One home on Rowand Street was seriously damaged after a Monday morning fire.
Thunder Bay fire rescue says they got the call around 7 a.m.
A single-story home was on fire when they arrived, with smoke coming from the windows and flames coming from a side window, according to a news release.
Firefighters attacked the outside with water and got inside to fight the fire and search the building.
They say they got it under control quickly, but the smoke damage was extensive, and an adjacent building had minor damage from the fire.
Thunder Bay Fire Rescue says it is crucial to have working smoke detectors to catch those fires early.
The Thunder Bay North Stars had a tough go of it on the national stage this week.
Our SIJHL champs mounted a furious comeback attempt in their final game against the hosting Summerside Western Capitals on Tuesday night. They cut a 4-0 deficit to 4-3, but weren’t able to finish the job. The North Stars finished winless in round robin play and did not qualify for the elimination round.
Standout tournament performances include:
F Easton Gloucher – 3 goals, 1 assist
D Chase Loke – 4 assists (tied for 4th in tournament)
F Acoyen Fehr – 3 goals
F Chase Cochrane – 15 penalty minutes (tied for 3rd in tournament)
The final results:
Date
Opponent
Score
May 8
Canmore Eagles (Alberta)
3-2 L
May 9
Niverville Nighthawks (Manitoba)
7-2 L
May 11
Rockland Nationals (Southeastern Ontario)
8-2 L
May 12
Summerside Western Capitals (PEI)
5-3 L
The last time the North Stars competed for the Centennial Cup was in 2006. They finished 2-2 in the round robin and lost in the semifinal.
The 2026 Centennial Cup championship game is scheduled for Sunday at 7 pm.
The District of Thunder Bay Social Services Administration Board (TBDSSAB) is announcing three projects to create a total of 118 new child care spaces across Thunder Bay.
The projects received $1,758,804 in expansion funding through the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) program.
Upon completion, the TDSSAB will achieve its goal of building 196 new child care spaces between 2024 and 2026. Detailed announcements and grand openings will be planned as projects are completed.
Project Name
# of Spaces
CWELCC Annual Funding (approx.)
Expansion Funding
Nanabijou Child Care Program – Thunder Bay
72
$1,327,104
$1,258,304
Metis Nation of Ontario Child Care Centre – Thunder Bay
32
$661,644
$500,000
Brass Bell Family Resource Centre – Terrace Bay
14
$302,772
$0
TOTALS
118
$2,291,520
$1,758,804
“Affordable child care is an economic tool that helps communities grow,” said Patty Hadju, Ontario Minister of Jobs and Families. “When parents can find good, reliable child care, they can work, train, or build a business. In Thunder Bay, lower fees are saving families thousands of dollars and keeping more people in the workforce. We will keep working with partners to protect and expand these spaces so every child can learn, and every family can plan for a strong future.”
There are 1,503 children in CWELCC spaces as of January 2026.
Lakehead District School Board chair Leah Vanderwey has resigned.
She submitted her resignation at a closed Special Board Meeting on May 5.
Vanderwey was first appointed a board trustee in 2022. She held the position of Chair since December 2024.
According to the board meeting minutes, Vanderwey’s appointed replacement must be a qualified municipal elector and fulfil all of the following requirements:
A Canadian citizen
At least 18 years old
Not legally prohibited from voting
Not be disqualified by any legislation from holding school board office
A supporter of the board (the individual’s property tax support must be directed to the public school board)
The remaining elected trustees are required to fill the vacancy by August 3.
Vanessa Brosseau, aka Resilient Inuk, stopped by Algonquin Public School on Monday amidst her Canada-wide tour to raise awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples (MMIP), intergenerational healing and urban Inuk identity.
Brosseau shared passages from her children’s book Because We Care, which teaches children about MMIP as well as the importance staying safe and looking out for one another.
“The kids are amazing,” she said. “It’s why I do it. Their energy, their love for one another. They’re the ones who are going to be the change makers. They’re very, very smart. We really just need to start opening our hearts to these children so that these things don’t happen to them. [Because we Care] is a book I wrote for eighth grade and under to learn about missing Indigenous people in a kind way.”
Brosseau’s sister Pamela Jayne Holopainen has been missing for over 22 years.
Brosseau is on day six of her Rolling Resistance national tour. She travels in a motorhome (pictured) with her husband Derek (right). Algonquin Public native language teacher Corinne Bannon (left) invited the Brosseau’s to Thunder Bay (Jacob Henriksen-Willis / May 11 2026)
“I’m trying to create awareness not just for missing and murdered Indigenous people, but safety for all people,” she said. “It’s something I’m passionate about because of my sister. I’m grateful to be here in Thunder Bay, because it has such a high population of Indigenous people and missing and murdered people as well.”
In the afternoon, Brosseau hosted a workshop to teach Algonquin’s eighth graders how to make sealskin red dress pins.
“My family comes from Sanikiluaq, Nunavut, so I work with seal skin. A lot of times these children have never seen seal skin before. So at the same time we’re learning about MMIP, we’re able to learn about seals, seal skin and Inuit history, how we still use seals today,” she said.
This is the second year Brosseau has embarked on her Rolling Resilience national tour. Last year she went from Sanikiluaq to Prince Rupert, BC and back in 41 days. This year she plans to make more stops on at least a 60-day trip.
“We’re on day six today. We came from North Bay, and our next stop is Winnipeg,” she said.
Learn more about Brosseau’s work and her Canadian tour at her website resilientinukcreations.ca. You can also donate to her journey through her GoFundMe.
On Saturday, emergency crews from across Thunder Bay competed to see who could pull a 12‑tonne fire truck 100 feet the fastest.
The Intercity Shopping Centre parking lot was closed off for the charity event supporting United Way.
Each team had a minimum fundraising goal of $1,000 to participate, and all proceeds went to United Way’s Areas of Impact initiative to addresses homelessness, youth well-being, food security, and other community priorities in Thunder Bay.
Nine teams came out to compete in Saturday’s charity truck pull (Jacob Henriksen-Willis / May 9 2026)
“This was an amazing event,” said United Way CEO Albert Brulé. “We had fabulous participation from first responders, uniformed personnel, and this amazing team of seniors called Limitless.”
Superior Fire Alarm Sales & Service was the presenting sponsor of the event. The company covers much of northwestern Ontario and provides a variety of fire alarm services including inspections, verifications, repairs and programming.
“We coined the term ‘pulling for the community’, and that’s what we’re doing,” Brulé said.
Thunder Bay Fire & Rescue took home the “Fastest Pull” prize (Jacob Henriksen-Willis / May 9 2026)
Trainers from Unleashed Fighting Fitness were on scene to help get the teams ready.
“We’re doing a little bit of jogging, some high knees, some butt kicks, some jumping jacks, some stretching,” said trainer Lexi Kaplanis. “The cops seemed pretty hype, but I think the firefighters got this one.”
The final standings for the 100-foot truck pull are as follows:
Team
Time (in seconds)
Thunder Bay Fire Rescue (“Pull Patrol”)
24.25
Thunder Bay Police Service
24.97
OPP Heavy Tow (emergency tow truck service)
29.75
Superior Fire Alarm & Park Electric
30.94
18 Field Ambulance
31.54
East Gorham Fire and Rescue
31.57
Limitless
31.72
Thunder Bay Airport
33.64
HMCS Griffin
33.77
“That was hard,” said police constable Tanka Awosika (jokingly). “Something tells me the firefighters had their foot on the brakes.”
Members of the OPP Emergency Task Force were on scene to show off some of their equipment (Jacob Henriksen-Willis / May 9 2026)
The Thunder Bay Police Service is urging students and families to avoid using imitation firearms in public after receiving a high-risk weapons call on Saturday for what later turned out to be a toy gun.
“Senior Assassin” is a game played by high school students that is growing in popularity. The goal of the game is to “eliminate” other students by spraying them with a water gun.
Holding water guns in public and chasing others with them can obviously resemble real criminal activity. Since this game is typically played in public spaces like parks and parking lots, the police are reminding students it can cause real fear and distress.
“When these items are displayed in public, officers must respond as though the threat is genuine until proven otherwise,” the police wrote in a press release. “Using imitation firearms in public spaces can result in unintended consequences, including criminal investigations, school-related sanctions, or injury.
Police are encouraging parents and guardians to speak with youth about making safe decisions and understanding how quickly these situations can escalate.
A 7-2 loss to Manitoba’s Niverville Nighthawks has the Thunder Bay North Stars in a tough position halfway through the Centennial Cup round robin.
The North Stars trailed 4-1 after the first period. They were out shot 41 to 17 over the course of Saturday’s game.
Defenceman Chase Cochrane received a 5-minute major and was ejected from the game for a hit to the head early in the second period.
Our two goals came from Easton Gloucher in the first period and Kayne Van Metre in the second.
The North Stars will face the Rockland Nationals of southeastern Ontario on Sunday. The Nationals are also winless in the tournament, losing their only game in overtime to the Canmore Eagles on Thursday.
Thunder Bay’s reigning SIJHL champs will likely need to win out to advance to the elimination round.
Emergency crews are on scene at the train crossing through Wilson and South Water Street as of Friday afternoon.
Thunder Bay Police Service officers were dispatched to the area around 3:00 pm in response to a call for service. Water Street is closed from Wilson to Pearl.
(Jacob Henriksen-Willis/May 8 2026 4:00 pm)
Drivers are advised that traffic is expected to be disrupted, and police are asking members of the public to avoid the area.
Police say there is no threat to public safety.
(Jacob Henriksen-Willis / May 8 2026 4:00 pm)
This is a developing story. Updates will be provided when available.
The view from the Acadia Broadcasting newsroom shows the effect Water Street’s closure had on traffic Friday afternoon (Jacob Henriksen-Willis / May 8 2026 4:30 pm)
Police are actively searching for a suspect in a violent assault near Boulevard Lake Thursday morning. Residents are advised to exercise caution around the area in the meantime.
At around 8:10 am on Thursday morning, 37-year-old schoolteacher Rebecca Carr says she was going for a jog by Boulevard Lake when she was struck from behind by a stranger.
“I was crossing a small bridge over the river and I noticed an individual, and right away, he gave me an interesting look and his body changed,” Carr said. “But, you know, that could be anything. So I kept on with my run. Within, say, 30-45 seconds of that, I’m clocked in the back of the head by him.”
Carr said the incident occurred around the Loop Trailhead parking lot near St. Ignatius High School.
A Google Maps pin of the approximate location of the assault (via Rebecca Carr)The Boulevard Lake area where Carr says the assault occurred. (Jacob Henriksen-Willis / May 8 2026)
“He shoved me to the ground and he kept swinging at my head,” she said. “I went into shock, I think I started screaming, what the —? I just couldn’t believe it, it’s my worst nightmare.”
“Once I was on the ground, I just decided that I had to fight for my life. So I started swinging back and hitting him as hard as I could.”
The man then put his knee on her neck and Carr began to fall out of consciousness, she said.
“When he was finally able to mount me with his knees, I did feel a little exhausted by that point. I was going, ‘I’m a mother. I have two kids.'”
Carr says that was when a car pulled up and the attacker fled.
“I lifted my head up and I saw a car that had stopped and I just ran screaming to that car,” she said. “These wonderful, wonderful high school students had decided to pull over and even more bravely, they allowed me into their car as I was running for my life.”
Images of Rebecca Carr after the Boulevard Lake assault (via Rebecca Carr)
Carr said the two occupants of the vehicle were a brother and sister from St. Ignatius High School. Their names weren’t shared to protect their identity, but Carr said the brother was in 12th grade and the sister was in 10th grade.
“I’m still a little emotional about that,” Carr said. “Ultimately they are the real heroes. They’re the reason I’m still here today.”
Carr said the students drove her to St. Ignatius where she waited for the police.
In a release shared Friday morning, the Thunder Bay Police Service warned that the suspect has not been located and that the investigation into the incident is ongoing. The suspect is described as being light-skinned, in his 30s or 40s, with grey in his hair and an unkempt appearance. Police say he may be wearing a yellow, orange and white plaid jacket.
(Jacob Henriksen-Willis / May 8 2026)(Jacob Henriksen-Willis / May 8 2026)
There is a police presence in the Boulevard Lake area where Carr says she was attacked. Drones (right image, visible top left corner) are being used to monitor the area.
Police are asking the public to use caution while using recreational trails in the area, and:
Walk with another person whenever possible
Avoid wearing headphones or earbuds that block out surrounding sounds
Remain aware of your surroundings at all times
Stay clear of dark, isolated, or closed-in areas
Carr shared her story on Instagram Thursday afternoon.
“I had an overwhelming response from women who run the trail, who have daughters that go to St. Ignatius that run or walk that trail every day,” Carr said. “It made me feel that there are some people out there who could potentially help and that they felt more confident to call the police about their gut instincts or dodgy situations they saw that morning as well.”
As of Friday afternoon, Carr says she is “shaken up” mentally as the shock from the assault wears off, but physically she is dong better.
This is a developing story. More updates will be provided when available.
