THUNDER BAY -- A portion of the Thunder Bay Art Gallery has become a sacred space.

Walking with our Sisters, an art exhibit commemorating missing and murdered Aboriginal women in Canada, opened at the art gallery Friday.

The travelling exhibit features more than 1,700 vamps, the tops of moccasins, that have been decorated by people from all across the country. Each vamp represents a missing or murdered woman.
Local co-lead organizer for the exhibit Leanna Sigsworth said the exhibit also honours women from the U.S. and even Australia.

Over the last four days, the local committee created a sacred space in one of the galleries.

“It’s an opportunity for people to come and to grieve, to honour and to acknowledge,” said Sigsworth, adding it’s also about creating awareness around why there are so many acts of violence directed towards Aboriginal women.

“First and foremost this is a space where people can come together as a community, as a family, as individuals where we can have a space to just be and honour those lives that have been taken too soon,” said Sigsworth.

In each community Walking with our Sisters goes to, the layout is guided by that city’s elders.
In Thunder Bay, in Ojibway and Fort William First Nation territory, Sigsworth said it was important to the elders to have a turtle design in the centre.

The turtle represents North America, known as Turtle Island, and is also a symbol of healing and life.
In the centre of the turtle are baby vamps that represent the children that went missing while attending residential schools and that centerpiece has two eagle staffs coming out of the turtle shell.

“It’s a very powerful symbol, and it’s very significant to us,” said Sigsworth.

The vamps are laid out on a grey carpet in the gallery and there is an empty portion of the carpet in the gallery that Sigsworth said was deliberately left empty.

“Families that have had a murdered or missing woman in our territory, in our community or in Northern Ontario are welcome to come down with a pair of vamps they would like to give to acknowledge their family member,” she said, adding those vamps would go through a ceremony before placed on the mat.

Thunder Bay Art Gallery director Sharon Godwin said the gallery is honoured to host Walking with our sisters.

“It’s, for our gallery, one of the very most important projects we’ve ever done. Lots of great artists have been shown here and lots of things have happened by Walking with our Sisters is very, very important to our space and their community,” she said.

The exhibit is free to the public and it was local fundraising efforts that brought the exhibit to Thunder Bay.
Walking with our Sisters is up at the Art Gallery until Oct. 12 and Godwin encourages people to come early to see it.

“This type of exhibit people will want to see more than once,” she said.

THUNDER BAY -- Addiction is a battle that can be overcome.

That was the message from the city’s first Recovery Day, an event to celebrate those who have prevailed through struggles with substance abuse, which was hosted by the Thunder Bay Drug Strategy and local Drug Awareness Committee at Prince Arthur’s Landing Saturday.

Nancy Hernandez-Basurto, chair of the Drug Awareness Committee and public health nurse, said the event allows people to change the narrative of addiction.

“Having conversations allows us to explore and dispel myths as well as celebrate the triumphs people have by sharing those stories and having those conversations,” Hernandez-Basurto said.

“They can say ‘here I am, I’m in recovery and I’m really proud of it’ or ‘I’m supporting someone in recovery and I’m really proud of it.’”

The event highlighted the different services that are available locally to help people in their fight, as well as information about the recovery process.

A compilation of stories of community members and their battles was shown, as well as a national documentary about the prevalence of addiction.

Organizers also had people who are in the recovery phase speak and share their stories about overcoming addiction.

One of those presenters was Dana Nobis.

Nobis spoke of her experiences more than six years ago in hospital while suffering from withdrawal, and the lack of compassion she encountered.

She acknowledged speaking about her experiences isn’t easy but knows it can help make a difference.

“For me to go up there is really hard but I do it because people need to hear my story and it’s important for people to know people have gone through it and there’s help out there,” Nobis said.

Hernandez-Basurto said a primary focus of the event was to create a sense of support and compassion while being curious to learn more about the struggle of addiction.

THUNDER BAY -- Christmas may be three months away but a group of local motorcycle enthusiasts are doing their part to ensure children in need receive holiday cheer.

About 100 bikers revved up their engines and roared across town Saturday afternoon for the 31st annual Toys for Tots Ride in support of the Salvation Army, the symbolic kick off of the charity’s Christmas toy drive.

Among those motorcyclists was the father and son duo of Michael and Stephen Abbott. This is the second time the elder Abbott has participated in the ride and the first for his son.

Michael Abbott said endeavours such as this one help show a different side to motorcyclists and hopefully erase stereotypes.

“I think there a lot of negative opinions of bikers and things like this help us to change those opinions and help people realize bikers are just like everybody else,” he said.

“We’re just trying to support the children and do what we can for the kids.”

Major Rob Kerr, the executive director of the local Salvation Army, said the leather jackets and powerful bikes should not confuse the general public.

They’re out to do good things and make a positive difference.

“It means these folks care about what’s going on in our community,” Kerr said. “As they want to help the community we’ve found a partnership with them. They can raise the toys, bring them to us and we make sure they get to where they need to go.”

The ride started at the Harley Davidson dealership on Arthur Street before proceeding through the city, ending at the Salvation Army’s headquarters on Cumberland Street.

While a significant number of motorcyclists would normally gather attention, the Abbotts in particular stood out as the two rode each with a massive stuffed gorilla riding on the back seat.

Stephen Abbott said the goal was to raise awareness for the ride and he’s convinced it worked.

“When we were on our way down for the ride there were people stopping and actually filming us in their cars as we were driving by, trying to slow down to get the pictures of us on our way down,” he said.

As the weather cools and snow blankets other parts of the region, the days are numbered for motorcyclists to take a ride on the bikes.

Going out together in numbers for a great cause is a great way to end the riding season, Kerr said.

“Although it’s early in the season this is one of the last rides they’re going to have on their bikes this year before they go away for winter so it’s a great way for them to wrap things up,” Kerr said.

THUNDER BAY -- People all over the world on Sunday are taking to the streets to demonstrate for the need to act against climate change.

Thunder Bay was no exception.

A few hundred city residents, along with many thousands across the globe, to take part in the People’s Climate Walk movement to stand up for a worldwide climate change treaty.

The local walk coincides with similar demonstrations happening all over the world, including a march in New York City which is expected to draw thousands of people. Two city residents have travelled to be a part of that event.

Other walks are occurring in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary as well as other Canadian cities.

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has called world leaders to meet in New York this month to advocate for the creation of a treaty to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.

“Today we realize the need to get off fossil fuels is critical. What the international panel on climate change says is that we have 15 years to change our trajectory for more and more fossil fuels to less and less fossil fuels,” event organizer Scott Harris said.

“That’s not a lot of time.”

The walk, which organizers said was the largest of its kind in Northwestern Ontario for people concerned about climate change, started at Hillcrest Park before proceeding down Red River Road and ending in Waverley Park.

Celina Reitberger attended the gathering at the urging of her daughter, who identifies as an environmentalist.

She said the technology is available to create cleaner energy, it’s just a matter of committing to it.

“I think if we put as much effort as we do extracting oil from the tar sands we could come up with solar and wind energy as well as many alternatives,” Reitberger said

“We could replace gas guzzling cars with electric cars. There are many things we can and should do. We just need the will to do it.

Curniss McGolldrick, the city’s Earth Care climate adaptation and communications coordinator, said the demonstration is a valuable opportunity to her the opinions of local residents on climate change.

“This is an important issue not only for the world and the country but also for Thunder Bay. It affects Thunder Bay citizens closer to home than we think,” McGolldrick said.

“People want to see this become a priority for the city and they want to see action come from the municipal government and they want it to be supported at a broader level.”

Harris said the region has made strong stands in environmental efforts in the past, citing the resistance against nuclear waste depositories, seeing two generating stations switch from burning coal to a cleaner biomass and the saving of the Experimental Lakes Area.

That kind of impact might be overlooked by the pulic.

“We’ve had quite a record of changing the course of history,” Harris said.

Reitberger acknowledged the chances of the walk here changing the world may seem minimal but stressed if the message is spread it can make a substantial impact.

“We need to raise everyone’s consciousness,” she said. “If they come out and this is the first time they’re hearing about it and now they’re thinking about this, then it’s a success.”

Jory Zechner is The Next Star.

The 15-year-old from Nipigon was declared the winner of the YTV singing competition during Sunday night’s live finale at Canada’s Wonderland, after 3.5 million votes were cast across the country.

She was one of six finalists who had a chance to win the seventh season of the popular under-15 competition, the country’s longest running televised singing series.

For Jory, who counts Avril Lavigne and Demi Lovato among two of her inspirations, this is the next step in pursuing something she has always enjoyed.

“Even before I could talk I was humming and dancing around the house. It’s just always been a passion of mine,” she said recently in an interview in Thunder Bay.

“I started taking lessons when I was six or seven and I’ve always just loved it. I would go in the music festival here in Thunder Bay and different competitions and I just loved it. People started telling me, ‘Hey, you’re pretty good.’ And I was like, ‘Really?’

Family and friends back home in Nipigon gathered to watch the results unveiled life and jubilation ensued when she was announced as the winner. 

She originally caught the attention of the show after driving more than 10 hours for an audition, wowing judges and producers with her voice and guitar.

Jory then captured the hearts of the viewers with her blue-streaked hair and her rendition of Canadian songbird Serena Ryder’s What I Wouldn’t Do.

She performed her first single, Up to Us, live during the finale. The song is also available on iTunes.

Jory will receive a recording contract, a new Ephiphone Masterbuilt acoustic guitar and a $5,000 shopping spree as prizes.
Past winners of the show include Juno Award nominees and platinum selling artists Victoria Duffield and Alyssa Reid.
 

The Savour Superior Food and Drink Festival starts serving Thunder Bay this Friday.

Keep an eye on tbnewswatch.com for special web episodes of featured participants of this food and drink expo daily. Thursday’s episode features John Murray of the Red Lion Smokehouse who gives us a taste of three varieties of pulled pork sandwiches.

The Food and Drink Festival takes place September 12 and September 13 at the CLE grounds.

To learn more about the festival, including ticket information, visit online here or check out the Facebook page here.

The Savour Superior Food and Drink Festival is just around the corner.

Keep an eye on tbnewswatch.com for special web episodes of featured participants of this food and drink expo daily. Tuesday’s episode features Cole Snell, of Superior Foods, who cooks us a dry-aged beef steak before making fresh mozzarella.

The Food and Drink Festival takes place September 12 and September 13 at the CLE grounds. To learn more about the festival, including ticket information, visit online here or check out the Facebook page here.



Tune in for Wednesday’s episode: Chef Nikos Mantis gives us a sneak peek of his balsamic infused goat cheese tart with rosemary vanilla marinated cherry tomato and sandy acres pork cheek pancetta.

THUNDER BAY -- Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable disease.

“Sometimes your diagnosis is not always good in the beginning but if you get on the new drugs … you can do really well if you have MS,” said Carol Voth, treasurer of the local chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, of drugs developed in the last 10 years to treat the neurological disease.

Voth was on hand Wednesday afternoon at the official opening of the Multiple Sclerosis Society Park located within Junot Park.

Within the park is a bench dedicated to the memory of the Voth’s sister Penny, who was diagnosed in 1987 with MS. She died in 2010 of cardiac problems.

“There are over 100,000 people in Canada and we have the highest rate in the world of MS here in Canada,” she said.

MS Society local chapter board chairwoman Linda Adamson said they’ve been working on having the park installed for three years.

It was made possible through the city’s community partnership funding.

Adamson said they chose the spot in Junot Park for its visibility.

“It’s on a busy street. The other thing was the accessibility factor. We wanted people to be able to park and come along the path and be able to see it and use it,” she said.

The idea for the park came from a board member’s spouse had MS; he wanted a space that would commemorate people who have had the disease and also be used for the society’s various events, including their annual picnic.

THUNDER BAY -- Genevieve Beauvais is proud of her French heritage.

On Thursday she joined hundreds of students from Franco-Superieur and La Verendrye, waving flags, tooting horns and toting signs on a march between the two French-language schools in celebration of Franco-Ontarian Day.

The annual festivities are important to her culture, the 11-year-old said. Thursday also marked the beginning of a year- long celebration marking the 400th anniversary of the French arriving in Ontario.

“It’s a day we can all remember and celebrate French and the flag and the lifting of it,” Genevieve said.

“It’s the day we came here.”

Watching her classmates decked out in Franco-Ontarian colours was pretty special, she added.

“For me it’s seeing everybody dressed in green and white and being happy about it and being proud,” she said.

Diane Quintas, the executive director of the Réseau du mieux-être francophone du Nord de l'Ontario, said francophones are proud of who they are and the parade and subsequent ceremony, which included raising the Franco-Ontarian flag at both La Verendrye and City Hall, are a reminder of the contributions French-speaking people have made to the country.

“It’s a day to celebrate all those accomplishments, to celebrate that pride and to just have fun, be together,” Quintas said.

The message she wanted the students to depart with is the same one she delivers to her own two children, aged four and six, each and every day.

“Wear that Francophone pride and be proud of it. Do not be worried or scared to speak French to each other; to say hello, to say bonjour, to say merci and to be out there and that it’s important. It’s cool to speak French. And you know what, it is,” she said.

Thunder Bay was one of 16 communities across the region where the occasion was marked. Flag-raising, city hall ceremonies also took place in Atikokan, Dryden, Ignace, Longlac, Nakina, Beardmore, Geraldton, Kenora, Marathon and Terrace Bay. Flags are also being raised in Nipigon, Fort Frances and Schreiber.

Elodie Bedouet, the executive director of the Association des francophones due Nord-Ouest de l’Ontario says that shows how widespread the culture is across the region.

Not to mention, it’s a lot of fun.

“Everyone can come and join the celebrations,” she said. “It’s also recognition of the identity and the contributions of Francophones, so to be proud of whom we are.”

THUNDER BAY -- Derek Burney says Canada is facing new threats on every front.

The former ambassador to the United States, in a new book Brave New Canada ($29.95, McGill-Queen’s University Press), co-written with Fen Hampson, says if Canadians want to continue to compete in an increasingly competitive world, drastic changes are needed in both the country’s foreign and domestic policies.

Ignoring the problem will undoubtedly see Canada left behind.

“We believe there are several things in terms of policies and priorities that Canada needs to change if we intend to safeguard our interest against the threats and if we expect to take advantage of the new economic opportunities that are out there,” said Burney, a Thunder Bay native who also serves as chancellor at Lakehead University, where on Thursday he delivered a speech to students and faculty detailing some of the theories outlined in the book.

The threats are many, Burney said.

“I think the biggest threat is the kind of terrorism that we’re seeing in the Middle East today,” said Burney, a one-time chief of staff for former prime minister Brian Mulroney.

“Hacking of cyberspace, environmental degradation, I mean these are phenomena that were not conventional 20 years ago and we really don’t have institutions in the world capable of dealing with them, as the ebola crisis today illustrates.

“So we’re suggesting how some of these multilateral institutions should be formed, how Canada’s contribution to them should be calibrated, for the ones that are working, not the ones that aren’t.”

Where violent threats are concerned, Burney said he believes Canada needs a much stronger security footprint.

He pointed to Asia as a particular concern down the road.

“The area of future conflict, we predict, is going to be east Asia,” Burney said.

The book touches on ways Canada should reset its relations with the United States, and showcases the authors’ theories of how the country can seamlessly adapt to the new global landscape.

Complacency is another threat to the country. A failure to act could be disastrous he said, which is why he wanted to get his message across to students.

“They’re the future. I talk a lot about complacency. We talk a lot about the comfort of the North American cocoon. I think if we can get a message to the younger Canadians that there’s more to the world than North America and that they should be less risk-averse than their predecessors, that’s a good message to get out.”


 

The Savour Superior Food and Drink Festival is just around the corner.

Keep an eye on tbnewswatch.com for special web episodes of featured participants of this food and drink expo daily. Tuesday’s episode features Cole Snell, of Superior Foods, who cooks us a dry-aged beef steak before making fresh mozzarella.

The Food and Drink Festival takes place September 12 and September 13 at the CLE grounds. To learn more about the festival, including ticket information, visit online here or check out the Facebook page here.



Tune in for Wednesday’s episode: Chef Nikos Mantis gives us a sneak peek of his balsamic infused goat cheese tart with rosemary vanilla marinated cherry tomato and sandy acres pork cheek pancetta.

THUNDER BAY -- Terry Fox is a symbol of perseverance.

That’s what students at C.D. Howe Public School learned this week as they have been rewarded for not giving up on various tasks or challenges with a trip to the Terry Fox monument Friday afternoon.

Grade 6 student Eliza Goodwin said it’s important to honour Terry Fox because he’s a hero to the nation.

“He did things people didn’t think he’d be able to do. He ran not knowing he had cancer again coming back. He ran for charities to help other people defeat their cancer,” said the 11-year-old.

Eliza said the message Fox sent to all Canadians is to never give up.

“Your dreams never stop; go on with them,” she said.

C.D. Howe principal Wayne McElhone said they are using Fox to teach the lesson of perseverance because he is a heroic figure in Canadian history.

“If someone like him could persevere and do that, you can do that in school,” he said.

Teachers have been recognizing perseverance in students with a star beside their name on a bulletin board.

One young student played 50 games of chess before beating his father at the game.

THUNDER BAY -- The Ice Bucket Challenge has completely changed the conversation about ALS.

The summer social media phenomenon raised $15 million in Canada alone after videos of celebrities and ordinary people dumping frigid water on themselves went viral.

ALS Canada regional manager Kim Barry said the funds raised by the campaign were as much as the organization is usually able to raise over seven years.

“It’s brought it to the forefront for the community to know what ALS is and the impact is huge,” she said before the start of the local chapter’s walk.

“Not only did it bring the money for research and client services it got people talking about ALS.”

About 200 people came out for the walk, which took place on a beautiful Saturday morning around the Chapples Park area.

Murray Brown, a staff sergeant with the Thunder Bay Police Service, has been battling the disease for nearly two years.

The change in perception of the degenerative neurological disorder over the past number of months has been unbelievable.

“It’s really brought awareness for the forefront,” Brown said. “Talking to the participants here ALS is more known now nationwide than it has ever been and that’s a great thing.”

There are currently nine people living in Thunder Bay with ALS. The funding from the Ice Bucket Challenge goes a long way towards researching treatments to assist current patients, as well as provide them with the necessary supports.

Despite all the funding, ALS continues to claim more victims.

“Unfortunately we have a couple of new ALS clients in Thunder Bay,”Brown said. “They and their families were able to come join us today…As a client of ALS we love that”

While Barry said the social media campaign provided the organization with unparalleled funding, the annual walks taking place around the country are how a sustained difference will be made.

THUNDER BAY -- Kellie Huffman hopes no parent has to go through what she has.

Her daughter Bronwyn has spent the past few years in countless medical battles, starting with her fight against cancer.

That’s why she organized the first annual Gold Walk, a charity event to show support for those afflicted with childhood cancer and to raise funds for better treatments. Many of the children wore gold or dressed as superheros.

“Cancer is the No. 1 killer in this country of children over the age of one,” Huffman said before the start of the walk. “The treatments tried to take our daughter away from us and we’re lucky she survived.”

Bronwyn had just completed her final cancer treatment, which consisted of intensive radiation and chemotherapy, before she went into heart failure.

That resulted in a second battle for her life as she underwent a heart transplant.

There has to be a better way, Huffman said.

“I knew I had to do something, big or small, to try to raise awareness to impact our governments to say we need to invest more in our children,” she said.

With the walk being in its first year, Huffman wasn’t sure what kind of turnout she would see. She knew she would have family and friends but said she was overwhelmed to see complete strangers. People met at Hillcrest Park before walking down to the Bay-Algoma area.

Fellow families who have gone through adversity have developed a bond.

“They get the situation like nobody else does,” Huffman said. “We’re planning on starting a support group for parents of childhood cancer here in Thunder Bay because it was something we really relied upon when we were in Toronto and London for treatments.”

Douglas and Carolyn Anderson too have been impacted by childhood cancer, when their now 10-year-old son Micah was diagnosed with a form of brain cancer last summer.

“Last year we were just getting ready for school and being busy and then all of the sudden you’re a part of the cancer world,” he said.

“We didn’t know a lot about childhood cancer other than maybe somebody who had leukemia or something. Now that we know we’re trying to help spread awareness that it’s prevalent and needs more research money.”

The toll that surgery and multiple treatments has had on Micah has been extensive.

However, his spirit hasn’t changed.

“He’s been very brave and very positive all along,” Anderson said. “It took a lot out of him but he came through it really well and we’re just so grateful.”

THUNDER BAY -- Fundraising coordinators at the Shelter House decided they needed a new event to spice up their efforts.

They wanted to offer something unique that very few people could say they had ever done before. It’s safe to say not many people had ever pulled an actual airplane.

Eleven teams were able to change that Sunday, taking part in the first annual Plane Pull for Shelter event, which was held at the Wasaya Airways hangar at the Thunder Bay International Airport.

“It’s kind of a signature event for Thunder Bay. There’s nobody else doing it,” Shelter House executive director Patty Hajdu said.

“We thought why not take a chance. The relay has been dying and we needed another event that could be ours and was really unique.”

Hajdu went a step further than just helping organize, as she was a member of the Shelter House team that participated.

Organizers collaborated with local Strongest Man athletes to have them be a part of the event. The teams were able to bid on the services of a Strongest Man to assist in the plane pulling, while the athletes solo pulled the planes later in the afternoon.

Ben Thompson, a local athlete, said pulling a plane is even an achievement for them.

“It’s a heavy plane. When we tested it out it was very heavy,” he said.

“It’s a big deal for us. A lot of us are trying to get to that next level. I’m trying to compete at the World Amateur Championships next year so I want to build a resume so organizers of those events can see I’m a legitimate and if they see me pulling a plane, they know I mean business.”

The Strongest Man competitors were on the sidelines providing assistance and encouragement to the teams.

Giving back to a community that has embraced the Strongest Man competitions was an easy decision.

A number of those participating were members of corporate teams. Lindsey Vandenberg was one of the pullers on the Halfway Motors Nissan squad.

She said the opportunity to pull a plane was something too big to pass up, especially with the camaraderie the group was able to build.

“Lots of our staff have been working out and running,” she said. “It’s a really good event for us to come together as a team and do a fun event for charity.”

Organizers of the event set a lofty goal, aiming to bring in $50,000 for the Shelter House.

THUNDER BAY -- It is possible for one to continue making a difference in the community even after they’re gone.

That’s the message from Katrina O’Neill, the chair of the Community Giving Group, who is partnering with Investors Group, BDO Canada and the law firm of Atwood, Labine, Arnone and McCartney to host a series of estate planning seminars, encouraging people to look into the process of making legacy gifts.

“People are starting to really understand the importance of making a legacy gift and making a planned gift in their will. Not only does it benefit their family and their estate taxes but it benefits their community. They really make an impact on the programs and services that are important to them,” O’Neill said Monday morning at a media conference announcing the seminars.

“Chances are they will be able to make a more significant gift than they ever could in their lifetime, really leaving that legacy for those to come ahead.”

The Community Giving Group is a local entity composed of five charities to promote the idea of legacy giving, leaving a gift behind to the community after death.

The charities are the Thunder Bay Community Foundation, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation, St. Joseph’s Foundation, Northern Ontario School of Medicine and Confederation College.

Investors Group regional director Donna Yocom said making a legacy gift can have significant benefits to an individual estate.

The tax breaks from making a donation can offset costs such as capital gains tax, which can be quite hefty.

“When they work with their charities and professional advisors they can find out how to structure a gift in the most tax efficient manner, while benefitting the charities that are near and dear to them,” Yocom said.

It is never too early to think about making decisions and starting to have the legal framework put in place to prepare for the future.

One of the most common misconceptions about end of life planning is that it is difficult or expensive, a notion O’Neill wants to dispel.

“This is a process people should really begin when they buy their first home, get married or when they have their first child,” O’Neill said.

“Having a will is really about planning for your future. People put it off because they think it’s costly but we spend more on a television than we would getting a will made but a will protects everything for you and your family.”

The seminars are free to the public and will be held on Monday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the Victoria Inn.

THUNDER BAY -- As the holiday season begins to approach local food banks are bracing for their busiest time of the year.

Between the elderly, students, single parents and people who only have season summer employment, the fall and winter becomes a significant time of need for the Regional Food Distribution Association.

With the first traditional holiday feast only two weeks away, executive director Volker Kromm said this is a time when he hopes people think about picking up an extra item or two while grocery shopping.

“We see this big spike,” Kromm said Monday. “We’re asking them when they start setting their Thanksgiving table to think about regular giving towards the end of the year.”

The RFDA is launching their seventh annual Harvest for Hunger, a three-day food drive that gives the regional distributor a jump on the increasing demand.

The campaign comes at an optimal time for the RFDA, which is down to nearly the bare minimum in terms of priority items such as canned meat, juices, vegetables and other non-perishable sources of protein such as peanut butter.

“We’re down to about a palette and a half,” Kromm said.

The food drive, which will be taking place at all of the major grocery stores in Thunder Bay and across Northwestern Ontario, running from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Thursday and Friday evenings. It will then go from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Kromm said the organization needs to raise at minimum at least 10 tonnes of food, though he hopes they will receive as much as 15 tonnes.

THUNDER BAY -- Lakehead University’s law school has a new name – the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law.

Named after the Thunder Bay native and 14th Chief Justice of Canada, founding dean of law Lee Stuesser said the name change was a natural fit.

“I think we well recognize this is a special building. We’re doing some special things here and Bora Laskin was a revolutionary in terms of legal education and we’re doing some interesting things here at Lakehead so frankly it was a natural fit,” he said.

The announcement was made late Tuesday afternoon at the Faculty of Law’s donor reception in the law school, located in the former Port Arthur Collegiate Institute.

Bora Laskin spent 14 years on the Supreme Court of Canada, 10 of which were as the Chief Justice. He died in 1984.

His daughter Barbara Laskin and nephew John Laskin attended the reception Tuesday and Barbara Laskin said naming the law school after her father was an incredible honour.

“I and the family find it a very moving gesture on the part of this faculty,” she said. “I think my dad would have loved to know that this was here. The fact that it’s his birthplace and it’s going to bear his name and the Laskin name which has been so long associated with Thunder Bay is very, very meaningful to us.”

When Lakehead was still working on establishing the faculty of law, which this fall saw its second class of freshman attend, Barbara Laskin said she heard throughout the law society that people thought the school could be named after her father.

“I never dared to think that would happen,” she said.

“It’s wonderful and heartwarming.”

Lakehead also has one of its buildings on its main campus named after Bora Laskin.

THUNDER BAY – Community organizations are looking to give people input on how to make changes in the city.

United Way Thunder Bay is launching their Thunder Bay Counts initiative, which is designed to combine members of the public with community organizations to create solutions to social issues and obstacles.

Sandra Albertson, United Way Thunder Bay’s director of community impact, said the issues facing the community are already fairly well-known.

“The needs aren’t new to Thunder Bay. I think what we need to do is look at a new way of helping people who are working and living with those needs in our community and then working at a new way of collective impact,” Albertson said

“Areas that have been identified are areas like housing, mental health needs, needs around addictions and transportation.”
Albertson acknowledged there already a significant number of different groups working to address the issues, each with their own plans and strategies.

What makes Thunder Bay Counts different is that it plans to utilize all of those existing tools and bring them together in an efficient manner.

“It’s working in many sectors, bringing many groups together who may not normally partner together but who are working for the same kind of goals,” she said.

“Once we have the community goals established we’re going to be talking to different partners and also to the city. We have the Thunder Bay Counts roundtable which is a grouping of the 20 or so key organizations that are the backbone organizations of the city.”

The initiative is a two-year pilot project that is being run in collaboration with the Northwest Innovation Centre.

The first community discussion was held Tuesday afternoon at the Lakehead Labour Centre with smaller focus group studies also taking place.

A second one will be taking place on Thursday from 6 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. at the Labour Centre.

“This is one of our many efforts to engage the community and get them thinking about what they would like to see Thunder Bay look like in the future,” Albertson said.

There is also a survey, which can be completed online.

THUNDER BAY -- Gail Kromm hopes the Christmas spirit comes early to Thunder Bay.

On Tuesday the co-chairwoman of the annual Rotary Christmas parade put out a call to city residents, encouraging them to come up with their best float ideas for the Nov. 15 event.

Use your imagination, Kromm said.

“We just hoping now to build on getting people participating in the parade, having some fun exciting, new floats that all the children that come out to see them will just say, ‘Wow,’ Kromm said.

Building a good float isn’t that tough, she  added, though no Santa Claus costumes are allowed, with Jolly Old Saint Nick at the tail end of the parade as always.

“I think anything with a Christmas theme, something that has maybe animals or anything that children would relate to,” she said.

“Anything that is put together well and is decorated, that’s what we’re looking for.”

The annual parade has become a wonderful tradition in its 24 years of existence, said Jodi Phillips, president of the Fort William Rotary Club.

And as always, it’s always about the children.

“What we’re trying to focus on for this year is our floats. We’re looking for floats that are the largest, loudest, most fun with a Christmas theme,” Phillips said.

The parade is a great way for people to forget about the weather.

“We have a very, very long winter. Opportunities for us to come out and celebrate together in the winter season is very important. We get a fabulous turnout of children and their families,” Phillips said.

Parade organizers say it’s free to register a float, which can be done by visiting www.fwrotary.ca or by phoning Kromm at 627-6512.

The parade is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on Nov. 15, starting at the Real Canadian Superstore parking lot. It will end at the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium.