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Happy Wednesday, Thunder Bay! Sunny to start, a mix of sun and cloud by noon, 24°C and a southwest wind gusting to 40 — about as good a day as opening day at the CLE could have asked for. In today's issue: the midway gates swing open at noon, the Vickers Manor shutoff is called off, a derelict care home on the south side gets a second life, and the wildfire relief fund clears $300,000. 🎡
In this Harbour Beat Issue…
🎡 The CLE opens at noon today
🏢 Vickers Manor's shutoff is off — and so is the council meeting
🧩 A derelict care home gets a second life, and 20 new beds
💛 The wildfire relief fund clears $300,000
Trivia: Which everyday fruit takes its name from the Nahuatl word āhuacatl, by way of Spanish? (Answer at the bottom!)
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Five straight days of CLE, a three-night wildfire benefit at Black Pirates Pub, and an obstacle course at Boulevard Lake you can run tethered to your dog. ✅ The city's fire ban and the province's Restricted Fire Zone for the Northwest Region 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 quickly, so check with the organizer before you head out to anything outdoors.
Wednesday, August 5
AUG 5 · Canadian Lakehead Exhibition opens — from noon, daily through Sunday, Aug. 9 · 📍 CLE Grounds, 425 Northern Ave. · Opening day of the 136th CLE: 40 rides, about 30 games, a dozen food trailers, live entertainment and the agricultural exhibits the whole thing started with · 📅 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. Two Wednesdays left after this one · 📅 Add to Calendar
Thursday, August 6
AUG 6 · Summer in the Parking Lot — from 6 p.m. · 📍 Superior Inn & Conference Centre, 555 Arthur St. W. · $7 · This week's bill is The Shapely, Razor's Edge and Blood Red Moon on the outdoor stage · 📅 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 nightly · All-ages opening night of a three-night benefit for families and First Nations hit by this summer's fires; Friday and Saturday are 19+ with doors at 9 · 📅 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 on site; a canine eye clinic runs at the park over the weekend · 📅 Add to Calendar
Saturday, August 8
AUG 8 · Zulu Challenge Thunder Bay — 10 a.m.–4 p.m. · 📍 Boulevard Lake, Lyon Blvd. W. · Registration required · A tethered obstacle course with a 5 km adult route, shorter kid categories from age 3 up, and a 5 km K9 course for dogs in a harness and hands-free leash · 📅 Add to Calendar
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
Sunday, August 9
AUG 9 · Sundays in the Park Concert Series — 1:30–3:30 p.m. · 📍 Chippewa Park Main Stage, 1735 City Rd. · Free · Free live music north of the Pavilion, put on by the Friends of Chippewa Park. Bring a lawn chair · 📅 Add to Calendar
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✅ NO WEATHER ALERTS — BUT THE FIRE BAN IS STILL ON
Environment Canada had no warnings posted for Thunder Bay as of Tuesday evening. The city's fire ban and the province's Restricted Fire Zone for the Northwest Region both remain in effect: 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.
☀️ Wednesday, August 5 — Thunder Bay
24°C
Overnight low 11°C · No rain in the forecast
Sunny, clouding over near noon · UV 6 (high) · Southwest wind 20 km/h gusting to 40
The best-looking day of the week, and good timing for it. Sunny to start, becoming a mix of sun and cloud near noon, with no rain in the forecast and a high of 24°C. The wind comes up late in the morning — southwest at 20 km/h gusting to 40 — so anything light on the deck is going for a walk. UV index 6 (high), which is sunscreen territory if the midway is your whole afternoon. It clears in the evening and cools right down to a low of 11°C, so bring a layer if you're closing the fairgrounds. Thursday climbs to 27°C before showers move in for the weekend. Full forecast and any new alerts at Environment Canada.
The CLE opens at noon today
Gates open at noon on the 136th Canadian Lakehead Exhibition, and the last of the paperwork got signed off Tuesday — the show's electricians walked the grounds with the Electrical Safety Authority while the Technical Standards and Safety Authority gave the rides, games and trailers their final go-ahead. Jim Mills, president of Select Shows, said a crew of about 200 is set up to welcome more than 70,000 people over five days. “We've got 40 different rides and probably 30 different games and a dozen different food trailers,” he told Dougall Media, and all the favourites are back. The fair has been running for over 135 years; the weather forecast for opening day is about as friendly as it gets.
Vickers Manor's shutoff is off — and so is the council meeting
The special council meeting called over Vickers Manor has been cancelled. The city says there is no longer an immediate risk of utility disconnections at the privately owned building: power and gas were set to be cut off Aug. 18, but Synergy North said last week it would not disconnect on that date, and an arrangement has since been made to keep Enbridge Gas service on as well. “Community partners, utility providers and regulatory agencies have gone above and beyond to support tenants,” said acting city manager Keri Greaves. “While immediate utility concerns have been resolved, the situation continues to evolve.” The city says it will keep monitoring building conditions and service levels for residents.
A derelict care home gets a second life, and 20 new beds
Brain Injury Services of Northern Ontario has bought the old Thunder Bay Interim Long-Term Care Centre on the south side — the building most people still call Pinewood Court — and plans to turn it into 20 assisted-living spaces for people living with brain injuries. BISNO owns the property; what it doesn't have yet is the $18 million it needs to renovate. CEO Alice Bellavance says twelve of the agency's clients currently live at Vickers Manor, and six more are waiting in beds at the regional hospital — as of this month, those six will have spent a combined 31 years in hospital. “Some of them have been there for over 10 years. That's a really long time to be in a hospital bed,” she told Newswatch.
The wildfire relief fund clears $300,000
The Northwestern Ontario Wildfire Community Support Fund has passed $300,000 in donations, and every new dollar now counts double. The Azrieli Foundation announced a $50,000 matching gift to the United Way of Thunder Bay on Tuesday — anything you give from here is matched until that $50,000 is used up. The fund was launched July 17 by the United Way and the Thunder Bay Community Foundation, and donations have come in from across Canada and the U.S. as well as from Ireland and Australia. “We hope our contribution helps strengthen both immediate recovery efforts and the resilience of communities for the months ahead,” said foundation CEO André Beaulieu.
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Trivia answer: The avocado. Spanish speakers turned the Aztec word āhuacatl into aguacate, and English trimmed that down to avocado — which is why guacamole still carries the older root.