The Thunder Bay Police Service has found a missing 39-year old man.
For assistance in future missing persons cases, contact police at (807) 684-1200.
You can also submit tips anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 and online at www.p3tips.com.
Canadian and U.S. coast guards are breaking the ice as the Port of Thunder Bay finishes opening operations.
The port is scheduled to welcome its first commercial ships with an opening ceremony on Wednesday.
The U.S. is sending in the Spar from Duluth, Minnesota to cut ice in smaller areas that Canada’s 6,872-ton Vincent Massey couldn’t reach over the weekend — a much more collaborative effort than the last time Canadians and Americans met on ice.
“The Vincent Massey is a large icebreaker and there were some areas that were too shallow for her,” said Port of Thunder Bay Director of Operations and harbour master Edi Lopez. “The Spar will be able to go in those areas and break the ice.”
Completed in 2001, the USCGC Spar is a 225-foot Juniper-class seagoing icebreaker operated by the United States Coast Guard. She operates with a crew of around 50 Coast Guard members.
“The Spar is a smaller boat and slightly older, but that doesn’t mean it’s not capable of breaking the ice,” Lopez said. “But the Vincent Massey is a newer vessel with more power capable of breaking thicker ice. This year we had between 18 and 24 inches of ice. So for that you need a lot of power.”
The CCGS Vincent Massey is an anchor-handling supply vessel converted to an icebreaking ship in September 2023. Named after the 18th governor general of Canada, she is 274 feet long and operates with a crew of 25 Coast Guard members.
“It doesn’t take her any effort to break through the ice,” Lopez said. “It’s like slicing through butter.”
The Vincent Massey is headed south to Sault Ste. Marie at the moment, but Lopez expects her to return later in the week.
“The forecast says there will be winds from the northwest that will flush out the ice from the harbour and having the Massey here will be great to get that handled,” he said.
“If we didn’t have the support of the two Coast Guards, it would be impossible for us to see all this commercial marine vessel traffic coming to our port. There aren’t any ships in Thunder Bay capable of breaking that ice. It’s a good thing that this is opening the moving wheel that is our marine industry.”
The Thunder Bay Police Services Board has shared their 2024 year-in review reports.
The number of reported missing persons is down 57% from 2024 to 2025:
| Year | # of missing persons |
| 2024 | 1901 (1 suspected foul play) |
| 2025 | 810 (0 suspected foul play) |
This year, the gender identity of missing persons was also included in the data:
Firearms seizures are also down significantly, a 29% decrease:
| Year | # firearms seized |
| 2024 | 267 |
| 2025 | 190 |
The number of sudden unexplained deaths has remained about the same:
| Year | Total # of sudden unexplained deaths* | Homicides | Accidental | Suicidal | Natural | Undetermined |
| 2024 | 328 | 8 | 6 | 12 | 170 | 8 |
| 2025 | 327 | 7 | 5 | 18 | 194 | 8 |
*-The remaining number of reported deaths would include those that remain in the open classification status, fatal motor vehicle collisions, or overdose/apparent overdoses.
The next TBPSB board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 21.
A large-scale drug trafficking investigation by the OPP’s Guns and Gangs Enforcement Team has led to another arrest.
Two handguns and 17g of cocaine were seized from the May Street home of a 52-year old Thunder Bay man on March 11.
He is charged with drug trafficking and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. He was held for a bail hearing and is scheduled to appear before the courts on Friday.
This arrest is part of a larger intelligence-led investigation into Thunder Bay drug trafficking that started this month.
The Thunder Bay Police Service announced today that a total of $68,502.50 was raised for two local charities through the Thunder Bay Police Service Inaugural Charity Gala on February 28.
That money will be split evenly between the Thunder Bay chapters of the Special Olympics and the Boys and Girls Club.
“People really enjoyed themselves,” said Police Chief Darcy Fleury. “It was a great way for community and police to come together and spend a night sharing some wonderful times and getting to know each other.”
The night began as a quiet gathering before officers arrived in full uniform to the sound of bagpipes. Dinner followed, keynote speakers took the stage, and the live band Throwback kept the celebration going all night.
“It was stunning,” said Thunder Bay Boys and Girls Club CEO Albert Aiello. “As soon as you walked in, you knew the environment was special. The way it was decorated, the entertainment, everyone dressed to the nines. It’s something that the city’s been missing for a long time. We haven’t had a formal gala in quite a long time.”
Aiello says the funds will go towards nutrition and leadership development programs for kids here in Thunder Bay.
Live and silent fundraising auctions were held throughout the event. On the block were barbeques, fire pits, helicopter rides, local artworks and vacation packages.
“The sponsorship from this community was fantastic,” Fleury said. “It was just unbelievable, and it really helps us an awful lot.”
The gala attracted over 270 attendees and smashed the station’s fundraising goal of $40-50,000. Fleury says the station will host another gala next year and raise funds for different charities.
“We met about it this afternoon, and we do want to make this an annual event,” Fleury said. “The big thing about that is you can’t just do the same thing. We have to roll out something new, we have to try and find new ideas and make it bigger and better.”
Registration is still open for Saturday’s youth ice fishing derby at Red Rock.
Kids 13 and under are invited to sign up for a fun, hands-on day of learning on Lake Superior.
Weigh-ins for caught trout, whitefish and perch starts at 1pm. Everyone will get a prize, but the closest fish to the mystery weight target will be crowned the winner.
“We’re putting the effort,” said Andrew Brown, President of the Red Rock Fishing and Game Club. “Ever since COVID, it’s sort of been hit-or-miss with the activities. We’re just trying to get the kids involved and keep them outside.”
Brown says excessive screen time is a big problem for this generation of kids, and the derby is a good way for them to learn valuable skills and reconnect with nature.
“It makes them independent. They need to figure things out on their own. We teach them about cleaning fish and how to take everything we need. We don’t waste anything, we’re eating the meat and utilizing everything that we take from the land,” he said.
“ID’ing fish is a big thing too. Some kids haven’t seen many different kinds of fish, right? They just think a fish is a fish. So it gives us an opportunity to educate there as well.”
There are currently 30 kids registered out of the club’s goal of 50. Prizes include lifejackets, tackle boxes and rods. The grand prize is an ice auger drill attachment for cutting holes in the lake ice. The club will accept registrants until 11 a.m. on Saturday at its clubhouse on Park Road near the local marina.
The Red Rock Fishing and Game Club is a nonprofit that relies entirely on volunteer help. It will host another fishing derby for all ages this June.
Multiple crews were required to bring a Shipley Street house fire under control at 10:30 am Thursday morning.
The first arriving Thunder Bay Fire Rescue unit was met by a resident of the home who had evacuated after being alerted by their smoke alarm. They said no other occupants were in the house, and they believed there was fire in the basement utility room.
Assistance was needed from Thunder Bay Police, Superior North EMS, Synergy North and Enbridge Energy before the blaze was extinguished. A total of 33 responders were at the scene.
The fire is currently under investigation.
The Thunder Bay Fire Rescue says they would like to remind the public that smoke alarms save lives, and never to re-enter a burning building.
The Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission (CEDC) presented the results of their Labour Market Outlook Study to more than 15 major local employers last week.
Here are the numbers as of October 2025:
Thunder Bay is significantly below the national unemployment rate of 6.9%.
The study was conducted by Dr. Camillo Lento, Dr. Robert Petrunia, and Dr. Karl Skogstad of Lakehead University. The CEDC says the results show a strong Thunder Bay workforce.
“Through this work, the CEDC aims to support a resilient and adaptive local economy, one where residents have access to meaningful employment opportunities and employers can effectively meet their workforce requirements,” the CEDC wrote in a press release. “The findings are intended to guide collaborative action that strengthens the long-term sustainability and prosperity of the Thunder Bay region.”
At the meeting, experts anticipated notable labor shortages in the health and trades, transport and equipment operator sectors. The CEDC says these patterns reflect the combined effects of population aging, increased retirements, and rising demand for health care services.
“The session is really about getting everyone in the same room and on the same page,” said CEDC CEO Jamie Taylor. “We regularly engage our major employers through community meetings like this to ensure we are supporting their needs while also responding to the broader needs of our community.”
The next generation of firefighters starts now—female and non-binary youth aged 15-18 are invited to a free, four-day summer firefighting camp in Thunder Bay this summer.
Camp Molly will be held from June 11-14. Registration is now open from now until April 30.
The camp showcases firefighting as a rewarding career by providing training in fire suppression, auto extrication and firefighter survival.
“We are thrilled to return to Thunder Bay,” said Paula Andreychuk, Camp Molly Treasurer and Thunder Bay Lead. “We’re looking forward to an incredible camp experience that will empower and challenge campers while helping them see themselves in a new and positive light.”
Camp Molly is named after Molly Williams, the first known female firefighter and first known Black firefighter in the United States.
According to the NY Daily news, when an influenza outbreak ravaged the men of a Lower Manhattan fire crew over 200 years ago, Molly Williams answered the call of duty. In the NYC Blizzard of 1818, Williams, a former slave, went out in a calico dress and checkered apron and took her place with the men on the front lines of a fire. She helped pull a pumper to the fire through the deep snow and tackle the blaze. Williams’ story is immortalized in Dianne Ochiltree’s children’s book “Molly, By Golly!“
Camp Molly aims to carry on her legacy by inspiring other firewomen.
“Hosting Camp Molly for the second time is an opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience, build teamwork, and develop practical skills, while being exposed to a career in the fire service and other emergency services,” said Dave Tarini, Acting Fire Chief. “Events like this do not happen without collaboration, and I want to recognize the many personnel from several divisions across the City of Thunder Bay, whose hard work and planning make this experience possible for the next generation.”
One person has been killed in an incident that forced the closure of the Trans-Canada Highway near Nipigon on Tuesday.
Provincial Police says it happened near Settler’s Road.
A person, who was driving a snowmobile, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The individual has been identified as a youth from the Lake Helen First Nation.
Their name has not been released.
The crash happened around 7:00 a.m. Tuesday morning. The incident is under investigation by Nipigon OPP, the Traffic Incident Management Enforcement Team and the coroner.
The incident forced the closure of the highway for several hours on Tuesday.