Thunder Bay Fire Rescue responded to a garage fire on Shipley Street Tuesday night.
Firefighters arrived to find smoke and flames coming from the garage around 8:50 pm. No one was inside at the time, and crews quickly brought the fire under control.
Additional units supported the response with water supply and overhaul.
The cause of the fire has not yet been released.
Voyageurs National Park is planning on replacing a nearly 40-year old underwater electrical cable at Kettle Falls.
It has released findings on the project’s flood potential, which can be evaluated by the public until March 10. The document can be found on the National Park Service Planning, Environment and Public Comment website at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/KFElectric.
The 13-mile long cable and associated transformer boxes were installed in 1987 and supply power to the historic Kettle Falls Hotel, restaurant, and other concessioner-operated facilities that serve thousands of visitors each year.
Due to old age, lightning strikes and an exposed neutral wire, the line has been compromised. This has caused safety concerns and intermittent power outages of varying duration. With no backup power, these outages can shut down the Kettle Falls Hotel, spoil food in the restaurant’s cold storage, and disable the electric fire‑suppression system.
The proposed replacement project would relocate electrical components out of the floodplain to improve safety and protect park infrastructure.
“The park looks forward to improving electrical service and the visitor experience at Kettle Falls while increasing the resilience of its infrastructure to flooding,” said Brian Harmon, acting superintendent of Voyageurs National Park.
The project is funded by the Great American Outdoors Act Legacy Restoration Fund.
After 250 hours of work, eight graders at Algonquin Public School are donating their handcrafted canoe to Hammarskjold High School.
The students worked on the project throughout the last year. Their canoe is 100% fastened with traditional bindings, using no nails or screws.
Hammarskjold will display the canoe in their front foyer with a plaque commemorating the work done by the eighth grade class in both English and Ojibwe. The two schools met at Hammarskjold on Tuesday to celebrate the donation.
“I’m from a native background, and it was an experience to be able to learn what my family used to do back in their old days,” said student Zachary Boulanger. “Instead of just walking, we had canoes (…) it represents native culture.”
While it likely won’t ever hit the water, the canoe is watertight and fully functional.
“The roots we picked were strong enough to bend the wood when it was warped and wet,” Boulanger said. “You can bend the wood with the sinew and it keeps the shape.”
This is a yearly tradition for eighth graders at Algonquin. Previous canoes were donated to the Canadian Canoe Museum, Lakehead University and Manitou Mounds.
“It was an important thing to do as a class,” said student Lucas Rogozinski. “So many people worked together on this.”
Algonquin Principal Darren Lentz says the project teaches how to harvest and build ethically with teachings from First Nations communities.
“(The students) are learning from our community here, and saying miigwech and thank you for that knowledge,” Lentz said. “As they move forward, they’re capable of doing anything they want. And this canoe is a testament to that.”
A 61-year old from Lake Helen First Nation has been charged with drunk driving after hitting a parked car with an ATV and fleeing the scene.
Nipigon OPP was able to locate the suspect vehicle and driver at their Lake Helen residence. The incident occurred on Valentine’s Day around 6 pm.
The full list of charges are as follows:
The accused is released and will appear before the court at a later date.
A new strategy designed to reduce substance abuse among young people is officially underway in Thunder Bay.
Planet Youth is based on an Icelandic model that helped cut youth addiction from some of Europe’s highest rates to the lowest. Their strategy focuses on changing the wider social factors upstream of addiction that prevent youth from living healthy lives.
Thunder Bay leaders gathered at City Hall on Friday for a signing ceremony affirming their Declaration of Support.
“By signing on to advance Planet Youth, Thunder Bay is reaffirming our commitment to prevention and partnership,” said Thunder Bay Mayor Ken Boshcoff. “Youth wellbeing is a collective responsibility, and this initiative brings together schools, families, service providers, and community leaders to take coordinated, data-informed action. Working together, we can create the conditions for young people in Thunder Bay to thrive.”
The program will be run by non-profit United Way of Thunder Bay.
“This signing ceremony marks a public launch of the movement and a chance for key foundational partners to affirm their support, but perhaps more importantly, it affirms that youth wellbeing is a collective responsibility,” said United Way of Thunder Bay CEO Albert Brulé. “Thunder Bay is joining several other Canadian communities working to adapt this model in their local context.”
In 2024, Thunder Bay had the highest per-capita rate of opioid deaths in the province. Brulé says visits to the ER related to substance abuse are 10 times higher in Thunder Bay than the provincial average.
“I’m just really tired of seeing all these youth with so much potential being dragged into cycles [of addiction],” said 12th grader Cheya Belmore, a member of Youth Council at Evergreen United Neighbourhood. “It can be hard to ask for help, but I did it and I’m grateful I did. Seeking support is a strength, not a weakness.”
The Declaration of Support lists three commitments:
Signatories of the Declaration include:
Brulé says they are currently in the data collection phase, and tailoring the Icelandic model to Thunder Bay requires an analysis of local risk factors and community supports.
“The model starts by building a coalition, and that’s what you see here [at the signing ceremony],” he said. “The next step involves data, so we’ll be working with schools and community groups to do surveys of young people to learn what are their habits, what are their concerns, what are the ways that we can come together to help them avoid falling into the traps of substance abuse.”
Dr. Langis Roy, Lakehead University’s Vice President of Research and Innovation, says their team will collect and analyze data to optimize youth intervention specific to Thunder Bay’s unique social, cultural and environmental landscape. Lakehead is the #2-ranked undergraduate research university in Canada.
“We’re sizing up the issue,” Roy said. “We’re examining the effectiveness of existing programs and where they’re impactful and where they’re lacking. Then we’re filling those gaps in research and in deploying actual adequate interventions.”
Lakehead’s research will be ran through their Centre for Education Research on Positive Youth Development (CERPYD), headed by Dr. Jamie DiCasmirro.
“There’s an approach developed by CERPYD called Cognitive Behavioural Approaches to Treatments and Interventions,” Roy said. “That is a crossover between cognitive and mental awareness with actionable behavioural changes.”
“By being a part of this larger consortium Planet Youth, we’re going to be able to get more involved with the various communities and have a richer set of parameters from which we can build better interventions. We can target them to specific groups and specific issues that are affecting youth development.”
For more information on Planet Youth Thunder Bay, visit uwaytbay.ca/planetyouth.
Calling all shutterbugs: The Friends of the Thunder Bay Public Library will be hosting a special vintage camera sale the weekend of March 14 at the County Fair Mall.
The equipment is donated by the Interactive Media Development program at Confederation College. The college says that while these items are no longer in use, they remain in good working condition and reflect years of hands-on learning by students in the program.
“We’ve been clearing out older camera equipment and knew there would be people out there who were still interested in using it,” said Orion Atkinson, IMD Program Coordinator at Confederation College. “Though it no longer fits our curriculum needs in the Interactive Media program, we’re happy to be donating this vintage equipment to a local charity and supporting the Thunder Bay Public Library.”
“Many of our students learned photography and videography on these analogue cameras and it’s great to think that they’ll get a new life with new owners.”
Here’s what will be on the block:
All proceeds from the sale will go towards Thunder Bay Public Library programs and services.
“We’re incredibly grateful to the IMD Program for thinking of us,” said Fran Duke, President of the Friends of the Thunder Bay Public Library. “Raising funds to support the library is at the heart of what we do. This donation allows us to help this equipment find new homes while generating funds that directly benefit the library and the community.”
The camera sale will run alongside the popular $2 Tote Sale, where customers can fill a tote bag with gently used books for only $2.
For more information, visit tbpl.ca/friends.
The aviation industry in Thunder Bay is getting a piece of the pie from Mark Carney’s huge defence spending increase.
The Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario (FedNor) is investing over $1.5 million into Thunder Bay’s Levaero Aviation Group. These funds will go towards Levaero’s Hangar 97 project, a new 500-square foot building to accommodate aircraft equipment and staff for refurbishment processes.
FedNor Minister and Thunder Bay MP Patty Hajdu says keeping Canadian aviation manufacturing in-country is very important in the current political climate.
“Canada was built by Canadians, and our defence industry is no different,” Hajdu said. “By supporting domestic efforts to grow our armed forces through the Buy Canada plan for supplying the military, we are investing in Canada and in Northern Ontario. This will create real opportunities for businesses and workers, here at home. When we empower Canadian industries to thrive, we contribute to a safer future for all generations.”
Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP Marcus Powlowski emphasized the need for defence spending, referencing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and U.S. President Donald Trump’s aggression towards Canada.
“It would be nice to live in a world where we don’t have to spend any money at all on defence,” Powlowski said. “The money could go to healthcare, to education, to better roads. But as Prime Minister Carney said, we need to take the world as it is. Currently, threats abound from all sides.”
“Either you’re at the table or you’re on the menu, and we don’t want to be on the menu for countries that look at dividing up the world and creating their own spheres.”
Patty Hajdu says the defence strategy has a goal of creating 125,000 jobs through domestic production.
“The intent is to be able to produce as much as possible for our own military needs and our own sovereignty needs,” Hadju said. “The best-case scenario is that we’re confident Canada can defend itself, that we can act as an ally, that we’ve met our NATO commitments, and that we have a skilled workforce with confident Canadians knowing they have a place.”
Levaero Aviation is just two doors down from Confederation College’s aviation centre, and they have a strong partnership with the program. The college also provides training to reserves and aircraft maintenance technicians for the Royal Canadian Air Force.
“(We) supply those maintenance grads, as well as those who will be flying the planes. Not only for the Air Force, but across Northwestern Ontario and Canada,” said Michelle Salo, President of Confederation College.
Salo says the investment will benefit more than just the defence sector.
“When you think of how northwestern Ontario is evolving with critical minerals, you really need planes to get in and out of some of these places to bring people and equipment in. And you need mechanics to help support that too. So this will be critical for the economic development of northwestern Ontario, as well as the defence strategy,” Salo said.
After colliding with eight cars, multiple fences, trees, shrubs and a fire hydrant, an 18-year old is facing a littany of charges.
His pickup truck was seen travelling at high speeds down a sidewalk on Empire Street Monday night. He came to a stop after colliding with a snowbank and a sign.
He is charged with the following:
He has been released from custody with a future court date.
Got ideas for Thunder Bay’s new waterfront development?
The city has released a survey for the public to decide new features for the Pool 6 property, a 12.2 hectare plot of land directly south of Prince Arthur’s Landing and the future Thunder Bay Art Gallery.
This is the second phase of development for the waterfront property. Phase one was informed by a public survey in 2024. That feedback, combined with a Community Economic Development Commission summary report, recommended a mixed-use approach that balances residential and commercial development with public uses and environmental stewardship.
There are four development scenarios for the public to choose from. Click here to access the survey.
Potential development options include:
All four development scenarios feature these key amenities:
Formerly the site of the Saskatchewan Pool 6 grain elevator, the property is now home to the City’s cruise ship terminal and the Transportation Museum of Thunder Bay.
The city says this is an exciting opportunity to build on the success of Prince Arthur’s Landing and make Thunder Bay’s waterfront a compelling destination for residents and visitors alike, and a catalyst for the local economy.
Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler and Wapekeka First Nation Chief Brennan Sainnawap are raising concerns about what they are calling “disrespectful” treatment of Indigenous families in police investigations.
The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) released the results of its investigation into the police shooting of Tyrese Roundsky of Wapekeka First Nation on February 12.
In a letter to the SIU written on Monday, Fiddler says the Roundsky family was not contacted prior and learned the details of this investigation through social media. He says the family was not briefed or sensitized regarding the decision to clear the officer and the revelation that officers on scene neglected to provide first aid for nearly forty minutes.
“It is unacceptable that the family and community had to learn through the media that after being shot, their loved one was neglected for 40 minutes by a police officer who did not render aid,” Fiddler said. “The SIU Director has demonstrated a complete lack of sensitivity in the release of its report, and instead of providing much needed oversight and accountability to the police, the release of the report has re-traumatized the family and a community already plagued with grief.”
Fiddler and Sainnawap wrote that the SIU’s behaviour lies in stark contrast to its express commitments to deliver culturally competent, supportive services to families and communities affected by police shooting fatalities.
23-year old Tyrese Roundsky was shot at a Wapekeka youth centre on July 31, 2025. The youth centre had been temporarily converted into a courtroom at the time. Roundsky advanced on the presiding judge with a knife, then turned and advanced towards an officer before being shot.
The SIU determined there were no reasonable grounds to believe the officer committed a criminal offence by shooting Roundsky, as their actions were determined to be in self defence.
The failure to perform first aid for over 40 minutes after shooting is still subject to legal scrutiny. The SIU said the officer refrained from approaching Roundsky for fear that he was still armed with a knife and posed a threat. However, the SIU says that concern was less of a risk as the minutes wore on and Roundsky remained motionless on the floor. The medical evidence indicates Roundsky’s wounds were fatal and it is unlikely that any amount of emergency first-aid administered shortly after the shooting could have saved him.
Nishnawbe Aski Nation says that the SIU has increased mistrust among Indigenous communities for their failure to notify the Roundsky family and Wapekeka community before releasing these findings.
“If there is to be any healing or restoration of relationships, it must begin with truth, accountability, and respect for our families, our community, and this generation that has been impacted more deeply than we have ever known,” said Wapekeka First Nation Chief Brennan Sainnawap.
The letter also references the SIU’s investigation into the death of 57-year old Bruce Frogg, a member of Wawakapewin First Nation. Frogg was shot by police in Kenora on June 25, 2024. Fiddler says NAN has rejected the findings of the SIU’s report ever since its release, citing a “complete failure to consider key evidence pointing to an unlawful use of force.”
One year later, Frogg’s son Eric Nothing, a member of Wapekeka First Nation, was shot and killed by police in Deer Lake on July 22, 2025.
“I provide you with this background to ensure you fully comprehend how these tragedies cannot be considered in isolation,” Fiddler wrote. “The failure of the SIU through its shoddy investigation into the death of Bruce Frogg has had significant, lasting impacts across the North, decimating any trust in the SIU. It is important you understand this context, in light of the SIU’s latest failings in their handling of the release of the Roundsky Report last week.”
“Coming so soon after the SIU’s careless investigation into the Frogg shooting, the profound failures towards the Roundsky family and the community of Wapekeka only adds to the failing reputation of the SIU. I find it unbelievable that a government who worked to ensure First Nations have equal access to safety and security could stand by and allow the failures of the SIU to be swept under the rug.”