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Good morning, Thunder Bay — and welcome to issue one hundred and thirty-five. Rain or drizzle easing near noon, then cloudy with a high of 10°C. It's Tuesday, and the Halloween season is getting started at Fort William Historical Park. In today's issue: the Halloween Hoot returns on four afternoons; five candidates are running in McKellar Ward; and 14 at-large hopefuls answer the same three questions. Plus the Virginia McCoy retrospective at the Art Gallery, this week's Harbour Beat Connect episode and nine things to do between now and Saturday.
In this Harbour Beat Issue…
Trivia: Vanilla comes from the seed pods of which kind of plant — an orchid, a palm, or a legume? (Answer at the bottom!)
The Best Marketing Angle You’ve Never Tried
Everyone wants a marketing hack that makes growing their business easier.
But according to business guru @MarketingMax (9 figures in attributable revenue delivered to clients), one of the best no-cost marketing hacks is finding the one angle that makes people foam at the mouth wanting what you sell.
Lucky for you @MarketingMax put together a quick 2-page Google Doc breaking down how to find yours in 10 minutes, with 20+ real examples you can steal from.
Thunder Bay Events
From the last election forums at the County Park library to the symphony's season opener and a Halloween Hoot at the Fort, here's what's on between now and Saturday.
Tuesday, October 13
OCT 13 · Tuesday Group Run — 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. · 📍 Boulevard Lake, Rita Street parking lot · A friendly 5k run or run/walk around the lake; all speeds and fitness levels welcome. · 📅 Add to Calendar
Wednesday, October 14
OCT 14 · At-Large Candidates' Meet-and-Greet — 6 p.m. · 📍 County Park branch, Thunder Bay Public Library (County Fair Mall), large programming room · The final public meet-and-greet before the Oct. 26 vote, moved from the Waverley branch. · 📅 Add to Calendar
OCT 14 · Westfort Prosvita Catch the Ace — draw at 7 p.m., $5 a ticket · 📍 Westfort Prosvita, 721 West Gore St. · Weekly progressive draw; tickets are sold at the bar through the week and you don't need to be there to win. · 📅 Add to Calendar
Thursday, October 15
OCT 15 · Mayoral Candidates' Forum — 6 p.m. · 📍 County Park branch, Thunder Bay Public Library (County Fair Mall), large programming room · The last public forum for mayoral candidates ahead of the election, moved from the Waverley branch. · 📅 Add to Calendar
OCT 15 · The Ruby Celebration: Hospice Northwest's 40th Anniversary — 6:30 to 10:30 p.m., $100 · 📍 The Auditorium · Hors d'oeuvres, a signature Ruby cocktail, live music, guest speakers, an auction and a 50/50 draw to mark 40 years of hospice care. · 📅 Add to Calendar
Friday, October 16
OCT 16 · Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra: Looking Forward, Looking Backward (Masterworks #1) — 7:30 p.m., tickets from $72 · 📍 The Auditorium, 1 Paul Shaffer Dr. · The season opens with Violet Archer's Poem for Orchestra, Fauré's Pelléas et Mélisande and Beethoven's Symphony No. 3. · 📅 Add to Calendar
Saturday, October 17
OCT 17 · Halloween Hoot — noon to 4 p.m., also Oct. 18, 24 and 25; $12 adults, $10 students, seniors and youth, free for ages 5 and under · 📍 Fort William Historical Park · Costumes encouraged: trick-or-treating, scarecrows, farm animals and themed games. · 📅 Add to Calendar
OCT 17 · 4th Annual NW Climate Gathering — 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., free; registration required · 📍 Lakehead University, 431 Ambrose St. · This year's gathering focuses on active transportation. · 📅 Add to Calendar
OCT 17 · Love & the Ghost of Wolf Pepper — Staged Play Reading — 7:30 to 10 p.m., $20 · 📍 St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, 207 Brodie St. S. · The world-premiere staged reading of a spooky comedy by local playwright Michael Lehto. · 📅 Add to Calendar
✅ NO WEATHER ALERTS IN EFFECT
Environment Canada has no alerts posted for Thunder Bay as of Monday evening. Rain or drizzle ends near noon, then it stays cloudy with a 30 percent chance of showers or drizzle.
🌧️ Tuesday, October 13 — Thunder Bay
10°C
Overnight low 4°C
Periods of rain mixed with drizzle ending near noon, then cloudy with a 30 percent chance of showers or drizzle. UV index 1, low. Cloudy tonight with a 30 percent chance of showers or drizzle.
Wednesday is cloudy with a high of 12°C, the week's mildest day, and a clear night near minus 1°C. Thursday is cloudy with a 40 percent chance of showers and a high of 10°C. Friday is windy and cloudy with a 40 percent chance of showers, a high of 9°C and an overnight low near minus 5°C. Saturday brings a mix of sun and cloud and a high of 10°C. Forecast from Environment Canada.
The Halloween Hoot returns to Fort William Historical Park on four afternoons
Fort William Historical Park is holding its Halloween Hoot on Oct. 17, 18, 24 and 25 from noon to 4 p.m., and guests are encouraged to come in costume. This year's new story explains why mysterious birds have taken over the Fort and turned it into the Tree Fort. Expect trick-or-treating, Haunted Hallows – Nightmare Nest, Rat Cemetery and the Claustrophobia Tunnel (recommended for ages 8 and up), plus scarecrows, farm animals and themed games. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students, seniors and youth, and children five and under are free. The Hoot runs on four afternoons only, and this Saturday is the first one.
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Five candidates, one sprawling ward: who is running in McKellar
TBNewsWatch has now profiled all five candidates in McKellar Ward, the sprawling ward that includes both of the city's downtown areas. Two-term councillor Brian Hamilton, first elected in 2018, is seeking a third term. Donnalee Morettin ran at-large in 2022 and has switched to the ward race. Tracey MacKinnon, a long-time poverty advocate, wants to clean up social housing. First-time candidates Tony DiPaolo and Marco Cupelli round out the field. If you live in McKellar, each profile is a short read and worth a look before online voting opens Oct. 19.
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Fourteen at-large candidates answer the same three questions
Fourteen candidates are competing for five at-large seats on Thunder Bay city council, and CBC Thunder Bay asked each of them the same three questions ahead of the Oct. 26 vote: why they're running, which issues matter, and what their top priorities are. Candidates were asked to keep their answers to 100 words, and CBC has published the responses it received in alphabetical order. With 14 names for five seats, reading them side by side is the quickest homework you can do before online voting opens Oct. 19.
🗳️ Your call: online voting opens Oct. 19. Have you voted online before?
Have you voted online before?
Indigenous Community Feature 🪶
A Virginia McCoy retrospective brings her paintings home to the Thunder Bay Art Gallery
"Holding Up Our Sky: Virginia McCoy, A Retrospective and Homecoming" (Gaa’ishpinung giizhikong) opened at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery on Oct. 10 and runs to Jan. 3, 2027. McCoy was born in Fort William in 1948 and spent most of her adult life in Cape Breton, where her paintings chronicled family stories connected to Fort William First Nation and Northern Ontario. More than fifty of her original paintings have now travelled from Inverness, Cape Breton, to be shown in Thunder Bay for the first time. The Gallery's description of McCoy's work puts it this way: in all of it, there is purpose in returning to yourself. TBT News reported on the showcase in Monday's newshour. Also on view until Jan. 3 is the Gallery's Morrisseau Masterwork, a 22-foot-long mural by Norval Morrisseau shown for the first time in 40 years.
The Gallery is at 1080 Keewatin St. and is open Tuesday to Thursday, noon to 8 p.m., and Friday to Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Both shows are worth a visit.
Harbour Beat Connect 🎧
Build & Thrive Thunder Bay
Host: Robert Downing
The Authenticity Premium: Why Real Photos, Real People, and Real Expertise Matter More in an AI-Generated World
This week's episode makes the case that in a world saturated with AI-generated content, real photos, real people and real expertise are what set a business apart. It's a quick listen, about seven minutes, aimed at Thunder Bay owners thinking about how their business shows up online.
In this episode:
Why genuine visuals matter more as AI-made content spreads
How honest storytelling builds trust with customers
Why real expertise is worth showing off
New episodes every Monday.
Meme of the Day
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Trivia answer: An orchid. Vanilla is the cured seed pod of climbing orchids in the genus Vanilla, and outside its native Mexico the flowers must be pollinated by hand.
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