September 2020 by The Walleye Magazine

FILM FREE ARTS Vol. 11 No. 9 MUSIC SEPTEMBER FOOD 2020 CULTURE thewalleye.ca

Dine-in or Take-out 15 Dishes to Savour

A DIFFERENT TYPE OF DELIVERY 22

DEFSUP’S NEW BEGINNING 38

MAKING THE RIGHT PIECE FIT 73

WAKE THE GIANT PUSHES ON 83

SAVE BIG

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Contents

walle eye the

■ 7 TheTOPFive

Thunder Bay’s arts & culture alternative

FEATURES

Editor-in-chief Darren McChristie

■ 9

Interim Editor Matt Prokopchuk matt@thewalleye.ca Assistant Editor Rebekah Skochinski Senior Editor Tiffany Jarva Copy Editors Amy Jones, Bonnie Schiedel

Marketing & Sales Specialists Kaitlin Trevisan kaitlin@thewalleye.ca Alaina Linklater alaina@thewalleye.ca Photographers Patrick Chondon, Kevin Dempsey, Damien Gilbert, Chad Kirvan, Dave Koski, Kay Lee, Shannon Lepere, Marty Mascarin, Darren McChristie, Sarah McPherson, Laura Paxton, Keegan Richard

Superior Outdoors Inc. 242 - 1100 Memorial Avenue Thunder Bay, ON P7B 4A3

FILM&THEATRE

■ 32 Scares Under the Stars ■ 33 THE SECOND MOST

PLEASURABLE THING WE DO IN THE DARK. A COLUMN ABOUT MOVIES ■ 34 Vox Popular Goes Virtual

■ 36 Hands-On with a Heart ■ 37 FROM THUNDER BAY ART

Copyright © 2020 by Superior Outdoors Inc. Editorial and Advertising: Submissions must be accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Superior Outdoors cannot be held responsible for unsolicited material.

■ 18 THE GRINNING BELLY ■ 19 DRINK OF THE MONTH ■ 20 Patio Life ■ 22 A Different Type of Delivery ■ 24 SUPERIOR SIP ■ 26 From Punjab to Thunder Bay ■ 28 BREW IT YOURSELF ■ 29 Have Your Beer and Eat It Too ■ 30 A New Spot for Java in

THE ARTS

Ad Designers Dave Koski, Miranda van den Berg

Reproduction of any article, photograph or artwork without written permission is strictly forbidden. Views expressed herein are those of the author exclusively.

FOOD

Westfort

Art Directors Steve Coghill, R.G.D., Dave Koski, R.G.D. production@thewalleye.ca

The Walleye is a free monthly publication distributed on racks throughout Thunder Bay and region.

CoverStory: Thunder Bay Take-out ■ 15 Adapting to Uncertain Times ■ 16 Thunder Bay’s Got Culinary Talent

■ 58 STUFF WE LIKE ■ 59 Door Closes, Window Opens ■ 60 Friends Helping Friends ■ 62 WALL SPACE: Dave MacIsaac’s Back Yard Garage ■ 64 40 Years On ■ 66 EYE TO EYE: With Ryleigh Dupuis ■ 68 Order Up! ■ 70 The New Millennium ■ 72 Doing What You Love ■ 73 Making the Right Piece Fit

MUSIC

■ 74 Dreaming Neon Black ■ 77 Replay Value ■ 78 BURNING TO THE SKY ■ 80 Finding Inspiration in

Times of Change ■ 82 Sharing Credit ■ 83 Wake the Giant Pushes On

■ 84 OFF THE WALL REVIEWS ARCHITECTURE

■ 86 Terry Fox Monument and

Tourist Information Centre

■ 88 Tbatel SEPTEMBER

GALLERY’S COLLECTION ■ 38 DefSup’s New Beginning ■ 40 Art At Home

EVENTS GUIDE ■ 89 LU RADIO'S MONTHLY TOP 20 HEALTH

■ 42 Keepers of the Light

GREEN

■ 44 Physical, Emotional,

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OUTDOOR

CITYSCENE

and Social Therapy ■ 45 THIS IS THUNDER BAY ■ 46 ALTR Hair Studio ■ 48 Escape Plan ■ 55 CANNABIS CORNER ■ 56 GO LOCAL THUNDER BAY COUNTRY MARKET

■ 90 Take-Out Tips ■ 92 Don’t Trash It

■ 94 What If ■ 96 HOROSCOPES ■ 97 THE BEAT ■ 98 THE EYE

REOPENED FOR DINE-IN. SEASONAL PATIO. TAKE-OUT. SKIP THE DISHES.

Telephone (807) 344-3366 Fax (807) 623-5122 E-mail: info@thewalleye.ca

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269 RED RIVER RD. (807) 343-3443 The Walleye

From Our Instagram feed

Food for the Soul

his past month, I did something that I hadn’t done since the beginning of all the pandemic restrictions: visited a local restaurant patio with a small group of friends (all of whom are in my designated social bubble). It was a wonderful slice of relative normalcy in these very abnormal times and it did a lot to reinforce the old saying “eat, drink, and be merry.” Thunder Bay boasts a healthy, vibrant, and diverse array of locally owned and operated restaurants, gastropubs, and other eateries, all of whom have had to spend the past half-year or so navigating very challenging and constantly changing waters. Our cover story for our September issue focuses on a number of these establishments and shines the spotlight on many of the delectable options right here in our backyard, and Ayano Hodouchi Dempsey speaks with three talented chefs here in the city. In keeping with our theme, food columnist Rachel Globensky has a delicious recipe for a take-out favourite, and Erin Moir from EcoSuperior has

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some great tips on how you can do your part for the environment when enjoying your favourite meals. Also in our September issue, we celebrate the 40th anniversary of Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope, as Susan Goldberg speaks with two people who were there when Fox was forced to abandon his cross-country trek. As well, Mandeep Sidhu takes us inside the Sikh practice of langar, Michelle McChristie tells us about the long-awaited re-opening of Definitely Superior Art Gallery in its new space, and we give you the latest on several fall staples in the local arts community: Vox Popular, Terror in the Bay, and Wake the Giant. As summer gives way to fall and we make the most of the remaining nice patio weather and—as of writing this—start venturing back to our favourite places to eat, we hope you’ll find many things in our September issue to whet your appetite. - Matt Prokopchuk

Featured Contributor Neil Burke Neil Burke was born in Thunder Bay and lives just outside the city. Since a young age, he’s had a knack for telling stories and, as he grew up and worked on a dairy farm, there was always something to be told. Aside from writing for The Walleye, Neil can be found performing onstage with Cambrian Players Improv, writing and singing songs (much to his cats’ dismay), making people laugh (at him or with him—doesn’t matter) and enjoys long walks to the fridge. Ladies, he’s single. Shout out to his mom (“Hi, Mom”). Look for Neil’s story on The Honest Heart Collective on page 80.

On the Cover Line-Caught Pickerel from Anchor & Ore Cover photo by Chad Kirvan

“My teacher helps me

reach for the stars” You belong here The Walleye

“Whaaat?!” Asking for repetition is an early sign of hearing loss We know hearing Thunder Bay’s only locally owned hearing clinic

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807.346.0101 125 N. Cumberland St. superiorhearing.ca

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Doors Open 1 Digital Thunder Bay 2020

September 1–November 30 Virtual

Vox Popular Media

2 Arts Festival

September 10–20 Virtual

Now in its 16th year, Vox Popular is going virtual with over 50 free local and international films, including Five Bucks at the Door—a documentary about Thunder Bay venue Crocks N Rolls by Kirsten Kosloski. In addition to the films, there will be livestream performances available on their virtual platform from brilliant local musicians including Morning Light Acoustic Quartet, Pedestrian Lifestyle, Visual Past, Jean-Paul De Roover & the Bandaid Solution, and Burial Etiquette. There will be eight film sessions that will be live for the duration of the 10-day festival, with the final two days having everything online for a rewatch of your favourites or to catch up on the ones you missed. Make sure to check the festival website for the final lineup and more details. voxpopular.ca

Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind

September 26

Interstellar at Intercity Sleeping Giant Folk Music Society is teaming up with Interstellar Outdoor Cinema for a special screening of Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind—a documentary film directed by Martha Kehoe and Joan Tosoni. The film is an intimate look at a Canadian music icon from his early small town Ontario beginnings through his more turbulent years playing big arena shows in the 70s, and coming full circle to the artist he is today. It includes interviews with music industry peers like Randy Bachman, Steve Earle, and Anne Murray. Purchase tickets online and get a $5 discount if you’re a SGFMS member. Not a member? Not a problem! Folks from the society will be on site to sell or renew memberships. The show begins at 8, don’t be late! interstellarcinema.ca

3 Autumn Rendezvous TBay

September 25–27

Highway 61

Going up the country! Take a scenic drive down Highway 61 for a special shopping experience showcasing some of the north country’s finest artists and makers including Early Snows Pottery, Joyce Seppala Designs, Lunar Moose, MJ Metal Works, Window Light Gallery, The Woodland Faery, and Thunder Oak Cheese Farm. At the Autumn Rendezvous there will be clothing, pottery, photography, metal works, woodland art, jewelry, and more. The three-day event will take place in three separate locations, with different times for each location. Get a little social and shop safely at this pre-Christmas (it’s coming!) event in the country. The event has an Instagram account that includes a charming hand-drawn map (so you won’t get lost!) as well as more details. There’s also a Facebook page for the event. Please bring and wear a mask! @autumnrendezvoustbay

Susan Dykstra

This year the doors will be wide open as Doors Open Thunder Bay goes digital to celebrate “One City. Fifty Years” by visiting many local sites that remind us of our community’s progress while also reflecting on the past. Enjoy online virtual experiences including video, photography, archival images, web exhibits, and more, that will help bring to life the meaningful places and stories of Thunder Bay heritage sites and important landmarks. Eleven sites will be featured including the Thunder Bay Tourist Pagoda, the Thunder Bay Museum, the Courthouse Hotel, Mary J.L. Black Community Hub (Thunder Bay Public Library) and St. Joseph’s Indian Residential School Memorial. The digital experiences will be shared on Facebook or Instagram so be sure to follow along! doorsopenontario.on.ca/en/thunder-bay

Waabooz/Rabbit Exhibit

Now until December 31

Thunder Bay Art Gallery

Did you know that the art gallery is open? Yes, you can (safely) make your way to the gallery to take in the amazing Waabooz/Rabbit exhibit. Enjoy selections from the permanent collection that take a deeper look at the rabbit and how it’s been seen, spoken of, used, and reproduced through art. The rabbit features regularly in storytelling, through myth, legend, religion, history, and imagination. Stories of rabbits (waabooz in Anishinaabemowin) are often told to children to either provide wisdom, issue a warning, or simply to amuse and delight. Explore the contradictory ways that rabbits have been represented by experiencing the ephemeral images of Ahmoo Angeconeb, Angelique Merasty’s birch bark bitings, work by Amanda Burke, Norman Moonias and more. Hop to it! theag.ca

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CoverStory

Dine-in or Take-out 15 Dishes to Savour

Kay Lee

e’re very fortunate in Thunder Bay to have such a diverse and dynamic food scene that belies our size and slightly isolated locale. That’s due in part to the many innovative restaurateurs and their amazingly dedicated staff who help create great places to eat in or take out. As we return to September, and open a map up to many unknowns, there is some comfort to be found in enjoying a meal that someone else prepared. It just tastes better! We went to 15 places and tried everything from salt fish to tandoori chicken. If you weren’t hungry before you started reading, you will be when you’re done. Take-out, take home, take in some joy!

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CoverStory

Seafood Linguine ▲ The Place: Daytona’s Kitchen + Creative Catering 965 Cobalt Crescent 622-2169 The Price: $25 The Basics: Sun-dried tomatoes, pesto, shrimp, mussels, calamari, Big Lake Pasta linguine, white wine, cream, and fresh Pecorino cheese, served with garlic toast The Lowdown: Daytona’s is a locally owned, community-minded business that takes pride in their relationships with local farms and vendors. While the star

of this great dish is the tender and tasty seafood medley and the silky sauce, kudos go to Thunder Bay’s own Big Lake Pasta linguine for the supporting role that it plays. Sautéeing the tomatoes, onions, and garlic in pesto gives the sauce a kick of flavour that lasts, and the pea shoots from Veg-e-tate Market Garden, Daytona’s “go-to” garnish, add a nice bright crunch. This is a dish that has just been put back on the menu after a COVID-19 hiatus, and its many fans are glad. Review by Pat Forrest, Photo by Patrick Chondon

Guédilles au Homard (Lobster Rolls) ▲ The Place: Food Bébé 270 Bay Street 768-2323 The Price: $18 for one roll or $29 for two (both include a side dish) The Basics: Fresh minced lobster, shredded lettuce, scallions, and dressing, served on a butter-toasted bun The Lowdown: Fresh East Coast lobster, scallions, and lettuce sit nestled in a warm, soft, butter-toasted bun. Served with a choice of soup or salad with a house-made

vinaigrette, the lobster rolls are light enough to taste every note and flavour, but filling enough to leave you satisfied. Tracy Pinet and Terri Kujala offer the dish Thursdays and Fridays, with take-out and dine-in options, and the door rarely closed during our time there as customer after customer picked up their orders with smiling (albeit masked) faces. Choices for soup, as a side or to take-out in frozen tubs, are posted on their Facebook page daily. Review and photo by Nik Fiorito

Ri Ri Noodles ◄ The Place: The Sovereign Room 220 Red River Road 343-9277 The Price: $18 The Basics: Shaved pork, housemade egg noodles, braised leeks, chili oil, Sichuan peppercorns, fried carrots, stock The Lowdown: There’s something reassuring about listening to Bob Dylan while enjoying The Sov’s spin on the classic spicy Sichuan street food, Dan Dan Noodles. The layered, complex flavours of

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the dish are accomplished in five parts: chili oil with black garlic, duck fat, and black vinegar; a marinated zesty shaved pork mixture; freshly boiled housemade egg noodles; braised leeks with Sichuan peppercorns; and a rich stock. Topped with crispy shreds of fried carrots, the bowl’s ultra-umaminess more than satisfies pandemic longings. Small details are reminders of the beauty of at-table service. “But don't think twice, it's all right.” Review by Betty Carpick, Photo by Aelin Foster

CoverStory

Solo Board ▼ The Place: In Common 40 Cumberland Street 344-4450 The Price: $18 The Basics: Pickled veggies, dates wrapped in bacon, local cheeses, jam and chutney, bread and crackers The Lowdown: Don’t let the name fool you—the solo board at In Common is enough to share with a friend. Paying excellent tribute to the world of charcuterie boards, the solo board is a carefully selected, locally driven arrangement. Dates wrapped in bacon, house-made sesame crackers, local Thunder Oak gouda, bread from Both Hands Pizza, and an assortment of meats from

Brent Park Store adorn the sleek wooden tray. The sweetness of the caramelized bacon jam and the colourful jar of pickled beets, turnips, and olives make for a journey of flavours as you move through the board. Need a vegetarian option? No problem! Cheese curds and fresh cucumbers and tomatoes can easily replace the prosciutto and bacon, making it a veggie-lover’s delight. Fresh ingredients and mouth-watering plating make this a perfect summer dish. Try the Long Island Iced Tea—featuring bourbon-soaked cherries, priced at $9.50— along with it. Review by Sara Sadeghi Aval, Photo by Keegan Richard

Greek Goddess Couscous Salad ▲ The Place: The Growing Season 201 Algoma Street South 344-6869 The Price: $11.75 The Basics: Heritage greens, baby tomato, cucumber, marinated olives, feta cheese, couscous, cilantro, red onion, Greek dressing, served with naan bread The Lowdown: The Growing Season is known for its fresh, healthy, and delicious dining options, and this dish lives up to the hype. It’s a lively and satisfying salad, starring couscous, a tiny pasta made from wheat. It all starts with a generous portion of their buttery soft heritage greens, topped with baby tomato and cucumber.

The couscous is simmered in-house with a vegetable stock base and enhanced with cilantro and finely diced red onion, then served chilled on top of the vegetables. If you think green salads and pasta may not go together, think again: this combination is so balanced and perfect it will have you wondering why you have not yet tried it. The crumbled feta cheese adds the right amount of soft texture, and the saltiness bounces off the neutral flavours of tomato and cucumber. The Greek dressing brings it all together with a savoury yet mildly sweet twist on a classic (and the naan bread dips into it beautifully). To try it is to love it! Review by Alaina Linklater, Photo by Aelin Foster

Line-Caught Pickerel ► The Place: Anchor & Ore 2240 Sleeping Giant Parkway 285-9317 The Price: $32 The Basics: Line-caught pickerel, kombu seaweed broth, shiitake mushrooms, braised potatoes, charred leeks The Lowdown: Anchor & Ore’s line-caught pickerel is a dish with a new and exciting perspective that patrons are sure to love.

This entrée is centered around a flavourful piece of pickerel, which is sustainably caught by Indigenous suppliers. This beautiful cut of fish is pan-seared to perfection and placed on a bed of butter-braised potatoes and charred leeks. The most elegant part of this meal is the kombu seaweed broth that lines the bottom of the bowl. This broth provides guests with a fresh, out-of-the-water feeling, while also delivering an irresistible taste to this mouth-watering meal. Review and photo by Chad Kirvan

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Cubano ▼ The Place: The Foundry 242 Red River Road 285-3188 The Price: $18, includes a side The Basics: House-made hoagie bun, garlic aioli, prosciutto, pickles, spicy pickled peppers, Swiss cheese, mustard The Lowdown: The Cubano, a spin on the classic Cuban sandwich, is hitting The Foundry’s menu in September. Chef Adam Scarcello explains that they wanted to make a classic sandwich and “bump

it up.” His description is bang on. It’s the attention to details—such as adding spicy pickled peppers, prosciutto, and garlic aioli—that makes this sandwich a cut above the rest. Imagine what your taste buds already know about this familiar sandwich and add the perfect amount of saltiness and tanginess, and a touch of spice. Then all that goodness is pressed between a house-made hoagie bun and grilled to perfection. I’m sold! Review by Tara George, Photo by Keegan Richard

Madhouse Stuffed Chicken ▲ The Place: Madhouse 295 Bay Street 344-6600 The Price: $25 The Basics: Two boneless chicken breasts, ricotta spinach stuffing, and mushroom cream sauce, served with a choice of two sides The Lowdown: You know when a restaurant puts their name on a dish it means it’s a classic, and the Madhouse Stuffed Chicken is no exception. On their own, chicken breasts aren’t terribly exciting, but stuffing them full of flavour transforms them into superstars. The

ricotta and spinach tucks perfectly into the chicken, which is supremely tender, but it’s the additional mushroom cream sauce on top that makes this chicken dinner a winner. It’s served here with a double portion of salad that consists of spring mix, diced tomatoes, shredded carrot, red onion, slivers of cucumber, and sliced red pepper tossed with a light vinaigrette, but you can also choose fries, rice, veggies and dip, pasta salad (summer), or soup (winter). Craving their highly coveted sweet potato fries? You can add on for just $2.50. Review by Rebekah Skochinski, Photo by Kay Lee

Prosciutto Arugula Pizza ◄ The Place: Nook 271 Bay Street 285-7775 The Price: $21 The Basics: Prosciutto, arugula, parmesan cheese, roasted garlic, thin crust pizza dough The Lowdown: From the true Italian chef to the deco-Italian art hanging on the walls, Nook promises and delivers an authentic Italian pizza experience. The freshly made pizza dough becomes a thin crust that is beautifully golden brown

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along the edges and light and airy inside, and comes with a buttery drip to tease your senses. On top, a prosciutto rose sits delicately on a bed of fresh arugula and roasted garlic cloves. Drizzle some of the chili oil over it all for an added kick. A variety of add-ons, including meatballs, eggs, or olives, can quickly customize the dish to your own desires. Paired with a glass of white wine or Italian lager, this classic pizza dish is a mouthful from point to crust. Review by Sara Sadeghi Aval, Photo by Kay Lee

CoverStory

Suolokala Voileipa (Salt Fish Sandwich) ▲ The Place: Kangas Sauna 379 Oliver Road 344-6761 The Price: $10.20 The Basics: Salt fish, rye bread, dill, green onion, cucumbers, onion, lemon, butter The Lowdown: This dish features thinly sliced fish cured in salt by Bay Meats Butcher Shop, served on lightly buttered

Murillo Bakery rye bread and sprinkled with green onions. Giving this dish extra flavour—along with its unmistakable aroma—is dill; garnishes of cucumber, lemon, and onion also add extra colour and beauty to the plate. This light and elegant Finnish dish from Kangas Sauna made with local ingredients from Bay Meats and Murillo Bakery is a must-try! Review by Kaitlin Trevisan, Photo by Keegan Richard

Butter-Poached Halibut ▲ The Place: Bight Restaurant & Bar 2201 Sleeping Giant Parkway, Unit 100 622-4448 The Price: $32 The Basics: Halibut, sweet potato red curry sauce, lemongrass, bok choy, black sesame seeds, cilantro oil, garlic chive flowers, cashews The Lowdown: Bight’s new dish hits all the right notes. When it’s placed before you, the fragrance of the greens and herbs

whet your appetite and the bright colours entice you. Cooked sous vide, the halibut is an excellent canvas for the highlight of the dish: the creamy and complex sweet potato red curry sauce. The spiciness just tickles the back of your throat. Last but not least, the oil-blanched bok choy is a vibrant and lively supporting character to this Asian-inspired entrée. Review by Ayano Hodouchi Dempsey, Photo by Kevin Dempsey

Tandoori Chicken ► The Place: Indian Bistro 250 Red River Road 286-6325 The Price: $16.99 (for half chicken, pictured), $29.99 (for whole chicken) The Basics: Chicken, yogurt, ginger, garlic, spices, mint chutney, rice The Lowdown: If you think tandoori chicken means rubbery and dry bright orange chicken on a skewer, you need to try it at Indian Bistro. Theirs is a top seller, despite the mandatory 25-minute wait. Most restaurants pre-cook their tandoori

chicken and reheat it to serve, but chef Pawani Kode says nothing beats juicy, sizzling, bone-in chicken straight out of a 400°F tandoori, so she will only cook it once an order comes in. The salty crispiness of the hot chicken is perfectly complemented by the tangy, fresh, and chilled mint chutney it comes with. Both leg and breast meat are tender and unbelievably moist. Despite its generous portions, it’s not a very shareable plate—because you’ll want to keep it all to yourself! Review by Ayano Hodouchi Dempsey, Photo by Kevin Dempsey

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CoverStory

Tuna Tataki

12oz Certified Black Angus New York Strip ▲ The Place: Lot 66 66 Court Street South, Thunder Bay 683-7708 The Price: $36 The Basics: 12-oz certified Black Angus New York strip, ancho-feta butter, cheddar cheese-chipotle risotto, grilled asparagus, grape tomatoes The Lowdown: The 12-oz certified Black Angus New York strip from Lot 66 combines elegance and flavour into one amazing meal. This dish features an

outstanding piece of Black Angus beef that is perfectly paired with an immensely creamy and beautifully spiced anchofeta butter. Of course, if this enticing combination of butter and meat isn’t enough to get you salivating, the meal also features some incredible sides, including a delicious cheddar cheese-chipotle risotto and grilled vegetables. Put this meal together with great company and a California cabernet sauvignon and you’re heading toward the perfect night. Review and photo by Chad Kirvan

Rib Steak with TwiceBaked Potato ► The Place: The Keg Steakhouse + Bar 735 Hewitson Street 623-1960 The Price: $46 The Basics: Bone-in rib steak served with twice-baked potato, mushrooms sautéed with garlic butter, and grilled tomato with Dijon vinaigrette and parmesan cheese The Lowdown: For some, celebration will always mean a big juicy steak, and whether you’re marking a milestone or are simply happy to have made it to Thursday,

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The Keg has a steak for that. This cut of Canadian beef (weighing in at a remarkable 20 ounces) has a higher fat content, which means it can stand up to the high heat of grilling while remaining extra tender and flavourful. Choose your favourite side: in this case, a twice-baked potato whipped with sour cream, bacon, and chives, or else garlic mashed potatoes, fresh vegetables, or baked potato. Savoury mushrooms and tomato complement the dish nicely. Review by Bonnie Schiedel, Photo by Patrick Chondon

▲

The Place: Caribou Restaurant + Wine Bar 727 Hewitson Street 628-8588 The Price: $21 The Basics: Yellowfin tuna, white rice, cucumber salad, bean sprouts The Lowdown: This dish features perfectly seared tuna, thinly sliced to display the tender, pink centre and served over a bed of crispy white rice cakes. The sustainably harvested yellowfin tuna attracts all the flavours surrounding it, including the fiery

bean sprouts and wasabi; it’s elevated by the fresh cucumber salad and crunchy texture of the rice cakes. A sushi-lover’s dream, it includes a gluten-free ginger-chilli tamari, which replaces traditional soy sauce here; made from a house recipe featuring edamame beans and chili flakes, it’s sure to add the perfect sauce to your bites. Ask for a glass of Cannonball Chardonnay as a perfect complement to this light summer lunch or dinner. The tuna tataki will have you savouring every bite. Review by Sara Sadeghi Aval, Photo by Aelin Foster

Darren McChristie

CoverStory

Adapting to Uncertain Times

Thunder Bay Restaurateurs Navigating Ever-Changing Regulations Story by Matt Prokopchuk, Photos by Aelin Foster

Aelin Foster

he general manager of a Thunder Bay restaurant says staying on top of ever-changing regulations governing the food service industry has been key to her business being able to successfully navigate the ongoing pandemic, but experts say the fall and winter months will likely be the true test of a restaurant’s ability to stay afloat. As COVID-19 began to take hold in other parts of the world and, eventually, Canada, from late 2019 into the early part of this year, Red Lion Smokehouse general manager Caitlin Van Ballegooie says they were closely

watching how things were playing out in other cities so they could best anticipate how to adapt when restrictions—which would close restaurants to dine-in customers for months—came into force here in March. Red Lion already being set up to offer food through take-out and delivery prior to COVID-19 was another major advantage in transitioning quickly to new ways of doing business, she says. “We’ve been in the take-out game for a little while now,” she says. “It was never really our top promotion—our guests come [to] us for

our atmosphere, our activities, so take-out has always been like a side option.” But that side option quickly became vital, and, after a fast reorganization to operate in the then-current climate—including rapidly offering take-out draft beer when the province began allowing it—Van Ballegooie says the next step was to bring some of the other extras for which the restaurant is known to customers virtually. That included things like quiz nights, music bingo (with proceeds from card sales going to the Regional Food Distribution Association), and even an at-home chef’s table experience, all through online means. It’s that type of flexibility and ability to roll with the punches that will give a restaurant the best chance to survive, says James Rilett, a vice president with Restaurants Canada, a membership-based resource and lobby for the food service industry in this country. Rilett adds that eateries that were already set up for take-out and delivery and that had existing patios generally faced an easier time. Still, he says, it’s been “a tough slog” for most. Locally, Charla Robinson, president of the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce, adds that, based on what she’s heard, it’s been a stressful time for everyone. “The number one thing I’m hearing from restaurateurs is that they’ve really had to be creative and tenacious,” she says. “The world has been changing for them quite quickly and they’ve had to flip their business model, maybe not just once, but maybe two

or three times in the last six months.” Uncertainty and anxiety over how the rules may change again going forward is something that’s come up in local discussions, she says. That concern is well-founded, says Rilett. Patio season has a finite end, and once the weather cools, restaurants will lose valuable table space if current social distancing measures remain. Rilett says the colder-weather months will ultimately decide a restaurant’s fate. “I think once we see the patios close, we’re going to see a lot of people make the decision whether to close or not,” he says, adding that his organization conducted a survey of its members nation-wide over the summer, and about half of the independently owned restaurants that responded said they think they’ll have to close due to the pandemic. Compounding that, Robinson says, is that no one knows exactly how the virus will behave—and, consequently how the rules will change—making long-term planning very difficult. Still, at Red Lion and many other local establishments, orders continue to pour in and table space can be at a premium. Van Ballegooie says she continues to keep close watch on other businesses across the province, the country, and even abroad, as well as paying attention to public health officials and regulations to help best know what to do and how to adapt. “Everybody during this time, I think, is looking at somebody else; another experience to help give guidance,” she says.

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CoverStory

Thunder Bay’s Got Culinary Talent Meet These Exciting Culinarians in Our Booming Food Scene

Story and photos by Ayano Hodouchi Dempsey

hunder Bay has seen a steady increase in the number and variety of locally owned and operated restaurants over the past several years. Behind the scenes at these establishments are the chefs who design the menus and ensure the quality meals that keep customers coming back for more. Here are three of those talented individuals. Amede Thompson, the breakfast and lunch leader at Delta Hotels by Marriott Thunder Bay, calls himself a “professional Aboriginal culinarian.” Although he was born and raised in Thunder Bay, his family is from Rocky Bay First Nation, north of Nipigon. He began cooking when he

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started the culinary management program at Confederation College in 2009. “Ever since the first day of class, I fell in love with it, and I told myself I want to be the best,” he says. Since graduating from the college, he has worked at Caribou, Bight, various hotels in town, and Musselwhite mine; he’s also obtained his culinary arts degree from the Culinary Institute of Canada in Charlottetown, P.E.I. It was while he was working at Bight that he noticed the Delta. “I kept looking out and seeing the foundation being built, and I told myself, one day I’ll be working there.” He was at a point in his life where he wanted to take his

career to the next level, and working at an international hotel chain seemed like the best next step. He applied, and was elated when he got a call right away. “It’s been an awesome ride here. It’s a great team, and an opportunity to hone my skills,” he says. Like many chefs, Thompson has worked at a great many places in the past ten years, but this time he intends to stay. “I want to be chef de cuisine at the Delta. I don’t want to just cook. I see myself being part of the local community here, and putting my stamp on the food here,” he says. Petra Catering and Bakery is Thunder Bay’s hidden gem when it comes to Middle Eastern cuisine. Fatima BaniHani and her husband Mohannad AlMousa started their business in 2015 after friends

insisted that BaniHani should share her cooking with a wider audience. Balancing a young family and a home-based business is challenging, so the couple have not advertised widely, relying mostly on word of mouth. Banihani makes a wide range of food, from Jordanian favourites such as kabob, hummus and baklawa to European items such as tiramisu and lasagna that she has put her own spin on. Her moajanad (various stuffed pastries) and kibbih (football-shaped bulgar dough stuffed with ground beef and onions) make amazing party appetizers, delicately seasoned with herbs such as thyme, and spices like nutmeg and allspice. Petra Catering and Bakery’s delicious food has been featured at Thunder Bay’s many events and festivals—they’ve been a vendor at the

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Folklore Festival, Canada Day on the Waterfront, Live on the Waterfront, and Buskers Festival. They also hope to have a presence at the Thunder Bay Country Market in the future. One of the newest Indian restaurants to open in Thunder Bay has already found a large and loyal following. Indian Bistro, started by entrepreneurs from Hyderabad, specializes in South Indian cuisine, which is often underrepresented in North America. Chef Pawani Kode is happy to bring regional cuisine to Thunder Bay, where locals and the large Indian student population alike embrace the food. Local diners are eager to try a different type of Indian cuisine, Kode says. “Very few people now think it’s just butter chicken and chana masala.” Their new menu has added more regional specialities such as Chettinad chicken and lamb biryani, as well as Indo-Chinese appetizers, which are popular in the south of India. Many of the spices they use aren’t available in Thunder Bay, or even Toronto. “When I’m coming back from India, if my suitcase is 23 kilograms, at least 10 kilograms are spices,” Kode laughs.

Amede Thompson

Fatima BaniHani

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Food

Butter Chicken serves 5–6 people Chicken marinade: 800g boneless, skinless chicken, cut into bitesized pieces

THE GRINNING BELLY

½ c plain yogurt 1½ Tbsp minced garlic 1 Tbsp minced ginger 2 tsp garam masala 1 tsp turmeric

Just Like Buttah! By Chef Rachel Globensky

riginating in northern India in the late 1940s, murgh makhana, or “chicken with butter,”—aka butter chicken—is a silky-smooth curry that is deceptively easy to make, despite its complex flavour palate. Chicken (light or dark meat—you choose) is made tender and juicy when marinated in a simple yogurt-garlic-ginger sauce, and the longer it marinates, the better it’ll be. The spice list may look daunting, but I promise you can find them in the spice aisle at any of our bulk stores, or at larger supermarkets. You probably have most, if not all, at home right now. Aim for letting the saucy chicken

1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp chili powder 1 tsp salt Sauce:

sit in the marinade for a couple of hours at least, or overnight if you’re a planner. And when you start the cooking process, make the curry sauce in the same pan as you’ve used to brown your chicken. Those little browned bits are hella flavourful. Butter chicken is sublime when served over fluffy basmati rice, alongside some garlic naan bread, and maybe a sautéed veggie or two so you don’t get scurvy. Try this dinner on for size next time you’re craving Indian take-out. It’s just the best! कृपया भोजन का आनंद लीजिये! (kripyā bhojan kā ānnaṅd lijīyai)—Hindi for “please enjoy your meal.”

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, chopped *can substitute 1 Tbsp butter + 1 Tbsp oil for 2 Tbsp ghee

Heat ghee in the same pan, and sauté onions for 5–6 minutes, until they start to sweat. Scrape up the yummy brown bits as you stir!

1½ Tbsp minced garlic 1 Tbsp ginger, minced 1½ tsp ground cumin 1½ tsp garam masala

Add garlic and ginger and stir for 1 minute. The MOST delicious smells will come at your nose! Add in all the spices and stir another 20 seconds.

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp chili powder 1¼ tsp salt

1 c heavy (35%) cream 1 Tbsp sugar 1½ tsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)

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Over medium-high, heat oil in a large skillet with a heavy bottom. Add a few pieces of chicken and fry until browned, being careful not to crowd the pan. Set aside and keep warm (it’ll finish cooking in the sauce).

2 Tbsp ghee*

398 mL can crushed tomatoes

Combine all the ingredients in a glass bowl or plastic zipper bag. Let chicken marinate at least 30 minutes, but preferably overnight.

Add in tomatoes, chili powder, and salt. Simmer for 10–15 minutes, until sauce thickens and turns a deep reddish-brown. Remove the pan from the heat and carefully blend with an immersion blender (or very carefully ladle sauce into a regular blender and pulse it a few times to start, before whizzing around). In either case, you can add up to ¼ c water to help the puréeing process. Pour the lovely puréed sauce back into the pan and stir in the cream, sugar, and kasoori methi/ fenugreek leaves. Add the chicken and any juices in the bottom of the bowl. Cook an additional 8–10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thick and gently bubbling. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with basmati rice and naan bread.

Food

Light the grills and stoke the fires We’re back baby

DRINK OF THE MONTH

Taro Bubble Tea Milktease

Story by Rebekah Skochinski, Photo by Chondon Photography Shake, stab, suck. That is the order for drinking bubble tea. For the uninitiated, this tea-based drink originated in Taiwan and has become hugely popular worldwide (including here in Thunder Bay!) as a fun pick-me-up treat. In its basic form it consists of tea and milk served with ice and deliciously squishy pearls of tapioca. The traditional takeaway cups come with a plastic sealed lid and a fat straw that you punch through the lid (so satisfying!) Milktease has a tempting menu but we were persuaded to try the Taro Bubble Tea and we’re so glad we did. Taro, derived from a purple potato-like tuber, gives the drink a lovely pastel purple hue, a vanilla-like nutty flavour, and creamy texture. You can choose your sweetness level as well as add-ons like lychee jelly or cheesy foam. Bubble tea is pure joy from start to the slurpy finish to get every last chewy bit.

Milktease 222 Red River Road 633-2553

OPEN WITH MODIFIED HOURS

803 Memorial Ave Thunder Bay, ON

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Food

Patio Life

Bar Italia Among Eateries Embracing New Space Story and photos by Susan Pretty

Darren McChristie

his year has been tough on restaurateurs, no doubt about it. A definite bright spot, however, is Bar Italia’s new patio. Spacious and roomy, with a back garden, abundant greenery, and umbrellaed seating, it has the phone ringing off the hook at this favourite Court Street eatery. Surprisingly, before the pandemic the thought of opening a patio never even crossed owner Laura Tozzo’s mind. “We have never had a patio before and had no intentions of opening one, until the announcement that restaurants were able to open patios without a permit,” she says. She then had big news for her employees. “I told everyone we will be working day and night for the next 48 hours to start and finish making a patio so we can open for service. With the hard work and dedication from myself and all the staff and family, together we made a beautiful patio that we are proud to share with both our loyal regulars and new customers.” At Bar Italia, customers are always made to feel like family, and the staff’s warmth and hospitality continue to shine through. The patio has a unique ambiance that differs slightly from the indoor experience. “With a new patio, it feels like a whole new restaurant that we are working at. Given that it’s our first year with a patio—and the weather being amazing—we have been keeping our traditional menu, but it has also given me the opportunity to get creative and play with a new

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feature menu every day,” Tozzo says. “We also have a garden that customers can admire and see where a lot of the ingredients used in the feature menu are grown. Garden-to-table freshness is something I have always wanted to do.” As for the food, is it possible for the dishes to taste even better out in the fresh air? The regular menu is still available, along with the onepage feature menu. They also have a new summer cocktail menu that includes sangria, mojitos, and a “rosa lemonita,” which is just as heavenly as it sounds. Our table started with fresh bread with oil and vinegar, and our appetizer choice was the calamari. It’s not breaded, but rather immersed in a deeply rich marinara sauce with tender shrimp. For the main course, we enjoyed meat-stuffed peppers made fresh that morning, and seafood pasta in cream sauce with plenty of the fruits de mer. A duo of cannoli to go rounded out this delicious meal. The service was friendly and efficient, and the music provided the perfect atmosphere. Want to give it a try? Call 345-4767 Tuesday to Friday for reservations to avoid disappointment. As Tozzo says, “Patio life is busy. The hours have been longer since we've decided to stay open until midnight to try to make the most of this new patio life that all of the staff love to be a part of. Last month we celebrated 30 years of operation and could not be more proud of the new patio addition.”

THE NEW 2020 ATLAS CROSS SPORT

Voted Thunder Bay’s #1 Import auto dealer

WE’RE GLAD TO

HAVE YOU BACK Our doors are open at The Thunder Bay Keg, but if you can’t make it – try our takeout menu. Available for online purchase and curbside pickup at thekeg.com.

735 Hewitson Street | 807.623.1960 The Walleye

Food didn’t have to change.” Heightened concerns around infection and business closures, however, did mean Kelly and her staff started delivering all orders instead of relying on pick-up hubs around town. Now, not only has their ordering service been expanded to other local producers, but Kelly is looking to take the business regional. “We realized that we were set up really well,” she says of the early days of the pandemic. “Overall, we didn’t have a lot of the same hurdles to overcome as the traditional brick-and-mortar restaurant.” Kelly’s business takes meal orders, prepares them, then arranges to have those pre-made meals delivered to the customer. She started the business in 2016, with the aim of “making healthy foods more easily accessible to tons of different demographics.” That e-commerce ordering platform now also includes things like locally produced maple syrup, almond milk, baked goods,

Nadine Kelly, founder and CEO of Breakfast Lunch & Deener

A Different Type of Delivery Breakfast Lunch & Deener Sets Sights on Expansion By Matt Prokopchuk

Thunder Bay-based prepared meal business says that while it’s had to adapt during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s looking to offer its services beyond the Thunder Bay area and throughout Northwestern Ontario. Nadine Kelly, the founder and

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CEO of Breakfast Lunch & Deener, says although they’ve had to make some adjustments during the past several months, the way the business was originally set up—online ordering, a closed-to-the-public production facility—generally meant “the skeleton of the business

and other products from businesses that normally would rely on venues like farmers’ markets. “We realized that we had the platform and distribution well set up to kind of let other businesses ride the wave with us,” Kelly says. Kelly doesn’t take a cut of the other business’ price for the service; rather, any extra costs for handling and e-commerce fees are absorbed by the customer. Further to that, Kelly says she’s looking to start offering and delivering her prepared meals outside of the Thunder Bay area, while increasing her presence in the city. Currently, she serves Thunder Bay and surrounding rural communities and as far east as Nipigon, with the goal of going as far west as the Manitoba border, south to the Canada-U.S. border, east to Marathon or Wawa, and north to remote First Nations. “I would like to be that household name for healthy meals in the region,” she says.

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Food

Once You Go Ginger… By Jeannie Dubois, Certified Pommelier and Sommelier

SUPERIOR SIP

The Classics:

he soft scents and colours of autumn are slowly stealing into the outdoors up here on our beautiful bay in the north. To ward away the cool crisp evenings, add a little sweet spice by adding some ginger beer into your mix this fall. Brought to us by way of Asia and

popularized in Victorian England, ginger beer is a product of fermented ginger spice and comes in both the alcoholic and non-alcoholic variety. Known for its zingy flavour, ginger beer has also been touted for its medicinal properties, especially for improving digestion. So toast to your health this fall with a tasty ginger beer cocktail!

The Contemporaries:

Dark & Stormy

Spiced Apple Cider Sangria

Ginger Lime Rickey

3 oz ginger beer

1 750 ml bottle of white wine

4 cups ginger beer

3 cups apple cider

1 cup club soda or seltzer water

2 oz dark rum

½ oz fresh lime juice Lime wedge for garnish Fill a tall glass with ice. Add rum; pour in ginger beer and lime juice. Stir to mix. Garnish with a lime wedge.

(serves 6–8) ¾ cup light rum

3–4 medium apples sliced 3 2-inch orange peels 4 3-inch cinnamon sticks 2 tsp whole cloves 1 tsp whole allspice

Moscow Mule 2 oz vodka

6 oz ginger beer ½ oz fresh lime juice Lime wheels for garnish Squeeze lime juice into a copper mug and drop in spent lime shells. Add 2 to 3 ice cubes, then pour in vodka and fill with cold ginger beer. Stir and add lime wheel to top to serve.

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2 12-oz bottles of ginger beer Add all ingredients except ginger beer to a 2.5-quart or larger pitcher. Cover with airtight lid or cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, up to 24 hours. If desired, remove apples and pour mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to strain out the spices and orange peel. Discard spices and orange peel and return liquid and apples to the pitcher. Pour liquid into tumblers about halfway. Add apple slices from pitcher until glass is about three-quarters full. Top off with ginger beer.

(serves 4)

3 Tbsp lime juice ¼ cup grenadine Lime rounds and/or maraschino cherries Pour ginger beer, club soda, lime juice, and grenadine in a pitcher. Stir. Prepare four tall glasses with ice and pour pitcher contents over. Garnish with lime rounds and/or cherries.

Thank you to all of our Health Care Workers for your Care, Compassion and Commitment!

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Food

Pictured meal: shahi panner; aloo gobi (potatoes and cauliflower); dahi (curd with fried chickpeas and cucumber); roti (flatbread) and chutney

From Punjab to Thunder Bay The History and Cultural Significance of Langar

Story and photos by Mandeep Sidhu

ver the past several years, the Sikh population of Thunder Bay has been growing as more international students are arriving to study at Confederation College and Lakehead University. This influx led to the opening of the first Gurdwara, or place of worship for Sikhs, in Thunder Bay in 2018, of which the Sikh tradition of langar— loosely understood as a Sikh community kitchen—is a central part. Sikhi is a spiritual tradition founded in the 15th century by Guru Nanak, the first guru of a 10-guru lineage, and is native to Punjab (meaning “The Land of The Five Waters”), a region located in eastern Pakistan and northern India.The fundamental values of Sikhi can be briefly summarized as a belief in a universal oneness (Waheguru), the unity of all humankind, engaging in selfless service (seva), and striving for social justice for the benefit and prosperity of all. These values were adopted as

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Sikhs rejected other social values that segregated individuals across various lines (e.g. religion, gender, caste, and class) in favour of egalitarianism. That brings us to the Sikh tradition of langar. Guru Nanak began langar in the 15th century, inviting individuals to sit on the floor as equals and to share in a free vegetarian meal together. By the 16th century, the second and third Gurus, Gurus Angad Dev Ji and Guru Amar Das institutionalized the tradition and required langar to be a part of every Gurdwara (a place of assembly and worship). Presently, langars operate globally. For example, in Amritsar, a city of 1.1 million people in northern Punjab, which is the centre of Sikhi, the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) serves anywhere from 50,000 to 100,000 people a day. In Vancouver, Guru Nanak's Free Kitchen has been serving meals in the Downtown Eastside since 2007. The langar and Sikhi are linked,

with participation in langar being a means for Sikhs to practise and uphold principles of equality and seva within Sikhi. When individuals enter the langar hall, they sit on the floor, side by side, as equals. There is no preferential seating based on gender, religion, class, or caste, as was common in India. Furthermore, the langar is seen as a highly pious act of seva. Individuals volunteer to provide ingredients for the meals, cook and serve the food, as well as wash dishes all with no expectation of reward. People may also make a small financial contribution. The langar is served twice a day, usually at lunch and during dinner; however, tea and biscuits are served throughout the day. Meals typically consist of simple vegetarian dishes, for example, dals (lentils), rajma (kidney beans),

channa (chickpeas), or dahi (curd), served with rice or roti (flatbread). Langar, in addition to being served within the Gurdwara, can also take place outside of its walls, in the community as a whole. For example, the Thunder Bay Sikh Society and Khalsa Aid—a U.K.based not-for-profit organization— provided langar within the city during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the initiative running from the start of April until the end of May. It involved providing and delivering groceries free of cost to individuals who could not, or did not want, to go out during the early stages of the pandemic in the region. Going forward, as the province moves to further reopen the economy, we hope that you will be able to join us for a meal.

GIORG DINNER YOUR WAY. Dine-in social distanced | Order on-line

Take and bake options

Reservations & ordering on-line at www.giorg.ca

114 Syndicate Ave N, (Justice Ave.) For reservations call (807) 623-8052

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Liz provides counsel and advocacy in workplace and human resource matters, collective agreement administration and negotiations, and harassment and discrimination claims.

Labour or Employment Issues? Get in touch with Liz for more information on how she can assist you or your organization.

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Food

Breaking Down Bitterness From Iso-Alpha Acids to IBUs

By Josh Armstrong, PhD, Certified Beer Judge

BREW IT YOURSELF

o matter what you’ve decided to get for take-out this month, beer is a great choice to help wash down your meal. A crisp pilsner goes great with pizza or pasta, a hoppy IPA pairs nicely with anything spicy, a Russian Imperial stout is a perfect match for a chocolate dessert— and the list goes on. What makes any brew pair well with your meal is the balance that a brewer creates between sweetness and bitterness. Here in this column, I aim to break down bitterness by covering where it comes from, the different qualities of bitterness, and how it's measured.

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Personally, I hated beer when I first tried it. I couldn’t handle the bitterness and I found it too much for my young palate. Fast forward a decade or so, and I was constantly on the quest to find the most bitter and hoppy beer. My own journey towards the love of a bitter pint of ale demonstrates that bitterness is actually an acquired taste. As with foods like coffee, olives, and blue cheese, it sometimes takes people a few times experiencing the taste before they develop a liking of it. The predominant source of bitterness in beer comes primarily from iso-alpha acids from the hops that are added to the beer during the boiling phase of the brewing process. Iso-alpha acids are produced by boiling hops, which isomerizes the alpha acids that naturally occur in the lupulin glands of hop flowers. This bitterness is critically important to the flavour of beer and provides balance to the sweetness from the malted barley. Bitterness can range across levels from restrained and moderate to aggressive and harsh. Bitterness can also be produced in beer by dark roasted malts. Just as dark roasted coffee can have a bitter character, so does any beer

that uses dark roasted malts. For example, in a dark beer like a stout, the dark malts used will provide a significant portion of the overall perceived bitterness by the drinker. Bitterness is measured in International Bitterness Units or IBUs, which are often found on labels or brewery websites. Beers can range from 1 to about 100 IBUs. Bitterness can be accurately measured in a lab using ultraviolet (UV) light spectrophotometric assay or high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods. However, most often bitterness is estimated by brewers by using one of the available equations (i.e., Tinseth, Rager, Garetz, Daniels) developed to gauge the amount of bitter that will be produced in a recipe. A level around 15 IBUs is very low in bitterness (e.g., Northern Logger from Sleeping Giant Brewing Company). In contrast, Radio the Mothership IIPA from Collective Arts is a very bitter 100 IBUs. A lot of other factors can also play a role in the bitterness of a beer. Bitterness can range in descriptions such as harsh, crisp, full, and astringent depending on what types of hops are in a recipe, what brewing techniques are used, if

the beer is dry hopped, the age of the hops, the mineral content of the water used in brewing, and the amount of residual sweetness left after fermentation. Furthermore, everyone experiences bitterness in different ways, so the same beer might be bitter to some and somewhat sweet to others. Overall, bitterness in beer can be somewhat complex and challenging to get into when you first start exploring different beer styles. However, once you develop a taste for bitterness, it’s hard to stop pursuing that wonderful sensation. This phenomenon has been described as the “lupulin threshold shift.” Once you’ve been exposed to and have begun to enjoy the bitterness from hoppy beers, your tolerance of bitter flavours will gradually increase, increasing the threshold of what you find too bitter to enjoy. This will in turn change your beer preferences and shift how you think about beerws that, in the past, you found too abrasive. This month, when enjoying your take-out from around our great city, try to test out where your lupulin threshold is currently at. Cheers!

Food

Have Your Beer and Eat It Too

Baked in the Bay Finds New Use for Local Spent Grain By Wendy Wright

aked in the Bay, a local baketo-order cake and cupcake home bakery, has added a new artisanal crisp to their already popular line of crackers. This new product is made from the spent grain left over from Sleeping Giant Brewing

Co.’s brewing process. Monica Pihlaja-Chiodo produces these “labour of love” bites of goodness, complementing the bakery’s superseed cracker and fruit and nut cracker. The rollout was May long weekend, which is appropriate considering that crisps are made from beer. Elke Cullis, the retail and taproom manager at Sleeping GIant Brewing Co., approached Pihlaja-Chiodo after trying her artisanal crisps at the Craft Revival. The idea of a collaboration was born and now Pihlaja-Chiodo makes two products featuring Sleeping Giant brew—the upcycled grain artisanal crisp, which uses the 360 Pale Ale mash, and the upcycled grain double chocolate almond

biscotti, which uses the mash from Skull Rock stout. Both products are small-batch produced. Using something that’s often discarded to create a product of higher quality or value than the original is the dictionary definition of upcycling. This fully applies to creating artisanal crisps made from leftover grain from the beer-making process. Giving the grain a second life as a cracker is brilliant. Much of the nutritional goodness, like fibre and protein, are still present in the grain, as the brewing process is primarily interested in the sugars. The process of making the crisps is time consuming. It takes PihlajaChiodo approximately 12 hours over multiple days and is a true labour of love. The first step is picking up the wet mash from the brewery and bringing it back to her home bakery for drying and dehydrating, which takes about six hours per batch.

After that, the dried grain is ready to be milled into flour—by hand. “The flour has a subtle, nutty flavour that doesn’t really compare to other flours,” she says. At this point the flour can be utilized in the baking process. A cracker loaf is baked, cooled, cut, and then baked again before packaging can begin. Pihlaja-Chiodo’s excitement with this new aspect of her already popular home baking business is palpable. “I think this could go a lot further,” she says. “I’m so thankful and fortunate that…Sleeping Giant Brewery approached me to do this.” The crisps are available at the brewery and The Cheese Encounter, and the double chocolate almond biscotti is available exclusively at the brewery. Keep your eye on Instagram for information regarding additional locations to purchase soon. Find Baked in the Bay on Instagram @bakedinthebaybakery.

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Food

and other drinks housemade from scratch. These will eventually be offered by the pound and in bulk as well. Italian sodas are also on the menu, and food options will start with pastries and eventually move into soups and sandwiches. And, in keeping with the original plan, an impressive assortment of vintage T-shirts will be up on the wall for perusal and purchase. By the time you're reading this,

Ken Martyn, owner, The Alchemist

A New Spot for Java in Westfort

Inside The Alchemist Coffee Bar Story and photos by Nik Fiorito

ne of the silver linings of the pandemic has been a renewed focus for many people on shopping local and supporting our business community. Thunder Bay has a large geographic footprint relative to its population, with several smaller shopping and business districts serving their immediate residential neighbourhoods. One neighbourhood that has seen a revival and return to foot-based traffic over the past five years is Westfort Village, and one entrepreneur has decided to give people an extra reason to visit: a new locally owned neighbourhood coffee shop.

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Ken Martyn and his team have stepped in to open The Alchemist Coffee Bar. Born and raised in Thunder Bay, Martyn was originally looking for a retail storefront to sell and display his vintage T-shirt collection. But when the potential to include a coffee shop in his plans came up, he happily shifted gears. Martyn has spent most of his working life in restaurants at various positions, and understands what it takes to create and manage a successful operation. The Alchemist is slated to open in late August, and will feature Boreal Forest Teas and locally roasted Wolfhead Coffee, as well as chai

The Alchemist Coffee Bar should be up, running, and caffeinating the good people of Westfort and beyond, providing both residents and visitors another delicious reason to take a walk along its streets. Hours and offerings are subject to change as the staff iron out potential issues, but the Alchemist team is planning to be open at 108 Frederica Street East from Monday to Saturday, 8 am to 3 pm.

THUNDER BAY 55 PLUS CENTRE

WILL BE OPENING TO THE PUBLIC

SEPTEMBER 14, 2020

OUR NEW OPERATING HOURS WILL BE: MONDAY - FRIDAY 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM

700 RIVER STREET THUNDER BAY, ONT P7A 3S6 (807) 684-3066

We serve 24/7.

Crisis Response phone lines are open. We're here to help. You talk. We listen.

City of Thunder Bay: 807-346-8282 District of Thunder Bay: 1-888-269-3100 Kenora Rainy River District: 1-866-888-8988

Spend more time with your family and less time in the kitchen! *Limited time offer menu. Feel free to ask us about our menu.

il l th a t w M e a ls a t g if ts gre m a k e r s , b ir th s , n io fo r s e v e m e n t & b e r e a e n ts ! s tu d

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Courtesy of Terror by the Bay

FilmTheatre

Scares Under the Stars Terror in the Bay Fest Heads to the Drive-In By Kris Ketonen Still from last year’s screening of Antonio Pantoja’s One Must Fall; pictured, left to right, Julie Streble and John Wells

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virtual online festival for Terror in the Bay was never an option,” he says. “The majority of filmmakers, especially the ones premiering their films for the first time, would only want their films screened live in front of an audience. If we have to have our festival at a later date, then we will do so.”

What is still unknown is exactly which films will screen this year. “The film selection process is a year-long process,” Borgo says. “It can be gruelling at times, especially because there are so many fantastic entries and only so many slots to fill in our program.” “However, we have a very

knowledgeable and passionate judging panel that I trust to choose horror films that are the very best fit for our festival.” The film lineup will be announced in October. For more information, you can visit terrorinthebay.com.

Still from last year’s screening of Jac Kessler's Popsy; pictured, left to right, Alex Dunning, Ted Raimi

Courtesy of Terror by the Bay

here will be some changes at this year’s Terror in the Bay film festival, but don’t worry, horror fans: the scares aren’t going anywhere. This year’s festival is scheduled for October 15–18, and festival director Chris Borgo hopes 50 to 60 films will be screened. However, he acknowledges the COVID-19 pandemic may play a role in exactly what this year’s festival looks like. Rest assured, though, that precautions designed to keep film-goers safe will be in place, Borgo says. “Hand sanitizer stations will be fully accessible inside to the public,” Borgo told The Walleye. “We will require everyone to wear face masks and the seating chart will have markings, approximately six feet away from each other,” he says. “[Currently] the maximum number of people we would be able to have is 50, and we will be sure to follow all of the proper health and safety guidelines.” The current schedule calls for the October 17 screenings to take place at the Interstellar Outdoor Cinema, with the rest of the festival happening at Paramount Theatre. However, the pandemic may force some changes, Borgo says. “A

FilmTheatre

Films Featuring Labour By Michael Sobota

I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am. - Terry (Marlon Brando) to his brother Charlie (Rod Steiger) in On The Waterfront.

n September 7 we celebrate Labour Day, the signature holiday for working people. The movies have always found strong stories in the lives of the working class, their families, their bosses, and their broad range of occupations. During the current pressures on employment due to the pandemic, Labour Day resonates more than ever. Here are stories about work thrown on the big screen that include jobs familiar to our region, as well as a new musical celebrating one of the greatest labour strikes in Canadian history.

On The Waterfront (1954) Elia Kazan, working from a screenplay by Budd Schulberg, created one of the most iconic American dramas of all time. Terry (Marlon Brando) is a boxer who throws a fight on the advice of his brother in order to get a good job working on the docks in Hoboken, New Jersey. His yielding to this corruption is only the beginning of a series of betrayals, heavyhanded union practices, and murders. Along this path he meets—and falls in love with—Edie (Eva Marie Saint). The script is overwrought with tension and drama, culminating in a fight breaking out amongst the workers on the docks, where Schulberg fashions a villain’s demise and a hopeful ending. The movie also features a classical music score by a young Leonard Bernstein. The movie won eight Academy Awards, including ones for Brando, Saint, and Kazan, as well as Best Picture.

THE SECOND MOST PLEASURABLE THING WE DO IN THE DARK. A COLUMN ABOUT MOVIES

Newsies (1992)

Lakeboat (2000)

Stand! (2019)

Director and choreographer Kenny Ortega gives us a musical drama about the 1899 newspaper boys strike in New York City. Newspapers were a main means of communication in the 19th century and in the cities, newsboys were the main delivery mechanism. The story is a classic clash of capitalist barons versus the underclass—and in this instance, the lowest paid employees in this business. There is a tackedon love story (a young Christian Bale and Ele Keats) and the music is nothing to hum when you go home, but the choreography is stellar, and the musical has the requisite happy ending. The film had a lackluster reception, but the story found a second life when it received a reverse transformation, moving from the screen to the Broadway stage.

This is the filmed version of David Mamet’s autobiographical play from 1970. Mamet adapted the screenplay and gave it to his acting friend, Joe Mantegna, to direct. It is about the lives of men who work the boats on the Great Lakes. It takes place on the Seaway Queen, an actual laker that starts out in Chicago, travels up to Duluth, and then works its way through the St. Lawrence Seaway. The cast is a strong ensemble of character actors including Charles Durning, Peter Falk, Robert Forster, Dennis Leary, and Tony Mamet— David’s half-brother. We see the men on deck, below deck in their rooms, in the galley, and in the engine room. Nothing happens. This is a finely crafted internal drama with little external action. The short scenes are about the men and their relationships. There are serious issues analyzed and dollops of droll humour.

Directed by Robert Adetuyi, this is the story of the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike. Co-script writers Rick Chafe and Danny Schur impose a Romeo and Juliet-esque love story (a Polish Catholic immigrant falls in love with a Canadian Jewish woman) onto the backdrop of the greatest labour strike in Canadian history—and it is a full-fledged musical with songs and a score by Danny Schur. The central leads, played by Marshall Williams (Mike), Laura Wiggins (Rebecca), and Greg Henry (Mike’s immigrant dad) are strong actors, but the score does not let them soar musically. Much of the plot is given to exposition so that we understand why the inevitable strike takes place. When it does, on film it is underwhelming. The script adopts cliché black-and-white political positions, and never really develops a sense of the energy of this historical clash. But it is worthy of a look to remind us of this event as well as lament what the film might have been with a stronger screenplay.

And here are six more labour stories to rewatch and reflect on in appreciation of this important holiday: Network (1976 – about network television), Always (1989 – about forest firefighters), Glengarry Glen Ross (1992 – about the real estate business), Office Space (1999 – about basic office work and the food service industry), The Devil Wears Prada (2006 – about the fashion industry) and God’s Own Country (2017 – about sheep herding).

The Walleye

FilmTheatre

Vox Popular Goes Virtual

More than 50 Films Will Stream for Free This Year Courtesy of Vox Popular

By Bonnie Schiedel

Courtesy of Vox Popular

Khalid Ali’s Squeegee  Trivelle Simpson’s Disintegrate

ike every other event, Vox Popular Media Arts Festival is learning the art of the pivot. This year, the 16th annual event will be a free online film festival running from September 10–20. More than 50 films will be streamed, with a selection posted each day at voxpopular.ca. “We have this broad range of films, which is kind of perfect when you think of doing a virtual festival,” says Kelly Saxberg, Thunder Bay filmmaker and chair of the festival. She’s especially proud of the local

content. “They’re really, really important stories: fun and sometimes serious and sometimes challenging, a couple of times controversial, but they mean something to our community. So we’re not looking for the film that has the very greatest production values [necessarily], but a story that resonates with people in our community.” Local films include documentaries like Soar, Glitch, and No More Jokes, while other Canadian and international offerings range from Throat Singing in Kangirsuk, Toxic Time Bomb, and Paper Boats to The Mill, Anna, and Squeegee. There is an opportunity for big-screen viewing too: Five Bucks at the Door: The Story of Crocks N Rolls and Ashmina will play on September 10 at Interstellar Outdoor Cinema at the Intercity Shopping Centre parking lot. For the first five days the festival will also showcase short sets by Thunder Bay and area musicians including Morning Light, Pedestrian Lifestyle, and Burial Etiquette, pre-recorded at Trinity United Church and produced by local talent like Jean-Paul De Roover and Curtis Jensen. This addition of music is one of the silver linings of the pandemic:

in the past, much of the festival’s funding would go towards hosting filmmakers to do workshops, master classes, and Q&As, in addition to paying artist fees to filmmakers. This year, part of the funds can be directed to musicians. “It’s a really exciting mix, and we think it will help bring in a new audience,” says Saxberg. And, for the first time, the festival did not approach local sponsors for financial or in-kind donations, choosing instead to feature the various businesses and organizations and urging festival viewers to support those who have supported the event over the years.

One thing that will be missing this year, of course, is the audience interaction through live Q&A sessions, and just the overall energy of watching a film together and the buzz in the lobby. “We hope that viewers will engage with each other through social media and watch parties,” she says. And43 while the festival hopes to return to the regular in-person format next year, they will likely keep some of the films available for streaming at home, says Saxberg. “It will be an extra opportunity for people who can’t go to the theatre to see some great films.”

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Each day, from September 10th to 15th 7:30PM on our Facebook Page:@VoxPopTBay

Live Screening at Interstellar Outdoor Cinema on September 10th

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TheArts

Hands-On with a Heart Paint and Bake at its Best at DIY Studio

Story by Betty Carpick, Photos by Dave Andrew Photography

aking something with your hands and learning the value of craftsmanship brings a certain pride, satisfaction, and pleasure. Inspired by the popularity of pottery painting cafés in their home province of New Brunswick, Hannah and Tyler Sears opened the DIY Studio - The Pottery Café in May 2019. Well into a successful first year, the challenges brought on by the pandemic altered

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the studio’s trajectory but not the enthusiasm. The concept was simple: to offer a carefree way to enjoy and support hands-on creativity while socializing in a dedicated space with all of the required materials, helpful assistance, and a licensed café with local delights from The Sweet North Bakery and St Paul Roastery. In-store painting as well as kids and adult parties gave plenty

of opportunities for personal expression. In the bright and spacious Algoma Street studio, folks of all ages and skill levels are provided with an uncomplicated step-bystep procedure to create their masterpiece. First off, participants chose from an extensive variety of pre-made earthenware or stoneware decorative and functional bisque pieces from off the

shelves. Local unglazed pottery pieces are provided by Dog Paw Pottery, p0ts2g0, and Sunshine Pottery. The selected piece is glazed or painted from the palette of over 75 paints. Silkscreens, stencils, and stamps add extra pizzazz and detail. The distinctive and personalized completed pieces are left to dry and participants then return to the studio in a week or two for their completed kiln-fired creation. All of the materials and the process are included in the fees. As the pandemic unfolded, the DIY Studio began to offer takehome pottery painting kits and safe curbside pick-up and drop-off. In mid-July, they reopened for in-studio painting while still offering take-home options. While the past few months have been a challenge, the Searses are committed to maintaining safety and physical distancing while recalibrating the studio’s strengths for the good of the community. Give it a go! Everyone can use a little fun messing around!

TheArts

After the Storm By Meaghan Eley, Registrar, Thunder Bay Art Gallery

Artist: Patricia Ningewance Title: After the Storm Date: 1983 Medium: acrylic on board Dimensions: 92 x 67 cm Gift by the Friends of Colleen Kelly

eptember is often synonymous with back to school. Experiencing artwork can be its own education and many artists are also dedicated teachers. Patricia Ningewance, whose painting After the Storm (1983) can be found in the permanent collection of the Thunder Bay Art Gallery, is one such artist. She lives what she has

described as two parallel lives—one as an artist and the other writing and publishing language learning materials in Anishinaabemowin. Ningewance, originally from Obizhigokaang (Lac Seul) has devoted 40 years to teaching and translating her language. She has written 12 books, including Talking Gookom’s Language and Pocket Ojibwe as well as the newly published Reclaiming Our Territory, Word for Word: Grassroots Language Teaching, a guide for language speakers on how to pass on their skills to their families and communities. For years, she has taught beginner, intermediate, and advanced

FROM THE THUNDER BAY ART GALLERY’S COLLECTION

language courses at the university level. She is also a sought-after translator whose clients include the Thunder Bay Art Gallery. One of the projects she worked on for the gallery was the translation of the exhibition text for Uprising: The Power of Mother Earth | Christi Belcourt – A Retrospective with Isaac Murdoch into Anishinaabemowin in 2018. She has also been instrumental in ensuring that the forthcoming book to accompany this exhibition will be bilingual. Connecting back to the artist side of Ningewance’s life, the Thunder Bay Art Gallery hosted a solo exhibition of her work in 2013,

entitled Coming Home. The show highlighted her paintings, but also her intricately appliquéd and quilted textile works, some of which incorporated old quilts, clothing, beads, ribbons, and buttons. Ningewance tends to focus her skill and attention to detail on landscapes, portraits, and animals. This month, Patricia Ningewance will return to teaching at the University of Manitoba, and along with so many other teachers, will more than likely be exploring new and different ways to share her extensive knowledge.

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TheArts

DefSup’s New Beginning

A Catalyst for the Creation of Art in Northwestern Ontario

Story by Michelle McChristie, Photos by Kay Lee

“T

here is a lot to smile about with the new Definitely Superior Art Gallery space,” says David Karasiewicz, the executive and artistic director, days before their much- anticipated grand

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opening. “We wanted to honour the building without eviscerating or sanitizing it.” Last summer, the gallery moved from the basement of the former Eaton’s department store

to the former movie theatre on Cumberland Street. After months of working tirelessly to transform the space and delays in opening due to the pandemic, they held their grand opening on August 28. Karasiewicz describes their new location as a “new, mid-century modern, industrial modular exhibition space.” With 5,270 square feet—almost double the area of their previous space— Karasiewicz says, “DefSup can be more flexible with its shows and activities while acting as an artistic

hub to provide more opportunities and partnerships in launching a myriad of new experimental projects, events, workshops, and research spaces.” In transforming the original building, known as the Powell Equipment/Machinery Building and Cumberland Cinema, DefSup maintained the interior’s concrete and brick ruggedness. They also maintained the interior and exterior marquees for signage, the textured filmstrip embossing on the back walls of the lobby, and the large theatre numbers painted on the stairwell alcoves, all of which add character to the space and provide some nostalgia for former patrons of the Cineplex. With filtered light and 18-foot ceilings, the gallery is “a wondrous open space, repurposed factory/warehouse/theatre complex...something you would find in New York or Los Angeles,” according to Karasiewicz. Looking forward, DefSup plans to explore new ways of thinking about emergent art trends while increasing public engagement. “We’ll be introducing changes that differentiate the organization by developing disruptive and transformational art to serve new artists and audiences, successfully spurring

TheArts

the centre’s development as an artistic incubator, creative hub, and a nexus for the art scene,” says Karasiewicz. In addition, DefSup will continue to provide comprehensive production and technical support and dedicated curatorial direction as part of their artist-focused framework. “In this way, we hope to advance our programming initiatives in new and exciting and positive directions so that we may continue to push the boundaries of contemporary art and spark critical dialogue through the diverse range of artworks...contributing to the contemporary arts in Canada,” says Karasiewicz. As part of their grand opening, DefSup also kicked off their inaugural exhibition 20-20 Future Vision, showcasing over 40 contemporary regional, national, and

international artists. Karasiewicz says the exhibition looks forward to a progressive future in which “DefSup will continue identifying and encouraging artists working in all media and engaging ourselves to identify our place and role as contributors in the future of the contemporary arts in Northwestern Ontario.” With their repurposed, multifunctional, and innovative space, DefSup poised to be a catalyst for a progressive new beginning for Northwestern Ontario’s arts scene. 20-20 Future Vision runs until September 26 at DefSup’s new location at 115 Cumberland Street North.

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TheArts

Sociable Thunder Bay

organizations across Northwestern Ontario. “First Nations communities have, hands-down … I would say they probably saved our business,” Kruger says. “They ordered in mass quantity to remote communities.” “All of a sudden, we’re getting orders like crazy from all these schools,” Gerow says. “It saved our business and started a whole new business, it really did.” He adds that his and Kruger’s mantra is “bringing the community together through creativity, and that’s what happened. The community came and we all bounced ideas around … for me, it’s a dream come true.” Kruger and Gerow say they’re now pivoting to make the takehome kits a central part of their business going forward. You can keep your eye on thecreativeonlineshop.ca to learn more.

Art At Home

The Creative’s Take-Home Kits Popular in Thunder Bay and Beyond By Matt Prokopchuk

40 The Walleye

business didn’t go under, which was super touching.” From that idea, Kruger and Gerow set about creating the kits. They’re based off a number of Gerow’s animal paintings, like turtles, moose, and bears, and include all the necessary supplies like a canvas, paints, a paintbrush set, and a picture of the image they’re painting. Video tutorials are also available. And while Gerow was creating them by hand at first, Kruger says they’ve now partnered with Superior Screen Printing “to save Steve’s hands.” “At first, we thought we’d maybe sell 100,” Kruger says. “In the first two months, we did probably close to 1,500.” She says they’re not only selling to individuals, but also Thunder Bay and area school boards, seniors’ centres, and Indigenous communities and

From left to right: Steve Gerow and Deena Kruger, co-founders and co-owners of The Creative

Sociable Thunder Bay

he owners of a Thunder Bay art studio space say that their move to start selling takehome art kits during the pandemic likely saved their business, and now they’re looking to expand the venture further. When COVID-19 restrictions effectively shut down The Creative in Thunder Bay in March, that meant their usual painting classes and studio rentals also ceased. Deena Kruger, who co-founded and coowns the business along with partner Steve Gerow, says that the idea to give people the means to learn to paint at home came from their clients. “Once COVID hit, we kind of really didn’t know what we were going to do, so we had, probably a two-week panic period,” Kruger says. “Our painters, our community started reaching out to us because they wanted to make sure that our

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Outdoor

Keepers of the Light

A Week at the Porphyry Island Lighthouse Story and photos by Natalie Vibert

rowing up in Thunder Bay, Lake Superior was something that I saw often but never truly experienced. This summer, that all changed when I took my daughters Grace, 7, and June, 5, on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure to live and work at Porphyry Island Lighthouse. The lighthouse is located on the eastern side of the Black Bay Peninsula, about 40 kilometres east of Thunder Bay and is only accessible by boat or helicopter.

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The community group Canadian Lighthouses of Lake Superior offers one-week excursions to host families to stay and work on Porphyry Island. On a warm sunny day in July, we set off from the Thunder Bay harbour for our first-ever boat ride across Lake Superior, with our destination being our home for the next week. After just over an hour on the power boat, we arrived at Porphyry Island’s northwest bay, just to the south of Walkers Channel. After being greeted at the dock by staff from Canadian

 From left to right, June and Grace Massaro

Outdoor Lighthouses of Lake Superior, we walked the trail to the island’s point and settled into our temporary home. When the original lighthouse was built in 1873, it was the second lighthouse constructed on Lake Superior. Lighthouse keepers and their families lived on Porphyry Island, ensuring the light shone bright, until 1989 when the lighthouse went into automatic mode. Living and working while on the island gave us the opportunity to explore 106 years of lighthouse keeping history. We ate our meals in the same kitchen the keepers did, completed chores as a family, and cleaned up the brush around the

keepers’ chicken coop. We hauled supplies from the dock to the tower site, climbed the same lightower steps each day to check the light, and tracked ships passing on their way to Thunder Bay. And we had bonfires overlooking Lake Superior, saw the same stars and stormy skies off Porphyry Point, and spent afternoons at the black sand beaches cooling our feet in the same Lake Superior water—all just as the keepers would have done. You can read about the life of a lighthouse keeper but there is nothing like living the life of the lighthouse keeper, if even for one short week.

 Clockwise starting from left: June Massaro, Grace Massaro, Natalie Vibert

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CityScene

Physical, Emotional, and Social Therapy Bertrand Court Community Garden A Labour of Love Story and photos by Peter Jabs

estled between buildings behind Bertrand Court—a housing facility owned by the local district social services board— lies a beautiful garden created and tended by the community living there. Billy Washington, one of the growers, recalls getting permission for four plots about a dozen years ago. With some outside help, but done mostly on their own, the community has tripled the garden in size since then, and there is a waiting list for more plots. ”It’s physical, emotional, and social therapy for me,” says Washington. “I get up in the morning, smoke a

joint, and go out to the garden and enjoy.” The gardeners do everything that needs doing, from starting their own seeds, preparing the beds, planting, watering, weeding, thinning, discouraging urban deer, and composting to harvesting, processing, distributing, and feasting. “I don’t wear gloves,” says Glenna McLeod, another of the community of gardeners. Originally a farm girl from Saskatchewan, she adds that it helps her get through the winter thinking about next year’s growing season. I wonder if scientists have studied the benefits of getting your hands in really good soil. Contact with

rare earth minerals and a flourishing micro-ecology may turn your thumb green. Tomatoes, lettuce, Brussels sprouts, radishes, peas (deer love ‘em), cauliflower, beets, turnips, radishes, and more grow on her 20 x 30-foot plot. McLeod makes tomato

sauce, blanches and freezes vegetables, and gives the rest to friends and neighbours. She is popular. The garden, in its current form, won’t be around much longer. The social services board expects to finalize plans this fall to demolish one of the existing one-storey buildings on Court Street North and replace it with a new multilevel structure; in the long-term, officials propose replacing the remaining three housing units with another new building. For many years, vacant units have not been refilled, and the remaining residents— all 55-plus—are waiting for a closing date to be named. All will be offered new homes, and while the board says the proposed redevelopment would promise more greenspace and room for gardens, this one—a haven of solace to many—will likely be no more. But for now, the days get shorter and cooler as harvest time approaches, perhaps for the last time for some. Longtime community member Roberta Gorrie sums it up succinctly. “The garden means a lot to us,” she says.

Billy Washington

Fresh new menu with a variety of seasonal fare. by New Executive Chef Alex Gut

Open 12 pm -9 pm daily Reservations recommended

Phone: 807-285-9317 44 The Walleye

CityScene

This is Thunder Bay Interviews by Nancy Saunders, Photos by Laura Paxton This month we asked The Walleye readers to share their favourite take-out food.

Ruth: Sushi. We really like the raw fish. We’ve started getting away from the rolls; we don’t really do the rice anymore so we can fill up more on raw fish.

Mary: A good burger and fries kind of place. There are a lot of them around. I don’t deep fry at home, so if I order food, a little deep fry is nice in moderation.

Shelby: I eat a lot of pizza. I love my pizza.

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CityScene and Schmerk were both working at other salons for hourly wages. They met, they clicked, and then things moved fast. When a space on Bay Street opened up in May, they decided to go for it. June was a month of minor renovations, painting, and decorating. Cronk and Schmerk worked quickly and were ready to open their doors to the public— while following all health and safety protocols for operating in a pandemic—in July. When you walk through the door into the reception area of ALTR Hair Studio, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the cleanliness, the bright lights, and the greenery. Cronk and Schmerk love greenery and their space is overflowing with beautiful

From left to right, Kristyn Schmerk and Jillian Cronk, co-owners of ALTR Hair Studio

ALTR Hair Studio Following Passion and Being Green Story and photos by Leah Morningstar

wo amazing hairdressers have recently opened up a new space in Thunder Bay’s Bay and Algoma area. They are hip, they are fresh, and they are so cool. It’s a disservice to call them hairdressers when they are, in fact, hair artists. Jillian Cronk and Kristyn Schmerk only met about a year ago, but they just clicked. Maybe it’s because they just ooze quirky and edgy style, which they express in amazing hair colours and fantastic

accessories. Or maybe it’s because they have a lot in common. Both grew up in the region (Thunder Bay and Fort William First Nation, respectively), both found a love for hair styling in high school cosmetology class, both attended hair school in southern Ontario, and both returned home after graduating with the ambitious goal of building careers and establishing clientele in the Thunder Bay region. Prior to the pandemic, Cronk

 Kristyn Schmerk’s workspace

46 The Walleye

plants, from the floor all the way up to the highest window. The green of their numerous plants matches their green vision for the salon, with regards to keeping the environment and people safe. All the shampoo and hair care products are from the Davines line, which were developed to be biodegradable and to do as little harm as possible while adapting to a large variety of hair care needs. Even if you don’t want a haircut, you can still visit the shop (the entrance is on Secord Street) and purchase shampoo. However, it’s important to remember that making an appointment, even for shopping, is highly encouraged in the era of COVID-19. In addition to environmental harm reduction, Cronk and Schmerk are passionate about personal and societal harm reduction. They offer gender-neutral pricing wherein the cost is based on the amount of hair on your head rather than your gender identity. ALTR Hair Studio also offers the

option of a “silent service”: if you cannot carry on a conversation or engage in small talk for any reason, you need only to request a silent appointment. ALTR Hair Studio is also proud to announce that they are officially part of The Dresscode Project. Founded in 2017, the project is a nationwide collective of salons and barber shops working to create gender-affirming and safe spaces for the LGBTQ+ community, through a focus on employee training and resources. Everyone is welcome at ALTR Hair Studio; everyone is accepted. Their own hair may be pink and peachy, but Cronk and Schmerk’s ALTR Hair Studio is green through and through. From the paint on the walls to the plants on the shelves to the products and practices they employ, everything glows and radiates with the hue of new growth and life. Call 346-9644 to book an appointment as soon as you can. They book up fast!

Safety measures are in place while we continue to work hard for you everyday. We are able to help you in our 5000 sq.ft showroom, or with curbside sample pick up. Design services are available.

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CityScene

Escape Plan

A New Travel Book by Jim Byers

Destination Ontario

By Bonnie Schiedel

Author Jim Byers is not fond of heights but loved the views from the Sleeping Giant

“I

t didn’t take a genius to figure out that local travel was going to be big,” says travel writer Jim Byers, thinking back to March 2020 and the beginning of the pandemic in Canada. In the past, Byers had contemplated creating a compilation of some of his travel articles and decided to go for it when he was approached by e-book publisher Black Sand Digital. Ontario Escapes: 19 Great Places to Visit Right Now! was released in mid-July and features 19 chapters on Ontario destinations, ranging from Grand Bend and Lake Huron beaches and the “quiet side” of Toronto to Prince

Edward County wine country and Hamilton area waterfalls. “I’ve got to travel all over the continent, and there are not only a lot of really cool places, but a lot of really fun people. And to me, the stories that I like the most are not the ones saying, ‘you know, you can go for a bike ride here, you can go for a walk’; the ones that I really enjoyed, that I hope resonate most with people, are the people’s stories,” he says. Two chapters are devoted to Northwestern Ontario. The Sleeping Giant kicks off the book in Chapter 1. One of Byers’ favourite memories

is of the Sea Lion rock formation at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. “It’s a really beautiful little beach there, and people had stacked up rocks and were walking their dogs,” he says. “And I really loved Silver Islet. Those little cottages are not fancy, but they are well-loved and homey.” Another chapter features his experiences in Rossport, where he arrived weary from a busy day and was tempted to skip his scheduled Zodiac boat tour of the area. “Dawn, the Willows [Inn] B&B owner, said, ‘You’ve got to go out on that boat. Are you out of your mind?’” Fortunately, the tour with

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48 The Walleye

Discovery Charters and captain Paul Turpin delivered plenty of quirky stories and Lake Superior magic. “[Northwestern Ontario] is a part of the world, and a part of Canada, that doesn’t get nearly enough exposure,” says Byers. Byers hopes the book will appeal to armchair travelers and road-trippers alike. “We get so used to watching TV, seeing Anthony Bourdain in the streets of Shanghai,” he says. “We sometimes forget about all the cool, surprising things in Ontario.” Ontario Escapes: 19 Great Places to Visit Right Now! is available to download at Apple Books for $4.99.

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CANNABIS CORNER

Welcome to Flavour Country Exploring Cannabis Food Pairings By Justin Allec

n alternative subtitle for this article could’ve been “Taking Advantage of the Munchies,” but today, we’re keeping it classy. Food, on its own, is awesome, but food after cannabis consumption can be divine. Though science hasn’t yet offered a firm answer on why “the munchies” occur after consuming, it’s a given that you’ll be feeling some kind of increase in appetite along with sensitivity to taste, colour, and texture. Food pairings take advantage of this heightened state by using the

flavour of the cannabis as a lead in to some great food. It’s a conscientious choice that requires some planning; it’s a step beyond simply having a joint followed by crushing a whole box of stale crackers. Food pairings also aren’t infusions or edibles— great as those can be—as we’re still smoking cannabis to lead to an increased awareness of deliciousness. In this fashion, food and its sensational tastes and textures are just as much of a part of the cannabis experience as the smoking itself. The easiest way to start planning

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a food pairing is to consider what flavours you prefer. Flavour is a result of terpenes, which are present in both cannabis and food. Consider what strains you like the smell of as well as overall experience. Take a page out of the sommelier playbook and really try to identify the terpenes wafting from your cannabis. For example, the Girl Scout Cookies’ (GSC) terpenes are typically caryophyllene, limonene, and humulene. The respective flavours of those terpenes are pepper, citrus, and hops, but you can always just generalize the strain’s smell as sweet with subtle hints of earthiness. Once you’ve selected a strain, then it’s time to choose some food. You can make this easy by thinking if you want complementary flavours or contrasting. If we stick with our GSC strain, then we’ll be looking at a sweet flavour for complementary or a savoury, spicy, or creamy flavour for contrasting. Limonene is

easy to match up—any dessert with lemon in it would work—but if you wanted a main course, then some baked salmon or lemon chicken would be ideal. Contrasting flavours are more particular to the person, but I’d recommend a small charcuterie plate complete with olives. As a final note, the time of day is also worth considering. Say you’re going to pair a strain with coffee. This is a typical after-dinner treat in Amsterdam, but if you’re combining coffee with a sativa strain, you’re going to be too wired to sleep. Pick a mellow indica, though, and this would be a good combination for a nightcap. Similarly, if you’re having guests, you don’t want everyone to be sluggish and tired with an indica strain—pick a sativa to keep things positive and social. Keep in mind, though, that there is no right combination for pairings; if you enjoy it, then it’s a good one.

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CityScene

GO LOCAL THUNDER BAY COUNTRY MARKET

Charmaine Barton, owner, S & G Cleaning Solutions

S & G Cleaning Solutions Story by Sarah Kerton, Photos by Keegan Richard

aking conscious decisions around the cleaning products we use every day is something we can all do to have a positive impact on our personal health, as well as our local environment. S & G Cleaning Solutions is a local vendor at the Thunder Bay Country Market that makes non/ less-toxic cleaning products. S & G is owned by Charmaine Barton, who creates all of the products herself with the support of her husband and son (and the oversight of her cats). The products that go down the drain are septic-safe and environmentally safe (or at least neutral). The majority are also vegan, and the ingredients are common household items listed on the label in plain language. Barton says she named the company after her two cats, Shadow and Ghost, who partially inspired the business by becoming sensitive to household cleaners. S

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& G products are also zero-waste, coming in reusable jars and brown paper bags with a discount on refills with jar returns. The top two sellers at the market are Sublime laundry detergent and a product called MOATB. The laundry detergent comes in a 500 ml jar, which is good for 32 loads. This vegan formulation requires a warm or hot water wash. Barton points out that this is beneficial during these times where people are worried about germs, as cold water washes do not kill bacteria or viruses. The MOATB started life as "The Mother Of All Toilet Bombs," but has evolved into many uses. These tablets come unscented and scented. Barton says the top three uses of these tablets are as a shower steamer (that also cleans the drain), a toilet bowl cleaner, and a non-toxic bathroom drain cleaner. Market customers also report using it as an

air freshener for drawers or closets. As with all the vendors, Barton has a list of reasons she loves being at the market, from the helpfulness and camaraderie amongst the vendors to the diversity of the customers. Barton has always lived along the Great Lakes and has seen the damage done to the

water from all sorts of pollution. “I may be only one person doing one small thing,” she says. “But if I can get 10 people to ‘detoxify my home’ then we start to have a measurable effect. If I can get 100 people, then there is a bigger effect.” For more information, contact sngcleaningsolutions@gmail.com.

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST - TOURISM-BASED BUSINESS

Photo courtesy of Elaine Mackenzie, Mountain Stream Orchard

photo courtesy of Elaine Mackenzie, Mountain Stream Orchard

MUNICIPALITY OF NEEBING

The Municipality of Neebing is looking to open up a conversation with current and potential business owners. To capitalize on existing tourism opportunities, Neebing is looking for new tourismrelated businesses to set up shop! Neebing is a rural community comprised of 5 townships: Blake, Scoble, Crooks, Pearson, and Pardee. It spans 877 square kilometers of rolling hills, breath-taking lake shore, cliffs, and prime agricultural land. For consideration: The Municipality of Neebing is requesting EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST TO ESTABLISH A TOURISM-BASED BUSINESS WITHIN THE MUNICIPALITY. Examples of such businesses include, but are not limited to: a cafe or restaurant; a campground; outfitting or guiding services (i.e. lake tours); accommodations. Current tourism assets include: Municipally-owned parks and boat launches along Lake Superior, Cloud Lake, Oliver Lake, Journey’s Middle Park, and the Alf Olsen Center.

The municipality is prepared to offer assistance in site selection, permitting, and seeking funding opportunities.

Please send your proposal to: The Corporation of the Municipality of Neebing 4766 Highway 61 Neebing, ON P7L 0B5 Attn: Courtney Lanthier Economic Development Officer Intern (807) 474-5331 development@neebing.org

Other notable recreation opportunities include: Pigeon River Provincial Park Thompson Island Provincial Park James Duncan Nature Trail - Big Trout Bay As a potential Neebing business owner, you would be joining a community of other businesses making their mark on the Thunder Bay area. Slate River Dairy Mountain Stream Orchard MindBody WholeWellness the Bakeshop on Boundary Mink Mountain Resort Thunder Oak Cheese Farm Eagle Ridge Trout Ponds and more...

The municipality is prepared to offer assistance in site selection, permitting, and seeking funding opportunities. Please send your proposal to: The Corporation of the Municipality of Neebing 4766 Highway 61 Neebing, ON P7L 0B5 Attn: Courtney Lanthier Economic Development Officer Intern (807) 474-5331 development@neebing.org

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CityScene

Stuff We Like

Hi Ho Silver

For Making the Most of Masks

The Bodymind Centre

By Rebekah Skochinski

earing non-medical masks in our day-to-day interactions is a reality for the foreseeable future, and since we like to look on the bright side of things here at The Walleye, we couldn’t help but take a look around our community to see what’s available at our local shops and from local makers. These are just a few of the many great ones out there! We’ve found masks from functional to fashionable, for large faces to small. Here’s Stuff We Like for Making the Most of Masks.

105 Villa Street #8 Made of soft and strong Supima® cotton and blended with antimicrobial Silver XT2®, these masks not only have a built-in cooling property for greater comfort, but the antibacterial properties will help prevent a build-up of bacteria and odours. These are ideal masks for those needing to wear them for long periods of time! As well, the ionization process during production gives them waterresistant properties, which will help to prevent the spreading of germs. Available in four different sizes.

$15

Feel Good

3ride Bicycle Co.

Back in Black

Sleeping Giant Brewing Co.

Fashion Forward JB Evans Fashions & Footwear

240A Red River Road 122 Frederica Street West For every one of these You can always count on JB BlackStrap masks that is sold, Evans for fashionable finds, a mask is donated! Part of the so of course they are a great company’s waste-zero line, the source for trendy masks, with masks are made of repurposed several brands and styles to fabric scraps. The synthetic choose from. However, we’re material is moisture wicking crushing hard on these tie-dye and masks are constructed masks by local maker Juniper of a tightly woven dual layer Brand Goods, who uses upcycled with a breathable mesh liner. vintage fabrics for her handmade Although they are one size creations. Made of breathable only, the loops for these masks cotton, they come in youth and can be knotted for smalleradult sizes. Suitable for a night sized faces. They are safe for out, or a Saturday shop at the the washer and dryer and come farmers’ market. Hand wash and in solid black and a variety hang to dry. of eye-catching patterns and $15 colour combinations.

$25

712 Macdonell Street We like these masks from SGB for two reasons (well, there’s more than two, but these top the list!). First, they are black. Black is classic and won’t as easily show dirt or stains, making this a great option to wear to the hair salon when you go in for your new fall hairdo. We also like the fact that you can show your love for a great local company that makes great beer, because great people and things are what’s helping get us through.

$12

Designer

Drawstring for the Win

joyceseppaladesigns.com Designer Joyce Seppala loves colour. Her super funky masks are constructed of three layers of preshrunk cotton (the third layer is a protection panel) and are available in a variety of sizes and fabric options that are made to order. They come with a handmade wire section that contours over the nose and are engineered to make breathing easy. Plus, she says once they are on you don’t have to constantly adjust them. Hallelujah. Available in all sizes, they can be shipped and delivered in town.

16 Cumberland Street South Ungalli has been making masks since this all began as well as collaborating to create custom masks for local businesses (see SGB in this feature!) They have a bunch of colours to choose from, but we appreciate this tan number for when you just want to blend in. The masks are ethically made and instead of elastics they come with drawstrings to tie around your neck and behind the top of head for a comfortable customized fit.

Joyce Seppala Designs

$14

5858 The The Walleye Walleye

Ungalli Clothing Co.

$13

Family Fun The Loop

2 Court Street South These unisex Papillon masks from a family-owned Vancouver-based business come in a variety of solid colours and prints to cover the mugs of everyone in the family—including masks for children, like this fun dino pattern. Who says dinosaurs have gone extinct? Papillon masks feature double-layer, 100% cotton with easy slide adjustable elastics and open slots for a standard PM2.5 filter. Machine washable.

$12

CityScene

Door Closes, Window Opens Doors Open Ontario Set for Virtual Heritage Tours in 2020 By Michael Charlebois

The Thunder Bay Tourist Pagoda, one of the featured sites for 2020 virtual heritage tours

he half-century celebration of Thunder Bay’s official name change has not come without its restrictions. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has made some festivals and traditions an impossibility, the local heritage community has found a way to safely retool its favourite event. The city takes part in Doors Open Ontario, a heritage building tour, every two years; it gives locals a six-hour window to visit historical venues across the city. It’s holding virtual tours this year, the first time since its inception in 2003 that the

event is changing course. Laurie Abthorpe, a heritage researcher with the City of Thunder Bay and the Doors Open Ontario co-ordinator, says the virtual version will feature landmark structures that have come to define Thunder Bay throughout its history. “It’s just a great chance to kind of explore the city and open some doors you generally would not see with different buildings,” she says. Between the throwback to the fur trade-era at Fort William Historical Park and the modern architecture of Thunder Bay city hall, the local

virtual tour will feature 11 sites. “This year it really is an opportunity to experience some of the buildings and some of the stories, just from a computer,” Abthorpe says. Each of the venues will feature video vignettes produced by Epica Pictures, as well as additional information about the historical relevance of each site. Abthorpe is hopeful for those who are interested in the city’s history to use the virtual tours as background information for sites they can check out during their spare time. “There’s no reason why you

can’t learn about these buildings online and then go check them out in person,” she says, adding that this year also presents an opportunity to virtually visit other heritage buildings across the province. The website at Doors Open Ontario will include Thunder Bay among 32 other cities and communities with virtual heritage displays online. The event is free of charge, and will be live on doorsopenontario. on.ca from September 1 through November 30.

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CityScene

Friends Helping Friends Superior Association of Woodworkers Celebrates 25 Years

Story by Deanne Gagnon, Photos courtesy of Superior Association of Woodworkers library

hether as a career or a hobby, woodworking is a beautiful craft—one that involves many variables, including the type of wood, tools, and finishes used to successfully complete a project. A quarter of a century ago, three local professional woodworkers, Larry Watson, Lou Mazerolle, and Vic Germaniuk, identified the need for a place for local woodworkers to get together, showcase their work, and share ideas and knowledge. They teamed up and formed the Superior Association of Woodworkers, which aptly creates the acronym SAW. Twenty-five years later, the

60 The Walleye

association, which welcomes both amateur and professional woodworkers alike, is still going strong with over 30 members. “Anyone who has a vague interest in woodworking would find coming to the meetings with this group a lot of fun, but also with the expertise that they have, a novice could save themselves so much time and trouble by learning through these meetings. I would say more than anything the club is a learning opportunity for people,” says Kelly McCormack, the association’s president. “It is also a networking club; members become friends and get together within their own

workshops exclusive of the club. It’s friends helping friends.” Under regular circumstances, the club meets once a month at the Monty Parks Centre, where they have guest speakers who are suppliers in the industry, ranging from tools to different types of finishes. This is beneficial with technology changing so rapidly. “It’s an evolving

science particularly with finishes and there are new tools coming out almost monthly depending on what skill set you’re trying to develop. It has moved along really quickly with technology,” McCormack says. Each meeting provides members with an opportunity to participate in “show and tell” where they share their latest project to

receive feedback and advice from other members. “If not for COVID, we would have had a big party with cake, but have put it off for now. The website is really the 25th anniversary gift though,“ says longtime member Gord Earle, of their silver anniversary celebration and website they’ve recently developed. For anyone looking to get involved, “What I would suggest they do is check out the website, check

out meeting dates when they are up and running again [currently postponed due to COVID], come as a guest, and if they like what they hear they can continue coming,” Earle says. “Membership is cheap at $35 a year, there is also the membership perk of discounts at some local suppliers.” For more information check out sawthunderbay.ca.

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CityScene

WALL SPACE

Dave MacIsaac’s Backyard Garage Story by Tiffany Jarva, Photos by Kay Lee

echanic hobbyist Dave MacIsaac enjoys fixing his own vehicles and those of family and friends. “I like fixing things. I like solving problems and I’m addicted to thriftiness,” he laughs. When looking for a house in Thunder Bay, it was important for him to find the proper space to facilitate the garage he envisioned. A forestry professor at Confederation College, he says he

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started playing around with cars out of necessity when he was a student living in Toronto and couldn’t afford the garage costs. He learned a lot from others and on his own. He also emphasizes he would never do this for a living. “This is my hobby. It’s not fun when you’re under pressure. Not fun when you’re in a rush. I honestly do it just for fun; just for family and friends.”

 Checking the tie rod, Dave says most of what he does is front end work, related to wheel bearings and ball joints, shocks and steering.  The garage is 22 feet by 32 feet and includes a two-post lift. “The whole building is designed using math,” Dave says.” It might be simple math, but it’s still math.” It was important to calculate the dimensions properly: from being able to open and close the garage door to making sure two-thirds of the vehicle can fit behind the lift, along with proper clearance on either side.  Here is another specialized tool that Dave created in order to assist with oil changes. “I will only do oil changes when there is something else that needs to be done,” he says.

CityScene

 Dave hoists the family’s 1990 BMW, which he says has made many road trips over the years, travelling coast to coast across Canada. “It’s been to both oceans, [to] Cape Breton and Vancouver.”  Kat and Dave MacIsaac with their two children Declan and Callum in front of the 15-foot-high garage at the back of their northside Thunder Bay property. Kat planted the garden, and wooden trellises have been placed to eventually create a wall of green. She also mentions that now that the boys are getting older, they have started helping out their dad in the garage.

 Dave removes a tire in order to check out the brakes.

 “These are the problems I like to solve,” Dave says, holding a tool he specifically built to access the BMW’s transmission bolt. “I cut and welded wrenches together. They are homemade, cheaper, and work well.” Flip the tool around and it can be used to work on a belt tensioner.  “I have four more shipments of tools coming in this week,” laughs Dave, who admits that even though he gets very dirty working in the garage, his tools are always very well organized.  In his happy place. Dave says that during the summer he’s usually in this space about five times a week.

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CityScene

By Susan Goldberg

orty years ago, Geoff Davis got a call from the emergency department at Thunder Bay’s Port Arthur General Hospital. “Terry Fox phoned,” the nurse on duty told the newly minted family physician, on call over the Labour Day long weekend in 1980. “He wants you to go see him at his hotel room.” Davis recalls walking into Fox’s room at the Prince Arthur Hotel,

Bill Vigars

A prototype of the Terry Fox monument

64 The Walleye

his medical equipment discreetly stowed in a brown paper bag so as not to attract attention. “Terry was sitting on the bed, silhouetted by the Sleeping Giant through the window behind him. And he looked up at me and said, ‘It’s back.’” The “it,” of course, was cancer. Osteosarcoma had claimed Fox’s right leg in 1977, an experience that ultimately inspired his now-legendary Marathon of Hope. In April 1980, Fox, a 21-year-old from British Columbia, dipped his prosthetic leg in the Atlantic Ocean and then set off to run across Canada—the equivalent of a marathon a day—in order to raise funds for cancer research. At the time, his audacious goal was to raise $24 million: one dollar from every Canadian. Today, more than $800 million has been raised in Fox’s name for cancer research, according to the Terry Fox Foundation. Just outside Thunder Bay, though, Fox faltered. “It was the last thing we expected,” says Bill Vigars, Fox’s PR manager at the time. The two had become close friends over the course of the Marathon—Vigars’s two children, Kerry Anne and Patrick, travelled with Fox and his crew across eastern Canada. Vigars, who’d taken the weekend off to see family in southern Ontario, panicked when the Ontario Provincial Police told him they couldn’t find Fox. After Terry finally called from a hospital payphone, Vigars talked his way on to a

full flight from Toronto to Thunder Bay in order to see his friend. He arrived at the same time as Fox’s parents, Betty and Rolly, and the three went to the hospital together. “Rolly kept repeating, ‘This is not fair.’ And Terry told him, ‘Dad, I’m no different than anyone else. This is what happens to people with cancer. Maybe now people will understand why I was doing this.’” Dr. Davis—who’d spent an

Aelin Foster

Remembering the Legendary Marathon of Hope

Aelin Foster

40 Years On

emotional weekend with Fox and his family—flew with Fox on the OHIP-chartered flight back to BC. His time with Fox cemented his decision to go into palliative care, he says. “Palliative care is really about adding life to the days that you have, not about dying. And Terry brought death out of the closet.” Vigars remembers hugging Fox on the tarmac. “I said, ‘I love you. I’ll make you live forever.’ And then he left, and we were devastated.” Vigars was instrumental in the design of the Terry Fox monument that pays tribute to the Marathon of Hope, just outside Thunder Bay. He still travels the world to speak about Fox and raise funds for cancer. On a recent trip to China, he spoke at a Terry Fox run. “I looked out at a sea of 8,000 Chinese teenagers, all wearing Terry Fox T-shirts. Never in a million years would Terry have imagined the impact he had, not only in Canada but worldwide.” Vigars— whose grandfather Richard Vigars, served as mayor of Port Arthur in 1905—had plans to travel to Thunder Bay this summer to commemorate the Marathon’s 40th anniversary. COVID-19 has cancelled those plans, but Vigars vows to make the trip as soon as it’s possible. And while the Marathon of Hope’s

CityScene

2020 Terry Fox Run Goes Virtual

ver since Terry Fox undertook his Marathon of Hope in 1980, the spirit of that endeavour lives on in the annual Terry Fox Runs held in over 9,000 communities across the country. But this year, the COVID-19 pandemic is forcing changes to those events, just as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of Fox’s efforts to raise money for cancer treatment and research. This year’s Terry Fox Run, being held on September 20, will be virtual, says Don Morrison, the chair of the Thunder Bay event, which is a community service project of the Lakehead Rotary Club. Morrison has been organizing the local Terry Fox Runs for nearly 30 years. “We can’t come out to the run site like we’ve done in the past, where we have an official opening ceremonies and the gun goes off and people walk, run, or bicycle around the [5 kilometre] route around Boulevard Lake,” he says. “We’re just asking people, on the date, to go out for a walk, run, bike; likewise, try to raise money.” The registration and fundraising are being done completely online this year. Those fundraising efforts can take

the form of a personal donation, and/or taking pledges. As in years past, Morrison says there’s no set fee or fundraising goal to hit in order to take part. Morrison adds that the Terry Fox Run and work by area school boards to teach students about Fox have been successful in keeping his memory and goals alive. Those kinds of efforts, he says, are paying dividends. “My six-and-a-half year-old grandson could tell you more about Terry Fox than I probably can,” Morrison says, adding that, overall, Terry’s memory and the runs established in his honour still have a large impact today, with over $800 million raised. “It’s immeasurable,” he says, pointing to a young man who has been participating in the local events for the past several years who was diagnosed with the same type of cancer Fox had, also starting in his leg. “[He’s] fit as a fiddle now,” Morrison says. “He’s healthy as can be … they’ve developed ways to correct, cure, the kind of cancer that Terry had. That’s amazing.” Registration for this year’s virtual Terry Fox Run can be done at terryfox.org/run

Courtesy of Bill Vigars

By Matt Prokopchuk

Terry Fox with Bill Vigars (right) during the Marathon of Hope in 1980 40th anniversary occurs during the coronavirus pandemic, Davis— now chief of staff at St. Joseph’s Care Group—reminds us that the Marathon of Hope also began in a pandemic, around another highly misunderstood condition. In the early 1980s AIDS was ravaging communities and sparking worldwide fear. “Nobody understood how contagious AIDS was. Physicians were petrified of having AIDS patients in

their care. The rules kept changing. And in the general public there was a lot of fear—at its height, six people were dying a week in Thunder Bay.” Today, Dr. Davis is still influenced by Terry Fox. “In my practice, I tell people, ‘I’ll never tell you that there is no hope. Even when you’re dying, there’s always hope for something a bit better. And Terry embodied that.”

Aelin Foster

Bill Vigars

Terry Fox, along with Bill Vigars’ children Patrick, then 8 (left) and Kerry Anne, then 9 (right)

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CityScene

EYE TO EYE

With Ryleigh Dupuis As told to Matt Prokopchuk, Photo by Erin Hemsworth Ryleigh Dupuis making the drive from Vancouver to Thunder Bay

t’s been a hectic summer for Ryleigh Dupuis, the new executive director and general manager of the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra. Born and raised in Thunder Bay (and still with lots of family here), Dupuis left the Lakehead about 20 years ago, working in a number of fields including the airline industry, as well as in television and film. But now she’s returning home from Vancouver to lead the only professional orchestra between Toronto and Winnipeg. Dupuis spoke with us over Zoom to chat about her priorities for the symphony, preparing to move halfway across the country during a pandemic, and the most interesting place her varied work life has taken her. On how she came to return to Thunder Bay: I saw this opportunity at the TBSO—and I think I’ve said this before, that being in Thunder Bay and growing up in the arts community in Thunder Bay, [people] see the symphony as sort of the pinnacle of the arts in Thunder Bay, it’s a very well-respected and well-established organization. So,

66 The Walleye

I saw this opportunity come up for executive director and general manager; being that we’re in the midst of COVID and I think everyone is sort of taking stock on their life and where they are and kind of what they’re doing, it just seemed like a really wonderful opportunity to return home where my family is to give back to the arts community that really gave me so much growing up. On what her immediate priorities are: Defining what we can do, what our season is going to look like. We’re in the midst of that at the moment, and we should have more coming on that soon. And really trying to get the symphony through this time as a unit and as a member of the community, and as an arts organization. It is hard to be in the arts in a good year, you know, but I think COVID has really impacted the arts in a very complicated and difficult way. And so for us, it’s going to be finding our voice and finding our space inside of this and giving our audiences and our community a product that they can still enjoy, even in the times that we’re in.

On what she’s most looking forward to about returning home: I’m looking forward to family, definitely [that’s a] big draw for me. But within the organization, I’m really excited about the potential that we have right now to do really interesting and unique things and to give offerings to the community that I think really can only come from a time of challenge. While we are facing adversity, I think really great art comes from challenging times and from adversity, so I’m very excited to see where we’re going to go.

On what it’s like moving half-way across the country in a pandemic: It’s a little overwhelming, I would have to say. However, I’m not a timid person. I’m not afraid of change, I’m not afraid of a challenge, and I think, to me, it really feels … less uncertain than the alternative. I think not making change at this point, staying static feels more challenging than making active change in these times. In times of uncertainty, you have to really be willing to do something, to take control of your life … sort of take the reins and say ‘okay, this is what I’m going to do and these are the difficult decisions I’m making.’ It creates a sense of control in your life. On what food she’s craving: Perogies. On what’s on her music playlist: Classical. All classical, nothing but classical. I’m trying to steep myself at this point. On what she’s binge watching: Old episodes of New Girl. On the most interesting place work has taken her: Vienna, Austria. I was at a conference for airline managers. I would say that’s probably the most interesting place. It’s amazing and beautiful and wonderful, and it’s funny because it’s also [a] very orchestral city and the orchestra and the opera have sales teams that just wander the streets and sell tickets to people to come to concerts. There’s Mozart cafes, and coffees and desserts, and the whole environment is very much themed on classical and orchestral music. It’s ironic that now I’m here doing this.

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CityScene

Order Up!

The Health of Thunder Bay’s Restaurant Scene in a Pandemic By Raven Wheesk, Economist, Northern Policy Institute

or Thunder Bay’s growing food services industry, COVID-19 is a test of resilience. This is especially true for the restaurants that rely on indoor dining to pay the bills. Fortunately, many local establishments have adapted to the situation. Most remain open, taking measures such as simplifying menus in response to supply-chain disruptions, implementing contactless take-out or delivery, or making the jump to Skip the Dishes and Uber Eats. More recently, patio dining has expanded around the city as well. COVID-19 represents a speed bump for the continued growth of Thunder Bay’s food scene. For locals, it comes as no surprise that the past five years have seen considerable growth in the food and accommodations industry—between 2015 and 2019, the number of establishments in the city increased by over 10%. Over the same period, the respective industries of Sudbury and North Bay have experienced little growth, while Sault Ste. Marie, Kenora, and Timmins have seen a decline.

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Thunder Bay’s growing restaurant industry is an outlier in Ontario’s western, northern, and central regions. Part of the reason for this is the rise of locally owned and operated restaurants, which are more likely than chain restaurants to source their food locally. While Ontario’s northern and western regions generally have poor soil for agriculture, the Kaministiquia and Slate River Valleys are nutrient-rich, giving local restaurants lots of options for local food suppliers. Since sourcing locally means there is less distance between restaurants and suppliers, ingredients are fresher, which can give local independent restaurants an edge over their externally owned competition. In Thunder Bay, places like the Sovereign Room and Eat Local Pizza emphasize the quality of their ingredients, which mostly come from surrounding farms. Eat Local particularly exemplifies this—they proudly make their pizzas with local ingredients, while also promoting other local brands like Heartbeat

Hot Sauce and the Nor’Wester Maple Company. And it is paying off: Eat Local is among the highest rated and most popular pizza places on Google Maps. Thunder Bay’s restaurant industry has seen a rejuvenation in recent years. The uncertainty of a global

pandemic poses unique challenges to all businesses, but local restaurants that have cultivated a loyal customer base are in a better position to weather the storm. For the city’s favourite restaurants, COVID19 is simply another obstacle to overcome.

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Thunder Bay Archives 995.1.62H

The New Millennium

How Thunder Bay Continued to Develop in the 2000s By Rebecca Eras, Communications Officer, City of Thunder Bay

City of Thunder Bay

 Demolition of the Pool 6 elevator  Aerial view of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre

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 Amanda Marshall performs at the 2019 Bluesfest

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he year that Thunder Bay turned 30, the earth shook in the city. The demolition of the Saskatchewan Pool 6 grain elevator would go down in history as the first implosion in the city—a nod to the pivotal role grain played in forming Port Arthur and Fort William. It was a new millennium, and where Keskus Mall once stood came a shiny and bright Gateway Casinos Thunder Bay. This was followed by entrepreneurs trying their luck at setting up shop in the north core, offering local food, art, and antiques. Also at the turn of the century, plans began for a revitalization of the waterfront, which coincided with the inaugural Blues Festival, a live concert at Marina Park that opened with Canadian acts like Colin James and the late Jeff Healey. As far as concerts go, BluesFest became a staple event on the north shore, and one that returned every summer for nearly 20 years. The growing music and food scene—along with an ever-expanding Indigenous focus at Lakehead University—likely played a role in Thunder Bay being named the Cultural Capital of Canada in 2003. The designation brought more funding for festivals and events. Around the same time, larger capital projects began bearing fruit, too, such as the opening of the Resolute Forest Products mill in Fort William First Nation, which happened alongside the city receiving the Forestry Capital of Canada title. The can-do spirit also spilled into sports. In 2000, the Thunder

Bay Chill formed to become a highly successful sports organization, providing fans with plenty to cheer about. And one year later in 2001, after a 16-year hiatus, men's varsity hockey returned to the city in the form of the Lakehead Thunderwolves, who beckoned thousands to the games held at Fort William Gardens. The Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre opened its doors in 2004. Seventy-sevenyear-old Doris Sparks was the first patient at the new 660,000-squarefoot hospital, and she commented that the ambulance ride was a bit bumpy but she enjoyed her beautiful room. The building itself was recognized sixth on a list of the world’s 30 most architecturally impressive hospitals. With a new acute care facility came a need for medical students, most of whom quickly enrolled in the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, which opened at Lakehead and Laurentian universities in 2005. The youngest medical school in Canada supported its students to practice medicine in rural settings, and many of the students ultimately chose to stay in Thunder Bay to practice after graduation. With the rise of technology, 10 years passed quickly, and many of us spent more time online. Facebook, YouTube, and Netflix took a greater presence in our lives, documenting key moments in time. But no screen can truly capture or replace the great outdoor living that we all continue to enjoy here in the north.

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CityScene

Julianne Lesuk (as Thing 2) and Cindy Floyd (as Thing 1), co-owners of Helium Highs

Cindy Floyd (left) and Julianne Lesuk (right) at a charity Halloween party, where they’d donate proceeds to a local charity

Doing What You Love

weddings, and other celebrations. The business also worked with schools, Indigenous communities and organizations, and numerous arts groups. “It’s a big part of my life, I’m not going to lie,” she says. “I really really enjoyed doing it because here you’re helping people have fun, you’re creating memories with them; these are the important dates in their lives.” “It was very rewarding and I met so many nice people,” she adds. “I

By Matt Prokopchuk

fter nearly 40 years in business, one of the owners of Helium Highs in Thunder Bay says it’s time for the party to end. Julianne Lesuk opened the south-side business alongside Cindy Floyd in 1981 and, ever since, they’ve become known for their elaborate balloons and other decorations and party supplies, a huge selection of costumes for rent, a pink gorilla mural, and for being an indispensable part of countless celebrations. The decision to close comes after several years of slowly gearing down, Lesuk says. “We had been thinking about selling the building […] It was in our plan quite a few years ago when we repainted. We had already started having that in mind—not to put another mural on—because we already

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started thinking about when we sell the building, you know, who wants a pink gorilla on it.” Lesuk says they’ve been reducing the number of hours the store has been open over the past few years and generally taking on fewer contracts. Increased competition from online shopping and chainbased party stores have also had an impact. The final straw came when they were finally able to sell their Simpson Street property this spring after several unsuccessful attempts. She says she’s also sold off a lot of her costumes and equipment—in many cases to people and organizations that would routinely rent them. One person, she says, bought 17 costumes alone. Looking back, Lesuk says it’s been a pleasure being there for people’s special days, like birthdays,

The pink gorilla was a mainstay of Helium Highs

Greg Malo

Helium Highs, Longtime Local Party Store, Closing

have customers that have been with me for the whole 39 years.” And with so much longevity in the party business locally, Lesuk says it has spanned generations. “I did a woman’s wedding and I did all of her kids’ weddings,” she says. While Lesuk is winding down Helium Highs, she’s not truly retiring. She and Floyd will be working exclusively next wedding season with State & Co., a local wedding planner.

CityScene

Making the Right Piece Fit

Local Puzzle-Makers Expanding Business By Pat Forrest

igsaw puzzles, while widely enjoyed since the 1700s, saw a huge surge in popularity during the Depression era, with reports of 10 million of them being sold weekly in the United States. Puzzles offered an escape from the doom and gloom of the time and gave people a sense of achievement as they created order out of chaos. Now in the age of COVID-19, add jigsaw puzzles to the list of creature comforts people are turning to, providing a welcome diversion from the outside world. And once again, they are flying off the shelves, both real and virtual. Mitchell and Bethany Argue, founders of Thunder Bay’s North Shore Puzzle Company, are capitalizing on this apparent second golden age of jigsaw puzzles. The pair started out by offering customized puzzles using their clients’ favourite photos, but are now branching out into capturing images of iconic local landmarks such as the Sea Lion rock formation in Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. The idea first started at the beginning of April, when the couple was forced to spend more time at home due to the pandemic. They found that they had the time to plan out a jigsaw puzzle business and make more use of their drone and photography equipment. After some research, they found a process to cut and print the puzzles in their home. Even the packaging is manufactured

locally, and ordering is a simple online process that enables customers to upload their high-resolution photos and pick their puzzle size, which range from 50 to 500 pieces. North Shore Puzzle Company will soon be offering more puzzles of scenic landmarks from around Northwestern Ontario, and plans are afoot to collaborate with local artists and organizations to highlight what the region has to offer. They are also working with the Canadian Lighthouses of Lake Superior to launch puzzles that will promote the work that group has done to restore the lighthouses in the area. Mitchell Argue says that there is a lot of interest and that sales are expected to grow. “Many of our customers have mentioned how much they enjoy spending time putting together a puzzle that has some extra meaning to it. We are going to continue adding more to our website as we expect the interest to really grow around the upcoming holiday season,” he says. “Our puzzles will make unique gifts and be a fun family activity.” For more information, visit northshorepuzzles.ca.

Bethany and Mitchell Argue, founders, North Shore Puzzle Company

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Music

Dreaming Neon Black

A Conversation with Guitarist Eric Morettin By Justin Allec

ow’s this for a sign that you’re doing the right thing with your life? “I remember the first time I got on stage to play guitar,” says Eric Morettin, longtime guitarist of local metal band The Vilification and recent Vancouver transplant. “It was for a school talent show, and I wasn’t nervous at all. I’d be terrified having to do speeches or presentations.” This was only a year or so after Morettin had started taking formal lessons, but it’s indicative of how quickly he progressed with the instrument. Though he’s a teacher by trade, Morettin’s really interested in playing guitar, and playing loudly. Morettin started playing guitar

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as an alternative to the usual sports, and quickly developed a passion for the instrument. Once he committed, he found himself gravitating towards the darker sounds of metal. “I’d see videos on MuchMusic that’d be like watching horror movies, with the music to match,” he says. Morettin isn’t the first teen captivated by metal’s aesthetics, and soon the genre swallowed him whole. One extreme band guided Morettin to the next until he began attempting his own version of these new sounds, which led him to found The Vilification with his best friend and bassist Eric Niemi. Within The Vilification’s metalcore framework, Morettin’s playing is percussive and

groovy—easy to bang your head to even if it feels unpredictable. The Vilification is still Morettin’s main band, but his skills have elevated other projects. Locally, Morettin was recruited by Blake Pennycook to become a vital member of (now defunct) death-thrashers Slavestate. Since moving to Vancouver last year, Morettin has also recently joined the technical death metal band Sleep Terror. Although originally a studio project, Luke Jaeger, Sleep Terror’s mastermind, wanted to revitalize the band through live performances. Reaching out through social media, Morettin “applied” by nailing play-through videos of Sleep Terror’s incredibly complex songs. “It’s crazy, thinking that I was watching Sleep Terror videos on MySpace as a teenager and wondering ‘How the hell can they play like that?’ and now I find myself a part of the band,” Morettin says. Quarantine hasn’t slowed him down, either. Morettin regularly uploads videos to his YouTube channel of The Vilification tracks and covers of personal favorites. It’s an opportunity to showcase his expanding collection of guitars and products from his sponsors LsL guitars, Revv amps, and strings by The String Source. As well, Morettin has completed his work on The Vilification’s debut album, which will see release in the next few months. Busy as he is, though, Morettin keeps coming back to the principles that have guided his playing: keep practising, keep challenging yourself, keep listening to other music, keep learning. If you find the right thing to do with your life, it’ll pay off in ways you can’t imagine.

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Music

Recording That Perfect Song at Home Story by Justin Allec, Photos by Matt Prokopchuk

uarantine protocols forced many of us to withdraw into our homes and simply keep ourselves occupied. For some local musicians, it was an unexpected chance to finally do something with their music. Unsurprisingly, there’s been a boom in home recording. If you’re feeling like you finally have a song ready to share with the world, but there’s still no place to play it, then it’s time to explore recording. The easiest place to start, according to Sean Jesseau of Music Workshop, is to figure out what you want to do with your music. “Are you looking to release something, like an album? Is it for learning purposes, so you can hear yourself? Or is it collaborative, where you’re contributing a part of a song?” Jesseau says that intention will dictate what you invest in the recording and will depend on what kind of gear you’ll need; rock has different requirements than EDM, for example. Getting your set-up (instrument, monitors, mics, laptop, etc.) ready to record might be challenging and demand some initial investment, but there are plenty of resources online. Once your set-up is ready and you’re happy with the music you’ve written, then it’s time to explore a digital audio workstation (DAW). There are a few DAWs available online, but Reaper and Garageband were recommended by many of the musicians we consulted. These programs are (nearly) free, and are just

a few steps removed from what the pros use. As such, the myriad of options available when you first open them might seem intimidating at first, but with practise you’ll be able to make your music sound pleasing to your ear. Recording, then, will give what you put into it. Eric Morettin of Sleep Terror and The Vilification says, “I’ve learned from some of my favorite producers that said […] treat mixing and recording as an instrument. Get good at what you have, decide if it’s for you, then invest in other gear or plugins.” Morettin’s sentiment was echoed by other locals; becoming proficient with the basic tools of recording will be far more worthwhile than investing in equipment or software that has features you’ll never use. If your intention is to release your music to the masses, then Jesseau says your next steps will be to polish your product through sequencing and mixing. “Say you have four notes … how do you want them to sound?” Jesseau asks. “Do you want the first note to be quieter to lead into the next three? This is where songwriting really comes into play.” Producing the final effect your music will have on the listener doesn’t have to just be your job, either. Like the sound of a particular album? Search out the producer or studio online and see what they’d charge to make your music sound professional. Either way, you had fun making the music; why not have just as much sharing it?

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Music

BURNING TO THE SKY

Goats Head Soup... Revisited By Gord Ellis

uring the heart of the pandemic lockdown, I spent a lot of time watching video music tutorials on YouTube. One of my favourites to watch was a series called What Makes This Song Great? Rick Beato, a multi-instrumentalist and music producer, is an incredibly knowledgeable host. He seems to love every type of music, and can break down the things about different songs that made them so memorable. He is always enthusiastic,

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but when it came time to look at the Rolling Stones classic “Angie,” he could not hide his extra dose of excitement. “One of the greatest songs of all time,” enthused Beato, as he listened to the delicate opening chords. “This is just so good!” Beato broke down how the beautiful acoustic guitar playing of Keith Richards wrapped around Mick Jagger’s vocals, and how the band—especially drummer

Charlie Watts—expertly played to the song’s strengths. Listening to him enthuse over the song (and the band) reminded me of just how good the 1970s Rolling Stones could be in the studio, and how the album the song came from, Goats Head Soup (1973), has been quite overlooked. As luck would have it, Goats Head Soup is being re-released this year by the band, with the usual re-mastering, inclusion of unheard outtakes, and releases in multi-vinyl/disc bundles. What is interesting about this particular release is Goats Head Soup has generally been tagged as the first album where you could hear the Stones’ decadence and Richards’ 70s heroin abuse coming home to roost. The album has also suffered from being the album that followed Exile on Main Street, a high-water mark in the Stones’ career that's only grown in stature as the years have gone by. Yet Goats Head Soup has also stood the test of time, and its 70s shimmer and production is about the closest the band ever got to the glam rock of David Bowie or T. Rex. One of my all-time favourite songs from the album is “Silver Train,” an upbeat Richardspropelled rocker that has a dense mat of guitars, doubled vocals, propulsive bass, honking harmonica, pounding drums, and tinkling piano. The whole thing sounds a bit distorted, edgy, and slightly coke-fueled. In other words, classic Stones. Other standouts include

the slinky and dark “Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker),” the majestic ballad “Winter” (with an epic Mick Taylor guitar solo), and the infamous groupie anthem “Star Star.” Yet Goats Head Soup has some very unusual pieces that seem to have absorbed at least some of the laid-back vibe of Jamaica, where the band recorded much of the album. One of these is the piano-based, Richards-sung “Coming Down Again.” This midto-slow tempo song sounds like a late-night jam, when half the party is passed out and a few people are still playing guitar. Richards sings the decadent tale with conviction, and his vocals hint at what would come on his solo albums in the late 80s and 90s. The re-issue of Goats Head Soup will also include some outtakes from the recording sessions. The songs released so far sound great. The rocker “Criss Cross” has been widely bootlegged and sounds right at home alongside the other tracks. More unusual— and historically interesting—is the song "Scarlet," featuring Jimmy Page on lead guitar. Although it sounds like the song may have had a little modern updating, that murky early 70s groove shines through, and Page plays some sweet and spiky leads. As Stones albums go, Goats Head Soup holds together well, and still sounds fresh and exciting nearly 50 years on.

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Finding Inspiration in Times of Change The Honest Heart Collective Releases New Single By Neil Burke

From left to right: Kevin Heerema, Nic MacDonald, Ryan MacDonald, Jay Savage

80 The Walleye

hunder Bay’s The Honest Heart Collective has served up a new distraction to the current COVID-19 pandemic by releasing a new single, “Linework.” The band was formed by brothers Ryan and Nic MacDonald back in 2013 as a no-holds-barred type of band—or, as they describe themselves on Facebook, a band that plays “passionate, spirited, feel-good, anthemic rock and roll.” Indeed they are. “Linework“ has a summertime-feeling sound, with a mix of rock and roll, alternative, folk, and a slight pop twinge, enough for anyone to enjoy. As lead singer and guitarist Ryan MacDonald says, the inspiration for the single came from “finding myself falling out of touch with people I used to be close with.” Those reasons, he says, included everything from “different career paths, different cities, or different life decisions.” As for the songwriting process for “Linework,” MacDonald says, “We had a party at our house after we finished recording Grief Rights, and at the end of the night, [drummer] Jay Savage and I were sitting around my kitchen table with an acoustic guitar.” He goes on to say that they chatted about the lyrics

and the rest of the band joined in. The song was mostly written that night, and a few days later they had recorded a demo for it. MacDonald says the reception has been great, adding that “it had the strongest opening week of any single we've put out.” MacDonald also praises the song’s co-writer and returning producer Derek Hoffman. “He knows when to push us into new territory while also knowing when to give us the space to be ourselves,” he says. “He really knows how to get the best performance out of any musician.” The recording of the song—done back in 2018—was not impacted by COVID-19 at all, but with current circumstances, the band chose to postpone the release from March until July. The pandemic also didn’t ruin many of their plans. MacDonald explains that they “weren’t planning on touring too heavy this year,” and that this time has allowed them to “work on new content and explore avenues that didn’t see much attention.” As for the future, the band plans to release more music throughout fall and winter, with the hope of returning to the studio again to release their next album.

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Sharing Credit

Pedestrian Lifestyle and Visions of Doyle Team Up For New EP By Jamie Varga

Back row, from left to right: Dan Racco, Aidan Domenis, Andrew Domenis, Dylan Maxwell; front row, from left to right: “tour dad” Donovan Lundberg, Josh Talakoski, Leif Peltonen, Ben Strachan

recently had the chance to have a virtual sit-down with Josh Talakoski of Pedestrian Lifestyle and Andrew Domenis of Visions of Doyle to discuss their recent collaborative EP Gorblins. Talakoski and Domenis have such a passion for this scene, which is apparent when I ask about the motivation for this collaboration.

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Throwing credit to the seemingly endless reincarnations of the Wiggins Productions Cover Show concert series, Talakoski mentions a recurring idea. “We’ve always had a mutual respect for a lot of the other local bands and we even jam versions of some of their music. We always thought it would be cool to do a version of the Cover Show where all the bands covered other local bands.” This incredible idea gave springwater to the seeds that led to Gorblins. Now this is where it gets interesting. There are six tracks on the EP, divided equally down the centre. Two Pedestrian Lifestyle songs, two Visions of Doyle songs, and then each band covers a song by the other. Pedestrian Lifestyle covers VOD’s “Suicide Pact,” and Domenis says “is the best version I have ever heard or even played myself.”

Pedestrian’s other tracks are two of their favourite songs that were recorded while on tour with VOD in 2019. The Visions of Doyle contributions are works that were recorded two winters ago for a yet-tobe-determined project, along with “Zoology,” a purely experimental and organic blending of a few Pedestrian tunes just to see if it would work. The medley is highly praised by Talakoski. “I was impressed,” he says. “My mind was blown. I was asking how they could make that work. How did they make those songs go together so well?” Talakoski and Domenis met when one of them replaced the other as the lead singer in a band almost ten years ago, and members of both Pedestrian and VOD float into other local acts like Drop Down, Femur, and many others. An

additional pleasant surprise behind this EP is that all of the production gets to claim local ties as well, with the band themselves doing some of the work and the final polish put on by Thunder Bay expat Dave Angell of Giant Sound Toronto. Sadly, there is the potential for this to be the swan song for these groups, as these already intensely uncertain times give way to unknown new adventures. Some members have gone off to school and others are moving away to see what life holds in other places. Fear not though—even if this should spell the end for these creative giants, they have left us with an excellent assembly of their music, and those that remain will carry on. Go to https://gorblins.bandcamp.com and get Gorblins in your ears before the Gorblins come scratching at your door! #RIGHTdeadly

Darren McChristie

Music

Students from Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School on stage with July Talk at the 2019 Wake the Giant music festival

Wake the Giant Pushes On

COVID-19 Scrapped 2020 Music Festival, But Important Work Continues the Giant stands for,” Spenrath says. “That gets bigger, that means our advertising campaign is getting bigger, and more people hear that messaging. And I think that’s what’s important to us.” The Wake the Giant festival has been rescheduled for September 18, 2021, and Spenrath says they’re working to solidify the lineup for that. In the meantime, organizers are partnering with the Interstellar Outdoor Cinema this year for a September 12 broadcast of a July Talk concert that was recorded in Toronto. July Talk co-headlined the 2019 festival and was a major catalyst, along with students from Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School, in establishing Wake the Giant. Currently, Spenrath says they’re expanding the training package for employers and employees with participating businesses. They’re also developing a mandatory online training course for one large business

Keegan Richard

even spread beyond the city. A woman from Edmonton launched a similar initiative in her city based on information local organizers provided. “To see that grow, it was like ‘whoa, that’s kind of cool,’” he says.

From left to right: Wake the Giant organizers Sean Spenrath, AJ Haapa, Greg Chomut

By Matt Prokopchuk hile COVID-19 has cancelled the Wake the Giant music festival this month, organizers of the anti-racism and cultural awareness project say there’s still plenty of work going on to ensure the overall initiative continues to grow. Sean Spenrath, one of the organizers, says with the music festival not happening this year, they’re putting their efforts into expanding the toolkit that businesses who wish to display the initiative’s sticker in their windows use. A business displaying the Wake the Giant logo has to satisfy a number of conditions aimed at ensuring that they educate staff and the community at-large as to how to be more welcoming to Indigenous people. The music festival—aside from being another major event on the city’s entertainment calendar—essentially promotes that work. “The music festival is just a giant advertising campaign for what Wake

“where, if their employees want to work there, they’re going to have to do that training,” he says, adding that he wouldn’t divulge who the business is, but says it’s “definitely the biggest one in Thunder Bay.” Spenrath says the concept has

The Walleye

OfftheWall

REVIEWS

For Those I Love(d)

Hate for Sale

Total Freedom

For Those I Love(d) is the debut original EP from non-binary Cree singer-songwriter Angel Baribeau, and the six tracks here show that they are playing for keeps. From the Mistissini Cree Nation in northern Quebec and now based in Montreal, Baribeau has an overall sound rooted in contemporary folk-pop, heavy on modern synthesizers and electronic-sounding bass and drums, but also containing wellplaced acoustic guitars and piano. This, however, is Baribeau’s show: their voice taking centre stage throughout, displaying incredible power, like on the singles “Wish We Were Older” and “Savage.” “Going Home,” however, is the best showcase of their considerable abilities on the record, the less-busy production here giving full space to Baribeau’s wide emotional range. Much more than just a promising debut that hints at greater things to come, Baribeau’s already making a powerful statement that they have arrived.

Listening to Chrissie Hynde and The Pretenders’ new album Hate for Sale put me into a 1980s time warp. The 80s were the decade of new wave bands like Talking Heads and INXS. The Pretenders had a string of hits back then like “Back on the Chain Gang” and “2000 Miles.” Hate for Sale hearkens back to that time in sound and attitude. It’s vintage Pretenders. It’s a guitar-driven, hard-rockin’ affair, perfect for driving down that endless highway with the windows open and the music turned up. The production is clean and uncluttered, and Hynde doesn’t miss a beat—her sultry vocals are as good as they were 30-plus years ago, especially on the awesome ballad “You Can’t Hurt a Fool.” Another favourite, “I Didn’t Know When to Stop,” is a bluesy rocker with some great harmonica backup. There’s not a lot new to the band’s sound on Hate for Sale and it’s only 30 minutes of music, but fans of The Pretenders won’t be disappointed.

Following a six-year hiatus, Canadian singer-songwriter Kathleen Edwards has returned with Total Freedom, an album demonstrating the power of taking a break. It’s also an exercise in retrospection, as Edwards frequently conjures past friends, foes, and lovers only to realize how truly interchangeable these titles can be. This is evident in “Hard on Everyone,” when Edwards asks the person causing her pain, “Am I not the one you love?” On the equally exasperated “Fools Ride,” there’s a tangible frustration in Edwards’ voice that lends credence to its lyrics while letting her grittier vocal qualities shine. While these singles succeed, it’s Total Freedom’s folkier deep cuts that serve as the cream that rises. Sobering strings swell into a cathartic clamouring drum solo on “Feelings Fade,” which becomes the much needed moody response to its more upbeat predecessors. Meanwhile, on “Ashes to Ashes,” Edwards’ confrontation with death alongside a ghostly, echoing instrumental is what brings the emotional and musical maturity of Total Freedom full circle.

Angel Baribeau

- Matt Prokopchuk

The Pretenders

- Gerald Graham

Kathleen Edwards

- Melanie Larson

Wishing everyone a beautiful and safe fall. jmonteith-farrell-co@ndp.on.ca

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judithmpp.ca

Inorganically Organic, Organically Inorganic

Crowning the May Queen Now here’s some music fit for the season. Crowning the May Queen is a local collaboration between Connor Mack, who handles all the instrumentation, and Collin Scali, who supplies the lyrics and vocals. Inorganically Organic, Organically Inorganic is their take on what Scali describes as “mathy post-metal,” which means what I thought it meant, but also with an unexpected twist to the sound. Call it a perfect handshake of aesthetics, given the balance between vocals, music, atmosphere, and crisp production. Songs have that gorgeously patient post-metal quotient of emotional build-ups that drench Scali’s raw vocals and Mack’s guitar tone in nerve-fraying delay and reverb. Those spacey sections increase tension in the songs before the “mathy” outbursts— blasting drums, winding guitar melodies— rocket in and blow everything up. However, there’s also an uncomfortable, almost eerie, retro vibe to May Queen’s sound, as indicated by the packaging. Whatever the duo have concocted, it’s attractive, and it’s taking me back even as the songs are firmly lodged in the present. More of this, please. - Justin Allec

Company Store

Backyard Bounty

The Song of Names (2019)

Jeremy Drury played in the Toronto music scene for a decade before sitting behind the drums of the Juno Award-winning band The Strumbellas. Now he is taking a bit of a step by putting out his first solo work titled Company Store. Citing influences that range from The Traveling Wilburys to Propagandhi, it’s not surprising that the album embodies a few different genres. The overall feel of the album is cohesive but it is also pleasantly diverse, making for an easy listen and a great general-purpose album. The first two singles released are “Pour Another” and “Tadoussac” and they are great choices to showcase the rest of the album as a whole. But when it comes to solo projects, I really like to hear a clear distinction from the artist’s roots and while I enjoyed these tracks, I didn’t get quite enough of that separation with Company Store. There are definitely the same roots in the backbeat and while the vocals and melodies are a small step outside the box, I think there could have been just a bit more separation from Drury’s origins to give a better picture of his own creative ability.

Whether you have a small herb garden planted in your windowsill or a successful organic hobby farm, Backyard Bounty offers helpful advice and tips for all. Gennetta interviews various experts to share information with actionable takeaways to help listeners thrive in whatever endeavours they’re exploring. I personally enjoy episodes focusing on beekeeping and preservation as well as more unique topics such as worm composting and making water kefir. Of course some subjects don’t apply to everyone’s interests, but it’s clear that the host is quite passionate and wanting to inspire and educate the listeners. You don’t need to be “all in” to have a wonderfully abundant homestead, because Backyard Bounty will give you the simple steps to make it so.

Canadian director François Girard is probably best known for his features The Red Violin and Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould. Here he gives us a journey story and a mystery to solve. Tim Roth plays a man searching for his childhood friend, played by Clive Owen, a violin prodigy who disappeared 30 years ago on the night he was to make his professional concert debut. The friend was orphaned during the Holocaust and clues lead Roth’s character from England to Poland and eventually New York. The narrative flips back and forth between the 1930s and the 1990s. This is old-fashioned filmmaking at its very best, with a classical musical score by Howard Shore, atmospheric cinematography by David Franco, and a production without special effects yet rich in historical costumes and language. Three-quarters of the way through the story, the men finally find each other and the moment is breathtaking. The remainder of the film pushes us toward a spiritual epiphany that is deeply moving.

Jeremy Drury

- Jamie Varga

Nicole Gennetta

- Andrea Lysenko

François Girard

Curbside: Modern Street Food from a Vagabond Chef Chef Adam Hynam-Smith

Feeling inspired to cook your own street food at home? This book is for you. The author is an award-winning food truck chef with a unique take on world cuisine. The book starts with stories of Hynam-Smith’s travels, exploring street food around the world. He also shares insider details about the experience of running a food truck. The recipe section of the book is divided into salads and starters, soups and curries, meat, fish, and seafood, tacos, desserts, and drinks. There is also a detailed mise en place section to help stock your larder. A glossary, equipment list, and thorough index round out this book. - Joanna Aegard

- Michael Sobota

Online Ordering for our

PICK-UP MENU

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ORDER HERE! | snpcatering.com The Walleye

Architecture

Terry Fox Monument and Tourist Information Centre Story by Nicholas Duplessis, Photos by Aelin Foster The centre was built in 1993 and underwent a major refurbishment 20 years later

erry Fox’s Marathon of Hope remains in the collective memory of Canadians, who recognize his feat as a beacon of national pride, inspiration, and strength. On his journey, Fox successfully conquered five provinces and ran 5,374 kilometres, but was forced to abandon the marathon on August 31, 1980 just outside of Thunder Bay, after his cancer returned. Near the spot where the Marathon of Hope ended, just east of Thunder Bay on Highway 17, stands the Terry Fox Monument and Tourist Information Centre. The centre, originally built in 1993 and operated by the City of Thunder

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Bay, provides information and guest services to tourists and other visitors about Thunder Bay and the region. FORM Architecture designed the original building, and also led a major remodeling and refurbishing project in 2013. The renovations ensured that key elements of the original interior would stay the same, including the rustic wooden roofing on the interior. However, the 2013 renovations added modern accents that include a new reception area featuring a stone-based counter and new marketing display shelves. The remodel also ensured that the centre could respond to the technology needs of visitors, including areas to relax with accompanying electronic

Credit: City of Thunder Bay Archives TB 2012-27-177

charging stations. The visitor centre’s most prominent exterior feature is the windows. The prominence of windows on the front side of the building provides a modern, bright atmosphere. Noticeably, blocks of white (and in few spots, orange) span the perimeter of the windows, juxtaposed with red window trimming that covers the building. Further, the building is flanked and supported by pillars that most noticeably stand in the veranda that welcomes visitors. The area also contains walking paths and gardens, a panoramic view of Thunder Bay and Lake Superior, and a statue and monument commemorating Fox. The monument, sculpted by Manfred Pervich, is shaped similar to a bridge with a statue of Fox in a running pose on the top. Across the base lies the crests of each Canadian province, and underneath, a map of Canada. Inscribed into the monument in both English and French are Fox’s biography, notice of his adoption into the Order of Canada, and the statue’s dedication details.

Architecture

Aerial view of the Terry Fox Visitor Information Centre, with statue still in original location near Highway 11-17 The entirety of the monument is granite, except for the Fox statue, which is made of bronze. The monument was revealed in June 1982 and is one of Thunder Bay’s must-see attractions.

The Terry Fox monument, sculptured by Manfred Pervich

All your favourite local products in one awesome location LOCATED IN THE THUNDER BAY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT SECURITY LOUNGE

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SeptemberEventsGuide

EVENTS GUIDE KEY

September 1–26

September 5 & 6, 4–7 pm

September 13, 10 am–4 pm

DefSup has re-opened in their completely new, repurposed, renovated, and expanded gallery facility within the Cumberland Cinema 5 theatre/warehouse complex, which debuted in August with a lively Grand Opening weekend event series. You can now enjoy visiting the gallery during regular visiting hours, Tuesday to Saturday from noon to 6 pm. Stop by at your leisure to tour the gallery space and see the inaugural art exhibition 20-20 Future Vision, a multidisciplinary fusion of 40-plus regional, national, and international artists. On Special Saturdays (September 12, 19, & 26) receive a welcome treat. Admission by donation. All ages welcome. Space is accessible. See this month’s Art section for more info.

Canadian Lakehead Exhibition

Grand Opening Month Festival of India Drive-In Definitely Superior Art Gallery

definitelysuperior.com

September 1–November 30

Digital Doors Open Thunder Bay Various Locations

One city. 50 years. Explore some of Thunder Bay’s most unique structures and heritage sites as we celebrate the amalgamation of Fort William and Port Arthur. Learn about our history, culture, and community initiatives through images and videos that will engage people of all ages. See this month’s Top Five for more info.

doorsopenontario.on.ca/en/ thunder-bay

September 3 and September 10, 5–8:30 pm

Market on Ray 49 Ray Boulevard

Come out to the neighbourhood market at 49 Ray Boulevard, featuring fresh produce, local crafts, and wholesome food. Vendors include Roots to Harvest, Lunar Moose, Black Dog Ceramics, Boreal Bakery, KH ceramic design, Three Huggers, and Boreal Body. “Market on Ray” on Facebook

Walk for Arthritis Virtual

Keeping social distancing protocols in mind, this year, organizers are having a “Drive-In Festival of India” at the CLE grounds. The audience will be able to participate in the festival from their vehicles.

indiafesttbay.com

Hike for Hospice is Hospice Northwest’s only major fundraising event of the year, raising $350,000 for palliative care in our community since 2012. This year marks the firstever virtual hike for hospice, taking the safety of clients, staff, volunteers, and supporters foremost in mind.

canadahelps.org/en/charities/ hospice-northwest/p2p/hike-forhospice-2020

September 10–20

Vox Popular Virtual Film Fest

September 14–19

Virtual

Celebrate independent films from Northwestern Ontario, across Canada, and around the world during this film and media arts festival. Each year over 50 independent films are screened, including documentaries, dramas, family-friendly films, and more. On September 10, you are invited to Intercity Shopping Centre as Vox Popular partners with Interstellar Outdoor Cinema for special launch screenings, including Five Bucks at the Door: The Story of Crocks N Rolls. See this month’s Film and Theatre section for more info.

voxpopular.ca interstellarcinema.ca

Oktoberfest

Sleeping Giant Brewing Company

Oktoberfest is an annual celebration of German culture. You are invited to come out for great craft beer, custom cask beer, a keg toss, stein holding competitions, and more!

thunderbay.ca/events

September 15, 7–9pm

NOWW Presents: The Virus Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow Virtual

Attend NOWW’s September readings via Zoom. You can participate as a reader or member of the audience on your device of choice. Details for joining in will follow closer to the date.

September 12, noon–4pm

EcoSuperior Rain Garden Tour Various Locations

Attend a free, self-guided tour of rain gardens in Thunder Bay to celebrate our community’s commitment to stormwater management. Chat with rain garden hosts about the rain garden rebate program and learn what you can do, too!

ecosuperior.org

September 12, 9 pm

Wake the Giant: July Talk Concert Interstellar at Intercity

Come out for a screening of a concert by July Talk, who are back virtually this year with Wake the Giant. See this month’s Music section for more info.

interstellarcinema.ca or wakethegiant.ca

nowwwriters.ca

September 17 & 18

Bound to Clay Journal Making Nameless Collective

You are invited to interact with Nameless Collective’s collaborative project, and it is hoped that each piece will find its third collaborator to fill its pages with healing, creativity, and self-discovery.

namelessco.ca

September 18, 6–9:30pm

General Food Art Sports Music

the amalgamation of Port Arthur and Fort William with a themed meal from the time and a lecture by Peter Raffo entitled “Saul Laskin: Man and Politician.” For tickets or for more information, call the museum at 623-0801.

thunderbaymuseum.com

canadahelps.org/en/charities/theunited-way-of-thunder-bay/p2p/ run-the-north

September 20

September 25–27, 1–5pm

Terry Fox Run Various Locations

Canadians can continue to support cancer research through virtual runs from coast to coast to coast this September. Terry once said that “anything is possible if you try.” Today, 40 years later, we have to innovate as well. You can help celebrate the 40th anniversary of Terry’s Marathon of Hope by joining today.

terryfox.org/run

September 23, 8 pm

You are invited to come out to celebrate the 50th anniversary of

Autumn Rendezvous Art Market Thunder Oak Cheese Farm, Window Light Gallery, Early Snows Pottery/Joyce Seppala Designs

Enjoy a pre-Christmas day of shopping in the Slate River Valley! Take a drive out to three unique locations, enjoy the fall colours, and shop from a variety of artists and artisans. See this month’s Top Five for more info.

Paddling Film Festival

475-9758

You are invited to the Interstellar Outdoor Cinema for this year’s best paddling films. You’ll be inspired to explore rivers, lakes, and oceans, push extremes, embrace the paddling lifestyle, and appreciate the wild places.

2020 Kidney Walk

Interstellar at Intercity

interstellarcinema.ca

September 27

Various Locations

Come out to raise funds for innovative research, crucial programs, and services that support people living with kidney disease. The event will collectively show support for loved ones. Five for more info.

September 26, 8 pm

kidneywalk.ca

Interstellar at Intercity

particularly as it relates to the land and its industrial transformation in Canada. Tom Thomson’s The Drive (1916–1917) is considered one of his most significant paintings.

Sleeping Giant Until October 11 Folk Music Society The Drive Presents: Gordon Thunder Bay Art Gallery Lightfoot: If You Could The Drive highlights the complexity Read My Mind of the representation of landscape— You are invited to the Interstellar Outdoor Cinema as the iconic Canadian musician Gordon Lightfoot reflects on his life and career in the 2019 documentary Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind. See this month’s Top Five for more info.

interstellarcinema.ca or sleepinggiant.ca

Thunder Bay Museum September 26–October 4 Run the North Taste of History Virtual Dinner: Thunder Bay Run the North’s goal is to have 1,000 at 50 people register across Northwestern Prince Arthur Hotel

Awards. People from all across the region are invited to join in the challenge, with the goal of having people from every community in our region participating.

Ontario to raise over $25,000 for United Way and the Indigenous Youth Achievement and Recognition

theag.ca

Until December 31

Wabooz/Rabbit

Thunder Bay Art Gallery

Waabooz/Rabbit takes a deeper look at the rabbit, how it has been seen, spoken of, used, and reproduced through art and craft. All of the rabbits in this exhibition have received some kind of human attention. See this month’s Top Five for more info.

theag.ca

Expand your coverage with WiFi Calling tbaytel.net/mobility TM

88 The Walleye

Rogers and the Mobius Design are trademarks of or used under license from Rogers Communication Inc. or an affiliate.

LU RADIO’S MONTHLY TOP September Show Spotlight:

Top 20 1

Crack Cloud* Pain Olympics Self-Released

Current Fantasy

Hosted by Jeff Heisholt Wednesdays at 11 pm Current Fantasy is Jeff Heisholt. The Thunder Bay-born, Toronto-based keyboardist of bands like The Trews, Skydiggers, Terra Lightfoot, Burt Neilson Band, and Peter Elkas has stepped out and returned to his synthesizer roots. Performing live, off-the-cuff electronic music, Heisholt draws from his earliest influences of bands like The Orb, 808 State, Orbital, Tangerine Dream, and Aphex Twin. The show brings you a new, live, extended modular and hardware synthesizer exploration every week—no overdubs, no fixes. Heisholt invites you into his mind for the hour Wednesdays at 11 pm to introduce you to his current fantasy. Song of the Moment: Jeen - “Deep End”

Protomartyr Ultimate Success Today Domino Gum Country* Somewhere Kingfisher Bluez The Doggett Experience* The William EP Self-Released Waahli* Soap Opera Nomadic Massive

Dragon Fli Empire* Banff Avenue Makebelieve

16 Purity Ring* Womb 4AD

Len Bowen* Flow Nostalgic EP Fourth Quarter

17 Whitney Rose* We Still Go To Rodeos MCG

Young RJ and Mega Ran 2HANDSUP Ne’Astra Music Group

Spell* Opulent Decay Bad Omen

International

20 Austra* HiRUDiN Pink Fizz

Weak Size Fish* The Drift Self-Released

Black Pestilence* Hail the Flesh Self-Released

The Battle of Santiago* Queen & Judgement Selvamonos

Electronic 1

Ghost Suns Horizon - EP Fierce Panda

TOPS* I Feel Alive Musique TOPS

redress* peacebird Self-Released

Mother Sun* SIPS Self-Released

Fiona Apple Fetch the Bolt Cutters Epic

Astrocolor* Hue eOne Music (E1) Anzola* Caracas Urbnet

Hip Hop 1

Run the Jewels RTJ4 Jewel Runners

12 Jerry Cook Quartet* Walk In The Park Cellar Live

14 Run the Jewels RTJ4 Jewel Runners

Wake* Devouring Ruin Translation Loss

19 redress* peacebird Self-Released

13 Lil Omar* Toddler Country Self-Released

Killitorous* The Afterparty Tentacles Industries

Fonkynson* Falling Lisbon Lux

11 Cartwrights* Cartwrights Royal Mountain

Thou Blessings Of The Highest Order Robotic Empire

10 The Chats High Risk Behaviour Self-Released

Pantayo* Pantayo Telephone Explosion

Lunar Gateway Temporal Silent Bell

Loud

Check out our weekly charts online at luradio.ca and tune in to the Top 20 Countdown Mondays from 7-9am. Keep it locked on 102.7fm—online streaming at luradio.ca.

15 Anzola* Caracas Urbnet

18 Peripheral Vision* Irrational Revelation & Mutual Humiliation Self-Released 2

Music

Bill Noir* L’astronaute Self-Released

Zenobia Halak Halak Acid Arab/Crammed

Lil Omar* Toddler Country Self-Released

Folk•Roots•Blues 1

Bright Eyes Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was Dead Oceans

Pharis & Jason Romero* Bet On Love Lula

Mike Plume Band* Lonesome Stretch of Highway Royalty

Whitney Rose* We Still Go to Rodeos MCG

The Blaze Velluto Collection* Fish Mountain, Part II (single) Self-Released

Jazz 1

David Boswell The Story Behind The Story My Quiet Moon

Songs of Tales* Life is a Gong Show Self-Released

Vibration Black Finger Can You See What I’m Trying to Say Jazzman

Brendan Eder Ensemble To Mix With Time Self-Released

5 Matty Stecks & Musical Tramps* Long Time Ago Rumble Ropeadope

* Indicates Canadian Content

The Walleye

Health Strike a Balance: There are many easy ways to improve the nutritional value of your take-out meal—for example, choosing baked items instead of fried. However, sometimes, you just really want the fried version. One option is to enjoy the “less healthy” choice when sharing with friends, but choose a more nourishing meal when picking up take-out for yourself. Take-out can be a great choice when you are tight on time or are craving something you don’t make at home. “When choosing what to eat for dinner, take-out shouldn’t be on the menu every day, but it’s a great option when you want something different,” Brenner advises. Try using these tips the next time you visit a local takeout spot to make some healthier swaps. For more information and other healthy tips for eating out, visit https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/tips-for-healthy-eating/ while-eating-out/.

Take-out Tips

Healthier Swaps for Your Favourite Meals By Vanessa Masters, Health Promotion and Communications Planner, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre

ake-out doesn’t have to be greasy or unhealthy. There are many take-out options with healthy local ingredients available in Thunder Bay and throughout Northwestern Ontario. Zoe Brenner, one of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre’s registered dietitians, shares these tips for healthier take-out choices. Mindful Munching: Restaurant portions are often much larger than what we usually eat at home. Take time to mindfully enjoy your meal and listen to your body when you are full. If you end up with leftovers, bonus! It’s like getting two take-out meals for the price of one. Full of Fibre: Fruits and vegetables are not only full of vitamins

90 The Walleye

and minerals crucial to a healthful diet, they also add fibre to your meal. Fibre will help keep you fuller for longer, improve your blood sugar and cholesterol, and feed your healthy gut bacteria. Whole grains and beans are also good sources of fibre. Challenge yourself to eat more of them in your take-out by adding three vegetables to your favourite pizza toppings, trying a vegetarian Indian or Thai curry, or building a custom rice and veggie bowl. Sauces on the Side: One of the best parts about take-out food is the delicious condiments and sauces. However, they can be sneaky sources of extra sugar, salt, or fat without a lot of nutritional value. Ask for sauces and dressings on the side

when possible, so you can control how much you consume. Many local restaurants offer homemade dressings, dips, and sauces made from wholesome ingredients, so look for these for a flavourful and nutritious addition to your meal. Be Mindful of your Beverages: Choose water as your drink of choice. Other healthier choices include naturally flavoured sparkling water, milk, coffee, and various types of tea. Try to avoid highly processed, sugar-sweetened drinks and limit your alcohol intake. Reduce Red Meat: High consumption of red and processed meat is linked to colon cancer and other chronic diseases, so try to limit how often you have these foods. Look for dishes that use leaner meats like chicken or fish, or try a vegetarian protein like beans or tofu. If you’re enjoying red or processed meats in your take-out, choose a small portion size and pair them with fibre-rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, or beans.

JULY TALK P R E S E N T

S C R E E N I N G

O F

L I V E AT T H E D R I V E - I N

9:00 PM | SAT. SEPTEMBER 12, 2020 IN SUPPORT OF DENNIS FRANKLIN CROMARTY HIGH SCHOOL’S EFFORTS TO DELIVER EDUCATION SERVICES TO NORTHERN COMMUNITIES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

INTERCITY SHOPPING CENTRE (NORTH END PARKING LOT)

LIMITED TICKETS AVAILABLE AT: INTERSTELLARCINEMA.CA

PER CAR

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Green

Matt Prokopchuk

after dining in • Consider reusable programs, for example a take-out container that you use, return, and trade for a new meal in another reusable container In addition to considering your take-out choices, as we start to get back to work and school, it is just as important to consider refusing single-use items while grocery shopping. According to WasteFreeLunches.org, the waste created by a school-age child’s disposable lunch is estimated at just over 30 kilograms per school year, on average. This equals nearly 8,200 kilograms of waste per year for an average elementary school, or approximately 2/3 of a garbage truck. A few simple actions can help you reduce waste and save money: • Choose a reusable lunch bag— make sure to choose one that will be durable enough to last several years • Buy in bulk—this not only reduces packaging but also saves you money. For example, on

average yogurt costs $0.99 for a single serving, but $0.66 per serving for a 650g container • Choose reusable containers, utensils, and napkins—according to the Clean Air Council, enough plastic cups, forks, and spoons are thrown away each year to circle the equator 300 times. Try to avoid the harmful chemicals found in plastics; glass and stainless steel are best. Pack real utensils and a cloth napkin, and bring them home to wash Moving forward, EcoSuperior is excited to soon be able to launch a reusable mug program, which will continue to decrease our need for single-use items.

Don’t Trash It

How to Best Avoid Unnecessary Food Packaging Waste By Erin Moir, Program Coordinator, EcoSuperior

n 2017, EcoSuperior Environmental Programs launched the Last Straw campaign to create awareness about the environmental damage from single-use plastic straws and to encourage residents to make the switch to more eco-friendly options. Just over two years later, Thunder Bay has answered the call for plastic straw reduction. As the campaign emerged, information and paper straw samples were made available to many local eateries. The result was a changing attitude around plastic straws and single-use products altogether. Today, over 50 local businesses are choosing paper straws over plastic, and many have implemented a “request a straw” policy—now every drink doesn’t need to come with a straw.

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But plastic straws are not the only food litter culprit out there, and it is important that we are aware of the waste we produce while we enjoy our favourite local treats. Every year, Canadians throw away over three million tonnes of plastic waste such as cutlery, plastic bags, take-out containers, cups, and lids. About one-third of the plastics used in Canada are for single-use or short-lived products and packaging. When you hit up your favourite local food establishment, consider the following: • Refuse first—if forks, napkins, plates, and single-serve condiments are offered with your meal, considering say no thanks and use what you have at home • Try bringing your own take-out container, either for your full take-out order or for leftovers

Open Monday - Friday 10 - 5:30 PM and Saturday 10 - 5 PM 16 Court St S - perfectfitlingerie.ca

Have you ever wanted to learn more about rain gardens? Well this September, you can take advantage of EcoSuperior’s free, self-guided rain garden tour to learn more about its wonderful processes, and how you can beneﬁt!

W e're O p en! Dine-In and Take-out

To register, visit EcoSuperior’s website at ecosuperior.org for more information.

Find us on: The Walleye

TheWall

What If

2019 ROYAL LEPAGE MASTER SALES

Back to School in the Age of COVID-19 Story and photo by Marlene Wandel

t’s almost September, and I am trying not to think about it. It’s been such a nice summer, and so far, it hasn’t been sullied with back-to-school flyers. Their arrival always causes a bit of panic, as my kids are forced to realize that summer actually will end. Like many parents, I’m usually a tiny bit gleeful when the first day of school comes around. I don’t look forward to the endless repetition of reminding them to wash their lunch containers, or the school-related social stressors, but we’ve mostly had a decent, and sometimes wonderful experience with sending our kids to school. Enter the coronavirus, and this extended state of suspended education animation, and now I have no idea what to think. My usual silver lining, glass-half-full type of optimism is on standby. I am awash with what if’s, with an unhealthy dose of denial on the side. What if my 11-year-old’s glasses fog up all day because the masks (that I have not yet made) are terrible? What if one of my kids’ school closes, but their teacher dad’s does not, and we have no back-up plan because we are both going to work? (We don’t).

94 The Walleye

What if the list of restrictions and rules that my younger son’s school has released is actually impossible for wiggly kids? What if students and teachers alike can’t find time to do anything between the 15 points of handwashing throughout the day? What if the kids finally realize that their parents have no clue about what is going to happen? What if my kids get COVID-19 is actually not on my list of imminent concerns; it’s not even in the top five. I recognize that the poorly censored sentiments of the fearless buffoon to the south are incorrect, and that kids are not actually immune to this coronavirus, but I also know that they aren’t immune to sadness, loneliness, or fear, which feel like more immediate threats. I want to look forward to this, and see it as an overall positive despite the murkiness of the back-toschool plan. We are all sharing the perspective of my older son this year; as he stands on the deep gaping maw of the unknown, staring down his first day of high school with some trepidation, I can’t help but share that anxiety. But what if the best thing we can do in the face of this great unknown

is to learn how to manage our fear, and to get comfortable with our inability to control this? What if this is the greatest empathy exercise we have ever been handed? What if, besides all the tangled webs of fear this pandemic has provoked, this is an opportunity to consider starting to understand what it is to feel powerless. Many of us, safe in our privilege and single-family homes with multiple vehicles in the driveway, have had choices, and the freedom to advocate for ourselves. We’ve chosen the schools we think best fit our kids’ needs. We’ve taken for granted the freedom to walk away from options we don’t like. It’s uncomfortable to be faced with this thing that lurks in every corner of human existence, out of which we cannot argue nor buy our way. It’s unsettling not to know what school will look like, and that no matter where we turn, what school or board we choose, the same masked unknown is waiting. It’s startling to know that for many, not having choices has been the norm for a long time. And maybe, if nothing else, gaining that perspective is the silver lining.

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