News

Temporary Shelter Village Location Picked

City administration has made a recommendation on where to put the temporary shelter village for Thunder Bay’s homeless tent-city residents.

And as could be predicted, some people aren’t happy.

The city conducted a public survey on where it should be put and received over 700 responses. 68% of those respondents supported the 114 Miles St East location over the Kam River Heritage Park.

The city plans on contributing a maximum of $5 million to the project.

However, the Fort William BIA is strongly opposed to the location. They feel that everyone who would be directly impacted by the selected location voted no, but those who live in opposite ends of the city to the spot, voted yes.

The Fort William BIA does not oppose the housing of homeless people. Quite the opposite in fact. They would prefer to see more permanent homes being built rather than temporary shelters on the doorsteps of local businesses.

The issue will apparently go to council tonight.

This very unfortunate, and highly visible, social issue is no where near being resolved any time soon.

Outdoor Rec

Mother Nature Isn’t Playing Nice

Love it or hate, we need snow in this city. It helps almost every business one way or another.

But November was a poor display put on by Mother Nature with record-breaking rainfall and unseasonably warm temperatures.

For comparison: the normal temps in November is around -2C. This year it’s been +4C.

This has created a tough situation for the local ski hills. Not only can they not rely on the weather to bring them their white gold from the sky, but because of the warm temperatures, they can’t even start using their snow guns to artificially make it.

This applies to both nordic and alpine skiing. Both of which had one of the roughest winters in memory last year.

Especially Nordic, which required hundreds of hours of shovelling snow onto the trails so people could cross-country ski.

The longer range forecast is showing a drop in temperatures, which should bring some welcome relief and opportunity.

Eventually there will be snow, either naturally or man-made. But we can all support our local hills and trails by going out and buying a seasons pass if we know we’re going to eventually ski this year.

Keeping our rich ski history alive and well is important for the city as a whole.

Telecoms

Wireless Network Access Critical

The Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce has partnered with their contemporaries in Greater Sudbury and Timmins to push the Federal Government to reinvest a portion of revenue from spectrum auctions into subsidies to supper new networks.

Charla Robinson, the President of the TBCC, says the focus needs to be on rural and remote areas, critical transportation routes, and workforce programs that address a shortage in skilled talent.

Canada currently lags behind the global 5G race due to the insufficient mid-band spectrum allocation.

We annually drive the Trans Canada to southern Ontario. It’s mind-blowing how many stretches across Canada’s only east-west highway for most of the country, is a cellular dead zone.

If a critical logistical road network doesn’t have cell coverage, I can only imagine the information wasteland that is anywhere off the beaten path.

I feel like we can do better here.

Lottery News

Steal Our Idea, We’ll Take Your Money

I don’t know about you, but there’s just something I don’t like when I see the monthly winner of our Thunder Bay Health Sciences Foundation 50/50 draw be from outside of our region.

Well, we got our revenge in November!

The Health Sciences North Foundation’s 50/50’ (the Sudbury equivalent of our lottery), take-home grand prize was won local Thunder Bay’er, Lisa Sdraulig.

Feels good to bring some back here.

Our 50/50 has been one of the most successful charity lotteries ever. I can’t prove we did it before Sudbury (my research prowess just isn’t there today, but it still made for a good headline for this section), but I like to think we did.

Lisa brought home $421,932 in winnings.

Congrats, Lisa. That makes for a pretty sweet Christmas, and also just a bit of petty feel-goodness for bringing back some money that has left.

(make sure you check out our own 50/50, where the winnings are usually much larger than that!)

First Nations News

Winter Roads Money

Thunder Bay’s still-for-now MP, and Minister of Indigenous Services, Patty Hajdu, hosted a roundtable last week with Nishnawbe Aski Nation and other First Nation leaders to discuss the winter road situation.

Specifically how the seasons have been shortened the past few years.

At the roundtable the minister announced an additional $20 million in funding over four years for the roads.

Currently, Indigenous Services Canada provides over $7 million annually to support 32 remote communities.

The money is used to construct, maintain, and improve approximately 3,200km’s of winter roads.

I’m that probably all of you know what a winter road is, but, let’s assume we have some new-to-the-north people here:

Winter roads are not even really roads. They are transport corridors constructed annually over frozen land, wetlands, lakes and rivers.

Without them, thousands of Indigenous people are unable to affordably leave their communities. The winter roads also help to keep the cost of important staples such food, building materials, and fuel down.

Dare I even bring up how maybe this money is coming from the carbon tax?

I’m just going to leave that there and exit this chat…

Get Your Christmas On 🎄

Get Ready for the Fatman Coming Down the Chimney!

Willow Springs Holiday Market - Nov. 29, 29, 30

Elf the Musical Begins - Magnus Theatre - Nov. 28

Christmas Bazaar - I.R. Churchill - Nov. 28

Wrap-Up Holiday Market - CLE Coliseum - Nov. 30

Vanderwees Salute to Christmas Craft Fair - Nov. 30, Dec. 1

Indigenous Artist Market - Goods & Co. - Nov. 30

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

Cirque Musica Holiday Wonderland
Community Auditorium
November 25 - 7pm
$61-$89

Of Marriage Minded Misses
Cambrian Players
November 27-30 - 7:30pm
$25-$30

Elf: The Musical
Magnus Theatre
November 22 - 7:00pm
$25-$55

Something Rotten Jr
Paramount Theatre
November 28-30 - 7pm
$15

From the Steppes of Ukraine to the Emerald Isle
Urban Abbey
November 29 - 7pm
$ By Donation - Fundraiser for Ukraine

TBSO Masterworks - Symphonic Spotlight
Community Auditorium
November 29 - 7:30pm
$25-$50

Crossroads Music Battle of the Bands
Nortenos Cantina
November 29-30 - 10pm
$ Free

Thunder Bay Historical Film Festival
Community Auditorium
December 1 - 7pm
$ Free

LAKEHEAD ATHLETICS:

Women’s Basketball vs Wilfrid Laurier - Nov. 29 - 6pm
Women’s Basketball vs Carlton - Nov. 30 - 6pm

Men’s Basketball vs Wilfrid Laurier - Nov. 29 - 8pm
Men’s Basketball vs Carleton - Nov. 30 - 8pm
Tickets

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