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Happy Saturday, Thunder Bay! A mix of sun and cloud, 24°C, with a 30 per cent chance of showers late in the day — and it's the final weekend of the CLE. In today's issue: 2,624 signatures land at city hall over the Arundel Street parkland, six people are charged after a $300,000 drug bust, the port posts its best July in more than 30 years, and Cumberland Street businesses want you to know they're still open. 🌤️
In this Harbour Beat Issue…
🌳 2,624 signatures against the Arundel Street rezoning
🚔 Six city residents charged in a $300,000 drug bust
🚢 The port's best July in more than 30 years
🚧 Cumberland Street: “we are not closed”
Trivia: The word “quarantine” comes from a rule enforced in plague-era Venice — how many days were arriving ships originally made to wait before anyone could come ashore? (Answer at the bottom!)
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The CLE's last weekend, a car show on Memorial, the final night of the wildfire benefit, and a council meeting a few thousand people are watching closely. ✅ Showers are in the forecast most days this stretch, so confirm with the organizer before you head out to anything outdoors — and check current fire restrictions before lighting anything at a campsite.
Saturday, August 8
AUG 8 · Canadian Lakehead Exhibition — final weekend — from noon, wrapping up Sunday, Aug. 9 · 📍 CLE Grounds, 425 Northern Ave. · Day four of the 136th CLE: rides, games, food trailers, live entertainment and the agricultural exhibits the whole thing grew out of · 📅 Add to Calendar
AUG 8 · Fat Guys Auto Parts Annual Car Show — 11 a.m.–4 p.m. · 📍 Fat Guys Auto Parts, 333 Memorial Ave. · A show they've run since 2012 — cars, bikes, food and a good excuse to talk to strangers about carburettors · 📅 Add to Calendar
AUG 8 · FIRE AID! Wildfire Relief Concert — final night — from 8 p.m., 19+ · 📍 Black Pirates Pub, 215 Red River Rd. · The last of three nights raising money directly for families and First Nations hit by this summer's fires · 📅 Add to Calendar
Sunday, August 9
AUG 9 · Sundays in the Park Concert Series — 1:30–3:30 p.m. · 📍 Chippewa Park Main Stage, 1735 City Rd. · Free · Free live music north of the Pavilion. Bring a lawn chair · 📅 Add to Calendar
Monday, August 10
AUG 10 · Monday Evening Concerts at Waverley Park — 6:30–9 p.m. · 📍 Waverley Park, Waverley St. · Free · The long-running Monday night bandshell series in the north core · 📅 Add to Calendar
Tuesday, August 11
AUG 11 · City Council — the Arundel Street rezoning — 6:30 p.m. · 📍 3rd floor, City Hall, 500 Donald St. E. · Council decides on the 791 Arundel rezoning (see today's lead story); organizers have called a rally out front from 4 to 7 p.m. · 📅 Add to Calendar
AUG 11 · Killswitch Engage — 7 p.m. · 📍 Thunder Bay Community Auditorium, 1 Paul Shaffer Dr. · Ticketed · Two decades of metalcore, loud, at the Auditorium · 📅 Add to Calendar
Wednesday, August 12
AUG 12 · Live on the Waterfront — 6–9 p.m. · 📍 Marina Park Festival Area, Water St. · Free · The City's Wednesday night waterfront concert series, running through Aug. 19 · 📅 Add to Calendar
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✅ NO WEATHER ALERTS IN EFFECT
Environment Canada had no watches or warnings posted for Thunder Bay as of Friday evening. Fire restrictions across the Northwest can change day to day in a season like this one — check the province's Restricted Fire Zone rules and your municipality's own ban before you light anything outdoors. Latest alerts at Environment Canada.
🌤️ Saturday, August 8 — Thunder Bay
24°C
Feels like 26 · Overnight low 13°C
A mix of sun and cloud · 30% chance of late-day showers · Risk of a thunderstorm · UV 6 (high)
The brighter half of the weekend, and a windy one. A mix of sun and cloud with a high of 24°C and a humidex of 26. The wind swings west at 20 km/h through the morning, gusting to 40 — worth weighing down anything light if you're at the car show or on the CLE grounds. Environment Canada has a 30 per cent chance of showers late in the afternoon with a risk of a thunderstorm, and the same again early in the evening, so pack a shell if you're heading to FIRE AID. UV index 6 (high) whenever the cloud breaks. The wind drops off near midnight and it cools to a low of 13°C. Sunday holds at 23°C with the same 30 per cent chance of showers, then clears overnight. Full forecast and any new alerts at Environment Canada.
2,624 signatures land at city hall over Arundel Street
“It's not up for sale.” Thunder Bay Greenspace Preservation handed city hall a petition with 2,624 signatures on Friday, asking council to reject a rezoning of 791 Arundel Street. City planning staff will recommend on Tuesday that the lot be rezoned from community to urban midrise so developer Teralux can build two seven-storey apartment buildings. The vacant lot sits next to Boulevard Lake but isn't classed as parkland by the city. Group member Michelle LaPorte, who will give a deputation to council, argues it's part of the wider Boulevard Lake complex and its trail network: “Boulevard Lake to Thunder Bay residents is like Central Park is to New Yorkers.” The group says it isn't against development — it wants housing built without trading away green space. Council approved surplusing the land in April, but the sale depends on the rezoning passing Tuesday. A rally is planned outside city hall from 4 to 7 p.m. beforehand. Council will also take up the rezoning of 144 Fanshaw Street.
Six city residents charged after a $300,000 drug bust
Thunder Bay Police laid out the results of Project Rave at a Friday press conference: six people charged, 37 charges in total, and roughly $300,000 in street drugs seized. On July 16, the service's intelligence unit — working with the OPP and Nishnawbe Aski Police Service — executed warrants at five locations, seizing more than 2,700 grams of suspected cocaine, over 1,100 Percocet tablets and just under 400 grams of crystal meth, along with two vehicles, brass knuckles, switchblades and scales. Acting Insp. Shawn Harrison said the arrests matter more than the tonnage: “We've had larger and we've had smaller ones,” he said, noting the same people had about $150,000 seized by the RCMP out west. The alleged trafficking centred on the downtown north core. All six live in Thunder Bay and none had prior local police history. Two men were remanded into custody; the other four were released with future court dates.
The port just had its best July in more than 30 years
Good news down at the waterfront. The Port of Thunder Bay moved more than 1.32 million tonnes of cargo in July — the busiest month in over 30 years, and what president Chris Heikkinen calls a “modern record.” Shipments are running about 10 per cent ahead of last year, and Heikkinen says the port could clear 10 million tonnes again in 2026. Grain and potash are doing the heavy lifting: “We often find that in the summer you'll see a bit of a slump in the grain and this year, that's just not happening.” July brought 56 vessels through — 35 domestic, one American and 20 other foreign ships. He credits strong prairie harvests, better yields per acre than a generation ago, and efficient elevators here at home: “When you combine efficiency with demand, you get good results.” Most of that grain is bound for Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and South America.
“We are not closed”: Cumberland Street digs in
“Apparently, a giant hole in the road has the same psychological effect as a locked door,” record shop Vinyl Frontier posted this week. “I assure you, we are not closed.” The $4.5-million rebuild of Cumberland Street from Pearl to Tupper is replacing aged sewers and watermains while adding new sidewalks, landscaping and wider patio space — and it's thinned out foot traffic in the meantime. Co-owner Misty Bernst says customers keep telling her they didn't know the shop was open. Jerry Decicco of Café Ora has seen his morning crowd drop off, largely over parking confusion, but is philosophical: “It's gonna look amazing… there is a good outcome out of all this messy, dusty, bad.” Waterfront District BIA director Kara Pratt calls it a necessary evil — “short-term pain… for the long-term gain” — and says the businesses are all still reachable on foot. Her advice for navigating it: follow the signage, and “don't head towards the hole.”
Meme of the Day
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Trivia answer: 40 days. During the plague years, Venetian authorities held arriving ships at anchor for forty days before anyone could land — quaranta giorni in Italian, which is where English picked up the word “quarantine.”