addresses have been removed for anonymity).

Health Care

Medical Shuttle Has Started

A new shuttle service, aimed at helping people in the region make it to their medical appointments in Thunder Bay, has started operating.

The program, started by Riverside Health Care, is called the Rainy River District Regional Specialty and Diagnostic Transportation program.

It provides transportation to and from Thunder Bay for medical appointments.

The aim is to help people who need diagnostics, pacemaker clinic, MRIs, cancer care, mental health meetings and other health-care needs approved by the program.

The shuttle will run between Tuesday and Thursday, leaving in the early morning from La Verendrye Hospital, making a stop at the Atikokan General Hospital before finishing at the Thunder Bay Regional.

The cost of the trip is $55 from Fort Frances to Thunder Bay and $35 from Atikokan to Thunder Bay.

City Hall

Council Votes Down Changes

Last week we reported on city council voting on possibly reducing their numbers.

I predicted that would fail.

And it did.

The recommendation was to reduce the number of wards to four, each of which would be represented by 2 councillors.

It would have reduced the number of councillors for 13 to 11.

It would have removed the divide between north/south (not a bad idea) and refocusing on an east/west organization.

Council size will remain the same for the foreseeable future.

Crime

Saturday Morning Shooting

Saturday morning Thunder Bay Police responded to McIvor Court after receiving reports of a firearm having been discharged.

No injuries were reported after police secured the area.

A police presence remained throughout the weekend while they continued to investigate.

Culture

Black Eyed Peas Headline Wake the Giant

Wake Giant has announced the Black Eyed Peas as the headlining act for the 6th iteration of the annual event.

This year the event will take place on September 6 at Marina Park.

The Black Eyed Peas are best known for hits such as Let’s Get It Started, Where Is the Love, I Gotta Feeling.

The undercard for the event includes Prozac, Neon Dreams, Cryastal Shwanda, The Poets (a Tragically Hip tribute act), Wyatt C. Louis, Fort William First Nation’s G Dubz and Walking Bear.

Wake The Giant is more than just a one-day event. Activities are held throughout the week.

The festival encourages local businesses to show their acceptance of Indigenous people, especially the students who study at Denis Franklin Cromartry High School who have come from remote communities in Ontario’s north.

Indigenous News

Youth Question Candidates Priorities

While tariffs and trade wars have dominated the headlines, First Nation advocates are questioning why federal party leaders haven’t said much about Indigenous issues.

Indigenous youth, who make up a good portion of the Indigenous population, feel their concerns aren’t showing up on the national agenda.

One of the main issues are Indigenous sovereignty and the future development of the north.

Also highlighted are more support programs, federally, for youth.

Federally leaders would do well to engage these communities.

On-reserve voter turnout in Ontario was 41.9% in the 2021 federal election, compared to 62.6% across the country.

Things to do This Week

Events In and Around the City

April 14

Thunder Bay Swing Dancing Society
Free swing dancing lessons! Bring indoor shoes
CD Howe Public School - 30 Wishart Crescent
7pm
$ FREE

Glass Tiger - The Island Earth
Live retrospective musical performance by Canada’s own, Glass Tiger
Thunder Bay Community Auditorium - 1 Paul Shaffer Dr
7:30pm
$49-$142

April 15

Women of the Fur Trade
Live theatre
Magnus Theatre - 10 Algoma St S
7:30pm
$25-$50

Karaoke
The Foundry - 242 Red River Rd
8:30pm
$ FREE

April 16

Women of the Fur Trade
Live theatre
Magnus Theatre - 10 Algoma St S
7:30pm
$25-$50

Name That Tune
Music trivia - Country Night!
Sleeping Giant Brewing Co - 712 Macdonell St
7pm-9pm
$ FREE

Danny Johnson’s Piano Bar
Live piano music - requests welcome!
Shooter’s Tavern - 377 Memorial Ave
8pm
$ FREE

April 17

Women of the Fur Trade
Live theatre
Magnus Theatre - 10 Algoma St S
7:30pm
$25-$50

Open Mic Comedy
Live amateur comedy
Wayland Bar & Grill - 1019 Gore St W
8:30pm
$ FREE

Karaoke

• Royal Canadian Legion - Branch 5 - 229 Van Norman St
  7pm-10pm

• Howl at the Moon - Sober Karaoke - 8 Cumberland St S
  9pm

• Norteños Cantina - 235 Red Riveras Rd
  9pm

• Polish Combatants’ Association - Branch 1 - 209 Cumberland St N
  9pm

• The Waterhouse - 9 Cumberland St S
  10pm

• The Alley - 236 Cumming St
  10pm

April 18

Jazz and Old Fashioned Fridays ft Mood Indigo
Live jazz, great views, delicious drinks
Anchor & Ore - 2240 Sleeping Giant Pkwy
6pm-9pm
$ FREE

Mark Potvin and Mike Carson Live at Monty’s Joint
Live blues & jazz music
Monty’s Joint - 513 Victoria Ave E
6pm-9pm
$ FREE

Drum Social ft Young Thunder
Live music
Howl at the Moon - 8 Cumberland St S
6pm-9pm
$ FREE

Women of the Fur Trade
Live theatre
Magnus Theatre - 10 Algoma St S
7:30pm
$25-$50

Off the Cuff Comedy: 420 Edition
Campfire Comedy presents the 420 Edition of the improvised stand up comedy show using topics randomly taken from crowd suggestions
The Foundry - 242 Red River Rd
7:30pm-9:30pm
$20-$25

The Selfies live at Norteños Cantina
Live pop/rock with local band The Selfies
Norteños Cantina - 235 Red River Rd
10pm
$5 at the door

Good Friday Party
DJ dance party featuring 4 DJs
The Foundry - 242 Red River Rd
10pm
$5 at the door

Karaoke

• The Social - 1047 Dawson Rd
  9:30pm

• The Hodder - 481 Hodder Ave
  9pm

• The Bar - 863 Red River Rd
  10pm

• The Waterhouse - 9 Cumberland St S
  10pm

April 19

Women of the Fur Trade
Live theatre
Magnus Theatre - 10 Algoma St S
7:30pm
$25-$50

Wilson-Sabaz live at The Industry
Live music
The Industry - 782 Macdonell St
6:30pm
$3 at the door

A Public Reading of an Unpublished Screenplay about the Death of Walt Disney
Live theatre
Cambrian Players - 818 Spring St
7:30pm
$15

Karaoke

• Westfort Prosvita - 721 Gore St W
  8pm-12am

• Howl at the Moon Sober Karaoke - 8 Cumberland St S
  9pm
  $5

• The Hodder - 481 Hodder Ave
  9pm

• The Social - 1047 Dawson Rd
  9pm

• The Bar - 863 Red River Rd
  10pm
  

Home of the Day

412 Fraser Rd

(Realtors if you want your home featured - send us an email: [email protected])

4 bedrooms
3 bathrooms
3,971 sqft

$1,295,000

5 acres, 15 minutes from town, custom built home.