The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board says it’s pleased with the most recent province-wide test result.
The provincial government has released information from the Education Quality and Accountability Office.
Director of Education Christy Radbourne says overall, students in grades 3, 6 and 9 did quite well.
“We have seen as much as an 11 percent increase in our grade 9 mathematics,” points out Radbourne.
“We’ve seen up to 17 percent over the past two years in our grade 3 and another significant, 9 percent in our grade 6 scores.”
Radbourne says despite the fact the EQAO results were released late, they will continue with the math improvement strategy.
“We are definitely heading in the right direction. We have a long way to go still, and we know that. But we do know that the work we’re doing and the practice that teachers are using in the classroom and the resources they are using are really making a difference. So, we’ll be staying the course and expecting to see those numbers continue to rise.”
The other test EQAO administers is for grade 10 literacy, which students have to pass in order to graduate.
The City of Thunder Bay has completed the second phase of the Centennial Botanical Conservatory’s renewal project.
With phase two complete, the Conservatory is officially ready for free public use and will fully reopen in January.
“It’s been a marathon of a project,” says Manager of Parks and Open Spaces Corey Halvorsen.
The city debated renovating the Conservatory for years, and finally began its efforts in 2020 with phase one, which focused on expanding and updating the building’s production greenhouses.
Halvorsen says the main attraction of the Conservatory, the tropical display, is not a revenue generator for the building, as access is free to the public.
As such, it was necessary to come up with a financial argument for renewing the Conservatory.
“Really, there was a business case that showed that there were savings because of the production greenhouses,” Halverson explains.
The production Greenhouses produce flowers and other native plant species for use throughout the city.
“When you see a landscaped area renewed along a water’s edge, it’s likely that we’ve been involved,” says Halverson.
Without a local space to grow these plants, the city would have to import them from southern Ontario at 30 or 40 times the cost of growing them, saving potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.
The production greenhouses grow annuals, perennials, native plant species, and more for use throughout the city. (Sam Goldstein/ December 19, 2025)
With the financial costs mitigated by the newly improved production greenhouses, the city was able to begin work on phase two in 2024.
Guy Walter, the city’s Landscape Architect and supervisor of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture, says phase two required rebuilding the Conservatory’s main building from scratch.
“We pretty much just demolished almost the entire thing,” he says. “Now we’ve come out the other side with a state-of-the-art kind of facility that I think people are going to be excited for.”
Walter points to new technologies such as modernized heating systems, new lighting, and sound systems as updates to make the building better than ever.
One particular point of passion for Walter is the granite cobblestone used in the edging, curbing and retaining walls, which was recycled from storage and formerly used in old industrial projects and roads.
The rock was initially extracted from the Kaministiqua River a century ago, marking it as a piece of the city’s “industrial heritage” for Walter.
“It’s nice to see elements like that being brought into a new and renewed space,” he adds.
The Conservatory’s pond was reconstructed for easier access. (Sam Goldstein/December 22, 2025)
Both Walter and Halverson agree that part of the Conservatory’s value lies in its relevance for residents of a city with a long and cold winter.
“Living in this climate, we don’t really have that opportunity to get into any green spaces during the winter months,” says Walter.
Halverson says many local individuals and organizations have been loudly supportive of the city’s efforts to renew the Conservatory through the many years the project has been debated, which he thinks is due to its offering of free, accessible green space in winter.
“I think that’s really why the community was so attached to the facilities, that it just naturally brings that positive effect to mental health and wellness,” he says.
The cactus room sits in the West Wing of the Conservatory. (Sam Goldstein/December 19, 2025)
With the second phase complete, the city is now preparing for work on the third phase of its project.
In phase three, the Conservatory’s footprint will expand outside the building with new outdoor event venues, a marketplace, nature-filled pathways, and multiple stormwater ponds.
Walter describes it as “a whole other level that we’ve never had before.”
A full breakdown of the renewal project can be viewed on the city’s website.
North Star Air is ready to start it’s new service from Kenora to Thunder Bay in the new year.
Jeff Stout is Chief Operating Officer and president of North Star and says they are ready to offer this new service between the two cities.
“Like, we’re all in on it…we’re extremely excited,” Stout said just after a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Kenora Airport.
“We think that five flights a week is just the start. Obviously, we need to be reliable and there needs to be support for the service from Kenora, and Thunder Bay and elsewhere. But I think that’s all going to come into place.”
Stout says if it’s successful, they will be able to offer more flight options.
“Success is measured in providing a good service and that’s us as an airline. We’ve got to be on time; we’ve got to fulfill our commitment to the customer. The other success is, it does need to make money, right?”
Stout says they will be using a 9 seat Pilatus aircraft and fly right to the air terminal in Thunder Bay.
A search of the Thunder Bay Solid Waste and Recycling Facility has not turned up any new evidence in connection to a homicide investigation.
Thunder Bay Police began their search on September 22nd and concluded it on November 21st.
The Nishnawbe Aski Police, along with the OPP, and Lac Seul Police provided assistance to the Thunder Bay Police in terms of providing members to conduct searches, providing PPE and a command post.
The victim has only been identified as Deborah and the Thunder Bay Police Investigative Team says it has worked in close partnership with her family.
In the meantime, the Thunder Bay Police is going to seek funding from the provincial and federal governments for cost recovery.
Riverside Health Care and the Northwestern Public Health Unit have declared an Influenza A outbreak at the Rainycrest Long Term Care Home.
The outbreak is present in both the East and West Wings of the building.
Restrictions have been put in place for visitors: only two visitors or caregivers may visit a resident at a time, and visitors are only allowed to see one resident per visit.
Visitations will be limited to residents’ rooms, with common areas off-limits.
Visitors will be asked to abide by masking protocols and may be asked to wear personal protective equipment (PPE).
Large social gatherings are cancelled, and transfers, admissions and discharges are being constrained.
Rainycrest asks potential visitors to self-screen for flu-like symptoms and to avoid visiting altogether if any symptoms are experienced.
It’s been a deadly week on Highway 11 in northern Ontario.
A total of 7 people have been killed in two separate collisions.
The Greenstone OPP say four people were killed last Wednesday near Longlac.
The includes a 54-year-old woman from Longlac, a 22-year-old man from Etobicoke, a 34-year-old woman from Brampton, a 26-year-old man from Brampton.
The accident took place around 6:30 in the morning and closed Highway 11 for several hours while police investigated.
The OPP are asking anyone who may have witnessed the collision or who has dashcam footage or the area at the time of the crash to contact them at 1-888-310-1122.
Over the weekend, three people were killed in a collision involved a transport and a pickup between Hearst and Kapuskasing.
After more than two years of negotiating Canada Post has reached a tentative agreement with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) for both urban and rural mail carriers.
The Crown Corporation says in a news release Monday, it includes high wages, better benefits and a model for weekend delivery.
It comes after an agreement in principle was reached in November.
Both agreements are for five years and effective until January 31, 2029.
The union will manage a ratification vote, and until then, members will not strike.
