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Good morning, Thunder Bay — and welcome to issue one hundred and thirty-eight. Sunny with a high of 14°C. It's Saturday, and Thunder Bay Public Library workers are on strike. In today's issue: library workers walk out, a $700-million wind farm north of the city holds its first public meeting, police arrest a man in the grandparent-scam investigation, and the City explains how to drain a pool or hot tub properly. Plus Scrollback, Ask Harbour Beat, and eight things to do between now and Wednesday.
In this Harbour Beat Issue…
Trivia: The English word “alcohol” traces back to which language — Arabic, Greek, or Latin? (Answer at the bottom!)
Ask Harbour Beat: Winter's coming — who do I call about a street light that's out or a road that hasn't been plowed?
Answer: The City's Infrastructure & Operations dispatch line at 807-625-2195, which the City says is staffed 24 hours a day. Most road and neighbourhood problems, including potholes, sidewalks, snow clearing and street lights, also have an online “Report a…” form on the City's Report a Problem page.
Got a Thunder Bay question? Hit reply. We answer one here every Saturday.
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Thunder Bay Events
From a Westfort bazaar to a haunted ship and the last night of a horror-film festival, here's what's on between now and Wednesday.
Saturday, October 17
OCT 17 · Gold Rush Bazaar — 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., free admission and parking · 📍 West Thunder Community Centre, 915 Edward St. · Baking, crafts, canning, a Dime Auction and pies in the Tea Room at a Westfort tradition hosted by St. Agnes Parish for more than 50 years. · 📅 Add to Calendar
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 · Haunted Harbour: The Black Tide — 7 to 11 p.m., recommended for ages 16+ · 📍 Alexander Henry, 2445 Sleeping Giant Pkwy. (Pool 6) · A haunted walk-through of the museum ship, with intense scares, in support of the Transportation Museum of Thunder Bay. · 📅 Add to Calendar
Sunday, October 18
OCT 18 · Terror in the Bay Film Festival: final day — closing-night screenings; check the schedule for times · 📍 The Paramount, 24 Court St. S. · The festival's 10th year wraps up with its last day of indie horror, thriller and mystery films. · 📅 Add to Calendar
OCT 18 · Illuminate: a day of wellness for women entrepreneurs — 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. · 📍 Mink Mountain Resort, 240 Mink Mountain Dr., Neebing · A curated wellness retreat with gentle movement, reflection and connection. · 📅 Add to Calendar
Monday, October 19
OCT 19 · Online voting opens in Thunder Bay — runs through Oct. 26; advance polls Oct. 19 and 21 · 📍 Online · Your Voter Information Letter carries the credentials you need to log in. · 📅 Add to Calendar
Tuesday, October 20
OCT 20 · Tuesday Group Run — 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., all speeds welcome · 📍 Boulevard Lake, meet at the Rita Street parking lot · A friendly 5k run or run/walk around the lake. · 📅 Add to Calendar
Wednesday, October 21
OCT 21 · Westfort Prosvita Catch the Ace — draw at 7 p.m., $5 tickets sold at the bar through the week · 📍 Westfort Prosvita, 721 West Gore St. · A weekly progressive draw; you don't need to be there to win. · 📅 Add to Calendar
✅ NO WEATHER ALERTS IN EFFECT
Environment Canada has no alerts posted for Thunder Bay at the time of this update. Saturday is sunny, and the clear skies carry through the night.
☀️ Saturday, October 17 — Thunder Bay
14°C
Overnight low 3°C
Sunny with a high of 14°C, then a clear night with a low near 3°C.
Sunday is sunny and 18°C, Monday is sunny and 17°C with a clear night near minus 1°C, and Tuesday is a mix of sun and cloud and 14°C. Forecast from Environment Canada.
Library workers walk out, closing all four Thunder Bay Public Library branches
About 70 library workers with CUPE Locals 3120 and 87-18 went on strike at all four Thunder Bay Public Library branches on Thursday, Oct. 15, after roughly a year without a new contract. The library says it has offered wage and benefit increases and is willing to keep bargaining; the unions say they want to keep their benefits and see movement from the employer. The branches are closed for now, and the library cancelled its County Park mayoral forum. If you use the library this week, expect closed doors until Monday, when the Mary JL Black branch is due to reopen, with County Park to follow shortly after.
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A $700-million wind farm north of Thunder Bay holds its first public meeting
Residents got their first look at the Northern Breeze Wind Project on Wednesday at the Oliver Road Community Centre. The proposed 35-turbine, 200-megawatt facility would sit east of Jacques Township and east and northeast of Pike Lake Road, and is owned 50 percent by EDF's Canadian subsidiary, 25 percent by Fort William First Nation and 25 percent by Red Rock Indian Band. The developer puts the investment at about $700 million, with about $150 million spent locally, plus a community fund worth $150,000 a year for the life of the project that goes to the two First Nations. The project is still in its study phase and the main provincial permit application is planned for next year, with a second public meeting to come before it goes in.
🗳️ Your call: a $700-million, 35-turbine wind farm is proposed north of Thunder Bay. What matters most to you?
Your call: a $700-million, 35-turbine wind farm is proposed north of Thunder Bay. What matters most to you?
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Police arrest a man in the grandparent-scam investigation
Thunder Bay Police say a 56-year-old man from Quebec was arrested after an off-duty officer recognized him, following an investigation into calls asking for urgent cash on behalf of a relative. He is charged with fraud over $5,000, possession of property obtained by crime and impersonating a police officer, and his identity was not released. Police say the investigation is ongoing. If you got a call like this and handed over money, or you have information, police want to hear from you at 807-684-1200 or through their online reporting system.
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Draining a pool or hot tub? The City says neutralize the water first
City bylaws require pool and hot tub owners to neutralize or disinfect the water before it goes down the drain, because chlorine, bromine and salt can harm fish and other life in local waterways and damage neighbouring property. The City's chief chemist says crews often respond to what looks like a watermain break and find someone draining a pool. Stop adding chlorine or bromine well ahead of time, leave the water uncovered or use a dechlorination product, and confirm chemical levels are close to zero with a test kit. The water then has to go to a storm sewer or, where there isn't one, a ditch, and it can't run onto neighbouring properties. Pick a dry day: the City recommends against draining on a rainy day or when a storm is on the way.
Scrollback
Most readers would hang up on a scam call, and most backed a fair library contract
Poll 1: If a caller said a relative was in trouble and needed cash fast, what would you do? (17 responses)
🥇 Hang up and call the relative directly: 12 votes (71%)
Ask the caller questions only the family would know: 2 votes (12%)
I've already had a call like this: 2 votes (12%)
Talk it over with someone before doing anything: 1 vote (6%)
Takeaway: The instinct most readers reported matches what police advise: end the call and reach your family member on a number you already trust. Two readers said they have already been called, which fits the arrest in today's news.
💬 What Readers Are Saying: One reader who has had a call like this before said they confronted the caller and have not heard from them since.
Poll 2: With a possible Oct. 16 library strike, what matters most to you? (11 responses, collected Oct. 2, before the strike began)
🥇 A fair contract for library workers, even if it costs more: 8 votes (73%)
Keeping the library within its budget: 3 votes (27%)
Keeping all four branches open no matter what: 0 votes
Takeaway: Among the readers who voted, a fair contract outweighed budget concerns, and nobody put keeping every branch open above everything else. No written comments came in on this one.
Final Thoughts: These are small samples, 17 and 11 votes, so treat them as a temperature check rather than a verdict.
Meme of the Day
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Trivia answer: Arabic. “Alcohol” comes from al-kuḥl, the Arabic name for kohl, a fine powder used as eye makeup, before the word broadened to cover distilled spirits.
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