ISSUE #71

Good morning,

Welcome to another week. Spring is in the air - potentially - and things are heating up elsewhere in the world. I’ll keep trying to get you in the loop as best as possible but as always, leave me comments on stuff you want to know more about.

In today’s issue, we cover:

• Thunder Bay’s federal election concerns 🗳️

• Daily Poll -What’s your main issue?

• Council votes on changes for itself 🏢

• No measles in Thunder Bay yet 🦠

• 19 year-old arrested👮

• Softwood tariffs increase 🌲

• Murder suspect arrested 

• Things to do this week 🗓️

• House of the day - Westfort bungalow home 🏡

- Marcus Luft

Local

City Concerns for Federal Election

Thunder Bay residents have voiced their opinions on what’s important to them for the upcoming federal election.

Quite frankly, our hot topic items are probably what’s top of mind for most of the country as we barrel towards the April 28th election.

An unofficial poll conducted locally found that people were most concerned with the tariffs put in place by President Trump and the ensuing trade war; the rising cost of living and housing, and healthcare access.

Healthcare is an especially hot topic with the lack of family doctors repeatedly indicated as a problem.

Affordability also resonates across the board, especially the cost of food (fuel has come down due to removal of the carbon tax on so far gas pumps only).

Homes are at all-times high in terms of pricing, and rents for apartments are unrealistic for many, especially the student population.

In other words, the country, and therefore our city, is a mess.

Let us know below what your priorities are for the election.

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).

Municipal Politics

Councils Doubts Changes

City Council is going to vote today on some of the proposed changes to the makeup of council.

And in advance they are voicing their doubts about the plan (which isn’t surprising…).

The plan, proposed by the Council Composition Review Committee, is proposing a a reduction in council size, and a redrawing of ward boundaries.

Currently council has 13 members. The new plan proposes reducing that to 11.

Currently we have 7 ward councillors, 5 at-large councillors and a mayor.

The proposal is for 8 ward councillors, 2 at-large councillors and a mayor.

Obviously no one wants to vote themselves out of work.

Some members of council are saying this isn’t an issue we should be looking at now. The issue we should be focusing on, according to some councillors, is working together with all levels of government to fight what’s happening south of the border.

Council composition hasn’t changed since 1985, when it became the current model. I suspect it won’t be changing today either.

Public Health

No Measles In Thunder Bay, Yet

In what is absolute head-shaking news, there’s a measles outbreak in Ontario currently.

As of last week the province had 661 cases, with 52 requiring hospitalization.

Measles is a highly contagious respiratory infection that can be spread by coughing or sneezing and can lead to pneumonia, inflammation of the brain and death.

Symptoms include fever, cough, red watery eyes, runny nose, and a red blotchy rash that starts on the face and spreads to the body and limbs.

But in good news, Thunder Bay does not yet have a case in the current outbreak. In fact, we haven’t had a case here since 1997.

The best protection, despite what any anti-vaxxer might say, is vaccination. That means adults born after 1970 receiving two-doses of the measles-containing vaccine.

If you’re unsure as to what you should do, contact the Health Unit.

Crime

19 Year-Old Arrested

An investigation that started in March has led to a 19 year-old being charged with trafficking methamphetamine.

Police arrested the suspect in Geraldton, after an executing a search warrant of a home.

Police seized suspected illicit substances, which included the meth.

The teenager was charged with a pair of trafficking charges and one count of breaching a court order.

Forestry

Softwood Tariffs Increase

The United States Department of Commerce has announced it plans to triple anti-dumping duties on softwood lumber produced in Canada to almost 27%.

Local MPP Kevin Holland, the associate minister of forestry and forest products, along with the minister of economic development, job creation and trade, released a joint statement condemning the tariffs.

The Ontario forest sector generated almost $37 billion in revenue back in 2022 and supported more than 137,000 jobs.

Last year the USA imported slightly more than 11.8 billion board feet of softwood lumber from Canada.

However, the price of that lumber has already increased by 12.7% due to the volatility surrounding tariffs.

The US-based National Association of Home Builders has urged the White House to exempt critical building materials from tariffs on Canadian goods.

For our sake, I hope they are listening!

Indigenous News

Arrest Made in Murder

A suspicious death in the community of Pikangikum First Nation has led to an arrest.

A 17 year-old was arrested and charged with second-degree murder related to the suspicious death March 27th.

Also earlier this year, a 37 year-old Pikangikum First Nation resident was charged with manslaughter in relation to the 2024 death of a 24 year-old female.

Things to do This Week

Events In and Around the City

April 7

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

April 8

Nerd Nite
Nerd-related trivia night!
Sleeping Giant Brewing Co. - 712 Macdonell St
7pm
$ FREE

Karaoke

• The Foundry - 242 Red River Rd
  8:30pm

April 9

Name That Tune
Musical trivia night
Sleeping Giant Brewing Co - 712 Macdonell St
7pm-9pm
$ FREE

April 10

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

Celtic Night
Celtic live music with Tbay Trad
Red Lion Smokehouse - 16 Cumberland St S
7:30pm-9:30pm
$ FREE

Open Mic Comedy
Live comedy
The Foundry - 242 Red River Rd
8pm-11pm
$ FREE

Karaoke

• Royal Canadian Legion - Branch 5 - 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 11

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

A Complete Unknown Revisited - Rodney Brown Signs Dylan
Live music
Italian Cultural Centre - 132 Algoma St S
6:30pm-10pm
$25-$30

Wedding Social ft Back Forty
Live music, prizes, raffles
The Hodder - 481 Hoder Ave
8pm
$ TBA

Sober Dance Party
Dance party featuring DJ Snake
How at the Moon - 8 Cumberland St S
9pm
$5 (at the door)

Karaoke

• The Social - 1047 Dawson Rd
  9:30pm

• The Bar - 863 Red River Rd
  10pm

• The Waterhouse - 9 Cumberland St S
  10pm

April 12

Carroll Baker - One Final Tour
Live music
Thunder Bay Community Auditorium - 1 Paul Shaffer Dr
2pm
$66

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

Dylan Gott Comedy Tour
Live comedy
The Foundry - 242 Red River Rd
7pm-8:30pm
$25-$30

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

Saturday Night Dance
Dance through the decades
Slovak Legion - 801 Atlantic Ave
7:30pm-10pm
$25

Backroad Jukebox: A Folk-Pop Special
Live music
Black Pirates Pub - 215 Red River Rd Suite 101
9pm
$10 (at the door)

Country Night ft Small Town Bad
Live country. music
The Foundry - 242 Red River Rd
10pm
$5 (at the door)

Karaoke

• The Social - 1047 Dawson Rd
  9pm

• The Bar - 863 Red River Rd
  10pm

April 13

Disco Divas Drag Brunch at the Outpost
A drag brunch
The Outpost - 955 Oliver Rd
11am-1pm
$35-$45

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

Grits and Glamour Tour ft Pam Willis and Lorrie Morgan
Live country music
Thunder Bay Community Auditorium - 1 Paul Shaffer Dr
7:30pm
$78

Home of the Day

1336 Home Ave

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

2+1 bedrooms
2 bathrooms
700 sqft

$249,900

Westfort bungalow with main floor laundry and detached garage