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Good morning, Thunder Bay — and welcome to issue one hundred and fifty-eight. Rain ending in the morning, then cloudy with a high near 2°C and a gusty north wind. It's Thursday, November 5. In today's issue: council docks an outgoing councillor 15 days' pay, the city can now enforce its encampment bylaw with the shelter village open, and a 99-year-old Thunder Bay woman shares her story of Japanese-Canadian internment. Plus the Thursday Local Business Spotlight and things to do this weekend.
In this Harbour Beat Issue…
Trivia: Vincent van Gogh painted The Starry Night in 1889 while staying at an asylum in which French town — Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, Arles, or Giverny? (Answer at the bottom!)
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Thunder Bay Events
Here's what's on from today through Saturday, from the City's community events calendar and Your Thunder Bay.
Thursday, November 5
NOV 5 · John Muirhead and Nick Sherman — 6:30 p.m., tickets $42.12 to $47.40 · 📍 Royal Canadian Legion Branch 5, 229 Van Norman St. · An evening of storytelling and song from folk-rocker John Muirhead, with a performance by Nick Sherman. · 📅 Add to Calendar
NOV 5 · Open Mic Comedy at Campfire Comedy — doors 7 p.m., show 8 to 10 p.m., no cover · 📍 117 Cumberland St. N. · Weekly Thursday open mic with touring comedians and rising stars, open to newcomers. · 📅 Add to Calendar
Friday, November 6
NOV 6 · Light up the Night: Canadian Lighthouses of Lake Superior Fundraiser Dinner — doors 5:30 p.m., dinner 6:30 p.m. · 📍 Current River Recreation Centre, 450 Dewe Ave. · Buffet dinner, cash bar, auction and door prizes, with live music by Loughlin and an underwater archaeology talk. · 📅 Add to Calendar
NOV 6 · Juke Box Dance Party — doors 6:30 p.m., music 7 to 11 p.m., $30 per person (register by Nov. 5) · 📍 Slovak Legion · A nostalgic night of the songs you grew up with, inspired by the old jukebox at Chippewa Park. · 📅 Add to Calendar
NOV 6 · TBSO Voices Series: Reflections — 7:30 to 10 p.m. · 📍 St. Paul's United Church, 349 Waverley St. · The season's first Voices concert, with Mozart's "Prague" Symphony and Fauré's Requiem, featuring the Thunder Bay Symphony Chorus. · 📅 Add to Calendar
Saturday, November 7
NOV 7 · Mum's Pantry General Store — 12 to 6 p.m., open Thursday to Saturday · 📍 100 Simpson St., at Victoria · A community-driven general store and mini artisan market for local food and handmade goods. · 📅 Add to Calendar
⚠️ YELLOW WARNING — RAINFALL IN EFFECT
Environment Canada's rainfall warning for Thunder Bay is still in effect as the last of the rain moves out Thursday morning. Expect a strong north wind, gusting to 70 km/h, through the day.
🌬️ Thursday, November 5 — Thunder Bay
2°C
Overnight low −4°C
Rain ending in the morning, then cloudy with a 30 percent chance of flurries. North winds near 40 km/h, gusting to 70, with temperatures steady near 2°C and a low UV index. Tonight stays cloudy as the wind eases after midnight, with a wind chill near −7.
Friday is sunny with a high of 5°C and a low of −7°C, and Saturday is sunny and milder at 8°C. Forecast from Environment Canada.
Council docks outgoing Coun. Rajni Agarwal 15 days' pay after an integrity report
At a special meeting on Nov. 3, council voted 9-1 to accept the integrity commissioner's recommendation to withhold 15 days' pay from outgoing at-large councillor Rajni Agarwal, after the report found an ongoing pattern of abusive conduct toward city staff. The commissioner trimmed his recommendation from 30 days to 15 because only one pay period remains in her term. It is the third time Agarwal has been before the integrity commissioner this term. The vote closes the matter for this term; council's last meeting of the 2022-2026 term is Nov. 10.
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With the shelter village open, the city can now enforce its encampment bylaw
The city says the public-space bylaw has been in effect since council approved it this year, but the open shelter village now gives it a way to enforce the encampment section. City encampment supervisor Rilee Willianen says the approach stays voluntary and relationship-based first, with supports offered before any enforcement. Three designated encampment sites were approved with the bylaw, and the village, at roughly halfway to its November target of 40 occupants, has room for 80. Feedback on the village can be emailed through the shelter village page on the city's website or phoned in to the 24-hour dispatch line at (807) 625-2195.
🗳️ Your call: The city says it will lead with voluntary, relationship-based outreach. What approach do you back most?
With the shelter village open, the city can enforce its encampment bylaw. What approach do you back most?
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'They herded us like cattle': a 99-year-old Thunder Bay woman recalls Japanese-Canadian internment
Sets Oda was 14 when her family was among roughly 22,000 Japanese-Canadians forced from their homes on the BC coast after Pearl Harbor. Now 99 and living in Thunder Bay, she recalls four months in Vancouver's Hastings Park and four years at the Lemon Creek camp, then a new start in the East End, where she says her family was welcomed. "It was wrong, so I can't forget," she says. A monument naming everyone who lived in the camps was unveiled in Victoria last month, and Thunder Bay's Laura Hashiguchi Sutton hopes to visit it to find her late father's name.
🛍️ Local Business Spotlight
Featured Market: Mum's Pantry General Store
Overview
Mum's Pantry is a community-driven general store and mini artisan market on Simpson Street that celebrates local food and handmade goods. It's a spot to pick up something made nearby, and local bakers such as Two Cups of Love Bakery sell their treats there.
Highlights
Local food and handmade goods from area makers
A small-market feel, with a different mix of vendors to browse
Location & Contact
📍 100 Simpson St., at the corner of Simpson and Victoria
📞 807-707-2555
Hours
Thursday to Saturday, 12 to 6 p.m.
Final browse: Open today until 6 p.m. — a handy stop if you're after a local gift or something homemade for the weekend. See the listing →
Meme of the Day
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Trivia answer: Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. Van Gogh painted The Starry Night in June 1889 from his room at the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum there, working partly from memory of the view from his window.
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