Thunder Bay

Health care students planning a career in northern Ontario are now invited to apply for the NOSM University Summer Studentship Program.

The paid summer experience lets students work in Northern rural communities to explore professional interests and build connections.

Learners in a variety of regulated health professions are eligible, according to the NOSM University website:

Applications close February 15. A resume and a Letter of Good Standing are required. Click here to apply if interested.

Funded by the Ministry of Health, the program has a track record of successfully recruiting professionals to the Northern Ontario health-care workforce.

Ontario’s 2026 pre-budget consultation tour ended on Thursday in Sudbury, following almost two months of visits to municipalities around the province.

Wednesday’s Thunder Bay visit marked the provincial government’s only stop in northwestern Ontario.

Representatives from Ontario’s Progressive Conservative party heard presentations from the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Poverty Free Thunder Bay, the Thunder Bay and District Injured Workers Support Group, the Thunder Bay Real Estate Board, and many more local and regional interest groups.

Representative Dave Smith, MPP for Peterborough—Kawartha and the parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Finance, says many of the region’s issues are felt across northern Ontario, such as rising homelessness, the need for more long-term care home spaces, and a lack of access to veterinary care.

He says the province is looking out for common themes that many places have to deal with, even if their local nuances demand slightly different solutions.

“If in 10 of the 15 communities that we go to, we hear that there are challenges around infrastructure, then obviously we need to have a program specifically for infrastructure,” Smith says. “If we’re hearing a lot of one-offs on things, that’s a little bit harder to address from the budget standpoint, because we’re developing programs for the entire province.”

Smith says northern and southern issues can sometimes diverge, with communities in the north less concerned about something like subway lines.

But he says many issues are common throughout the province, such as long wait times to build new long-term care spaces.

“The process from start to finish is five to eight years from when someone says, ‘let’s build one’ until it’s actually open. You hear that across the province, regardless of where it is,” he explains.

Smith suggests that provincial programs need to be adaptable, so individual localities can shape them for their individual needs.

“If we hear that there’s a challenge with homelessness, it’s always a little different in Thunder Bay than it is in say Peterborough or Brockville or Ottawa, so you need to have that flexibility.”

Smith is grateful for the chance to “get out of the Toronto bubble and hear what’s going on.”

He says the provincial legislature in Queen’s Park is very Toronto-centric.

“We always have to keep in mind that we represent all of Ontario, not just Toronto itself.”

Local foster owners of cats and dogs are saying goodbye as their furry friends head to adoption centres in southern Ontario.

These animals fly in to Sioux Lookout from shelters across northwest Ontario, then they’re driven to Thunder Bay where volunteers open their homes until the Bark Bus was ready to depart.

“Thunder Bay can’t sustain this number of animals for adoptions,” said cat coordinator Sam Kannegiesser. “So we filter them down south to southern Ontario. These guys are going to humane societies, home-based rescues, foster-based rescues.”

She says that doesn’t make leaving any easier.

“It’s hard saying goodbye,” Kannegiesser said. “It’s very tearful. I’m saying goodbye to kittens I’ve had since November. But it’s amazing to watch them thrive in the south, and know that we opened up a spot for another one in the north.”

This operation happens around once a month. It’s run by Northern Reach Animal Rescue, who say volunteers are needed at all levels.

“Everybody here is a volunteer,” said President Amie Kempe. “Everybody is here out of the goodness of their hearts to do what they can for animals in need.”

Those interested in volunteering can apply on the Northern Reach website.

The Thunder Bay Art Gallery’s Northern Ontario Juried Exhibition is now accepting submissions for this summer’s event.

Artists who live and work in the north are eligible to submit a piece of art that is both original and was completed after the last exhibition in the summer of 2023.

Every three years, the exhibition hosts art from across the region to be judged by a panel of artists, highlighting the character of the local art scene.

This year’s exhibition, coinciding with the gallery’s 50th anniversary, will run from July 5 to September 13.

Artists must submit their work to the exhibition by March 31.

Curling Canada is organizing a national initiative to host curling summits across the country to increase women’s participation in the sport.

Thunder Bay will host the summit for northern Ontario at the Fort William Curling Club on Sunday, February 22.

The event will include on-ice programming led by big names in women’s curling, including Krista Scharf and Robyn Depsins from Thunder Bay, as well as Karen Saarimaki, Andrea Ronnebeck, Lorraine Lang, and Laura Forget.

The keynote speaker will be Scotties, world, and two-time Olympic champion Kaitlyn Lawes.

The registration deadline is January 11.

The Regional Food Distribution Association (RFDA) is closer than ever to achieving its fundraising goals for its Building Hope campaign.

The campaign is focused on significantly expanding the RFDA’s Thunder Bay location, as well as funding educational programs for nutrition and food preparation, and tackling the root causes of food insecurity.

The association operates across northwestern Ontario. Its Thunder Bay hub is meant to support the RFDA’s entire satellite network of food hubs, from urban centres to remote First Nations communities.

The donations to the RFDA come at a time when food bank usage is rising substantially: a new report from Feed Ontario says more than one million Ontarians used a food bank last year, a 13 percent increase from the previous year.

The RFDA’s donors include Barrick Mining, Ontario Power Generation, the Marostica Family, Synergy North, Jones Insurance, the Thunder Bay Community Foundation, and the Heart of Gold Fund.

The lion’s share of the funds are coming from the Fort William Rotary Club, which has pledged half a million dollars over five years to the campaign.

President-elect of the Rotary Club Stephen Margarit says the proceeds for the donation all come from the club’s annual house lottery.

“It’s not just about the money, it’s also about the impact on our community,” Margarit explains. “With the RFDA, the great thing is you’re not just supporting one organization, you’re supporting many organizations in our town, and their impact will help many of our friends and neighbours in our community.”