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Good morning, Thunder Bay — and welcome to issue one hundred and forty-nine. Cloudy, with showers starting near noon and a high of 9°C. It's Tuesday, and the morning after election day: Thunder Bay is getting a new mayor and at least four new councillors, and results were still being counted when this issue was built, so the CBC's live results page has the final numbers. In today's issue: what the turnover on council means, the Auditorium's general manager retires after 30-plus years, teachers rally at Waverley Park, and a costumed-pet fundraiser at Boulevard Lake. Plus an Indigenous community feature, this week's podcast and eight things to do through Saturday.
In this Harbour Beat Issue…
Trivia: Wasabi is traditionally grated from the root of a plant native to which country — Japan, China, or Korea? (Answer at the bottom!)
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Thunder Bay Events
From a JUNO winner at Magnus and a free museum lecture to a country night, a Mediterranean guitarist and open-mic comedy, here's what's on through Saturday.
Tuesday, October 27
OCT 27 · Hawksley Workman Duo — 6:30 p.m., tickets $53.85 · 📍 Magnus Theatre, 10 Algoma St. S. · The JUNO Award-winning singer-songwriter brings an evening of theatrical glam and indie rock. · 📅 Add to Calendar
OCT 27 · Free public lecture: Chronicling McVicar Creek Through Art — 7:30 to 9 p.m., free · 📍 Thunder Bay Museum, 425 Donald St. E. · Betty Carpick presents "A Record of Time" in the museum's 2026–27 lecture series. · 📅 Add to Calendar
Wednesday, October 28
OCT 28 · Owen Riegling — 7:30 p.m. · 📍 The Auditorium, 1 Paul Shaffer Dr. · The country singer-songwriter and 2022 Boots & Hearts competition winner plays the Auditorium. · 📅 Add to Calendar
OCT 28 · Catch the Ace at The Proz — draw at 7 p.m., $5 per ticket · 📍 Westfort Prosvita, 721 West Gore St. · Weekly charity 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 29
OCT 29 · Pavlo — 7:30 p.m., tickets from $64 · 📍 The Auditorium, 1 Paul Shaffer Dr. · The award-winning instrumental Mediterranean guitarist and recording artist in concert. · 📅 Add to Calendar
OCT 29 · Open Mic Comedy Thursdays at Campfire Comedy — doors 7 p.m., sign-ups 7:30, show 8 to 10 p.m., no cover · 📍 117 Cumberland St. N. · Weekly open-mic night with touring comedians and rising stars, open to newcomers. · 📅 Add to Calendar
Friday, October 30
OCT 30 · Friday live music at Bar Polonia — 8 to 11 p.m., $10 cover · 📍 Polish Combatants' Association Branch No. 1, 209 N. Cumberland St. · Weekly live music night; everyone is welcome, call 807-345-1861. · 📅 Add to Calendar
Saturday, October 31
OCT 31 · Karaoke at The Proz — 8 p.m. · 📍 Westfort Prosvita, 721 West Gore St. · A Halloween-night karaoke session at The Proz. · 📅 Add to Calendar
✅ NO WEATHER ALERTS IN EFFECT
Environment Canada has no alerts posted for Thunder Bay at the time of this update. Tuesday is cloudy, with showers starting around noon and gusty southeast winds.
🌧️ Tuesday, October 27 — Thunder Bay
9°C
Overnight low 5°C
Cloudy, with showers beginning near noon and a high of 9°C. Wind becomes southeast 20 km/h, gusting to 40 near noon; the morning wind chill is about −6. The UV index is low at 1. Cloudy overnight with a 60 per cent chance of showers in the evening, and a low near 5°C.
Wednesday is a mix of sun and cloud with a 30 per cent chance of showers and a high of 15°C. Thursday is cloudy and 11°C, Friday is sunny and 10°C, and Saturday is a mix of sun and cloud with a 30 per cent chance of showers and a high of 10°C. Forecast from Environment Canada.
A new mayor and at least four new councillors are coming to city hall
Thunder Bay voters went to the polls Monday with almost 92,000 people eligible to vote, and city election staff reported a turnout of 34.6 per cent as of 6 p.m. Incumbent Ken Boshcoff did not seek re-election, so the city is guaranteed a new mayor, and the retirements of Shelby Ch'ng, Kristen Oliver, Michael Zussino and Dominic Pasqualino open the door to at least four newcomers around the council table. Voters were also choosing school board trustees. Results were still being counted when this issue was built; the winners in each race are on CBC's live results page.
🗳️ Your call: A new council is about to take shape. What should it tackle first?
What should Thunder Bay's new council tackle first?
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The Auditorium's general manager retires after more than 30 years with the venue
Trevor Hurtig has retired as general manager of The Auditorium, formerly the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium, according to an announcement from board president Jason Perrier. Hurtig started at the venue as an intern in 1994, worked his way up through a range of roles and was named permanent general manager in 2023. He told Newswatch it was "an incredible honour" to spend most of his career there and to help honour the original vision of a world-class performing arts venue for the city. The calendar isn't changing: Owen Riegling (Wednesday) and Pavlo (Thursday) are both on stage there this week.
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Hundreds of educators rally at Waverley Park over school funding
Hundreds of educators gathered at Waverley Park on Saturday, one of five province-wide rallies (alongside Toronto, London, Sudbury and Ottawa) calling for better-funded public education. Organizers said the focus is funding, class sizes, student supports and keeping a local voice through school boards and elected trustees. Lakehead Elementary Teachers of Ontario president Dave Paddington also raised concerns about stalled contract talks with the province, and the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario's Shirley Bell described the rallies as a show of solidarity without legal job action. Paddington encouraged residents who share the concerns to contact their local MPP.
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Costumed pets hit the trails at Boulevard Lake for St. John Ambulance
Close to 100 people and their costumed pets turned out at Boulevard Lake on Sunday for the second annual Tails on Trails, a Halloween-themed fundraiser for St. John Ambulance's community programs in Northwestern Ontario. It was the first year the event ran in person; last year it was virtual. Executive director Diana Sustawenko said turnout beat expectations, with people still registering at midnight the night before, and there were prizes at the end.
Indigenous Community Feature 🪶
ONWA and Fort William First Nation host the first Indigenous mayoral forum
In partnership with Fort William First Nation, the Ontario Native Women's Association held its first-ever Indigenous mayoral candidates forum at the Superior Inn on Oct. 22. Seven of the nine mayoral candidates attended the two-hour event: Moe Comuzzi, Aldo Ruberto, Trevor Giertuga, Volker Kromm, Peter Diedrich, Wolfgang Schoor and Doug Vincent. They answered three moderated questions about Indigenous issues before the floor opened to questions from the audience, covering the city's relationship with Indigenous communities. Donald Baxter and Peter Panetta did not attend.
Harbour Beat Connect 🎧
Build & Thrive Thunder Bay
Host: Robert Downing
AI Fraud Is Getting Smarter: How Thunder Bay Businesses Can Protect Themselves From Scams and Deepfakes
AI-powered scams are showing up in inboxes, phone calls and payment requests, and small businesses can be especially exposed. This week's episode explains how scammers use artificial intelligence to impersonate customers, suppliers and trusted contacts, and what to do about it. It runs about 14 and a half minutes.
In this episode:
How to spot suspicious messages and verify unusual requests
Ways to protect accounts and payment processes
Simple safeguards you can build into everyday routines
New episodes every Monday.
Meme of the Day
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Trivia answer: Japan. Real wasabi comes from the rhizome of a plant native to Japan's mountain streams, and it is notoriously hard to grow, which is why much of the green paste served abroad is actually horseradish.
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