Sponsored by
Sponsored By:
Stop overpaying for wireless. Get a Tello plan for under $25
Unlimited everything. No contract. Just $25/mo. With Tello, you get reliable 5G coverage, zero hidden fees, and none of the bundles you never wanted.
Happy Tuesday, Thunder Bay! Showers should wash out late morning, then it's cloudy, 24°C and windy enough to send the patio umbrella down the street. In today's issue: two highways closed by fire north of the city, a downtown intersection shutting for three days starting today, a father and son who both won titles at Strathcona on the same afternoon, and the tickets OPP officers are handing kids on purpose. Plus the CLE midway opens tomorrow. 🎡
In this Harbour Beat Issue…
🔥 Two highways close as a fire keeps burning
🚧 Red River and Court shut down today
⛳ A father and son take Strathcona on the same day
🍦 The tickets kids actually want to get
🪶 Indigenous Community: $25,000 for kids in the north
🎧 Harbour Beat Connect: what AI will never replace
Trivia: In what year did the very first Guinness Book of Records go on sale? (Answer at the bottom!)
The CLE midway rolls in Wednesday and runs to Sunday, and the Border Cats play their last three home games of 2026 this week. ✅ The city's fire ban and the province's restricted fire zone are both still in effect — no open fires, no fireworks, no backyard campfires. Regional wildfires are still burning and a wind shift can change the air fast, so check with the organizer before you head out to anything outdoors.
Tuesday, August 4
AUG 4 · Summertime Movie Matinees — 1–5 p.m. · 📍 Thunder Bay Community Auditorium, 1 Paul Shaffer Dr. · Free entry · A double bill in the air conditioning: The Fantastic Four: First Steps at 1 p.m., Superman at 3 p.m. Concession open; no outside food or drink · 📅 Add to Calendar
AUG 4 · Border Cats vs. Waterloo Bucks — 6:35 p.m. · 📍 Port Arthur Stadium, 425 Winnipeg Ave. · Tbaytel Night and Tacos & Tequila Night, and the first of only three home games left this season · 📅 Add to Calendar
Wednesday, August 5
AUG 5 · Canadian Lakehead Exhibition opens — from noon, running through Sunday, Aug. 9 · 📍 CLE Grounds, 425 Northern Ave. · Opening day of the 135-year-old fair: midway rides, live entertainment, games, exhibits and far too much food on a stick · 📅 Add to Calendar
AUG 5 · Live on the Waterfront — 6–9 p.m. · 📍 Marina Park Festival Area, Water St. · Free · The Wednesday-night waterfront concert series, with food vendors and the harbour behind the stage · 📅 Add to Calendar
Thursday, August 6
AUG 6 · Border Cats season finale + fireworks — 7:05 p.m. · 📍 Port Arthur Stadium, 425 Winnipeg Ave. · Fan Appreciation night against the Rochester Honkers, the last home game of 2026, with fireworks after the final out · 📅 Add to Calendar
AUG 6 · FIRE AID! Wildfire Relief Concert — doors 7:30 p.m., music from 8 p.m. · 📍 Black Pirates Pub, 215 Red River Rd. · $10 · All-ages opening night of a three-night benefit for families and First Nations hit by this summer's fires, with five local acts on the bill · 📅 Add to Calendar
Friday, August 7
AUG 7 · North Shore Dog Club shows — 9 a.m.–4 p.m., daily through Sunday · 📍 Chippewa Park, 1735 City Rd. · Free for spectators · All-breed conformation shows with pet-supply vendors and food trucks; a canine eye clinic follows on the weekend · 📅 Add to Calendar
Saturday, August 8
AUG 8 · Fat Guys Auto Parts Annual Car Show — 11 a.m.–4 p.m. · 📍 333 Memorial Ave. · A show they've been running since 2012: cars, bikes, food and a lot of hoods up · 📅 Add to Calendar
✅ NO WEATHER ALERTS — BUT THE FIRE BAN IS STILL ON
Environment Canada had no warnings posted for Thunder Bay as of Monday evening. The city's fire ban and the province's restricted fire zone both remain in effect until further notice, though: no open-air burning, no backyard campfires, no fireworks, and all fire permits stay suspended. Propane fire tables, pizza ovens and barbecues are still allowed. Latest alerts at Environment Canada.
🌦️ Tuesday, August 4 — Thunder Bay
24°C
Humidex 27 · Overnight low 10°C
Showers ending late morning · UV 7 (high) · West wind 30 km/h gusting to 50
A wet start that clears out. Showers end late in the morning, then it's mainly cloudy with a 30 per cent chance of more showers and a risk of a thunderstorm early on — Environment Canada is calling for a local 10 to 15 mm before it's done. The number to watch today is the wind: west at 30 km/h gusting to 50, so tie down anything light in the yard. High of 24°C with a humidex of 27, and a UV index of 7 (high) once the cloud thins. It clears in the evening and cools right off — low of 10°C overnight, so grab a layer if you're out late. Wednesday turns sunny and 23°C, which is good timing for opening day at the CLE. Full forecast and any new alerts at Environment Canada.
Two highways close as a fire keeps burning
The Ministry of Transportation closed Highway 527 and Highway 811 in both directions Sunday because of a forest fire. Highway 527 is shut from Tertiary Road to where the highway ends; Highway 811 is shut from Weaver Road to where it meets 527. The fire behind it is Thunder Bay 36, the largest wildland fire in Ontario's recorded history, and the province still had it listed as not under control. Highway 527 is the main route north out of the city toward Armstrong, so if that drive is on your week, check Ontario 511 before you load the truck — there is no quick way around it.
Red River and Court shut down today
The city closes the intersection of Red River Road and Court Street starting today to install new traffic signals and pedestrian crosswalk lights. Expect it to stay shut for up to three days. It's the last piece of the North Core Streetscape Project between Court and Cumberland — a $13-million rebuild of streets and sidewalks meant to make the Waterfront District easier to walk, cycle and drive, with more room for patios, vendors and events. If Red River is part of your normal route, give yourself an extra few minutes midweek.
A father and son take Strathcona on the same day
Scott Wilke won his second Strathcona Invitational on Monday, beating Rob Atatise 5&4 in the championship final at Strathcona Golf Course. He set the tone on the very first hole: wide of the green off the tee and in tree trouble, he chipped in for birdie against an opponent who had a tap-in. “I didn't see that coming,” Wilke said. “He had a tap-in, so let's try to chip it in and it worked out.” By the 11th he was five up, and it ended on the short par-4 14th when Atatise's long downhill birdie putt slid wide. Wilke last won the match-play event in 2022 and was runner-up a year ago. The part that made the day: his father, Hank Wilke, won the super-senior title the same afternoon, edging Randy Robinson. “It's pretty neat doing that, that he got his title and I got mine.”
The tickets kids actually want to get
Officers in the northwest are writing positive tickets this summer, and kids can trade them for ice cream. The OPP's Positive Ticket Campaign singles out young people who wear a bike helmet, follow the rules of the road, show some kindness or just make a good call when no one's watching. “It's important for the kids to be recognized … for doing those positive things when they think nobody else is looking,” said Staff-Sgt. Kyle Arnold, communications officer with the Northwest OPP. The idea came out of the OPP's community policing committee, and the point is as much the conversation as the cone — a chance for kids and families to meet their local officers when nothing is wrong. In the Rainy River district the tickets are redeemable at Northwoods Gallery, The Marina, Andrew's Snack Shack and Emo Norlund.
🪶 Indigenous Community
$25,000 for kids in the north — and 100 toys for Sachigo Lake
Mikinakoos Children's Fund — the Thunder Bay-based charity that gets food, clothing and basic essentials to First Nations children in remote communities — has received a $25,000 donation from the Windigo Economic Development Corporation. Staff delivered the news in person at Sachigo Lake First Nation last Thursday, where the community was marking its 50th anniversary, and handed out roughly 100 toys while they were there.
“It feels great; it's really wonderful to see such support coming in,” said executive director Stephanie Paxton. “Their gift of $25,000 is going to go such a long way to help us support children in northern communities.” The fund's biggest priorities right now are food security, school-age programs and an infant supply program.
“They do such tremendous work with the children of the north (and) the evacuations that the people are in,” said George Sakchekapo, director of Windigo First Nations Council. “When we heard about their story and what they actually do for the people… we said that this has to be the corporation that we donate to.”
Harbour Beat Connect 🎧
Build & Thrive Thunder Bay
Host: Robert Downing
The Human Advantage: What AI Will Never Replace in Small Business
The pitch this week is simple: the parts of your business a machine can't copy are the parts worth investing in. Robert Downing works through where automation genuinely saves a small team time — and where a real conversation, a judgment call or a familiar face is still what closes the sale. It's nine minutes, and it's a useful gut-check if you've been wondering how much of your marketing to hand over to AI.
In this episode:
Where AI actually saves a small team real hours
The customer moments that still need a person in the room
How to blend the two without sounding automated
New episodes every Monday.
Meme of the Day
Brought to you by Harbour Beat
What's faster than word of mouth? The Harbour Beat Spotlight! Keeps you updated on what's going on locally and connects businesses to our vibrant community.
Trivia answer: 1955. The book started as a way to settle bar arguments — Guinness Brewery managing director Sir Hugh Beaver couldn't find a reference that named Europe's fastest game bird, so he had one made. By that Christmas it was topping the British bestseller list.