By Clint Fleury
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
TBnewswatch.com

THUNDER BAY — Nurses and caregivers from Bayshore Home Care Solutions held a rally Thursday afternoon, claiming they haven’t been able to negotiate a new contracts despite being unionized in November. Kathleen Moore, president of OPSEU SEFPO Local 745, claims nurses, personal support workers, and caregivers see a only small […]

By Rochelle Baker
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Canada’s National Observer

A collaborative cross-border study digging into forested tidal swamps in the Pacific Northwest has determined these ecosystems are carbon storage superheroes.  Found upstream from coastal estuaries and shorelines, but still subject to the flux of ocean tides, the woody wetlands feature a tangle of shrubs, grasses and trees, like willows […]

By Hugh Kruzel
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Sudbury Star

What is menopause, and is it the same for everyone? Those two questions are central to a symposium happening later this week in Sudbury. Event organizer Lisa Lounsbury, a menopause coach, says menopause “is something every woman will go through, but the experience is different for everyone. It’s a natural […]

By Maggie Macintosh
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Winnipeg Free Press

The Louis Riel School Division plans to transform more classrooms into child-care spaces before and after its bells ring to better support working parents. “We have a child-care crisis in the province… The school system has to be part of the solution,” said Christian Michalik, superintendent of the division that […]

By Carl Clutchey
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Chronicle-Journal

As the snow melts and grassy areas begin to dry out, Neebing’s fire department is recommending residents prepare early for the potential of spring wildfires. The department posted this week fire-prevention tips to the municipality’s website “to get this important information out to the community . . . to raise […]

By Mike Stimpson
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Thunder Bay Source

KENORA – Grassy Narrows community members hosted a rally Tuesday afternoon in downtown Kenora to send a message to federal politicians: Respect First Nations’ right to say no to nuclear waste disposal. The rally followed an email sent “on behalf of families from Grassy Narrows First Nation” to the members […]

By Clint Fleury
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
TBnewswatch.com

THUNDER BAY — Coun. Mark Bentz put forth for the second time a motion to implement for a four-ward system with one councillor in each ward, six councillors at-large and the mayor. Once again, the motion Bentz failed to convince his colleagues around the council chambers. “Last week at committee, […]

By Abdul Matin Sarfraz
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Canada’s National Observer

Despite years of public outcry and widespread criticism from experts and advocates over weakened conservation laws, the Ford government doubled down on its first day back in power — vowing to slash environmental oversight to fast-track mineral and infrastructure projects. Critics warn the plan will gut crucial environmental reviews, provoke legal battles, spark […]

By David Briggs
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
BayToday.ca

Erin Alladin’s new children’s book, Wait Like a Seed, tells a story about milkweed and the life cycle of monarch butterflies to impart valuable lessons to young readers. Alladin, who grew up in North Bay and now calls Parry Sound home, told BayToday that the life cycle of a butterfly […]

By Megan Hederson
Local Journalism Initiative
Reporter
muskokaregion.com

The District of Muskoka has officially lifted the state of emergency after the ice storm that hit in late March. “We’re used to severe weather in central Ontario, but this has been a very tough winter,” said District Chair Jeff Lehman. “That said, Muskoka has once again come together during a time […]

By Maggie Macintosh,
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Winnipeg Free Press

Manitoba professors are heeding advice to avoid the United States for all but “essential and necessary” travel in response to rising political tensions and attacks on academic freedom south of the borde The Canadian Association of University Teachers issued a travel advisory to members Monday over concerns about border searches […]

By Sandi Krasowski,
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Chronicle-Journal

The Ontario Prospectors and Explorers Symposium is underway in Thunder Bay, where miners, prospectors, support and supply companies, laboratories and service companies have come together to network and share information and ideas. Daniele Spethman, an exploration geologist and director of the Ontario Prospectors Association (OPA), is the co-ordinator of the conference that […]