Local News from Across the Rainy River District
After a successful first year, the Rainy River Valley Agricultural Society (RRVAS) is bringing back the Fair Ambassador program, which replaced the former Fair Queen program as of last year’s RRVAS Fall Fair. Open to all residents of the Rainy River District aged 17 to 24 of all genders, the […]
Darcy Whitecrow considers it his duty to preserve his culture, planting its seeds through traditional language and a connection to nature. A member of Seine River First Nation, Whitecrow says he is here to pass on the lessons he has learned through family, a traditional Ojibwe upbringing and life experience. […]
This wildfire season has been a brutal one in Northern Ontario, with dry conditions creating the conditions for a whopping total of 604 fires so far—outstripping the 388 seen in 2025 and far above the 10-year average of 408 per year. The fires have been big and nasty: more than […]
An old wooden rotary telephone sits quietly at the edge of the Little Falls Cemetery in Atikokan. Unconnected to any wires, its only power source is the heavy breeze rustling through the nearby pines. This is a wind phone, a newly installed monument designed to offer a unique, comforting way […]
Environment Canada says the district should see little rain as dry conditions continue. For most of July, the Thunder Bay district’s precipitation has been 25 to 50 per cent below normal, according to warning preparedness meteorologist Peter Kimbell. “That’s probably going to continue for the next little while because the […]
TORONTO — The Steelworkers Humanity Fund (SHF), the charitable arm of the United Steelworkers union in Canada, says it is donating $20,000 to support people and communities evacuated by recent wildfires in Northwestern Ontario, as well as future wildfire relief efforts across Canada. In one of the worst wildfire seasons […]
The City of Thunder Bay is seeing a construction boom, with building permit numbers far surpassing those at the same time last year. Halfway through the year, the numbers from the second quarter to the end of June show the total building permit construction value at $146.4 million. Joel DePeuter, […]
THUNDER BAY – Organizers of the Wake the Giant Music Festival coming here this September have asked city council to consider buying 50 new crowd-control barriers to ensure public safety. Co-founder Sean Spenrath made the request to the city’s quality of life standing committee, an ask that also includes storage […]
Suffering from age-related hearing loss is not a minor aggravation — yes, it is annoying to have to ask for everything to be repeated and equally annoying that others have to yell so they can be heard, but the impact on someone’s life as they lose hearing goes far beyond […]
The federal government is making online passport renewal more available to eligible adult Canadians living in Canada by removing a 2,000-person-per-day limit on the service. Canadians can complete their passport renewal application online by submitting their application, photo and payment digitally—instead of mailing documents or visiting a Service Canada Centre, […]
The provincial and federal governments have announced a $7.2-million investment aimed at helping protect workers in Northern Ontario from global economic uncertainty, allowing more than 500 people to upgrade skills, transition into in-demand careers and ensure local employers have the skilled workforce they need. The investment made through the Canada-Ontario […]
NESKANTAGA — Evacuees will fly back to Neskantaga First Nation terrain Wednesday and Thursday, Chief Gary Quisess says. “Yeah, we’re going to start flying people home tomorrow,” Quisess said Tuesday in a phone interview. The First Nation, about 430 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay, began evacuating medically vulnerable members on July 18 as smoke […]
