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The Wild World of the Van Gogh Truthers
In 1990, after years of practicing medicine and reviewing Van Gogh’s case history via his hundreds of letters, Arenberg published a paper in JAMA diagnosing Van Gogh as suffering not from epilepsy, as the artist’s physician claimed a century earlier, but from Ménière’s disease, an inner-ear affliction that can cause vertigo, of which Van Gogh complained, and tinnitus, a persistent ringing in the ears. Ménière’s, to Arenberg, could better explain Van Gogh’s decision to slice off his ear. After retiring, in 2017, Arenberg recommitted himself to studying Van Gogh and became convinced that art historians had made an even more alarming mistake: Van Gogh had not committed suicide. He’d been murdered.
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Happy Friday, Thunder Bay! After a hot, sunny stretch we're easing off just a touch — today brings mainly sunny skies and a high of 25°C (humidex near 26, and a still-very-high UV index of 8, so keep the sunscreen handy). In today's issue: a first ocean-going ship docks at the reborn Midcontinent terminal, the city banks $710K for hitting its housing targets, the 2026 Renaissance Faire gets called off, and the Chill edge to the brink of a championship. Plus the weekend ahead. Let's dig in.
In this Harbour Beat Issue…
🚢 A ship, a dock, and a load of wind turbines
🏘️ Thunder Bay banks $710K for hitting its housing targets
🎭 The 2026 Renaissance Faire is off
⚽ The Chill are one point from a championship
Trivia: How many hearts does an octopus have? (Answer at the bottom!)
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Your week-ahead guide to Thunder Bay — here's what's worth getting out for over the next few days. 🎉
Friday, July 10
Dogs Do Magic — 7 p.m. · 📍 Thunder Bay Community Auditorium · A family-friendly night of magic, comedy and jaw-dropping canine tricks. · 📅 Add to Calendar
Saturday, July 11
Jitensha at the Country Market — 9 a.m.–1 p.m. · 📍 Thunder Bay Country Market, 425 Northern Ave · Live music while you shop local produce, baking and crafts. · 📅 Add to Calendar
The Great Rendezvous — 10–11 a.m. · 📍 Fort William Historical Park · Step into the fur-trade era with voyageur history and living demonstrations (also Sunday). · 📅 Add to Calendar
Ride the Cyclone: The Musical — 3 p.m. · 📍 Magnus Theatre, 10 Algoma St S · All The Daze stages the darkly comedic Canadian cult musical. · 📅 Add to Calendar
Sunday, July 12
Afro Vibe Fest 2026 — Day 2 — 12 p.m.–midnight · 📍 Marina Park (Prince Arthur's Landing) · The festival's second lakeside day of Afro-diasporic music, dance, food and culture. · 📅 Add to Calendar
Monday, July 13
Waverley Park Summer Concert Series — 6:30 p.m. · 📍 Waverley Park band shell · Free Monday-night outdoor concert featuring local musicians (weather permitting). · 📅 Add to Calendar
Friday eases off the week's heat just a little: expect mainly sunny skies with a high of 25°C and a humidex near 26. The UV index is still very high at 8, so sunscreen, a hat and water are smart if you're out on the trails or down at the waterfront. Clouds move in tonight with a 30% chance of showers and a low near 11°C. The weekend stays warm and a bit unsettled — a mix of sun and cloud, the odd shower, and highs climbing toward 27–30°C. Full forecast at Environment Canada.
A ship, a dock, and a load of wind turbines
Thunder Bay's waterfront just cleared a milestone. Midcontinent Terminal removed part of its 80-year-old iron ore dock trestle so it can handle oversized cargo — and this week welcomed its first ocean-going vessel, the BBC Kolding, which sailed in from overseas carrying wind-turbine components bound for a Saskatchewan energy project. It's the first of several turbine shipments expected at the dock, with the next due July 11 — a sign of the port's push to reinvent an aging industrial site for bigger loads.
Thunder Bay banks $710K for hitting its housing targets
The city is set to receive nearly $710,000 from Ontario's Building Faster Fund after meeting its provincial housing target for a third straight year. The reward-based program pays out to municipalities that keep new-home construction on pace — though the province is now winding the three-year fund down. City officials say the money will help support continued housing growth as Thunder Bay works to add homes across the community.
The 2026 Renaissance Faire is off
Grab your goblets — but not this year. The 2026 Thunder Bay Renaissance Faire has been cancelled after the volunteer organizers and the Oliver Agricultural Society couldn't agree on how to run the event together. The volunteers had handled vendors and the creative side while the OAS covered insurance, washrooms and cleanup; without a renewed partnership for 2026, organizers say they've called it off and are offering refunds to ticket holders — while hoping the medieval-themed festival can return down the road.
The Chill are one point from a championship
Thunder Bay's soccer squad is on the doorstep of history. Nick Phyllis scored twice in a win over Queen City to push the Chill to the brink of the inaugural Prairies Premier League title. Sitting six points clear at the top and 5-1-3 on the season, Thunder Bay needs just a single point from its July 17 home finale against FC Manitoba to clinch — or a slip-up from either chaser. Win the crown and it's a storybook first season back on the pitch.
Meme of the Day
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Trivia answer: Three! An octopus has two branchial (gill) hearts that pump blood through the gills and one systemic heart that circulates it to the rest of the body. Fun bonus: their blood is blue, thanks to a copper-based molecule called hemocyanin.