The city of Thunder Bay has received a boost from the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) for hosting a Gateway Casino location.
The city is receiving a total of $929,519.
So far in the 2025-2026 fiscal year, Thunder Bay has received a total of $1,725,525.
Since the casino opened in August 2000, the city has received $60,058,021.
“Thunder Bay is able to offer local programs and improve the quality of life of their residents through the economic activity generated through revenue from Gateway Casinos Thunder Bay,” said Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming, Stan Cho.
“The people of Ontario benefit from OLG’s gaming revenues as 100 per cent of OLG profits are reinvested in the province to support provincial priorities.”
Communities that host a casino receive money based on a formula in the Municipality Contribution Agreement that is consistently applied across all land-based casino sites in Ontario using a graduated scale of gaming revenue at the hosted site.
Details on the horrific death of a 19-year-old Walmart employee in Halifax are still unclear one year later, as the case remains under investigation.
The burned remains of Gursimran Kaur, an immigrant to Canada, were discovered by her mother inside the bakery’s walk-in oven at the Mumford Road Supercentre on October 19, 2024.
Nova Scotia’s Department of Labour told our newsroom in an email, Friday, the case “remains an active workplace investigation” and they are “unable to provide further details at this time.”
The department added, workplace investigations are “complex” and “can take time as officers gather and assess evidence” and according to their website, can take up to two years to complete.
Gursimran Kaur was found dead inside an oven while working at Walmart in Halifax. Source: GoFundMe
The news of Kaur’s death shook not only the community, but the province and beyond.
After the tragedy, that location of Walmart closed as Halifax Regional Police conducted their investigation.
A vigil was held outside the store on November 3, 2024, and more than 100 people lit candles and honoured the teen and her family.
Vigil held outside Halifax Walmart after seen found dead in bakery oven. Photo: Sébastian Labelle
On November 18, 2024, police shared with the public they did not believe Kaur’s death was criminal in nature.
Constable Martin Cromwell explained in a video posted on social media that investigators conducted several interviews and watched surveillance video as part of their work.
“We do not believe anyone else was involved in the circumstances surrounding the woman’s death,” said Cromwell. “There are questions that may never have answers.”
Although police had concluded their part of the investigation, the store remained closed for months while that location finished planned renovations.
It was February 3, 2025, when the store reopened to the public.
The Department of Labour said, “we extend our continued sympathies to the family, friends and colleagues affected by this tragedy.”
Three new women have been inducted into Thunder Bay’s City Archive Women’s History Month Exhibit.
Each year in October, which is Women’s History Month, new inductees are added to the online exhibit.
The exhibit recognizes and celebrates women of all ages who played important roles in the history and development of Thunder Bay.
This year’s new inductees are:
Elinor Barr – Local historian
Ruth Tye McKenzie – Local artist and founder of The Painted Turtle
Gwen O’Reilly – Director of the Northwestern Ontario Women’s Centre
“This web exhibit is a wonderful way to honour and recognize the remarkable women who have helped shape our city,” says City Archivist Christina Wakefield. “Each year, we look forward to discovering more about the women from our community and celebrating their accomplishments.”
The exhibit launched in 2013 and can be viewed online by clicking here.
An organization responsible for promoting electrical safety in Ontario is highlighting an alarming new trend.
According to a new Leger survey commissioned by the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA), nearly 40 percent of Ontario homeowners have not confirmed if the proper permits were obtained before electrical upgrades were completed in their home.
According to the ESA, the oversight is particularly concerning.
“If you’re not checking for permits, there’s a good chance that a permit hasn’t been taken out,” says Emily Larose, the organization’s vice president of regulatory and general counsel. “You may not be using a licensed electrical contractor, which is a really risky thing for you to do.”
According to the ESA, taking short cuts on licensed electrical contractors with the proper permits often leads to shocks, fires or even fatalities and can result in costly repairs.
The organization says unlicensed electrical work is also four times more likely to have safety issues than work done by a licensed electrical contractor.
“If you’re contemplating a project or in the midst of a project then ask your contractor to give you proof that they’ve taken out a permit,” says Larose, adding the survey showed 11 per cent didn’t even know how to go about checking permits. “And when the work is completed, ask for the certificate of acceptance.”
She adds that if work had already been completed on a home, people can contact ESA and request details on previous permits to see if work was licensed or not.
One of the reasons for the high number of homeowners doing renovations (with or without proper permits) is the cost of housing prices and the uneven real estate market.
In fact, the Leger survey noted that 27 per cent of Ontario homeowners intend to renovate their current home, suggesting nearly a quarter of respondents are choosing to renovate over moving into new homes
“I’ve done a big renovation on my home (and) I know there’s a paralysis of decision-making and that it’s really expensive,” says Larose. “It’s really important in all of those decisions you’re making sure that you hire the right people.”
The ESA is a not-for-profit organization in Ontario responsible for promoting and enforcing electrical safety regulations to protect the public.
Health workers from across Canada could soon be flooding into Ontario.
Next week, the province will introduce legislation to support greater worker mobility across the country.
The proposed legislation is aimed at expanding “as of right” provisions for Canadian workers licensed and credentialed in other provinces and territories, particularly health-care workers, to gain automatic recognition of credentials in Ontario.
Currently, “as of right” rules allow nurses, physicians, respiratory therapists and medical laboratory technologists from other provinces and territories to work in Ontario for up to six months while they seek registration with their profession’s Ontario regulator.
With the Ontario government’s proposed changes, that list would expand to 16 additional professions, improving access to care for Ontario patients and meeting urgent labour market demands across the province.
Among the professions listed are dentists, dental technologists and hygienists, dieticians, midwives, occupational therapists, optometrists, pharmacists, psychologists, physiotherapists, chiropodists and more.
“Our government is continuing to break down barriers and remove red tape so that physicians, nurses and other regulated health professionals from other provinces can begin practicing in Ontario,” said Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones in a release.
“By taking a first-in-Canada approach to streamline the labour mobility process, we are making it faster and easier for both our health system partners and clinicians to provide the world-class care Ontarians need, when and where they need it.”
In a Facebook post Thursday night Kevin Kahoot expressed concern for the families of his community impacted by an announcement by Interfor it will be shutting down its sawmill operation indefinitely.
The shutdown could impact as many as 150 workers according to one source.
The Ear Falls mayor notes they are working to support the families and he has been in touch with Premier Doug Ford to see what can be done to support those impacted.
In a release Interfor says, “When we refer to an “indefinite” curtailment, it means the downtime is temporary and will be evaluated on a week-to-week basis. We are not able to provide a specific timeline for resumption, as this will depend on market recovery.
“Duties and tariffs are one of many factors contributing to current market conditions. Broader economic uncertainty and trade barriers continue to affect the industry across North America.”
Interfor acquired the sawmill in 2022 when it acquired EACOM Timber Division.
Earlier this week U.S. President Donald Trump penalized the Canadian softwood lumber industry with an additional 10 per cent tariff. The B.C Lumber Council stated that Canadian softwood lumber entering the States get hits with a 45 per cent tax.
Interfor’s stock price ended the day trading at 8.35 when just over a month ago the stock price was over $13.00.
A member of one of the most iconic rock bands in music history is dead at the age of 74.
According to multiple sources such as Rolling Stone and USA Today, Ace Frehley, the founding guitarist of KISS passed away, Thursday after a recent fall.
In a statement his family says they are “devasted and heartbroken”.
“In his last moments, we were fortunate enough to have been able to surround him with loving, caring, peaceful words, thoughts prayers and intentions as he left this earth,” reads the statement.
He had just cancelled his remaining tour dates for 2025.
Frehley joined KISS at the start of the start of the 1973.
