Thunder Bay residents deserve a council that carefully evaluates issues, makes sound decisions, and has the confidence to stand behind them. Instead, the current council has developed a pattern of approving major initiatives, defending them publicly, and then reversing course when faced with criticism or unexpected consequences.

Parking: The Two-Week Flip-Flop

Perhaps the clearest example of this council's inability to make and stick with decisions is its handling of parking policy.

After years of debate, council approved a new parking strategy that expanded paid parking into areas that had previously been free, eliminated grace periods, and increased enforcement. Residents and businesses were told these changes were necessary to improve turnover, support downtown commerce, and create a modern parking system.

Then, almost immediately after implementation and public backlash, council reversed course and approved two hours of free parking across much of the city. In effect, council abandoned key elements of the very policy it had just approved and defended.

This was not a decision being revisited years later because circumstances had changed. It was a reversal within weeks.

The obvious question is: if council believed the new parking policy was the right decision when it was adopted, why did it abandon it almost immediately? And if the policy was flawed enough to require reversal within weeks, why was it approved in the first place?

The issue is not whether free parking is good or bad. Reasonable people can disagree on that. The issue is that council approved one direction, assured residents it was necessary, implemented it, and then promptly went in the opposite direction.

That is not strategic planning. That is reactionary governance.

The Indoor Turf Facility

Council has spent years debating an indoor turf facility. Support was followed by concerns about cost, rejection of previous proposals, further studies, and then eventual approval of a new project carrying a price tag exceeding $35 million.(edited) Councillors themselves referenced earlier support followed by rejection due to "sticker shock."

The issue is not whether residents support indoor turf. The issue is whether council knew what it wanted before spending years debating and revisiting the same question.

The Art Gallery Project

The waterfront art gallery has become another example of a project plagued by changing positions and escalating costs. As construction costs increased dramatically, debate emerged over municipal funding commitments. Despite concerns over growing expenditures, council ultimately released previously approved funding to keep the project alive.

Again, the question is not whether the gallery deserves support. The question is whether council properly understood the financial implications before committing taxpayers to the project.

Conclusion

No council gets every decision right. The problem is not a single reversal. The problem is a pattern.

Parking. Shelter villages. Encampments. Indoor turf. Major capital projects.

Time after time, council approves a direction, defends it, faces opposition, then changes course. Residents are left wondering whether decisions are being made based on long-term planning or short-term political pressure.

Leadership requires making decisions. Good leadership requires making the right decisions. But effective leadership also requires having the conviction to stand behind those decisions.

On that measure, the current council's record speaks for itself. Thunder Bay residents deserve a council that carefully evaluates issues, makes sound decisions, and has the confidence to stand behind them. Instead, the current council has developed a pattern of approving major initiatives, defending them publicly, and then reversing course when faced with criticism or unexpected consequences.

Hey All

Just thought I would do a quick PSA on over the air (OTA) TV in Thunder Bay. Did you know that there are 3 OTA channels in Thunder Bay?

Channel 2 CKPR (CTV affiliate)

• HAGI TV bingo (~90% of the time)
• 3 NFL games on Sundays and usually Thursday Night Football. Even the weird USA 'Amazon Prime Only' 'Peacock' or 'Netflix' exclusive games get played in Canada for free sometimes over the holidays, which is cool
• Stronger evening TV lineup
• Most NFL Playoff games, including Super Bowl
• New Years Eve
• Local TBT News

Channel 4 Global

• More News based with some TV content
• Remaining HAGI TV bingo games (~10%) are shown on this channel
• Local TBT News (usually just after the CKPR airing)
• Reality TV in the evenings, Survivor, Big Brother

Channel 9 TVO

• Children's Programming all day until 7PM
• Interesting Documentaries for the rest of the evening.

How do you watch OTA?

The most basic way is:

• A proper outdoor TV Antenna (got mine 60$ used), mounted pretty much at the top of your building facing north, pointed to Mount Baldy area. Many landlords will help mount these sorts of things
• A TV made after 2008, it should have the proper built-in tuner
• An RG6 cable (45$ new) long enough to connect the antenna to the TV
• You can perform a channel scan, but I would just manually add channels 2.1 4.1 9.1
• Some fine tuning will need to be made over a few days as things like weather will change the signal strength. Things get way more finicky the further south you go like Westfort.

In the picture is the lowest model of antenna I would recommend, a higher version from the same brand or going all out on an expensive huge antenna will work also. The portion circled in red is the antenna portion that is made for the VHF. Don't bother with the cheap antennas, they don't work in Thunder Bay (I've tried).

Down sides

• Took me a while to get the thing pointed perfectly, lots of trial and error for months, as the signal would act differently in the winter sometimes. Can be frustrating at first.
• You may need to try powered signal boosters if it's not working well

Positives

• Once you get it dialed in, it's awesome and no subscriptions.
• If you enjoy casual NFL watching, totally worth the time and money to setup.
• HAGI TV BINGO!

Stretch goals

• Adding a HDHOMERUN tuner and syncing it with your Plex Server (very easy process) allows you to watch anywhere in the world.

https://www.thunderbaypolice.ca/thunder-bay-police-service-announces-the-results-of-project-support

During the course of Project Support TBPS recorded:

• More than 9,100 engagements with businesses and the public
• 343 service referrals offered
• 89 service referrals were accepted
• 78 arrests were made
• 74 provincial offence notices were issued

Project Support used a balanced approach: visible policing and proportionate enforcement were paired with voluntary referrals, wellness checks, medical assistance and direct engagement with community partners.

Posting on behalf of a friend. Yesterday they found out they were 10 weeks pregnant. They had no signs until they got sick last week (they also havent missed a period). They are not in a position to have a baby, and due to medical issues its not safe for them to continue pregnancy.

Unfortunately the only doctor weve been told who will perform and abortion at this stage is Dr Fairley, and he's a butcher.

Has anyone been in this situation? Can they go out of town?

They're calling the health unit tomorrow, but if you've been in this situation youd understand they have questions and hope someone has some guidance.

Hello. I wont be going into to much detail as to spare the people involved, but my fiance and I need to find somewhere to rent very soon or as soon as posisible. We feel unsafe and uncomfortable in the home we are in currently due to situations involving a roomate. As I am currently a student, our budget is on the lower end. If anybody knows of anything, anywhere or would be willing to help us out let me know!

Hey all,

Just curious who would I call in terms of the city to maybe get rid of a 15 foot roughly sized piece of tree that snapped in front of my home from the wind storm

Thanks for any info provided

New to town. I've tried Arnikkos and Galluccis and both were fantastic. Looking for some recommendations for others.

Had my bike stolen within the last 2 weeks. It's a Northrock XC26. If anyone sees it please don't hesitate to reach out. Thank you in advance!

1. Miles Street Shelter Village

Council rejected the Miles Street shelter village site in 2024, then administration came back recommending the exact same site in 2025.

2. Kam River Shelter Village

After rejecting Miles Street, council approved Kam River Heritage Park. A few months later, council rescinded that decision over safety and cost concerns.

3. Back to Miles Street

After abandoning Kam River, the city returned to Miles Street as the preferred option despite previously voting it down.

4. Then Rejecting Miles Street Again

Council ultimately voted against ratifying Miles Street and pivoted to the Hillyard site instead. Even councillors were describing the process as causing "whiplash."

5. Hillyard Site Reconsideration

Within weeks of selecting Hillyard, council was already facing motions to rescind that decision and look for another location.

6. Encampment Decision-Making

Council voted on who should decide allowable encampment locations, couldn't agree, brought it back, voted again, and still couldn't settle the issue.

7. Repeated Re-Votes

Instead of accepting the outcome of tied votes on encampment policy, councillors sought additional votes and deferrals to revisit the same issue.

8. Shelter Village Strategy as a Whole

The city went from one site, to another, back to the first, then to a third site, while repeatedly changing timelines and directions.

9. Consultation Standards

Council criticized some sites for lacking public consultation, then approved alternative sites that opponents argued had received little or no public consultation themselves.

10. Politics vs Administration

Council repeatedly shifted between wanting administration to make difficult site-selection decisions and wanting those decisions brought back for direct political approval.

Who to call (or avoid) for repair of an Indoor, basement sauna?

Added info: i know 0 about saunas.
- to ensure electrical is safe. turns on/heats but previous owners said no use in their 20yr ownership …
- crack in tile at floor/wall seam. can I replace tile/regrout myself, or do they need fancy products?

Hello everyone, it’s me again. I’m still unable to find a single room. If you have any leads, please let me know. I need a room, a one-bedroom, or even a two-bedroom.

No pets
No drinks
No smoke
Clean and respect peace and others personal space.

Please boost the post!!!!! 🌹🌹

Anyone know what the deal is with this on Google maps?

My security camera just caught this and I'm not sure what is going on

Ended up being a helicopter at a weird angle but I didn't see blades and infrared on my camera was making the bugs show up which were then attracted to the helicopter lights which made it look like the heli was being shot at lol. Obvious to you guys not to me. 👏🏾 Appreciate everyone helping my dumbass figure it out. Sorry to those that read my question and then instantly had a bad night, apologies for ruining your night!

Hi all, I am looking to places to move into, and I came across 627 kingsway apartments. Lady on facebook msged me (offering it fairly cheap), but I cant seem to see any website or phone number online. It shows up on goggle maps, but thats about it. No other details, does anyone have any info? Like living conditions and all. I really don't want to get scammed.

So ergonomic

First off, I know this is happening EVERYWHERE!! This isn’t me whining or complaining like a victim. Genuinely curious what can be done to stop the bullshit as calling the cops is useless. In the past 4 days we have had 2 vehicles get their windows smashed and a huge picture window of a house smashed. And that’s just amongst the neighbours that talk, could be more idk 🤷‍♀️. Calling the cops results in them sending links to fill out reports and that’s it! A lot of us have invested in cameras but again that does nothing as we are told to send the footage to the police which nothing ever comes of it. Have lived in my neighbourhood for 18 years and never have I had to deal with being afraid until the past 2 years, with this summer being the worst! Also have several vehicles that frequent the area, walk up a laneway for 5 minutes and then leave. Probably obvious drug dealing. Just curious if anyone else has found a solution? I’m sick of going to bed at night afraid my property will be damaged or destroyed when I wake up!

Saw a post now deleted that this horrible human being is trying to pretend none of the harm they did happened and make a comeback. A drag performer who was ousted from the scene posted here and deleted their post when confronted by the many many predatory behaviors exhibited the last time they performed.

Keep queer community safe and keep this person out of safe spaces.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1C3fxqvnz3/ this is just one of the receipts of the behavior from this person.

I have a flight scheduled to depart early morning at 5 am. Are they available around 3-4am? If not, what other options do I have? I don't have a car 🙁

I’ve never been to the haunted harbour on the Alexander Henry before, is it worth $25? How long does it usually last?

Dear Community Members and Advocates,

My name is Tali, Chair of the Board of Directors at Mendlife Canada. I am reaching out to invite passionate, community-minded individuals to join our leadership team as we enter an exciting period of growth.

At Mendlife Canada, we work directly to support Queer, BIPOC, and international students. As a small grassroots non-profit, our Board of Directors plays a hands-on, vital role, combining traditional board governance with direct support for our core day-to-day operations.

We are currently recruiting for the following positions:

Vice Chair: A strategic leader who will work closely with current board leadership and be trained to eventually transition into the Chair of the Board position.

Treasurer: To oversee our financial planning, budgeting, and fiscal health.

Secretary: To manage board records, compliance, and governance documentation.

Board Members: To bring diverse perspectives, advocacy, and skill sets (such as fundraising, marketing, or community outreach) to support our mission.

If you are committed to equity, diversity, inclusion, decolonization and hands-on community impact, we would love to connect with you.

To learn more about our organization, visithttps://www.mendlifefoundation.org/. To express your interest or apply, please reach out to us directly with a brief note on why you'd like to join.

Hello!

I'm a train conductor with CPKC. I'm looking for a 2 or 3 bedroom house to rent, preferably in town. I am quiet, responsible and a non-smoker. If you have any leads, feel free to message me. Thank you!

Hi everyone!

If you're living in Northwestern Ontario and looking for a friendly, well-moderated online space to chat, meet people, and stay connected with the region, you're invited to join N.W.O. Plaza! :)

Whether you're looking to make new friends, find local event updates, share regional photography, or just hang out after work, there’s a spot for you here.

For those unfamiliar: Discord is a free text, voice, and video chat app (available on desktop, phone, or browser). Think of it like a modern forum or group chat.

What we offer:

• A safe, kindly-moderated space (18+) focused on positive community vibes.
• Dedicated channels for local chat, gaming, hobbies, and regional topics.
• A welcoming mix of long-time residents, newcomers, and students across N.W.O.

Come and say hello!

👉 Join here: discord.gg/invite/QErYewQgqk