From a Truth and Reconciliation Day run at Boulevard Lake and Come From Away at the Auditorium to Friday-night live music and Sunday's Run for the Cure, here's what's on between now and Sunday.

Wednesday, September 30

Thursday, October 1

Friday, October 2

Sunday, October 4

Settle it for yourself, Thunder Bay — which side are you on?

The city has invited every council member and every municipal election candidate to a private, invitation-only tour of the temporary shelter village at 879 Alloy Place on Thursday. Media aren't invited to that one, and candidates can't take photos, shoot video or post from inside; a city spokesperson says the offer went to everyone to keep the campaign period fair. Reporters get their own access later Thursday, the same day the city is expected to confirm an opening date. The invitation itself refers to preparing to "operationalize" the village on Oct. 1.

The village is designed for 80 tenants in private, climate-controlled modular units, with food, washrooms, laundry and round-the-clock staff support. More than half of the $5-million capital cost is covered by the province; the city expects to carry up to $1.5 million a year in operating costs.

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Seven of the nine mayoral candidates took the same question at Tuesday's Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce forum: what would they do to spend more efficiently, keep taxes predictable and make commercial and industrial rates more competitive? Peter Diedrich wants a zero per cent increase in 2027 as a "forcing mechanism" to make the city take stock of its services. Moe Comunzzi called that unrealistic, and Trevor Giertuga also wouldn't champion it; both pointed to growing the tax base, including Giertuga's mention of city-owned Central Avenue land opening up for about 1,200 homes.

Volker Kromm called for an internal audit of programs and services, plus growth. Aldo Ruberto said neither tax hikes nor cuts will work any more and argued for asking businesses what they need. Doug Vincent floated using the Municipal Act to offer bonusing that would draw housing, such as rental units above the waterfront parkade, and Wolfgang Schoor pointed to investing in youth so they stay.

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🗳️ Your call: with seven mayoral candidates split on a tax freeze, which approach to city spending do you want?

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Roots Community Food Centre says it's losing more food than usual from its urban farms this fall. One morning a large patch of Gete Okosomin squash, a traditional Indigenous variety the centre grows to save seed and cooks in traditional ways, was simply gone; executive director Erin Beagle says someone had to drive up and load it out. Cabbage and carrots have also disappeared in large quantities.

The two farms are unfenced and lightly signed on purpose, so people can wander through, and what they grow feeds programs including meals for 300 seniors a week and about 1,000 bowls of soup a week for public-board students, with the Catholic board to follow. Beagle's message: visit, but ask before you harvest. Thefts from the individual 10-by-10 garden plots are especially hard on the households growing food for themselves.

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Construction has started on a new Superior North EMS station at 1006 Highway 17 in Terrace Bay, which will replace both the Terrace Bay and Schreiber bases and serve communities from Jackfish and Rossport to Pays Plat First Nation. Terrace Bay is building and will own the building, then lease it to the City of Thunder Bay on SNEMS's behalf; the township took a $6-million Infrastructure Ontario loan to do it. The station will have 24/7 staffing, three drive-through bays, a crew area, meeting and fitness rooms, and living quarters.

Mayor Paul Malashewski says the modern building should help with the paramedic retention problems along the north shore. SNEMS deputy chief Ernie Kadikoff says the plan is to staff it with the paramedics already covering the area, and to have it running by September 2027.

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