ISSUE #68

Good morning,

Another Spring week, another forecast with snow! (Don’t look at Wednesday.)

I hope you all had a great weekend - as you’ll see below, someone had a VERY good week after a lottery call on Friday.

In today’s issue, we cover:

• Judge keeps safe drug sites open at least 30 more days 💉

• Daily Poll -Should Tbay have a safe use site?

• More pancakes 🥞

• First Nation org graduates 16 students 🧑‍🏫

• Heads-up on another phone scam👮

• Couple $2.2 million richer 🤑

• Suspicous death investigated  

• Things to do this week 🗓️

• House of the day -Duplex available🏡

- Marcus Luft

Local

Safe Consumption Site Remains Open

The Superior Court has granted an injunction that will allow 10 supervised drug consumption sites to remain open.

The Justice explained the decision by highlighting the colossal opioid crisis in Ontario and explaining that the closure of these facilities will lead to a significant loss of life in the province.

An injunction is not a final decision. The judge indicated he decided to give himself more time to sort through the complex constitutional issues this challenge presents.

The injunction will last 30 days.

You can’t deny the need. Although I don’t have numbers for Thunder Bay, in 2023 in Toronto, SCS had 94,872 client visits, with 2,296 overdoses, but zero fatalities.

Despite the injunction, our location is closing and being replaced with the new HART Hub Services, which will have some drug-related support services.

Let me know what you think in the poll directly below this.

Daily Poll

Today’s question is:

Friday’s Results:

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

Food

More Pancakes

Do you like pancakes?

If yes, then this will get your mouth watering.

The popular breakfast spot, Stacked, is set to open a second location on the south side of the city (which will make my kids happy as hopefully it reduces line-ups, because you know, teenagers can’t get up early enough to avoid them…).

In this case, Stacked has moved fast. The current location, on Fort William Road next to the Beer Store, opened on February 26 this year.

The second location will be at 595 Arther Street West.

The company is a chain with 60 locations in Canada as of 2023. Since then, they have stated a goal of opening 54 more.

Looks like Thunder Bay knocked two off that list for them!

Bon Appetit!

Education

Chi Mino Ozhitoowin Graduates 16

Chi Mino Ozhitoowin LP graduated 16 students this past week.

The graduates were in two programs: administrative clerk and BZ school bus driver training.

Chi Mino Ozhitoowin LP is a for-profit, First Nation-owned organization that is focusing on the construction of the Waasigan Transmission Line Project.

These programs are the direct result of speaking with local communities and determining where they are struggling to fill roles.

Chi Mino Ozhitoowin has five programs coming out in May.

Crime

Extortion Scam Making the Rounds

Thunder Bay Police are warning of a new extortion scam making the rounds in the city.

Residents have reported receiving aggressive messages asking for money.

The people on the other end are claiming to be an escort service, threatening to harm the recipient and their family members unless payment is provided.

Police urge you to disregard these messages if you receive them and not respond in any way.

Charity

Hospital Lottery $2.2 Million Winner

A Matherson, Ont., couple won the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation hospital lottery on Friday.

For those who aren’t aware (like me), Matheson is located just east of Timmins, Ont.

The grand prize was the fifth largest in the history of the lottery.

The foundation has awarded over $62 million in prizes since the lottery started in February of 2021.

Last month marked the 19th consecutive month with the grand prize worth $1 million or more.

Whoever came up with this idea four years ago for the Foundation, I sure hope they got a raise!

Indigenous News

Suspicious Death Investigated

OPP are investigating a suspicious death in Pkiangikum First Nation.

On Thursday, the OPP responded to a distressed person call. The individual, 50-year-old Douglas Turtle of Pikangikum First Nation, was pronounced deceased at the scene.

A postmortem will be conducted in Toronto at the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service.

Things to do This Week

Events In and Around the City

March 21

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

Lakehead University Vocal Ensemble presents BOREALIS
Live vocal performances
Trinity United Church - 30 Algoma St S
8pm-9:30pm
$10 (at the door - students free)

April 2

Magic and Wine Night with Mackinley’s Delusions
Wine and magic show
Grotto Trattoria - 28 Cumberland St N
6pm-8pm
$ FREE

Dirty Dancing in Concert
Live concert featuring the music of Dirty Dancing, the movie
Thunder Bay Community Auditorium - 1 Paul Shaffer Dr
7:30pm
$67-$87

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

April 3

Mini Pops Kids Live! The Celebration Tour
A concert by kids, for kids… and parents too!
Thunder Bay Community Auditorium - 1 Paul Shaffer Dr
6pm
$39-$52

Karaoke:

• Royal Canadian Legion - 229 Van Norman St
  7pm-11pm

• Howl at the Moon (sober karaoke) - 8 Cumberland St S
  9pm

• Norteños Cantina - 235 Red River 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 4

Jazz and old Fashioned Fridays ft. Mood Indigo
Live jazz music
Anchor & Ore - 2240 Sleeping Giant Pkwy
6pm-9pm
$ FREE

The Lightning Thief - The Percy Jackson Musical
Live musical theatrical production of the popular kids book
Trinity United Church - 30 Algoma St S
7pm
$17.31 (youths 18 and under)-$22.63 (general admission)

TBSO voices - Melody and Magic
TBSO performs Duruflé’s celebrated Requiem
Hilldale Lutheran Church - 321 Hilldale Rd
7:30pm
$25-$50

Conflix Band Night
Live music with proceeds going towards funding their film night
Black Pirates Pub - 215 Red River Rd
9pm
$10 (at the door)

Karaoke:

• The Hodder - 481 Hodder Ave
  9pm

• The Social - 1047 Dawson Rd
  9:30pm

• The Bar - 863 Red River Rd
  10pm

• The Waterhouse - 9 Cumberland St S
  10pm

Voodoo Prophecy
An evening of heavy metal w/ classic Heavy and NU Metal
Wayland Bar & Grill - 1019 Gore St W
10pm
$5 (at the door)

April 5

The Lightning Thief - The Percy Jackson Musical
Live musical theatrical production of the popular kids book
Trinity United Church - 30 Algoma St S
2pm & 7pm
$17.31 (youths 18 and under)-$22.63 (general admission)

The CCPAC and Friends Variety Show
Members of the Performing Arts Club in a show full of laughs, songs, dance & more
Confederation College - 1450 Nakina Dr
2pm & 7:30pm
$0 (for ConCollege students) $10 General Admission

Storytime with Mz Molly and Friendz
Storytime is an interactive, joy-filled celebration of diversity and acceptance followed by a 30-minute guided crafting session
Waverley Public Library - 285 Red River Rd
2:30pm-4pm
$ FREE

Vinyl Saturdays
Dust off your records and be your own DJ
Red Lion Smokehouse - 16 Cumberland St S
3pm-9pm
$ FREE

Voodoo Prophecy
An evening of heavy metal w/ classic Heavy and NU Metal
Wayland Bar & Grill - 1019 Gore St W
10pm
$5 (at the door)

Karaoke:

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

• Howl at the Moon (sober karaoke) - 8 Cumberland St S
  9pm

• The Hodder - 481 Hooder Ave
  9pm

• Norteños Taqueria - 698 Arther St W
  9pm

• The Social - 1047 Dawson Rd
  9pm

• The Bar - 863 Red River Rd
  10pm

April 6

Sex Toy Bingo
Pretty much exactly what the title says
Wayland Bar & Grill - 1019 Gore St W
1pm-3pm
$ FREE

The Lightning Thief - The Percy Jackson Musical
Live musical theatrical production of the popular kids book
Trinity United Church - 30 Algoma St S
7pm
$17.31 (youths 18 and under)-$22.63 (general admission)

Home of the Day

55 Secord St

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

2 units
2 stories
Unknown sqft

$369,900

Duplex with $39,260 gross annual income