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Good morning, Thunder Bay — and welcome to issue one hundred and forty-four. A mix of sun and cloud with a high of 14°C. It's Thursday, and Ottawa has put up to $1 billion toward Ring of Fire roads. In today's issue: that funding, a new provincial immigration stream for the district, a Costco timeline update, and a union warning about more faculty layoffs at Confederation College. Plus this week's Local Business Spotlight and eight things to do through election day on Monday.
In this Harbour Beat Issue…
Trivia: Which painter is famous for 1931's The Persistence of Memory, with its melting clocks — Salvador Dalí, René Magritte, or Joan Miró? (Answer at the bottom!)
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Thunder Bay Events
From a hockey-legend lunch and a magic show to a symphony night, a church concert and election day, here's what's on between now and Monday.
Thursday, October 22
OCT 22 · Lunch with Ray Bourque — noon to 2 p.m., tickets available now · 📍 The Auditorium, 1 Paul Shaffer Dr. · The hockey legend joins emcee Rod Black for a lunch event. · 📅 Add to Calendar
OCT 22 · Open Mic Comedy Thursdays — doors 7 p.m., show 8 to 10 p.m., no cover · 📍 Campfire Comedy, 117 Cumberland St. N. · A weekly night of laughs with touring comedians and rising stars; newcomers welcome. · 📅 Add to Calendar
Friday, October 23
OCT 23 · Savio Joseph: Wonderstruck — 7 p.m., tickets from $58 · 📍 The Auditorium, 1 Paul Shaffer Dr. · A night of magic and illusion from the Brampton-born entertainer. · 📅 Add to Calendar
OCT 23 · Matt Sellick: Watching the Sky (TBSO) — 7:30 to 10 p.m., single tickets and reserved tables of eight · 📍 Italian Cultural Centre, 132 Algoma St. S. · The Northern Lights series opens with the flamenco guitarist playing his album with the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, a first live performance with an audience. · 📅 Add to Calendar
Saturday, October 24
OCT 24 · Halloween Hoot — noon to 4 p.m., also Oct. 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 24 · Dwayne Gretzky — 7:30 p.m., tickets from $69 · 📍 The Auditorium, 1 Paul Shaffer Dr. · A party band playing classic hits from the '70s, '80s and '90s. · 📅 Add to Calendar
Sunday, October 25
OCT 25 · Flipper Flanagan's Flat Footed Four in concert — 2 to 4 p.m., $20 per person · 📍 Lakeview Presbyterian Church, 278 Camelot St. · Northern Ontario recording artists play a church concert; call 807-345-8823 for tickets. · 📅 Add to Calendar
Monday, October 26
OCT 26 · 2026 Municipal Election Day — 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. · 📍 Citywide · The City's events calendar lists election day voting from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. · 📅 Add to Calendar
✅ NO WEATHER ALERTS IN EFFECT
Environment Canada has no alerts posted for Thunder Bay at the time of this update. Thursday starts with fog patches that clear near noon.
⛅ Thursday, October 22 — Thunder Bay
14°C
Overnight low 6°C
A mix of sun and cloud, with fog patches dissipating near noon and a high of 14°C. Cloudy overnight with a low near 6°C.
Friday is a mix of sun and cloud with a 30 per cent chance of showers and a high of 15°C. Saturday is cloudy with a 40 per cent chance of showers and a high of 16°C, and Sunday cools to 9°C with sun and cloud. Election day Monday is a mix of sun and cloud with a high near 5°C. Forecast from Environment Canada.
Thunder Bay district approved for 150 provincial immigration nominations
The Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission says the district has been accepted into the 2026/2027 Regional Economic Development Through Immigration (REDI) initiative, delivered through the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program, and expects to be allocated 150 nominations. A 2025 pilot of REDI helped 282 immigrants secure jobs in the region and recommendations for permanent residency. CEO Jamie Taylor says labour is the number one issue employers raise, and the district also remains in the federal Rural Community Immigration Pilot, with up to 487 spots for 2026. If you run a local business short on workers, note that employers have to show they tried to hire locally first, and Taylor says the program officially starts in 2027.
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Costco's foundation won't go in until spring
Thousands of tonnes of gravel have been trucked to 1091 Central Ave., where site preparation continues for the planned 160,000-square-foot Costco warehouse and gas bar. The City says no building permit has been issued yet because officials are still finalizing construction details with the architectural firm applying for Costco, but that this doesn't affect the schedule: the foundation is set to go in this spring. Forum Properties, which sold the site, has suggested the store could open by mid-2027, and it will be the first Costco between Sudbury and Winnipeg. The current estimate points to mid-2027 at the earliest, and Costco's builders typically work to a schedule of no more than 110 working days.
🗳️ Your call: How often do you expect to shop at Costco once it opens?
Costco could open on Central Ave. by mid-2027. How often do you expect to shop there?
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Confederation faculty union says more layoffs are imminent
Rebecca Ward, president of the OPSEU local representing Confederation College faculty, says the college has invoked an extended staff reduction clause that signals layoffs of more than five per cent of full-time faculty, which currently number 143. The college won't comment on staffing, and says the province's seat announcement this week isn't new money beyond the priority growth funding announced in September and doesn't address its broader operating and financial pressures. The union wants to know why layoffs continue when 250 new seats were just announced for the college. The new seats are tied to specific programs such as aviation, nursing and electrical, which the college says is separate from its wider staffing pressures.
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Ottawa pledges up to $1 billion for Ring of Fire roads
Ottawa and Ontario announced $8.7 billion in joint investments on Wednesday, including up to $1 billion in federal money over three years to match the province's spending on roads supporting mining development in the Ring of Fire, about 500 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay. The governments also committed to a coordinated process for provincial and federal permitting, and Ottawa pledged to work with Ontario on priority projects and to consult First Nations in the region. Work has already begun on the road network, which includes the Marten Falls Community Access Road, the Webequie Supply Road and the Northern Road Link. The money is aimed at roads already under way, and the permitting promise is meant to put approvals through one coordinated process rather than two separate ones.
🎨 LOCAL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
Featured Shop: Fireweed Crafts
Overview
Fireweed Crafts is a contemporary gift shop on South Algoma Street built around Canadian handcrafted goods. The shop describes itself as locally owned and operated since 1984, which makes it one of the longer-running independent shops on the Bay and Algoma strip.
Highlights
Fine art, pottery and jewellery from Canadian makers
Woodwork, metal work, stained glass and photography
A good stop for gift shopping when you want something made by hand rather than mass-produced
Ambiance & Experience
It is a browsing shop: you wander the shelves and the art, and a Northern Ontario Travel listing for the neighbourhood puts the number of artists represented at nearly 100.
Location & Contact
📍 182 South Algoma St., Thunder Bay
📞 807-345-4686
Operating Hours
Monday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Extended hours in November and December; check the shop's website for times
Final Browse
With the holiday gift season a few weeks away, a local, handmade present might already be on a shelf on Algoma. Visit Fireweed Crafts →
Meme of the Day
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Trivia answer: Salvador Dalí. He painted the small oil canvas in 1931, and it hangs in the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
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