April 2018 by The Walleye Magazine

FILM FREE ARTS Vol. 9 No. 4 MUSIC APRIL FOOD 2018 CULTURE thewalleye.ca

Flocking Together Birds and Birding in the Bay

NORTHERN UNIQUE BAKERY 19

NOSFA CELEBRATES MILESTONE 32

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE 42

OVERCOMING THE MONDAY NIGHT BLUES 61

Every day across Northern Ontario, good people do good work If you work with a community group, a volunteer-run association, a not-for-profit, or a school or neighbourhood committee, apply to the Tbaytel for Good Community Fund. You could receive up to $5,000 for your project! Check your eligibility online. Tbaytel for Good Community Fund – we’re in it together

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Contents

walleye the

FEATURES

Editor-in-chief Darren McChristie Editor Adrian Lysenko adrian@thewalleye.ca Assistant Editor Rebekah Skochinski Senior Editor Tiffany Jarva

■ 53 Journey to Life Dinner ■ 54 WTIP Community

■ 8

Thunder Bay’s arts & culture alternative

CoverStory: Birding! ■ 10 Thunder Cape Bird Observatory ■ 11 For the Benefit of All? ■ 12 Walleye 101 ■ 14 Built at Blakes ■ 15 Where the Birds Are

MUSIC

■ 57 The Wilder Beyond ■ 59 Grit, Growth, and

FOOD

Marketing & Sales Manager Meagan Griffin sales@thewalleye.ca

■ 16 Frittata/Frittahtah ■ 18 Tonic To My Gin ■ 19 Northern Unique Bakery ■ 20 Wednesday Ramen Nights ■ 22 Flavour from Microbiology

Intern Brooke Towle

FILM&THEATRE

Copy Editors Amy Jones, Kirsti Salmi

Photographers Patrick Chondon, Bill Gross, Scott Hobbs, Chad Kirvan, Dave Koski, Shannon Lepere, Marty Mascarin, Darren McChristie, Laura Paxton 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. Reproduction of any article, photograph or artwork without written permission is strictly forbidden. Views expressed herein are those of the author exclusively.

■ 70 St. Patrick

High School

■ 72 Abnormal Pap Tests

It Covered ■ 30 Xanadu ■ 32 NOSFA Celebrates Milestone

GREEN

■ 73 An Urban Bird-Friendly Garden

CITYSCENE

ARCHITECTURE HEALTH

■ 34 Lakehead Ironworks ■ 35 Things Coming into Being ■ 36 Urban Infill

Grief Rites ■ 60 Merrie Klazek ■ 61 Overcoming the Monday Night Blues ■ 62 Five Bird Songs ■ 64 Creating Music that Flows and Shines ■ 67 Elevation

■ 24 The Jungle Book ■ 26 Films about Birds ■ 29 Nadia Cheechoo Has

THE ARTS

Ad Designer Dave Koski Miranda van den Berg

Public Radio

■ 38 Plastic Problems ■ 40 To Go Further ■ 42 Where the Wild Things Are ■ 44 A Natural Fit ■ 45 Preserve Our Language Project ■ 50 Local and Live ■ 51 Shattered Light Landscapes

WEATHER

■ 78 April Can be the

Cruellest Month

■ 17 Drink of the Month ■ 46 Stuff We Like ■ 48 This is Thunder Bay ■ 68 Off the Wall Reviews ■ 74 Tbaytel April EVENTS ■ 76 Music EVENTS ■ 77 LU Radio's Monthly Top 20 ■ 80 The Wall ■ 81 The Beat ■ 82 The Eye

31 Margaret Street

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From Our Instagram Feed

Red Knot

Of a Feather

y introduction into the world of birding came when my wife and I were living in Alaska. We had met a birder by the name of Ann who had driven her RV up from California to spot some of the region’s unique and beautiful birds. With a shared love for the locally brewed Red Knot Scottish Ale, we bonded quickly and Ann took us under her wing (sorry, I can’t resist) and introduced us into the world of birding. I was a novice and my first lesson was differentiating a bird call from a squirrel call. Soon after, we quickly fell in love with birding. It was an inexpensive hobby (we were broke at the time), a great source of exercise, and it got us outside. Every April we present our annual Green Issue in honour of Earth Day, and this year we’re focusing on birds, birding, and all things bird-related. Not only is birding a great way to commune with nature, but birds are one of the most important indicators of the health of our environment. As part of our cover story, Emma Christensen writes about the Thunder Cape Bird Observatory, a

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joint project that tracks population trends, specifically in bird species that breed in remote areas further north. From Mexican hummingbirds to Baltimore orioles, we talk to some birders about the lengths they have gone to spot certain species and their love for the hobby. Also, birder and wildlife biologist Brian Ratcliff provides us some figures for our bird infographic, we chat with a local birdhouse builder and birding photographers, and find out about the relationship between our feathered friends and farming. One thing I learned from Ann about the history of birding was that ancient Romans believed the flights and calls of birds could foretell the future. After doing research for this issue I’ve come to conclusion that the Romans had the right idea, as modern science still uses birds as a kind of oracle. In the words of famous naturalist Roger Tory Peterson: “Birds are indicators of the environment. If they are in trouble, we know we’ll soon be in trouble.” - Adrian Lysenko

Featured Contributor Ellen Mortfield Ellen is the executive director at EcoSuperior Environmental Programs, a Thunder Bay-based non-profit with a mandate to increase environmental stewardship in the Lake Superior basin. Each month she helps coordinate and often writes EcoSuperior’s column in our green section. A graduate of St. Lawrence College, she has a varied background in writing, editing, and advertising. Ellen balances busy days at the office with a rural lifestyle on 25 acres in Lappe with horses and heritage chickens. She also enjoys taking her dog to herding trials. You can read Ellen’s article on urban bird-friendly gardening on page 73.

On the Cover Flocking Together Photo by Darren McChristie

Thunder Bay’s Fastest Growing Dealership in 2017 867 Tungsten St. • 345-2888 • www.halfwaymotorsmazda.com ▼0% APR Purchase Financing is available on select new 2017 and 2018 Mazda models. NOTE: 0% Purchase Financing not available on 2017 MX-5 and 2018 MX-5, CX-5 and CX-9 models. Terms vary by model. Based on a representative agreement using an offered pricing of $23,629 for the new 2018 Mazda3 GS 6AT (D4SK88AA00) with a financed amount of $23,760, the cost of borrowing for a 72-month term is $0, monthly payment is $330, total finance obligation is $23,760. Offer includes freight and P.D.E. of $1,695, $10 OMVIC fee, $17.75 Tire Stewardship Fee, $100 Air Conditioning charge and $106.39 PPSA. Offer excludes HST. ▲No-Charge, In-Dash Navigation offer is available to qualifying retail customers who cash purchase/finance/lease a select new, in-stock 2017 (Note: navigation not available on Mazda5 models) or 2018 Mazda model Half-Way Mazda between March 1 and April 2, 2018. Note: In the event the selected model is pre-equipped with navigation, or selected model is not equipped for navigation, customer may substitute a cash discount. Cash discount substitute applied before taxes. If Navigation is not available at time of purchase, Navigation would be provided at a future date. Limited quantities apply. Cash discount substitute applied before taxes. †Offer available on retail leases of new 2018 Mazda3 GS 6AT (D4SK88AA00)/2018 CX-5 GS AWD (NXSN88AA00)/2018 CX-3 GS AWD (HXSK88AA00)/2018 CX-9 GS (QXSM88AA00) with a lease APR of 1.00%/3.49%/1.50%/1.49% and 130/130/130/130 bi-weekly payments of $119/$169/$129/$199 for 60/60/60/60 months, the total lease obligation is $17,931/$24,659/$19,457/$29,079, including down payment (or equivalent trade-in) of $2,495/$2,695/$2,695/$3,195. As shown, Offered Pricing for new 2018 Mazda3 GT (D4TL68AA00)/2018 CX-5 GT (NXTN88AA00)/2018 CX-3 GT (HXTK88AA00)/2018 CX-9 GT (QXTM88AA00) with a lease APR of 1.00%/3.49%/1.50%/1.49% and 130/130/130/130 bi-weekly payments of $135/$189/$161/$249 for 60/60/60/60 months, the total lease obligation is $20,100/$27,328/$23,579/$35,593, including down payment (or equivalent tradein) of $2,495/$2,695/$2,695/$3,195. NOTE: 2018 Mazda3 lease offers include $1,200 lease cash, 2018 CX-5 lease offers include $400 lease cash, 2018 CX-3 lease offers include $1,575 lease cash and 2018 CX-9 lease offers include $675 lease cash. Lease payments include freight and P.D.E. of $1,695/$1,895/$1,895/$1,895, $10 OMVIC fee (all models), $17.75 Tire Stewardship Fee (all models), $100 Air Conditioning charge (all models), $150 Lease Dealer Service Fee (all models) and PPSA of $90.95/$90.95/$90.95/$90.95. First monthly payment is due at lease inception. 20,000 km per year mileage allowance applies; if exceeded, additional 8¢ per km applies (12¢ per km for CX-9 models). Offers exclude HST. Licence, insurance, taxes and down payment (where applicable) are extra and may be required at the time of purchase. Dealer order/trade may be necessary on certain vehicles. Offers for a limited time only and may end without notice, while supplies last. *To learn more about the Mazda Unlimited Warranty, go to mazdaunlimited.ca

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TheTOPFive TheTOPFive

1 Sloan April 4 Crocks

What better way to ratchet up the first hump day of the month than with Juno Award-winning power pop quartet Sloan. As part of their North American tour, these Halifax-bred boys will be in the Bay to bang out tunes in promotion of their new album, 12, which is set to drop April 6. The first single, “The Day Will Be Mine,” showcases their signature harmonies and talent for musical multi-tasking, and includes a wailing guitar solo—in other words, it’s the Sloan we know and love. And it seems fitting for a band that has been cranking out hits for over two decades to perform in the hallowed halls of Crocks. Tickets are $25 in advance. If it feels good, do it! loffredo.ca

Urban Infill:

2 Art in the Core 12

3 NOSFA Film Fest

April 7

April 15 & 22

Expect the unexpected! Definitely Superior Art Gallery’s Nuit Blanche-like event will see 25 downtown north locations (both active and empty spaces) being transformed into new temporary galleries featuring wearable art window performances, film, visual and new media arts, music, world dance, and drag. It’s a multisensory extravaganza! Experience and engage with works by 400 regional, national, and international artists. Pick up your art map from DefSup and plan your course, or have one of their performative tour guides show you the way. This all-ages event runs from 7–11 pm; admission is by donation. For the night owls, there’s an arty after party from 11 pm–2 am.

Now in its 25th year, the Northwest Film Fest shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, this year there will be three theatres showing films, with a total of 27 titles spread out over two Sundays (all matinee screenings), with prelude and interlude screenings on Thursday evenings. There’s always a diverse mix of independent, foreign, and award-winning films worth seeing on the big screen, like Loving Vincent—a beautiful animated film that pushes the limits of a rotoscoping technique and tells of Vincent Van Gogh’s final days before his untimely death. Visit the film fest website for a full lineup and to purchase tickets. Don’t forget to arrive early to snag a good seat.

SilverCity

Chad Kirvan

Downtown Port Arthur

definitelysuperior.com

Taste of History 4 Dinner

nosfa.ca

TBSO Masterworks 4:

5 Glorious Brahms

April 20

April 27

Feed your mind and fill your belly at the same time! The Taste of History dinner is back with an exciting evening of discussion, a fine meal, and a silent auction. This year’s theme centres around the Canadian fur trade and the menu will include popular recipes from the time period, like Voyageur pea soup, Cheshire pork pie, and maple syrup chômeur. Joining the festivities is special guest speaker Dr. Arthur J. Ray, a professor emeritus of history at the University of British Columbia and former co-editor of the Canadian Historical Review, whose work on the fur trade and Canada’s First Nations has been widely published. Proceeds from the silent auction will go towards helping the museum continue to make history. For tickets, call 623-0801.

Every good thing must come to an end, and the TBSO will close their season in spectacular symphonic style with Glorious Brahms. Join them for a program that will begin with Airat Ichmouratov’s Concerto Grosso, a lively and spirited composition that highlights the strings, clarinet, and piano, followed by Johannes Brahms’ Variations on a Theme by Haydn, known for its stately melody and perhaps his most popular score. And, finally, seeing the evening to a sweeping and majestic conclusion is young Canadian piano virtuoso Serhiy Salov, whose technique and musicality dance off the keys. You won’t want to miss his performance of Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2.

thunderbaymuseum.com

tbso.ca

Prince Arthur Waterfront Hotel

Thunder Bay Community Auditorium

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1 7

CoverStory

Birding! Story by Adrian Lysenko, Photos by Brooke Towle

irders know the best conversation isn’t happening on Twitter. It’s outside—in the forest, lagoons, fens, and swamps, on lakes and cliffs, and in your own backyard. The Walleye spills a lot of ink boasting about the spectacular outdoor recreation Northwestern Ontario has to offer, and bird-watching is among the easiest and most compelling pastimes a northerner can take up. Birding can be done year-round, on a dime, by people of all ages and abilities, making it an inclusive and lifelong hobby. Not to mention the wisdom that comes from pursuing it: birders’ best sightings can happen when their silence is golden, and in this noisy world, we can all benefit from spending more time listening.

Dr. Nick Escott Brian Ratcliff How long have you been a birder? I put up my first bird feeder when I was five years old and have been birding since that time.

Canyon looking for a California condor. Within minutes one floated by on thermals not 50 metres away. Awesome.

Why do you enjoy birding? I enjoy getting out and exploring. Seeing and hearing birds is just a bonus. You can go anywhere in the world and experience the sights and songs of birds.

What’s one of your most gruelling birding experiences? Birding in the Ring of Fire while being chewed on by thousands of mosquitoes and black flies.

What’s the most unique bird you’ve spotted? When I was in Cuba I saw the smallest bird in the world, the bee hummingbird. What’s the farthest you’ve travelled in search of a particular bird? I have travelled as far as Antarctica, and the penguins are amazing. Can you share one of your most memorable birding experiences? Standing on the rim of the Grand

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How many different species have you sighted? The only bird list I keep is one for North America and so far I have seen 612 species. Is there a rare bird that you hope to spot one day? I have always wanted to see sage grouse doing their booming display in the spring. Hopefully this spring will be the year.

How long have you been a birder? 55 years.

seabirds up close, including several species of albatross.

Why do you enjoy birding? It’s great to get outdoors hiking rain or shine, and always a thrill to see a new bird, or even a common bird in an unusual place or doing something I hadn’t seen it do before.

What’s one of your most gruelling birding experiences? Hiking in to the Lyon Township fen on the Black Bay Peninsula from the [railroad] tracks at Everard, down the unplowed winter road, in mid-December at -30°C on snowshoes for the Nipigon Christmas bird count.

What’s the most unique bird you’ve spotted? In Thunder Bay, it would be the green violet-ear, a Mexican hummingbird that got lost and showed up in Kakabeka Falls several years ago. In the world, it’s probably Ridgway’s hawk in the Dominican Republic, one of the rarest birds in the western hemisphere. What’s the farthest you’ve travelled in search of a particular bird? Tasmania, Australia for the forty-spotted pardalote, which I couldn’t find! Can you share one of your most memorable birding experiences? A boat trip off-shore from Kaikoura, New Zealand, to see hundreds of

What are some challenges/benefits of birding in our region? Challenges: getting into hard-toreach, off-road places that look like good bird habitat. Benefits: if you like solitude, there are so many places to go birding where you won’t see another person all day. How many different species have you sighted? I have no idea, many hundreds world-wide. Is there a rare bird that you hope to spot one day? My most wanted for the Thunder Bay District is Say’s phoebe.

CoverStory

Lindy Wagenaar How long have you been a birder? About 20 years. The last 5-10 obsessively. Why do you enjoy birding? I love being outdoors and looking for or listening for wildlife. You never know what you will see or hear. What’s the most unique bird you’ve spotted? In June 2016 when I was leaving my 12-hour shift at the hospital, I spotted a bird that is not supposed to be this far north. A black-crowned night heron was sitting at the edge of the large pond. I did not have a camera, just my cell phone, so I just got a very bad quality photo. I saw it two more times that summer. What’s the farthest you’ve travelled in search of a particular bird? Just over a week ago I travelled with a fellow birder to Raith to try to “find” a sharp-tailed or spruce grouse. All we saw was ruffed grouse, but we did see a lynx sleeping right in the middle of the road. And at the beginning of the year we travelled to Nipigon to try to get a sighting of two birds that have been frequenting feeders there. We did not see or hear either of them. I know people that go travelling to tropical countries to observe birds, but I am not so inclined. I have a hard enough time trying to remember all of the calls of the many warblers that migrate to and through Thunder Bay region . Can you share one of your most memorable birding experiences? Seeing a peregrine falcon at Ouimet Canyon and hearing its call. Amazing. What’s one of your most gruelling birding experiences? That’s a hard one. It always seems to be a fun experience. Last summer

I did about five “stakeouts” after dark and pre-dawn for an eastern whip-poor-will east of Thunder Bay. None of them were very much fun. One time there was a bear walking towards me and I was alone. Thankfully my car was near. The other four times the mosquitos were so horrendous that I wondered if it was worth it. The fifth time was the charm though, and one actually flew directly overhead in the dark. What are some of the challenges/benefits of birding in our region? One of the challenges is our rugged terrain here in northern Ontario. But one of the benefits is that we do not have to travel very far to see some amazing birds. The lagoons at the prison farm, Marina Park, Cascades Conservation Area, and Mission Marsh are some of the very near, but very good bird viewing places that we can frequent. How many different species have you spotted? In Thunder Bay district: 219. 2017 was the first year that I surpassed the 200 mark within one year. I promised myself and my family that this year I would take it easy and not be so eager to go out to get every bird reported. Not likely I will keep that promise. Is there a rare bird that you hope to spot one day? I really don’t have one that I hope for. Just any bird that is way out of range would be fantastic. The thing about birds is that they fly. They show up, or they are not there where someone has seen them just a few minutes ago. That is part of the appeal of birding—unpredictability.

Cameron Bill How long have you been a birder? I started about three years ago, when I was five, turning six. I’ve really gotten interested in it in the last year or so. Why do you enjoy birding? I like the colours of the birds and watching them fly. Also, I really like categorizing and figuring out the different species. And Thunder Bay has lots of different species. In the last year alone I’ve recorded over 40 different species, and most just in front of my home and my grandma’s home. What’s the most unique bird you’ve spotted? I think it might be the yellow-crowned night heron. I spotted it off the road when we were visiting the Bahamas. My mom and brother saw it after I pointed it out but they weren’t as excited as I was. While we were in the Bahamas I also saw lots of double-crested cormorants. My dad says they’re an invasive species there but they’re still pretty cool to watch dive for fish. What’s the farthest you’ve travelled in search of a particular bird? The Bahamas, but we didn’t go there specifically for birding. We did go to visit my grandparents in B.C. and we saw lots of quail, which was exciting because we don’t have those in Thunder Bay that I know of. Can you share one of your most memorable birding experiences? This isn’t exactly a birding experience, but last summer my dad took us to the McKellar Island Bird

Observatory to help tag birds and I really enjoyed letting go of a pine siskin (a tiny bird) straight from my hand. Also, one time last summer I went on a bike ride with some friends and at one point I was alone and I fell off my bike but when I got back up I saw a Baltimore oriole—I’ve never seen one before or since and my grandma, who also loves birds, hasn’t seen one either. What’s one of your most gruelling birding experiences? I haven’t really had any. My dad says I’m a “fair weather” birder, whatever that means. What are some challenges/benefits of birding in our region? This isn’t specific to our region but sometimes when I go birding around the river and forest by my house, I hear all sorts of birds but I can’t spot them! That’s challenging. The main benefit is that there are lots of different species in our area. So there’s always more to discover! How many different species have you sighted? Last year I sighted over 40 species. Since I became interested in birding, maybe 50 or so. Is there a rare bird that you hope to spot one day? Yes. The indigo bunting. This is my favourite bird because it is completely blue and when it’s migrating it rarely stops. I did hear recently from another birder that she knows when they come and where they go around Thunder Bay, so I’m hoping to spot one this summer.

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CoverStory Thunder Cape Bird Observatory at a Glance

Thunder Cape Bird Observatory

Total number of bird species documented: Over 300 Total number of bird species banded: Over 200

Flocking to the Foot of the Giant

Most birds banded in a single season: 9,185 in the fall of 1995

Story by Emma Christensen, Photos courtesy of Thunder Cape Bird Observatory

Rare birds: Ontario’s first violet-green swallow and black-throated sparrow Largest bird banded: Canada goose at 4500 grams Smallest bird banded: Golden-crowned kinglet at 6 grams Smallest bird caught: Ruby-throated hummingbird at 3 grams

Rinchen Boardman

Merlin

he Thunder Cape Bird Observatory, located at the tip of the Sibley Peninsula, attracts only the hardiest of visitors. Outdoor enthusiasts find challenging hiking and stunning views; migrating avian visitors, by contrast, find a safe haven of shelter and food. In the quarter century since the observatory was established, master banders and volunteers have banded hundreds of thousands of birds. Rinchen Boardman has been the observatory’s master bander since 2014. He explains the importance of Thunder Cape to spring migrants, who travel hundreds of kilometres over the largest and coldest body of water they will ever cross, Lake Superior. “After Isle Royale, from a bird’s-eye view, the tip of the peninsula is one of the first landing spots,” he says. Hawks and other raptors are attracted to the Sleeping Giant’s 240-metre-high cliffs—among the highest in Ontario—because of the updrafts they generate. These features caught the

attention of Ministry of Natural Resources scientist Dr. David Hustle in the late 1980s. “There was the incentive to establish a monitoring station here that would be representative of the birds breeding north of Lake Superior,” says Allan Harris, chair of the observatory, which operates because of partnerships between the Ministry of Natural Resources, Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, Thunder Bay Field Naturalists, and Bird Studies Canada. A field test was conducted in the fall of 1991 by a group of birders who set up camp at the cape when 182 species were recorded and 4,390 birds were banded. The following year, the accommodations were upgraded from tents to a small cabin, which is still in use today as living and banding quarters. The structures at Thunder Cape—including two cabins, a viewing platform, and an observation tower—were built almost entirely by volunteers. Volunteers are still vital to the operation of the observatory. During

Blackpoll warbler

Black-throated blue warbler

10 The Walleye

each seasonal migration, from early April to early June, and from late July to late October, Boardman coordinates teams of up to six volunteers. He welcomes applicants of all ages and skill levels, as long as they are prepared for the conditions. “It’s a very intense, nearly 24-hour experience, and it’s very unique. Most other stations have [better] access and more amenities than we do,” he says. Boardman and his team get up before the sun to set up mist nets, which look like fine fishing nets stretched between the trees. Birds that have flown in are carefully disentangled. Team members also take turns on “watch” from the viewing platform in all kinds of weather, identifying and counting birds in flight or on the water. For volunteers, one of the few “indoor” jobs in the course of the workday is assisting Boardman in the banding laboratory. Here, birds are weighed, measured and fitted with a small metal band that identifies their banding location.

Farthest distance documented: A Tennessee warbler banded at Thunder Cape was found in Panama. It travelled about 4,000 kilometres to get there. Fastest trip: A sharp-shinned hawk was captured in Veracruz City, Mexico, exactly a month after it had left Thunder Cape. It averaged 112 kilometres daily to make the trip.

Visitors are also welcome, but Boardman emphasises the importance of arriving early. “The protocol runs for seven hours and it commences half an hour before sunrise. Most often, visitors come after we’ve finished our morning’s work,” he says, adding that it takes three to four hours to hike in from the nearest trailhead. The remote location of Thunder Cape deters crowds of people, if not flocks of birds. But those who are willing to overcome the isolation are rewarded by witnessing the miracle of migration first-hand. “What still enthralls me are the millions of birds—rivers of birds—that fly at night,” says Boardman, “There are so many of these tiny creatures that weigh 5 grams or 12 grams who can somehow find their way to Colombia and back.” Learn more at tbfn.net/thunder-cape-bird-observatory. Want to contribute? Visit tbfn.net/online-membership-form and direct your donation to the Thunder Cape Bird Observatory.

For the Benefit of All?

Birds and Agriculture in Northwestern Ontario By Betty Carpick

plays a valuable part in the economy of nature. And, like all relationships, it’s complicated. Broadly defined, most birds that frequent farms to dine locally are omnivores who change their diets for whatever food sources are seasonal or in accordance with different life stages. In the spring and summer, when bug populations are abundant, birds perform their greatest ecological service by controlling insects, dispersing seeds, and pollinating plants. They then move on to a predominately plant-based diet with summer fruits, and, as crops ripen in the fall, to seeds and grains. Dietary adaptability allows birds to take advantage of a wider range of food sources for better survival. With only their instincts and physical abilities, birds regulate their

food intake by necessity, and farms offer a bountiful foodscape with their readily available nutritional selection. This means that certain avian species can cause havoc and catastrophic losses. The agricultural damage to sweet corn fields associated with crows and ravens was more common in the past than it is today, perhaps in part to larger fields and wooded areas in urban environments providing safer habitat. But Canada geese love to eat germinating grain seeds in the spring and then feast on mature corn, barley, winter wheat, and soybeans during fall migration. And as the frequency and numbers of the highly mobile sandhill cranes have increased in recent years, area farmers have expressed concern about crop losses. Migratory sandhill cranes prefer newly planted

Bill Buckley

y its very nature, agriculture disrupts and reduces natural habitats to put order to systems that benefit humans. Since the soil was first tilled in the Thunder Bay area in the 1800s, many farmers have recognized the importance of maximizing mitigating measures to achieve a balance between food production and preserving the ecological value of all species in all habitats. Kevin Belluz, a third-generation Northwestern Ontario farmer says, “Planting hedgerows, maintaining wetlands, leaving grassland undisturbed, practicing diverse crop rotation, and eliminating the most toxic pesticides are some of the ways we try to actively maximize biodiversity.” The interdependent relationship between birds and agriculture

corn seeds, and they probe the ground and can meticulously remove individual corn seeds row by row. When large flocks of cranes feed on unprotected crops, the damage can be severe enough to require the replanting of an entire field. Belluz says that there isn’t a systemic approach to protecting Northwestern Ontario crops and gardens from birds. Commitments to maximizing biodiversity are integral as birds can become habituated to scarecrows, rattles, balloons, whistles, blank shells, propane cannons, netting, and other deterrents. In Canada, birds, their eggs, and their nests are protected under provincial and territorial statute in addition to the federal Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994. Dr. Tarlok Singh Sahota, director of research and business with the Thunder Bay Agricultural Research Station says, “Protected migratory birds can’t be shot, poisoned, or physically harmed. If a farm is more than 25 km outside of the city, there are a few groups of Indigenous hunters that [can] hunt the geese.” Birds connect us to the natural world and are a vital gauge of ecosystem health. They’ve been around 150 million years longer than human beings, but many species have suffered from habitat loss with the introduction of invasive measures. With the rapid changes to the planet, birds remind us that humans are the ones who have the upper hand.

Connie Hartviksen

CoverStory

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CoverStory

Walleye 101

Information provided by Brian Ratcliff

The largest bird by weight around Thunder Bay is the trumpeter swan at

There have been 366 species of birds recorded in the Thunder Bay District. This is about

13,600 GRAMS (roughly the same weight as an adult human brain)

% 74

of the 496 species that have been recorded in all of Ontario

Hurkett Cove Conservation Area is one of the best spring birding locations in the area. If you go there in late May you will not be disappointed. Expect to see and hear at least

50â&#x20AC;&#x201C;75 species of birds in a single day.

More than

species of colourful neotropical warblers can be observed in late May around Thunder Bay

In September, head to Slate River Valley to witness the

300400 sandhill cranes that stage their feeding in the fields before migrating south

12 The Walleye

CoverStory

If there is a healthy crop of mountain ash fruit, good numbers of American robins will overwinter in Thunder Bay, while migrant robins start returning in early April

In late fall, approximately

250

bald eagles roost at the Thunder Bay Solid Waste & Recycling Facility, making it the largest bald eagle roost in Ontario

Each year, approximately species of waterfowl are seen in or around the Chippewa Lagoons

The smallest bird by weight around Thunder Bay is the ruby-throated hummingbird, weighing only

GRAMS (roughly the same weight as a penny)

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CoverStory

Built at Blakes

Luxury Log Cabins for the Birds Story by Tiffany Jarva, Photos by Brooke Towle

ustom-built log cabin birdhouses perch and hang throughout the garage and workshop of craftsman Blake Haverluck. Jars of miniature cedar shingles and logs, unpainted wooden maple leaves, hinges, and packets of glue dot the shelves. Tools hang neatly on the wall along with Haverluck’s one-of-a-kind gardening angels and wooden sleds of years past. And then there is the wood, which Haverluck chuckles about. “When I take you into my shop, you’ll see that I’m a wood hound,” he says. Recycled wood from the ReStore and friends’ camps and the old or twisted lumber that is often rejected during the building process are piled and stacked in corners and amongst

the large saws and working tables. “I don’t ever throw wood away. Some people call me a wood hoarder.” Retired for 15 years after 33 years at Bell Canada, Haverluck says this is how he spends the majority of his time now. “I have to be productive,” he says. “I want to use my hands. Even with my arthritis, when I’m out here building, I don’t feel it. I want to get finished and move on. I’ve always been like that.” While he was still working, Haverluck started creating birdhouses and feeders using vintage barn wood. Over the years, the birdhouses have evolved from using siding and river rock to the more time-consuming process of cutting and shaping wood to look like logs and shingles, and inlaying amethyst for chimneys and gables.

Haverluck procures all of his materials locally, including the amethyst, which often comes from his “rock hound” friend. After some feedback from a customer, he has started designing two-storey “bed and breakfast” duplex models— birdhouses with feeders on the bottom for winter that can be plugged in the summer when feed isn’t required. Haverluck also creates bat houses, birdfeeders, mailboxes, and even has a birdhouse replica of the Thunder Bay Main lighthouse. He started adding a very Canadian hand-painted red maple leaf to

14 The Walleye

each of his designs about two years ago. “I really like the maple leaf. And others really seem to like it too,” he says. He enjoys giving away as many houses as he sells, and you may have seen his birdhouses and feeders as door prizes, at silent auctions, and for many a retirement party. “I have fun making them,” he says. “They’re great gifts for people, especially for that person who seems to have everything.” Built at Blakes is on Facebook and custom-built birdhouses are available at Landale Gardens, or by calling 577-1630 to set up an appointment.

CoverStory

American woodcock

Male northern cardinal

The illusive American bittern

Male northern cardinal

Where the Birds Are Connie and Ken Hartviksen Photography

Story by Bonnie Schiedel, Photos by Connie and Ken Hartviksen

f you want to capture images of wild birds, you need stealth, patience, a keen understanding of their habitat and habits—and a willingness to keep your distance, say Connie and Ken Hartviksen, a husband-and-wife team of wildlife photographers. “Wild birds and animals are skittish and afraid of humans, and they can dramatically modify their behaviour if you get too close,” explains Ken. “We are adamant about ethical nature photography because you can really stress out a bird by encroaching on it.” After a longtime interest in general photography, about six years ago the Hartviksens invested in cameras and lenses that can capture

breathtaking images from up to a quarter mile away. “New technology means you can appreciate and observe a bird in a way you never could before,” Ken says. “They never know we’re there.” The Hartviksens love the diversity that bird photography offers, as they explore the beauty of the boreal forest, large and small lakes, wetlands, and open meadows on foot, by canoe, and in their vehicle. At their home in Shuniah, they also spend painstaking hours preparing for just the right shot of birds on their property, taken through their picture windows. Ken likes the year-round aspect—spring and fall migrants,

summertime water birds and hardy birds that stick around all winter— as well as the ability to challenge each other to discover different photography techniques. For Connie, the appeal is a mix of learning for herself and teaching others. “I’m always learning,” she says. “I like to be outside and I always feel really rejuvenated by the rich landscape we have here. It’s so wonderful to be able to share photography with others too, and bring awareness of all the beauty we have here right under our noses.” To that end, she manages the Thunder Bay Field Naturalists’ Facebook page and often posts their images there. And while the

Hartviksens do sell images and take commissions, the real aim of sharing their work is conservation. Their wonderful images of woodpeckers, for instance, are thanks in part to them allowing dead standing and fallen trees—prime woodpecker habitat and a source of insects—to remain on their rural property. The payoff: regular sightings of hairy and downy woodpeckers, and a mated pair of pileated woodpeckers that visit year after year. Other prized shots, a little further from home but still in the Thunder Bay area, include an American bittern, an American woodcock, snow buntings, and a northern cardinal. They’re hoping to get a shot of sandhill cranes this spring. The photos are a tangible reminder of their adventures too. “I look at our photos and remember the beauty and excitement of all the places we’ve been,” says Connie. For more information visit .facebook.com/HartviksenPhotography.

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Food

Frittata/Frittahtah By Chef Rachel Globensky

ooking for a quick midweek dinner? Frittata. Need to impress the in-laws at brunch? Frittata. Want a make-ahead lunch you can freeze in individual containers and heat up at work? Frittata. Falling somewhere between a quiche and an omelette, a frittata is a classic Italian egg dish that’s super simple to whip up, and uses whatever you happen to have in the fridge. This silky variation poo-poos the persnickety folding-and-flipping technique in favour of a mix-and-bake option. “Easy peasy lemon squeezy” instead of “difficult difficult lemon difficult,” as my family would say. Below, are some tips to help your frittata game soar from blando to magnifico: • Any 2-litre baking dish will work for this recipe. Cast iron is what the Italian chefs use, but a glass or ceramic baking dish that’s been greased makes for easier clean-up.

• Beat the eggs only enough to mix the whites and yolks; otherwise, your frittata will balloon beautifully while cooking, and cool to a dense hockey puck upon removal from the oven. • Pre-cook your veggies and meat prior to adding to the egg mixture. And, if your add-ins are liquidy, like with sautéed greens, squeeze out any excess moisture before stirring in. • Your frittata can be served straight from the oven, warmish (can be cooled up to 1 hour on the counter), straight from the fridge, or re-heated. So many ways. So much good.

Freestyle Frittata

serves 4-6

3 Tbsp olive oil ½ cup diced onion

In a medium (10”) frying pan, sauté onions in oil about 5 minutes, until soft.

8 large eggs ½ cup milk ¾ tsp salt ¼ tsp pepper

Whisk eggs in a large bowl. Stir in milk, salt, and pepper. Get your add-ins ready to go.

To customize your fancy frittata, try one of these combinations:

Greek

1 lb baby spinach, wilted and squeezed dry ½ cup crumbled feta 2 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped 2 Tbsp sliced green onions

Spring

2 cups sliced cooked asparagus 4 oz smoked salmon, chopped ¼ cup chopped fresh chives ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

Cobb

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes 1 cup diced avocado 1 cup diced cooked chicken ¼ cup crumbled cooked bacon ¼ cup crumbled blue cheese

Pour egg mixture into skillet, stir, and cook until edges start to pull away, or spoon additional ingredients into a baking dish, pour over the egg mixture, and stir. Bake at 350℉ until set, about 18–22 minutes. Cut. Eat. Enjoy. Repeat.

16 The Walleye

Food

DRINK OF THE MONTH

Summer Sangria 5 Forks

Story by Rebekah Skochinski, Photo by Brooke Towle We’re all pretty eager for it to be patio season. So eager, in fact, that all we’re asking for is a 15 degree day and a dry seat. The bar staff at 5 Forks are in agreement, which is why they suggested we sip on their patio standby: a summer sangria. The theory is, if we drink it, it will come. Their sunny-day superstar starts with Alize Red Passion liqueur, a premium French vodka mixed with all-natural passion fruit. From there, they add melon liqueur, peach schnapps, and their house Chardonnay, and top it off with pineapple juice, cranberry juice, and a splash of soda. The wine keeps the sangria from being overly sweet and of course, make sure to save the best for last—the best being all those booze-soaked berries at the bottom of the glass. It’s what daydreams are made of. (Pro tip: you can order it by the pitcher!)

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Food

Tonic To My Gin By Jeannie Dubois, Certified Sommelier

pril 9 marks the international day to celebrate our long love affair with the gin and tonic, brought back to the shores of England by the Royal Navy who consumed it as a medicinal anti-malarial in the empirical tropical outposts in the 1800s. Tonic, which is rich in quinine, was a rather bitter pill to swallow until bracketed with some sweet gin and a good dose of scurvy-scattering lime juice. Thus, the gin and tonic became the cocktail de jour and has persisted as such for over 100 years. Gin itself predates this classic cocktail by over 200 years. Forged

Heart of Darkmist Based on Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad 1 ½ oz blackberry liqueur ½ oz gin ½ oz lemon juice

by the Dutch as a treatment for ailments of the stomach, it is richly endowed with juniper (a member of the cypress family), which gave it its name (from the French genievre, for berry of the plant). Nicknamed “Dutch Courage” when it migrated to the English shores 50 years later, gin caught on like wildfire with the masses and led to such precipitous drinking habits that government acts such as the Gin Act in 1736 and the Tippling Act in 1750 were brought into being to curb its consumption. Resilient as ever, gin came to the shores of America in the 1870s and made its mark there as well, keeping

the wheels greased through the dark days of prohibition, when there was an open market for bathtub gin. It forged on in popularity until the repeal of the act, when it became the original maker of the martini through the mid-century era of classic cocktails. Fast forward to today, when gin is still a top shelf clear spirit with its own unique character. Enjoy its indelible taste paired with tasty tonic or try a charming and erudite new twist on an old classic cocktail with ideas from Tequila Mockingbird – Cocktails With A Literary Twist by Tim Federle.

The Lime of the Ancient Mariner

The Sound and the Slurry

Based on The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Based on The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner

Sea salt for rimming

2 oz gin

2 oz lime juice 2 oz grapefruit juice

½ oz crème de cassis ½ oz lemon juice

1 ½ oz gin

A dazzling musical based on the L. Frank Baum classic story Book by Tim Kelly Music and Lyrics by Bill Francoeur Directed by Marcia Arpin

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Gin Eyre Based on Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte 8 sprigs of fresh mint

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Food

Northern Unique Bakery Popular Market Vendor Sets Up Shop

Story and Photos by Brooke Towle

135 East Fredrica St. Unit #3 622-6678

Great Gift Registry Ideas!

hile roaming past the different vendors at the Thunder Bay Country Market, you may have smelled freshly baked goods or had a dino-shaped cookie offered to your little one. If so, then you may already be familiar with the Walsh family at Northern Unique Bakery. With a drive for local quality and a busy lifestyle in mind, Northern Unique offers a variety of freshly made goods ranging from cakes and breads to soups and meat pies. A fixture at the market since 2004, Northern Unique opened the doors to their own shop at 135 Frederica Street this past November. “It’s been great to see just how much we’ve developed over the years,” says Chef Rob Walsh. “Not just in terms of setup, but what we offer and how we’ve reached a consistency of the product with quality, taste, and even shelf-life.” The bakery aims to promote sustainability and local agriculture in efforts to encourage and support

the 100-Mile Diet. “With the diet, our aim isn’t to stop people from eating things like oranges and bananas,” says Walsh. “Instead, we want to make them aware that you can buy your groceries locally, and show the benefits of doing so.” Quality is also at the heart of Northern Unique, as the Walsh family ensures that all of their items are baked fresh daily. And if you miss your favourite soup of the day, leftovers are offered in frozen individual servings for a quick take-andmake at home. “At the end of the day, that’s really what we’re after: the quality of your food, and providing a peace of mind when you’re eating it,” says Walsh. As the weather warms up, you’re bound to see the Walsh family setting up outdoors in front of their new shop and filling Frederica Street with the aroma of their treats. You can visit them there between 10 am and 5 pm, Mondays through Saturdays, or try one of their famous cinnamon buns at the market on Saturdays and Wednesdays.

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Food Lunch, Dinner and everything in between

Wednesday Ramen Nights Bight Restaurant & Bar Offers Japanese Dish

Story and Photo by Brooke Towle

passion for cooking, the drive for trying something new, and a recent trip to New York has chef Joe Sposato stirring up a new ramen dish every Wednesday evening at Bight Restaurant & Bar. Inspired by the various ramen shops visited during his trip, Sposato decided to create his own spin on this classic Japanese noodle and broth dish in Thunder Bay. Having never personally tried ramen myself, I was quite excited to head over to the waterfront and taste Sposato’s creation. As he exited the kitchen with the bowl gently cupped in his hands, I felt my excitement growing like a little kid. The welcoming aroma of broth and spices filled my nostrils and reminded me of my mother’s homemade soups. Presented beautifully, the ramen possesses a calming variety of greens, yellows, browns, and whites. The dish introduces itself with a briny first impression from the Brussels sprouts kimchi, accompanied by a warm and calming

20 The Walleye

tonkotsu (chicken and pork) broth that’s been simmering between 25 and 30 hours. As I delve into the ramen bowl, my mouth is pleasantly greeted with the familiar taste of chicken katsu, the uniquely tender texture of enoki mushrooms, and a much-welcomed sweetness from the corn over a bed of noodles. “I like to add lots of toppings to my ramen, as I believe that it adds interest and I enjoy the variety in the dish,” says Sposato. “Trying a new dish each week challenges myself and keeps it interesting.” Although likely a first-timer’s issue, I found it tricky to break apart the bok choy and enoki mushroom bouquet using chopsticks. My favourite part of Bight’s ramen was the soft egg marinated in soy sauce, mirin, and rice vinegar. Overall, the generously portioned bowl was a delightful meal that left me ready to wind down for the night. Whether you’re familiar with ramen or you’re like me and this is new, I recommend spending a Wednesday evening at Bight Restaurant & Bar.

40 Cumberland Street S. 807-344-4450 incommonsocial@gmail.com

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Food

BREW IT YOURSELF

Flavour from Microbiology

The Use of Yeast in Homebrewing By Josh Armstrong, PhD, Certified Beer Judge

t’s exciting to be a homebrewer these days. With the growing popularity of brewing beer at home, homebrewers now have access to a tremendous range of brewing ingredients. While new hop varieties and heirloom malts are often the focus of the flavours found in new beers, without yeast we simply wouldn’t have beer. As the saying goes, “Brewers make wort, yeast makes beer.” Yeast are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms. A member of the fungus kingdom, brewers use hundreds of billions of yeast cells to convert the carbohydrates from malted barley into the carbon dioxide and alcohol we all love in our beer. When discussing different types of yeast for brewing beer, the most common distinction is between ale and lager strains. Ale yeasts (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) are known as top-fermenting as they rise to the top of the fermentation vessel during the fermentation process. They are best at relatively warmer temperatures and are used in beers like pale ales, stouts, and wheat beers. Generally speaking, ale yeasts impart a fruitier, richer, and more aromatic character to a beer.

22 The Walleye

Lager strains (Saccharomyces pastorianus) which end up fermenting on the bottom of the fermentation vessel, work better at lower temperatures than ale strains. Lager yeast tends to impart more of a crisp and clean flavour profile to a beer. They are used to make German-style beers such as pilsners, helles, and dunkels. For homebrewing, yeast can be purchased in primarily two formats: dry and liquid. Dry yeast is like the yeast that you may use when making bread at home. The freeze-dried yeast cells come in a small vacuum-sealed package and can be easily added directly to your wort at the end of a brew day. Liquid yeast is sold in vials and pouches. They are more susceptible to extreme temperatures (which can lead to challenges when shipping), and often need additional steps prior to use (i.e., a yeast starter). Both types of yeast have their benefits and drawbacks, and I use both in my own brewing. In addition to converting sugar into alcohol, yeast strains also produce secondary products during fermentation that can provide much of a beer’s flavour. The two major players in this sense are esters and

phenols. Esters are chemical compounds that taste like fruit. Flavours like apple, cherry, banana, and peach can all come from the esters produced by yeast and are more commonly found with ale strains. Phenols are another group of chemical compounds produced by yeast. Belgian ale yeasts and German hefeweizen yeasts are well-known for producing high amounts of phenols, which can lead to flavours like pepper, spicy, herbal, and clove. In addition to these chemical components, each yeast strain varies in its ability to attenuate (dry vs. sweet finish to beers) and flocculate (settle out of suspension), its

tolerance for high levels of alcohol, and the temperature range at which they work best. These together will dictate the final flavour of your homebrew. Recently in Ontario, a company called Escarpment Laboratories began producing yeast strains for home and professional brewers. Not only do they produce many of the classic yeast strains, like Cali Ale and Munich Lager, but they are also turning out new yeasts that they have isolated from the Ontario wilderness. As a beer nerd, being able to brew with “local” microbiology and create unique flavours in my beer is incredibly exciting. Cheers!

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FilmTheatre

The Jungle Book

All the DAZE Production Celebrates Anniversary with Return of Musical By Michelle Kolobutin

ll the DAZE Productions is a children and youth theatre program led by Marcia Arpin. With half a decade under of her belt of leading youth theatre, Arpin invites the public to join their production team in celebrating their five-year anniversary with a return of the well-loved musical The Jungle Book. The alumni who performed with All the DAZE as part of the original cast in 2013 have been invited back for an encore. “This production is full musical with a cast of 30 children ranging in age from 6-11 years. And it’s youth theatre, which means we have youth choreographers, youth coaching, and a youth director,” Arpin says. The Jungle Book cast is full of committed youngsters and families. The group practices once a

week for a 10 weeks, and every night the week of the production. Many adults are involved along the way and work in partnership with the children. Putting on a new show every 10 weeks is certainly a lot of work, and when asked what keeps Arpin going after several shows and years later, she says “When I see that sparkle in the young ones doing it for the first time.” The group practices at the Baggage Building Arts Centre. The community of artists who also use this studio space, as well as the staff of the Baggage Building Arts Centre, have given back to the production in many ways, such as set design, making the production extremely collaborative. “The show itself runs an hour, which is a good introductory musical for children. We are

using the Disney script and songs that were deliberately chosen for children,” says Arpin. Make sure to catch the show at one of their two evening

performances in the Shuniah Building at Confederation College, April 20 and 21 at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $10 at the door or in advance at the Baggage Building Arts Centre.

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24 The Walleye

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FilmTheatre The Second Most Pleasurable Thing We Do In the Dark. A Column About Movies

Films about Birds

hough there are no real birds featured in To Kill a Mockingbird, the powerful speech by Atticus Finch to his six-year old daughter Scout early in the film becomes the closing metaphor about saving a human life. Whether literal or metaphorical, birds have fascinated filmmakers for more than a century. It has been a great pleasure re-watching these movies in preparation for this column. Here are four cinematic flights of fancy:

By Michael Sobota

My daddy said that, sooner or later, he supposed the temptation to go after birds would be too much, and that I could shoot all the blue jays I wanted—if I could hit ‘em— but that it was a sin to kill a mockingbird. - Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck) to his daughter Scout (Mary Badham) in To Kill a Mockingbird

Winged Migration

The Birds (1963)

Fly Away Home (1996)

This is perhaps Alfred Hitchcock’s second best known film—not for the script by Evan Hunter, adapted from the novel by Daphne du Maurier novel, nor for the principal actors (a tepid Tippi Hedren and bland but handsome heartthrob Rod Taylor), but for the stark and ultimately vicious images of birds. The story is silly: Melanie (Hedren) a strong-willed, wealthy woman pursues Mitch (Taylor), who she meets in a pet shop. She’s that cliché character who always gets what she wants. When Melanie drives up the scenic California coast north of San Francisco to deliver a pair of “lovebirds” to Mitch at his mother’s cottage, she brings with her a growing storm of ghastly, feathered destruction. No explanation is provided for the airy malevolence. The movie has no music score for the most part, relying on the quiet images of birds resting on hydro wires or a schoolyard playground—and, of course, their frenzied screams and shrieks in attacking the humans. You know those people. The sort who always get what they want.

Director Carroll Ballard opens his story with an extraordinary car crash that kills the mother of Amy (Anna Paquin) in New Zealand, underscored by Mary Chapin Carpenter’s “10,000 Miles,” a recording of the 18th century folk ballad “Fare Thee Well.” Transported to Canada to be raised by her estranged father an eccentric artist/inventor Thomas (Jeff Daniels), at first Amy is lost, both physically and in her grief. Then she accidentally discovers a cache of goose eggs and rescues them, and this begins her journey of bonding with the feathered creatures as all of them mature and grow up— including Tom. Based on the reallife story of Canadian Bill Lishman, who pioneered bird migration assistance by ultralight aircraft. Ballard’s cinematic grasp here is truly stunning. He may be the greatest visual storyteller of our time.

26 The Walleye

(2001) Co-directors Jacques Perrin, Michel Debats, and Jacques Cluzaud spent three years making this documentary exploring the migratory patterns of birds, capturing footage on all seven continents. Their narrative is simple but their cinematography, both on the ground and in the air, is splendid, and at times thrilling. The movie is a natural for pairing with Ballard’s Fly Away Home. It broadens and deepens our understanding of these great creatures, especially the strength and stamina they must have to endure the annual migration routes they travel. The birds, their stories, and this film are timeless.

Piper (2016) The shortest of the films I re-watched and the winner of the 2016 Oscar for Best Animated Short Film, Piper is six minutes of brilliant storytelling. A mother sandpiper is trying to teach her daughter about finding food on the beach. The daughter is cautiously willing, only to be frightened into near paralysis by a crashing wave and scurrying back to her nest. Mother persists. Daughter learns. There is no dialogue, merely great visual animation that captures all the emotions of this experiential maturation. Here are seven more films that celebrate these marvelous creatures of the air: The Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), Kes (1969), Chicken Run (2000), The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill (2003), March of the Penguins (2005), To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), and Legend of The Guardians (2010).

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FilmTheatre

Nadia Cheechoo Has It Covered Magnus Theatre’s Assistant Carpenter on the Ready By Kyle Poluyko

INTRODUCING

stoundingly, one of Magnus Theatre’s most versatile crew members, assistant carpenter and stage hand Nadia Cheechoo, never really saw herself working in the theatre. “I volunteered and worked with the Debajehmujig Creation Centre on Manitoulin Island for a few summers when I was a teenager,” says Cheechoo. “But at the time I hadn’t considered theatre as an option for me and, then, I kind of just forgot about it for a while.” Cheechoo has many different duties at Magnus, depending where the company sits in its production time frame. “Before the show I am the assistant carpenter,” she says. “I help Sam [Pollari, head carpenter] with various tasks to build the set for an upcoming show.” For a production such as The River, Cheechoo was tasked to build the shelving featured on the walls of the traverse stage set from Laura Gardner’s designs and maquette (scale model). When rehearsals on stage commence, Cheechoo switches gears to the running crew. “I help Gillian [ Jones, stage manager] set up the backstage for props, wardrobe, and/ or set pieces.” During the run of a show, Cheechoo is backstage, literally running to get props and scenery

where they need to be for the next scene. “I also help actors during quick changes,” Cheechoo adds, as the time between scenes can often be mere seconds. Additionally, the current season at Magnus provided Cheechoo with the opportunity to learn new skills on top of her existing duties. “I learned how to work the flies up on the rails (above stage). Also, if Mervi [Agombar, wardrobe designer] isn’t available for costume repairs it falls to me for fixes before the next show.” And when a production closes, Cheechoo returns to her main role as assistant carpenter, ready to tear down the set and repeat the cycle. With an average of five short weeks between mainstage productions, Cheechoo always has her hands full and is an integral part of the production team. “One of the most fulfilling aspects of being a part of Magnus is being able to tell people that I love my job and I look forward to coming into work,” Cheechoo says of her work at Magnus. “It’s an absolute privilege being surrounded by people who are passionate about bringing such works of art to the community. I’ve gained so much experience here and I know there’s still so much more to gain from it.”

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FilmTheatre

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Xanadu A One of a Kind Musical Theatrical Experience Grand Prize Draw:

By Marcia Arpin

estgate and Churchill High School are collaborating to entertain audiences with Xanadu, a one-of-a-kind musical theatrical experience. A Greek muse inspires love, laughter, and the world’s first roller skating disco in this 1980s glitter explosion. Churchill student Sarah Kajorinne plays the role of the muse. “This is my last year of high school. I auditioned specifically for this role, and I was excited to get it,” Kajorinne says. “This play, although I’d never heard of it, is a perfect mix of Greek mythology with 80s rock. For this production I had to learn an accent and how to roller skate.” Westgate student Shane Linklater also celebrates his graduating year by taking a role in this production as Zeus. He describes the play as “fantastically cheesy and over-the-top fun with roller skates.” Linklater is also helping to build ramps for the production. He comments on the community and volunteer support this production has had—from set construction to costumes, he is impressed with how it all comes together. Linklater is also impressed with their director, Spencer Hari. “Spencer is cool. He is able to teach us and describe his vision so well. I love learning from his direction.”

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4 1 OF

Teachers and staff of both high schools have volunteered since the summer of 2017 to make this idea and reality. Kim Buoncore is the drama teacher at Westgate and the producer of this play. She has assembled a team of teachers and community partners as her crew. Choreographers Noah Boeckner and Michayla Grant assist director Spencer Hari with the cast while teachers Andrew Bryan and Rob Taylor lead a live band. Auditions were held in October and 23 students in grades 9-12 are featured in this hilarious adventure. Hari emphasizes the creative collaboration of this production. “We wanted to do a play that hasn’t been done in Thunder Bay,” he says. “There is lots of talent in this cast. Everyone who auditioned was invited to participate. It is rewarding to see the teens work hard to meet their goals. Perfection is not the goal but rather pride and self esteem. Everyone is here to have fun and so should the audience.” Xanadu will transform the Westgate gymnasium April 25-28. Churchill and Westgate school offices are selling tickets. There is limited seating. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 children under 12 and seniors.

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FilmTheatre

NOSFA Celebrates Milestone

The Northwest Film Festival Turns 25

of its 2008-09 season. “In more recent festivals at SilverCity, NOSFA has also incorporated shorts made by local and regional filmmakers during select screenings,” says Mascarin. “During Film Fest #22 in 2015, NOSFA featured a short by Andrew Cividino called Sleeping Giant that, unbeknownst to NOSFA, was serving as the basis for a fulllength feature film that would have its world premiere a few weeks later at Cannes.” NOSFA is tight-lipped on any titles for this year’s festival, but Mascarin says a predominant theme is “Year of the Woman.” As for the future of the association, the president is optimistic. “With the continued support of Film Circuit, Cineplex, and SilverCity, NOSFA hopes to be celebrating Northwest Film Fest #30 with its patrons in 2023.” For more information about the festival visit nosfa.ca or find North of Superior Film Association on Facebook.

By Adrian Lysenko

hat started as an event by the North of Superior Film Association (NOSFA) to perk up the late winter cinematic doldrums has evolved into the annual Northwest Film Festival, which celebrates 25 years this month. “Until that time, Thunder Bay and region hadn’t seen many film festivals, Conflix (Confederation College) student films aside,” says Marty Mascarin, president of NOSFA. “The LU Film Society staged a fest several years prior to NOSFA, but those who ran the operation eventually departed, with no one to fulfill that void until NOSFA came along.” With films like Thirty Two Short Films about Glenn Gould, La Florida, as well as Farewell My Concubine, the inaugural festival attracted approximately 2300 patrons at the Paramount Theatre. “[It] certainly gave NOSFA impetus for staging more ambitious film fests,” Mascarin says. “There was definitely that ‘buzz’ of excitement of having an assortment of films at one venue over a weekend. Patrons were excited to see something like this in Thunder Bay.”

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The festival would subsequently be held at the Odeon Victoria and then at the Cumberland Cinema Centre. “It was at the Cumberland where the festival really flourished. An independent second-run operation with five theatres offered NOSFA greater options,” Macarin says. “Initially NOSFA used four, then eventually embraced all five theatres, thus enabling the format to expand to 18 titles, each film being screened anywhere from two to four times each.” The result was an increase in attendance. Mascarin recalls how during the festival it became commonplace to have lineups stretched at either side of the front of the cinema and in 2008, the festival reached its peak with almost 9000 admissions. But the sale of the Cumberland Cinema Centre in the spring of 2009 left an uncertain future for NOSFA and its film festival. “It was jarring to leave its home of nearly a full decade,” Mascarin says. But thanks to Film Circuit [Toronto International Film Festival’s film outreach programme], NOSFA managed to relocate to SilverCity for the conclusion

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TheArts the pair now creates burnout art, using an 8’ x 20’ plasma table to cut the steel. Their first project, a burnout of Marilyn Monroe, hangs in Quast’s office, and they’ve gone on to produce more works of art, including the intricate sign for The Chanterelle. While the pieces are not currently for sale, you can look for them at the upcoming Home and

Garden Show, at Quast’s son’s booth. And if you’re wondering about the young Quast’s bike, that mission was accomplished too. “I had the coolest bike in the neighbourhood with a banana seat and all the bells and whistles,” he says. For more information visit lakeheadironworks.com.

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we Quast was a young teen with a mission when he first tried ironworking in his father’s business, Lakehead Ironworks, back in the 1970s. In the market for a new bike, Quast began making iron scrolls at five cents each at age 14 and soon was earning more than the welders. This was to the dismay of his dad Josef, who envisioned a career as a doctor or lawyer for his son. But Quast was hooked. Lakehead Ironworks was founded by Josef Quast in 1976, a bricklayer by trade who immigrated here from Germany in 1969 and joined his brother building steel railings. After graduating from the business management program at Confederation College, Uwe Quast started full time in 1979 and became

34 The Walleye

president in 1990. In those days, the company was just producing steel stairs and hand railings, but Quast had other plans. “I figured if I was going to do this for the rest of my life, I’d better get bigger and learn how to delegate,” he says. And get bigger they did. Over the years, Lakehead Ironworks went from being a 2,500 square foot shop to a 29,000 square foot, stateof-the art-fabrication facility. But sitting behind a desk wasn’t proving to be as much fun as playing with steel and getting his hands dirty, so Quast found another way to explore his creativity. With partner Vanessa Magee, a visual arts student at Lakehead University, he returned to the shop on weekends to explore new kinds of artistry. Armed with state-of-the-art technology,

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TheArts From Thunder Bay Art Gallery’s Collection

Things Coming into Being

Artist: Amanda Burk Title: Things Coming into Being Date: 2016 Medium: White charcoal on paper Dimensions: 38 x 419 cm (installed), 38 x 38 cm (each drawing) Amanda Burk’s drawings often focus on animals to evoke connections between people and survival instincts. Originally from southern Ontario and currently based in North Bay, Burk is an associate

By Andrea Terry, Acting Curator, Thunder Bay Art Gallery

professor in the Department of Fine and Performing Arts at Nipissing University. This new acquisition was featured in Burk’s first solo 2017 exhibition, Stories of Contentment and Other Fables. A composite work, Things Coming into Being portrays an abundance of creatures, states, and textures. The seven roundels are “negative” drawings, created by the artist using white charcoal on black paper. When displayed, they hang

in a horizontal line, enticing viewers to ponder the wealth of details and passages of time. Commenting on her practice in the gallery’s exhibition catalogue, the artist states “I am interested in how animals provide us with a safe distance to consider our own nature, animal-like characteristics, and shortcomings. Similarly, I hope that [viewers] will see aspects of themselves reflected in the animals I have drawn.”

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TheArts

Urban Infill

Inspiring Engagement with the Arts in a Revitalized North Core Story by Leah Ching, Photos by Patrick Chondon

or the twelfth installation of Thunder Bay’s premiere arts and culture event, Definitely Superior Art Gallery is welcoming the community to rediscover the city’s north core and indulge in multi-sensory displays of art, music, and performance at Urban Infill, taking place on the evening of April 7. Boasting 2,500 attendees last year, this one-night event brings together the multi-disciplinary works of over 400 regional, national, and international artists in 25 downtown locations. Also featured are nine live bands and DJs and an impressive range of performance art that includes dance, theatre, drag

performance, body suspension, and even an “oculus rift” virtual reality experience. Initiated in 2006, Urban Infill sought to revitalize the community’s downtown north core by capitalizing on assets of art and culture, reinforcing connections to the city’s spaces, and showcasing the diverse works of multidisciplinary artists, both established and emerging. Representative of the next evolution in creative possibilities, the event makes use of both empty/ underutilized spaces and existing arts and commercial business/social spaces to create a unique hub for urban arts and entertainment, complete with performative tour

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TheArts guides at each location to show visitors the way. “The Infill offers a commitment and passion for presenting contemporary artworks in alternative, everyday spaces to develop the audience’s experience, and deepen engagement with the arts. Urban Infill promotes Thunder Bay as an extraordinary and uniquely creative place,” says Def Sup’s executive/artistic director David Karasiewicz. “This event is a fusion of multiple art forms that work symbiotically with local commercial spaces and businesses in an event that many comment on as ‘something they could only imagine seeing in a larger city like Toronto or New York.’ Yet, this original event is a part of our scene right here in Thunder Bay.” Going into its twelfth year, Urban Infill has been acknowledged provincially and nationally for its ability to engage artists and the community on a variety of levels, and for taking action through the

“

arts to transform the city that it inhabits. “Premised upon the concept of ‘creative city partnerships,’ the fusion of art into the urban landscape promotes the cultural image of Thunder Bay, creating a new model of urban development and planning for the future,” explains Karasiewicz. “In the 12-year history of the Infill, we have utilized over 25 buildings and spaces throughout downtown, all of which were rented or sold on completion of the event, showing its ability to aid in vital downtown revitalization and art/ community engagement.” Attendees are invited to start at Definitely Superior Art Gallery, located at 250 Park Avenue, to pick up their art map and then enjoy a Nuit Blanche-like evening starting with the downtown-wide gala event running from 7 to 11 pm, and culminating with an “arty after-party” that runs until 2 am. More information can be found at definitelysuperior. com/events.

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CityScene Farm welcomes your own containers at their farm store, for instance). The couple emphasizes that the key is to start the conversation to see how stores you frequent can help you—and them—avoid the use of plastic, as well as supporting organizations like Environmental Defence Canada and the David Suzuki Foundation that lobby government to develop stronger public policy and legislation for meaningful change. Kerton, Roy, and their son, Emmitt, lead active lives with many interests, and maintain that many of the changes they made are doable for all of us. Overall, habits that seem too difficult to maintain probably are, while some sacrifice is worth it. For many more examples, as well as alternatives and solutions, be sure to check out @plastic_ problems on social media.

SAVE THE DATE MARCH 24TH: AFTERPARTY @ THE BAR 9pm MARCH 26TH: PAINT NITE @ Davinci 7pm APRIL 7TH: FRESHMEAT GRADUATION FUNDRAISER @ THE WAYLAND 9PM APRIL 21ST: GRIZZLY MADAMS vs ELLE CAPONES @ DELANEY ARENA 7PM MAY 12TH: BOUT @ DELANEY ARENA 7PM TBA JUNE 9TH: BOUT @ DELANEY ARENA 7PM TBA JUNE 16TH/17TH: UFFDA PALOOZA TOURNAMENT IN WASSAU WISCONSIN Can’t make it to any events but want to support? Donate online at: www.gofundme.com/ babes-of-thunder-in-uffdapalooza

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By Nancy Saunders

n 2015, Emily Kerton and Matt Roy embarked on a self-imposed, one-month challenge to eliminate plastic from their lives. Their inspiration came in part from an event about microplastics held by EcoSuperior and Science North, the latter where Kerton works as senior scientist. Roy, a high school teacher, was completing his Masters in Education and used the project for one of his classes, documenting it on social media. Going in, they knew they would be making significant changes to their family’s lifestyle. After a month of researching how to best go about living a plastic-free life, they embarked on a journey of discovery that resulted in feelings of deep frustration, accomplishment, and sustainable habits. Roy says the drive behind the challenge was to “avoid creating demand for disposable plastic.” This required assessing all purchases— some as seemingly innocuous as toilet paper—before committing. They

38 The Walleye

Experience the Gunflint Trail

took time to monitor the plastics that were making their way into their house in order to best identify those they could eliminate. Among their surprising discoveries: the “wax” paper used to wrap everything from deli meat to toilet paper contains polyethylene, the same stuff that lines milk cartons, and some recycled toilet paper contains bisphenol-A (BPA), possibly from recycled receipts. Kerton suggests several habits that make an impact and are easy to adopt. These include not buying water in plastic bottles, using a travel mug, taking reusable bags to the grocery store (even for those loose fruits and vegetables), eliminating plastic wrap by using glass containers, reusing Tupperware, using plastic alternative like beeswax wraps, and shopping at places that accommodate non-plastic packaging (Bulk Barn and Bulk Zone let you bring your own containers, Both Hands provides paper bags, and Thunder Oak Cheese

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CityScene

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To Go Further

Blacksheep’s Trails and Ales Fundraiser Story by Justin Allec, Photos by Michael McKenzie

he 20th anniversary of Blacksheep Mountain Biking Club promises to be a big one and they’re preparing for it well before the snow’s gone. On April 7, the club is hosting a rocking fundraiser at the Sleeping Giant Brewery complete with DJs, food, prizes, and of course, tasty beverages. At the 19+ event, people are welcome to party and see what the club is planning. The focus of the night is to raise money to continue building trails in Trowbridge Forest, so every dollar counts. Mark Marazan, event organizer, puts it simply: “The more [money] we raise, the further we can go.” Although all trail work is done by volunteers, there’s still a need for resources like lumber and tools, which is why fundraising is important. With three kilometres of new trails projected for the 2018 season, the club is working hard to make the trail network more accessible than ever. In conjunction with the City of Thunder Bay Parks & Open Spaces Section, the club has established a long-term master plan for the area. In the past few years, trail maintenance and development have become integral parts of the club’s scheduled events. Centennial Park and Shuniah Mines have already seen a flurry of activity, which includes trails for different skill levels and improvements to accessibility through mapping and signage. “We

40 The Walleye

want people to see the good that mountain biking can do… it brings residents of Thunder Bay closer together, and those who appreciate what this region has to offer,” says Katherine Morency, communications director. Although ground has already been broken in Trowbridge Forest, the club has also projected an additional 20 km of trails that will link up to the other surrounding recreation areas to cater to a more diverse user base, such as hikers and snowshoers. The club hopes to see you at the brewery, but if you can’t make it, you can always meet them on the trails.

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CityScene

Where the Wild Things Are Inner City Green-Space Faces Potential Development

Story by Julia Prinselaar, Photos by Eric Berglund

o one knows exactly how many people pass through the network of trails that weave in and out of the green space behind the Lakehead Psychiatric Hospital (LPH). But on any given day, at any time of the year, area residents flock to this unofficial parkland bordered by Boulevard Lake and the backyards of houses along Conmee and Toledo Streets in Current River. People come to walk their dogs and socialize, convene for evening running groups, and ride their bikes along the unpaved pathways that carve through a stand of mixed forest and break to an open clearing of grassland and a maturing stand of pine. Although this land has been untouched for years, members of the Friends of the LPH Greenspace say it isn’t going to stay this way unless more people appeal to the provincial government goes TBWSC Ad.pdf 1 before 06Mar2018 it 10:42:32 AM up

for sale. After the facility closes its doors, which is expected this year, the 150 acres of hospital land owned by the province could be sold to developers, the group warns. City planners say the area offers “significant opportunity for redevelopment,” and a land use study by Infrastructure Ontario notes that nothing “exceptional” was found in terms of endangered species, according to the group. But others defend its ecological integrity. “The deer, the songbirds, the migratory birds, the foxes, and all of the other mammals that people who use these trails regularly see testifies to that,” says Len Maki, a longtime member of the group. None of these species are endangered, but on a grander scale, Maki says it’s a rare opportunity to conserve a parcel of land that has no match elsewhere in the city, and he calls the area an envy of cities who

don’t have access to wilderness at their doorstep. While the group acknowledges that it’s more cost-effective to convert the land into housing, members say an intact greenspace adds community value and appeal to professionals from larger urban centres. “[But we are] trying to be realistic,” offers Maki. “Is there room to keep an area of trails… that are well used?” In the city’s draft Official Plan, the LPH land is designated as a site-specific policy area and guided by development objectives that include parks and open spaces integrated with a range of housing types. “One of the messages that we want to relay to the individuals involved in the process is that we have heard their concerns, we have been listening… we hope to work collaboratively with the neighbourhood,” says Leslie McEachern, director of planning services for the City of Thunder Bay. She encourages citizens to stay engaged in the public consultation that would have to happen before any development begins, although that process of

engagement is “flexible,” she says. Maki admits that group members remain divided on a clear vision for the land, but personally he remains hopeful for its preservation. “Through all the years of change and reform, I think it would just be fantastic as a… legacy, that some of that area be left as a natural space that promotes health and community and healing.”

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42 The Walleye

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griculture is a $195 million growing industry in northern Ontario and farmers across Ontario’s northern regions are increasingly looking to alternative forms of energy to increase productivity and potentially add to their incomes. According to Statistics Canada, 10.83% of northern Ontario’s 1,985 farms reported having some form of renewable energy on their property in 2016. This includes, but is not limited to wind turbines, solar panels, anaerobic bio digesters, and both geothermal electric and hydroelectric power generators. Compared to other districts in northern Ontario, Thunder Bay is the third highest (13.4%) in having farms with renewable energy producing systems. Kenora has the highest number of farms with renewable energy (16.7%) and Timiskaming has the lowest (5.1%). Those working in the agriculture sector aren’t the only ones becoming more eco-friendly. Those who call Thunder Bay home are stepping up when it comes to environmental initiatives. According to Statistics Canada’s “Households and the Environment” survey, when volunteering towards environmental initiatives, Thunder Bay appears to rank highest in the country. In 2015, it’s estimated that 36% of all Thunder Bay households “engaged, without pay, in activities aimed at conservation or protection of the environment or wildlife.” Among 26 other Canadian cities with populations over 100,000, including greater Sudbury, Victoria, and Ottawa, Thunder Bay is tied with Guelph in first place. Furthermore, Thunder Bay has also seen the highest percentage change since 2011. Thunder Bay’s volunteer rates increased from 21% in 2011 to 36% in 2015. This is a 71% increase in four years, higher than any other increase among the 26 cities analyzed. *Data based on the households and environment survey and is to be used with caution.

CityScene bl e

erg y ?

Percentage of Farms with Renewable Energy by Northern Ontario District, 2016

1 uses Wind Turbines

16.7

13.8 13.4 13.2 12.6

12.5 11.4

8.7

5.6 5.1 Cochrane

Timiskaming

Greater Sudbury

Sudbury

Manitoulin

Rainy River

Thunder Bay

Nipissing

Kenora

Algoma

Source: Statistics Canada. Table 004-0246 and Table 004-0201

A Natural Fit

Renewable Energy on Northern Ontario Farms By Alex Ross and Dharmjot Grewal, Data Analysts of Northern Policy Institute

CHOOSE AN AGENT WHO KEEPS ON LEARNING.

SARAH KERTON IS NOW A BROKER!

Thinking of buying or selling? PLEASE GIVE ME A CALL!

P. 807.683.9871 | C. 807.632.3635 WWW.SARAHKERTON.REALTOR

CityScene

Thank you to our 200+ dedicated volunteers! Addison Wendy Allen Shawn Allen Sue Armstrong Wendy B Meeghan Battler Julia Belluz Adam Belluz Kyler Bennett Alexandra Berra Ley Beslic David Bishop Tom Booth Raven Bortolon Larry Bradford Lynda Bragg Bill Bragg David Browning Morrow Linda Brushkewitz Reg Brydon Adrian Budweg Jacky Buske Anna Carins Taylor Carl Christian Carolan Ned Casey Ian Cassan Jim Chadwick Chris Clarke Olivia Coates Andrew Coghlan Bob Colyer Cecile Commisso Frank Comuzzi Rita Cook Phil Cordeiro Laureen Crooks Kerry Crooks Mary Louise Crooks Peter Curtis Harry Cyr Claire Daniher Carol Darby Laura Davidson Scott Davis Morgan Dawes Tom Demeo Jake Dempsey Juanti Denning Liam Dewsberry Fred Duke Joan Field Bill Filteau Paul

Foster Megan Furfaro Dan Gagne Roger Gallagher Peter Gladu Cora Gottfred Randy Graba Brian Grogan Sophia Hamilton Bev Hamilton Karl Hammond Cole Hansen Bob Harris Brad Hart Alison Hatton John Henderson Avery Henderson Jay Higgins Elizabeth Hoey Emily Inkster Jan Jakobsen Dylan Jakobsen Kristian Jakobsen Terry Jarzebinski Rob Johnston Ross Juurakko Ray Kaiser Martin Kaszor Hilary Kennedy Debby Keyes Jim Kirk Brenda Kivi Danny Knutson Ed Kokocinski Henry Korkorudz Jonny Kormos Chris Kotyk Eugene LaFreniere Sheena Lehtinen Eric Lehtinen Sammy Lewandowski Tina Loppacher Jim Lovis Grace Lovis Sharon MacDonald Angus MacKay Mary MacLeod Jillian Magill Murray Magill Ryan Magus Kim Makin Darrel Mallyon Nathan Marler Jean Martin Doug

Martyn Rhonda Mascarin Marty Matthews Cathy Matula Mike McDonald Patrick McEwan Robert McIntosh, Karin McLeod Aliyah McMullen Alison McMullen Rick Mettam Anne Mettam Rob Michelin Quinn Mills Al Moorey Phil Morettin Dennis Morettin Donnalee Morrison Erika Morrow Lorne Niemi Elaine Nistico Susan Nixon Janis Nixon Kara Nupponen Teuvo Nuttall Lois O’Brien Aran Oja Dave Ozburn George Panula Wendell Pedron Sylvia Pendziwol Jean E Pentick John Perrier Michael Peters Lynne Peterson Amanda Plumridge Don Prince Emily Quinn Damon Quinn Thomas Quirion Roger Rehfus Axel Rehfus Brandon Ripley Mary Ellen Robertson Kelly Roddick Erin Ronquest “Rocky” Carl Rossi Kassandra Roy Matt Ryan Gord Sallenp Clara Salmon Lis Schmidt Lori Sidlar Jim Siebenmann Bettina

Sims John Sisco Gord Slomke Dan Smith Mary Ellen Somerset Victoria Stewart Greg Stewart Marianne Storrey Darryl Strey Lynn Surowow Cindy Suttie Dave Swarbrick Daniel Tarnawsky Morris Terejko Hannah Thingstad Jeff Tinkler Kate Torich Tom Unger Bill Vaillant Mark van Duyn Kevin Van Wagoner Dave Vella-Garrick Menowaywin Ventrudo Anderson Ventrudo Dan Verheyen Kalie Vourinen Eero Vukovich Mark Walberg Barb Wallace Glen Weber Launi Whitney Kim Wigglesworth Emily Wiliamson Daniel Wilkie Dave Winger Hannah Wiwcharyk Gary Wiwcharyk Jan Woodhouse -Wild Angela Workman Beth Workman Robert Wright Sue Young Adam Young John Zachary Jill Zappitelli Michelle Zarn Ciara Zheng Peng

(L-R) Tarci Tibishkogijig, Principal Mike Filipetti, Gene Mendowegan, and Rayne Meekis

Preserve Our Language Project Project Exhibits Ojibway Language Keyboard at Tech Summit By Stephanie Wesley

he Preserve Our Language Project will be exhibiting its Ojibway language keyboard at the 3rd Annual EdTechTeam Summit in Thunder Bay. The Ojibway language keyboard, which is the second Canadian Indigenous language keyboard on Google Chrome, is the creation of a group of five Thunder Bay locals. Two years ago, local youths Rayne Grace Meekis, Gene Mendowegan, and Tarcisius Tibishkogijig joined up with Joan Esquega (Native language teacher at Bishop E.Q. Jennings School) and Mike Filipetti (principal of St.Ignatius High School) to construct a keyboard with which one can type in syllabics on a Mac computer. Filipetti explains that Canadian Indigenous keyboards already exist on PCs, including one for Ojibway, but that there was nothing for Macs. “We decided to make one on our own,” he says. In 2017, the group created an Ojibway language keyboard for Google Chrome. The keyboard, when installed, allows users to type Ojibway words that are converted

into syllabics. Previously when typing in syllabics, a user would have to search out each syllabic sound and copy and paste it one by one to create a word. “Now, as long as you know the word, you can type it and we have it programmed so it will give you the proper syllabics,” Filipetti says. Esquega explains that it is important to preserve Indigenous languages, and the keyboard is one way to help do that. “If we don’t preserve the language, it’s going to die,” Esquega says. “For me, my last Ojibway-speaking relatives were my grandparents, and they’re gone now. I can’t learn from them. This project is one part of preserving the language.” The Preserve Our Language Project will be presented at the EdTechTeam Summit on April 14 at Saint Ignatius High School and hopes to garner interest from educators and programming coordinators. For more information, and to download the keyboard for your Mac, visit: sites.google.com/tbcschools.ca/ preserveourlanguageproject/home.

The Walleye

CityScene

Stuff We Like

For the Birder

By Rebekah Skochinski

hunder Bay isn’t Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom (though the recent downtown lynx sightings may cause you to beg to differ), but we are situated in a pretty special part of the world—especially when it comes to the migratory flight path of birds. Whether your knowledge of these two-legged creatures is limited to chickadees and blue jays, you consider yourself somewhat of an expert, or you’re just eager to pick up a new hobby, please take a gander at Stuff We Like for the Birder.

Tilley Hat

JB Evans Fashions & Footwear

122 West Frederica Street Sun, rain, or wind—when the outdoors calls, this hat answers. It has ventilation around the crown of the head, an extra wide brim, a strap so you won’t ever lose it, sun protection with a UPF rating of 50+, and an anti-sweat band, it’s rain-repellent (and it floats!), it can be machine washed, and it’s guaranteed to never wear out. While all of this is fantastic, the best thing about wearing a Tilley Hat is channeling your inner Indiana Jones.

Nikon Monarch 5 Binoculars Imagetech

679 Memorial Avenue Get up close and personal to your favourite feathered friends with these super lightweight and slim binoculars. This particular model works well under low light conditions (the early bird catches the worm) and it’s waterproof (up to 1m for 10 minutes). They also have Nikon’s signature high-eyepoint design that allows for a clear field of view even for eyeglass wearers, a comfortable grip, and can attach to a tripod for hands-free viewing, so all you have to do is play I spy with my little eye…

$399.99

iBird Canada Guide to Birds 10.06

$90

iTunes

The Sibley Guide to Birds Chapters

797 Memorial Avenue A book that is as beautiful as it is useful, The Sibley Guide to Birds became an instant classic when it was first published nearly 20 years ago, coveted by both bird enthusiasts and book lovers alike. Now in its second edition, this landmark guide features the same handsome flexibound cover as well as many updates like maps showing year-round migration with seasonal ranges, and larger illustrations. Bigger and better!

If you’re more apt to app, the iBird Canada Guide to Birds is the only one of its kind that offers a Birds Around Me (BAM) search to show species near a specific GPS location. Search by colour, location, shape, and habitat, scan maps, save your lists, and scroll through a slew of illustrations and photos. It also has 1,700 built-in bird songs! Plus this latest version allows searching by activity levels, which is useful for those interested in night birding (aka nighthawks).

$9.99

Fjällräven Re-Kånken Daypack

Gear Up for Outdoors

894 Alloy Place Stash your stuff in this special edition bag featuring a large main compartment, two side pockets, a zippered front pocket, and webbing shoulder straps. Made from polyester recycled from plastic bottles, each bag is dyed using SpinDye technology, which means it’s kind to the environment and kind of cool at the same time. Plus there’s an assortment of colours to choose from, whether you want to blend in or stand out.

$28.98

Salomon Hiking Boot Fresh Air

710 Balmoral Street Let’s be honest—hiking boots can be a bit bulky. These sleek mid-length hikers by Salomon are lightweight and streamlined without sacrificing stability or comfort. They’re basically the perfect boot for bird watching, because when you’ve got your head in the clouds (or the trees) you can’t be fretting about your feet. They’ll keep you dry, they’re great on any kind of terrain, and when you head back into town to grab a coffee to refuel after a day of adventuring you won’t stick out like a sore thumb.

$190

46 The Walleye

$104.99

Rite in the Rain Notebook Chaltrek

404 Balmoral Street Collecting data and sketching is half the fun of birding. Make sure your notes won’t get soggy with a Rite in the Rain canary yellow notebook. We like the side spiral binding and that it’s constructed from Polydura—a smooth plastic material made from 100% post-consumer waste that’s durable, waterproof, and practically indestructible. All you need is to sharpen a pencil (and your resolve) and you’re off to try to spot that illusive scissor-tailed flycatcher.

$14

A One-Day Breast Cancer Screening Marathon

May 2nd, 2018 Ontario Breast Screening Program sites across Northwestern Ontario are offering booked and walkin breast cancer screening appointments on May 2nd, 2018! Women who have a mammogram on May 2nd will receive a small gift bag and be entered into a draw to win a prize!

Participating sites in Thunder Bay and appointment information: Screen for Life Coach (On-site at Superstore)

Thunder Bay Diagnostics (Thunder Bay Medical Centre)

Walk-Ins and Booked Appointments

(807) 684-7777 1-800-461-7031

(807) 683-4411

Linda Buchan Centre (Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre)

Women, between the ages of 50 and 74 years, should be screened for breast cancer every 2 years with a mammogram. For more information about breast cancer screening, visit: www.tbrhsc.net/cancerscreening.

Booked Appointments Only 1-800-461-7031

THE

FOUNDRY Voted #1 Music Venue MON

TUES

WED

THURS

FRI & SAT

Live Bands Wednesday Jazzy Every Folkin Karaoke 10pm-2am Night Thursday and DJ Big D Monday Showcase 7-10 7pm-10pm Open Stage 10pm-2am

thefoundrypub.com 242 Red River Road

807-285-3188

The Walleye

CityScene

This is Thunder Bay Interviews by Nancy Saunders, Photos by Laura Paxton For The Walleye’s Green Issue, we asked people the following question: if you could be any kind of bird, what kind would you be, and why?

132 Cumming St. Thunder Bay

▲ Stephen: I would

be a turkey vulture, because they perform such an important social service in nature by recycling and disinfecting the ecosystem.

◄ Reed: A gray

807-622-9627

Spring arrives in the studio April 12, 2018

Thurs., Fri., Sat.

11am-5pm

GRAND ART

French country * shabby chic * industrial décor * artisan made collectables * gift and garden ware * DIY supplies

New items arriving daily

jay, because I’m always hungry.

DIY Workshops

vintagepixiestudio.blogspot.com

Maria: I love robins. I like the way they look, they’ve got that little red breast and you see them out hopping around, feeding their babies.

CHECK OUT OUR NEW WEBSITE AND SPRING/SUMMER River: I would like to

be a crow, because they are very intelligent and very pretty. But the reason I don’t like them and the thing I don’t like about them is they scare my pets when they hear them through the window. And when I had my rats, that happened to my rats.

CATALOG!

GRAND MARAIS A R T COLONY COLONY ART 218.387.2737 | 120 W. 3RD AVE GRANDMARAISARTCOLONY.ORG

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48 The Walleye

218.387.2737 | 120 W. 3RD AVE GRANDMARAISARTCOLONY.ORG

50+ Lifestyle 50+

25TH ANNIVERSARY N

FILM FEST

ifestyle EXPO

EXPO

APRIL15TH & 22ND

SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2018 VICTORIA INN ATURDAY, MAY 26, 201810:00AM - 4:00PM

CTORIA INN :00AM - 4:00PM

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OVER 50 VENDORS + 30 FREE WORKSHOPS

VER 50 VENDORS + 30 FREE WORKSHOPS Workshop speakers include: • A variety ofWorkshop lifestyle vendors speakers include: ariety of lifestyle vendors • Expert gardening tips Experts • Travel tips • Expert gardening vel Experts SAT. MAY 26, 2018 experience • Ultimate travel experience f Clinics Clinics• Ultimate travelINN • Golf VICTORIA • How to be your best self oking classes • How to be your best self • Cooking classes

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10:00AM - 4:00PM • Financial wellness + more!

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OVER 50 VENDORS + Visit our 30 FREE WORKSHOPS! Visit our including FREE ADMISSION! LIFESTYLE CAFÉ Workshop Speakers include: FREE ADMISSION! LIFESTYLE CAFÉ Expert gardening tips Ultimate travel experience How to be your best self Financial wellness + more!

Loving Vincent

Prelude Screening April 12th & Interlude screening April 19th followed by a Gala Party at Bight

Visit Our Lifestyle Café for coffee & cookies!

FREE ADMISSION!

Membership $15 Six Pack $36 Gala Party Ticket $20 For program and ticket information visit www.nosfa.ca as The North of Superior Film Association

w w w. n o s f a . c a

Do some personal spring cleaning at our juice bar Thunder Bay’s Local Health Food Store

• LOCAL PRODUCTS INCLUDE

• Local Harvest veggies from Debruins, Sleepy G, Belluz, Mile Hill Farms and Root Cellar Gardens

And a whole lot more!

Juice Bar, Natural & Organic Foods Farmer's Market, Meats & produce • Slate River Dairy • Tina Panetta Body Products Gluten Free/vegan/raw Foods • Thunder Oak Cheese • Thunder Bay Olivine Tasting Bar Cruelty Free Body Care • Big Lake Pasta • 180 Foods Chaga Eco-Friendly Household Products • Brule Creek Farm • Rose N Crantz & Wolfhead Coffee • Chinos sauces • Country Plaid Farm Chickens Natural & Organic Pet Foods • Bears Bees & Honey

Eat Well, Live Strong!

• Chocolate Cow • Forrest Beef • Maple Ridge Farm

Open 9am - 7pm Monday - Friday and Saturday 9am - 6pm

• Shumka Dust • Tarrymore Farms • Bay Meats • Crazy Good Spices • The Murillo Breadmaker • Soup Mama

www.vitalitynaturalfoods.com

160 Waterloo Street N., Thunder Bay, ON

807-622-FOOD (3663)

The Walleye

CityScene

(L-R) Stephanie Chartrand and Stephanie Prokop

Local and Live

In Support of the LUSU Food Bank By Sarah Kerton

n 2016, Lakehead University was found to have the highest rates of food insecurity amongst students in all of Canada. 46% of LU students claimed they experienced food insecurity, with 15% of students experiencing severe food insecurity. Food insecurity diminishes studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; mental and physical health in many ways, and ultimately damages their academic performance. The Lakehead University Student Union Food Bank is attempting to address this growing problem. It is a volunteer-driven resource centre that provides emergency food relief to students and advocates for food security on campus and in the community. Students can access it once every 30 days for one bag of food. This year the food bank has experienced such high demand that it is no longer able to stock the shelves despite regular fundraising efforts. With this in mind, the Lakehead University Political Science Association (LUPSA) is partnering with Sleeping Giant Brewing Co. to

hold a fundraiser in support of the LUSU Food Bank. Beginning at 7 pm on April 6, come by the brewery to hear local artists such as The Bay Street Bastards and the Baked Kings, purchase food by Barbecupid, and partake in a beer and cheese tasting featuring cheese donated by The Cheese Encounter. There will be an auction and raffle for items such as two tickets to Winnipeg from Bearskin Airlines, art from Ahnisnabae Art Gallery, and merchandise from Madhouse, Solidarity Salon, Pneumaticity Salon, Prince Arthur Waterfront Hotel, mars., The Bay Street Bastards, Sleeping Giant Brewing Co., Growing Season, Bliss Cafe, and In Common. Tickets to the event are only $15 and enter you in for a chance to win two round trip tickets anywhere WestJet flies.

Sleeping Giant Brewing Co. April 6, 7 pm foodbank.lusu.ca

100s of unique flavours of jams available each week at the Market!

...the name you can trust! Car Care & Service Centre - Locally Owned and Operated

Thunder Bay Country Market

Simply Put, We Love Cars! 80 S. Court St., Thunder Bay

sales@auto-onecars.com www.auto-onecars.com

50 The Walleye

PHONE: 807-344-2644 TOLL FREE: 1-888-568-9716

We Make It, Bake It Grow It

Open Mon-Fri 8am-6pm Sat 9am-3pm

Visit Us:

Find/Follow Us:

Open Year Round on Wednesday 3:30-6:30pm & Saturday 8:00am-1:00pm

CLE Grounds - Dove Building Northern & May Street tbcm.ca |

CityScene

MARKET VENDOR

Séance de counselling individuelle sans rendez-vous

pour femmes et adolescentes d’expression française

OÙ ET QUAND? CHAQUE 2ième MARDI DU MOIS ENTRE 17 H et 19 H Centr’Elles 234, rue Van Norman (porte d’entrée située dans le stationnement) INFO : 807 684 1955

« Le programme bénéficie du soutien financier du gouvernement de l'Ontario »

Shattered Light Landscapes Story and Photos by Brooke Towle

f you head upstairs at the Thunder Bay Country Market, you’re bound to be welcomed by a variety of cheery local vendors—one of whom offers brightly coloured and artistically designed stained glass windows, handmade jewelry, home decor pieces, and more. Kim Hewitt, the selftaught artist behind Shattered Light Landscapes, knew right away that this was her medium and soon became skilled in the art before joining the market two years ago. Hewitt’s love of the outdoors is at the heart of her artwork, and she finds inspiration from the trees, animals, and landscapes around her. “On hikes I’ve always got my nose to the ground looking for rocks or moss and driftwood to incorporate into my pieces,” she says. With the environment in mind, Hewitt uses recycled pipes, wires, pieces of shattered plates and windows, and more. All of her art is 100% lead free, and she guarantees that any nature used is humanely obtained. Always looking for new ideas

and inspiration, Hewitt challenges herself by experimenting with new and different projects, such as incorporating her stained glass into furniture, around live plants, and more. “I love doing this because it makes people happy when they see my windows and that brings me joy,” she says. While she focuses on selling her work locally, Hewitt also takes commissions through her Instagram (@shatteredlightlandscapes) and Facebook (@ ShatteredLightLandscapes). Find her upstairs at the market on Saturdays from 8 am to 1 pm.

The Walleye

Join us at the Thunder Bay 55 Plus Centres this April for some fun events!

Health and Wellness Expo!

Thursday, April 19, 2018 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Over 50 Exhibitor’s FREE ADMISSION & ATTENDANCE PRIZES

Two Bit Auction

Participate in the Live Outside the Box Spring Scavenger Hunt for a chance to WIN $500 BIA BUCKS. From March 25th- May-25th we want you to SNAP & SHARE as you SHOP SHOP, EAT AND PLAY downtown for a chance to WIN.

Sunday, April 8th

1PM (Doors open at noon) Join us for this fabulous fun fundraiser! Over 30 gift baskets to bid on. Refreshments and dainties!

WIN $500 BIA BUCKS

All ages welcome!

Visit our Facebook Event Page or thewaterfrontdistrict.ca thewaterfrontdistrict for the Official Scavenger Hunt List & Rules.

For more information please call 684-3066 www.thunderbay.ca/55plus 700 River Street

Time to

into action, Thunder Bay!

Each year, more than 11,000 registered volunteers clean up and beautify Thunder Bay by picking up litter from streets and parks during Spring Up to Clean Up in May. Join these registered volunteers and the many other people in our community who are out picking up trash while taking an evening stroll or going on an outing in the park . REG I STR ANTS RE C E IV E:

· free cleaning supplies · recognition of their efforts · a chance to win great prizes!

/springuptocleanup #springuptbay

See the calendar of events and get details on registration online at ecosuperior.org/springup or call 6 2 4 - 2 1 4 1

FUNDED BY THE CIT Y OF THUNDER BAY AND DELIVERED BY ECOSUPERIOR

52 The Walleye

SOLID WASTE & RECYCLING SERVICES

CityScene

Journey to Life Dinner

Salvation Army’s Annual Fundraiser Story by Andrea Stach, Photos by Gail Kromm

n April 24, the local Salvation Army will be hosting their annual fundraiser, the Journey to Life dinner in the Valhalla Ballroom. For the past 16 years, this annual fundraising dinner has gone a long way in securing funds that are necessary to keep the programs running. The night will begin with a “Step Into My Shoes” reception, a one hour interactive experience similar to the Game of Life that allows people the opportunity to gain a

truer appreciation for what it is like to be homeless. Each participant will be given a description of their situation and the goals they want to accomplish, and then will

move through different stations that simulate real-world barriers. For example, a participant’s goal may be to get a job, but they may be faced with the barrier of not having a bank account and so are unable to access direct deposit. The reception will highlight the challenges that can make every single step towards independent living very difficult. The evening also includes a five-course meal and a silent auction that will include a host of great items ranging from artwork to gift certificates. In addition, there will be a chance to bid on the unique table centrepieces. Finally, the evening will showcase a short video documentary that profiles two clients and the impact that the different Salvation Army programs have had on their lives, and discusses the future of the organization as it works to move into their new building, which is on track to begin construction later this year. The staff and volunteers at the local Salvation Army work tirelessly to support members of our community who need extra assistance in leading positive and productive lives. These programs include the Emergency Shelter, which provides a warm place to sleep and a meal for up to 35 people every night, Homes for Special Care, which provides long-term housing solutions for patients with mental health and/

or development challenges, and Correctional Services, which support clients as they are transitioning from prison into independent living. As executive director major Lori Mitchell explains, “We, at the Salvation Army in Thunder Bay, are working to reduce the cycle of homelessness and poverty in our city. By attending the Journey to Life Dinner, guests are joining in the journey to a better life for those we assist.” Tickets are $50 each or a table of 8 for $385 and can be found by calling the office at 345-6492 or online at satbcars.com.

The Walleye

CityScene

WTIP Community Public Radio Grand Marais Radio Station Celebrates 20 Years By Brooke Towle

hen taking a day trip to Grand Marais or just passing through, you may have tuned into the local radio station, WTIP. Celebrating their 20th anniversary this April, the station’s signal reaches along Lake Superior’s North Shore from Two Harbors to the Thunder Bay area, broadcasting at 90.7FM in Grand Marais, 90.1FM in Grand Portage, and 89.1FM on the Gunflint Trail. Although the station might be celebrating 20 years on the air, passionate locals started the process of getting a radio station up and running 10 years earlier. After gathering around a kitchen table and

discussing the role that a local radio station could play in the community, a team of volunteer founders was formed. “They worked really hard and had numerous fundraisers, from sock hop dances to walks and all kinds of things, to raise money,” says Deb Benedict, WTIP executive director. While working to raise funds for the station, the founders also went through the lengthy process of receiving construction permits and waiting on regulations. “It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to get a radio station on the air,” says Matthew Brown, program director. “It takes a really long time, not just

for the building itself, but for all of the towers, the different construction permits, and all of the equipment and supplies to then start.” When it first hit the airwaves in April 1998, WTIP was a humble little station built on the backs of volunteers. Since then, it has continued to grow through the support of the community, and now sits on the county’s Emergency Management Committee. “It might have been a small group at first in those first two years, but they were so dedicated and passionate about it that they were able to get things going and keep them going. And we’ve

seen that continue over the years to today,” says Brown. WTIP also began web streaming in 2005, which has proved to be a great asset for the station. “Visitors that come here and fall in love with the area, they want to bring home a piece of Cook County with them. This lets them take WTIP home and listen to the local news, weather, and people on here,” says Brown. As the station continues to grow, WTIP also plans to expand their space and build a performance studio for live bands. To learn more about the station or listen online, visit wtip.org.

LUNCH & DINNER APPETIZERS PASTA TAKE OUT AND MUCH MORE! Contact Us for a quote today:

(807) 623-8775 or snpcatering.com 54 The Walleye

Summer Wedding? Schedule your microblading appointment now for beautiful brows on your most special of days.

Judy Roche

Certiﬁed Microblading & Eyelash Extension Technician

825 North May Street Thunder Bay, Ontario

807-623-4247

Your Campus and Community Radio Station

Spring is in the Hair! Get a New Look for a New Season

825 N. May Street • 623-4247 Tune in to 102.7fm or stream us online at luradio.ca

SPRING SPECIAL

Order by April 30th and receive free delivery!

Your Best Source for Firewood! Birch | Poplar | Black Ash | Dry Pine

All orders must be pre-paid by cash/chq/E-transfer, delivery must be taken by May 31st, full loads only.

3079 Dog Lake Road

807.632.5220 | DogLakeFirewood.ca

The Walleye

56 The Walleye

Music Tired of the job search? Let us do it for you! Phelpsgroup is looking to fill our temporary staffing roster with the following positions:

Administrative Assistant Bookkeeper Receptionist/Medical Receptionist Data Entry Clerk Law Clerk HR Assistants

The Wilder Beyond

Whether you’re fresh out of school or enjoying retirement, temporary staffing has the flexibility to suit your needs. From competitive salaries to transitioning into permanent positions, Phelpsgroup wants to be there for you.

Hillsburn Take New Album on the Road Story by Kris Ketonen, Photo by Paul Aarntzen

SUBMIT YOUR RESUME IN CONFIDENCE TO: adownton@phelpsgroup.ca 1113 Jade Court Suite 104, Thunder Bay, ON P7B 6M7 Phone: 807-345-9638

ova Scotian indie rock band Hillsburn took something of a risk when it came time to record their latest album The Wilder Beyond. The album, which was released in early February, was recorded entirely in Hillsburn singer Paul Aarntzen’s apartment in Halifax. And, as band member Rosanna Burrill explains, while the band may have been a bit unsure at first, the move turned out to be a very good one. “That was kind of a decision that was made out of necessity, and then ended up being a gift,” she says. “We knew we needed to do another album, but we didn’t have

any money.” The thought of putting together a makeshift recording studio in the apartment came up, and the band decided to give it a shot. “It ended up being a really awesome process with our time and our ideas, without having to pay for studio time,” Burrill adds. “It took us a year to finish it, but I think we’re all really, really happy that we had to try and make that work.” The Wilder Beyond is the second full-length album from Hillsburn, which also includes Jackson Fairfax-Perry, Clayton Burrill, and Clare Macdonald, and the band’s third release, including their self-titled 2016 EP. They’re hitting the

ST. PAUL’S UNITED CHURCH FUNDRAISING WEEKEND & COMMUNITY PARTY

APRIL 27, 28 & 29

Join us in celebrating Grow Your Yoga as well as our 3rd Birthday with a weekend of fun events like: • Teacher Takeover • Special Workshop • Grow Your Yoga Community Party Classes and workshops are pay what u can with all proceeds to:

mokshayogathunderbay.com

g Committed to livinCreation . with respect in Sundays at 10:30am | 349 Waverley Street | 345-5864 | www.stpaulstbay.net

road in support of the album, embarking on a tour that includes a stop in Thunder Bay this month. “I’m looking forward to getting out and playing these songs every night, and getting to the point where people know them and can sing along with us,” Burrill says. “Because that’s the best part, when people know the words and can join in with you.” And while the new album has only been on the shelves for a couple of months, Hillsburn is already turning its collective attention to the next release. “We absolutely are thinking about having meetings about what worked in this recording process, and what didn’t, and seeing where we’re at for when we’re going to record the next album,” Burrill says. “We’re setting time aside to write and arrange… you get so wrapped up in the process of releasing an album, that by the time you release it, it’s not really new to you anymore, and you’ve already started thinking about the next one.”

The Foundry April 14 hillsburn.com

The Walleye

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Music

Grit, Growth, and Grief Rites Honest Heart Collective’s Sophomore Album By Kirsti Salmi

he last few years have been a hell of a ride for Honest Heart Collective, but it’s only sharpened their focus. They have the restless energy of a band who knows they’re sitting on their best material, and they aren’t wrong— diamonds are built under pressure, and Grief Rites is a gem of a record. Drummer Jay Savage says the album is a collection of war wounds from the band’s tooth-and-nail fight to make their mark on the Canadian music scene. “There were almost two years between the first track, ‘I’ve Got You,’ and ‘Debts.’ It’s a time map of all the growth we’ve gone through in that time. We put everything we had into it.” He isn’t kidding: Honest Heart literally put their money where their mouths are, paying out of their own pockets to get it done, and get it done right. The wait was worth it. Grief Rites boasts eight finely crafted, arena-ready tracks that marry Springsteen’s shoot-from-the-hip

(L-R) Nic MacDonald, Kevin Heerema, Ryan MacDonald, and Jay Savage sensibility, Foo Fighters’ dramatic catharsis, and Arkells’ storytelling range. It’s compulsively listenable rock and roll in the best, purest sense—the kind that rattles your ribcage and begs to be bellowed at the top of your lungs. “A lot of people listened to our first album [The Liar’s Club] and said that they didn’t get it until they saw us live,” says bassist Nic MacDonald. “We just needed someone to help us translate that to a record.” To service their vision, the band enlisted Jay Ruston and Derek Hoffman, heavyweight Canadian producers known for impressive rock portfolios. Ruston was pulled away by other commitments, but Honest Heart credits Grief Rites’ successful production to Hoffman’s intuition and uncanny ability to focus their passion and energy.

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“You hear stories about chemistry between producers and bands, and you never really know if that’s true or not. Derek is somebody that just got it. He is the real deal. We learned so much from him,” Savage says. Having spent the last two years touring, they remained persistent through challenges that would have ground up and spit out lesser acts. Highs such as playing the Vans Warped Tour and The Edge 102.1’s Next Big Thing contest were tempered by lows like flipping their tour van this past winter on Highway 17. They haven’t allowed it to deter them, however. “It made us realize life’s too short to do anything but what you want to do,” says guitarist Kevin Heerema. The title itself is homage to struggle and growth, and Honest Heart wears their scars proudly.

“A therapist told me ‘you’re not depressed, you’re just not allowing yourself your grief rites,” says guitarist and vocalist Ryan MacDonald. “The connection was immediate— it was exactly what we were trying to express. The whole record is about life, loss, and hardship. There are times when you’re gonna be sad, it’s gonna be a fight, and you’re gonna feel like giving up—that’s life. Everyone is fighting battles in one shape or another, and we need to allow ourselves, and each other, our grief rites.” Grief Rites will be released in May, and Honest Heart Collective will be touring in support throughout the spring and summer. You can listen to their first single, “I’ve Got You,” on Spotify and Apple Music. For more information, visit honestheartco.com.

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Music

Merrie Klazek

Filipovic, Conway & Associates Law Firm has been providing a full range of legal services to Thunder Bay and Region for over 60 years. Our legal team continues to thrive as a group of dedicated and hardworking individuals. Contact us today to find out how we can assist you.

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Principal Trumpet, TBSO

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Daniel R. Filipovic, B. Admin., LL. B., AccFM *

Born: Calgary

Samantha A. Filipovic, B. FA. (HONS), LL. B. Tyra L. Ohman, H.B.A., M.A., J.D. John P. Filipovic, B. A., LL. B., Retired Michael D. Conway, B. A., LL. B., Retired

Instrument: Trumpet Age you started to study music: Violin at 4, trumpet at 12 How long have you been with the TBSO: 19 years What’s on your personal playlist: Ravel Piano Concerto in G Major, Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez, Blood, Sweat & Tears (Child is Father to the Man) It’s a bittersweet time for Merrie Klazek. The principal trumpet with the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra will officially say goodbye to the organization after this season wraps up. It will mark the end of a 19-year career with the TBSO. “I’m going to miss it,” Klazek says. “I do get an opportunity to play in other orchestras, but when you have spent so much time with the same people, in the same city, you really feel that it’s very close to your heart.” Her new role is professor of trumpet at the University of Victoria. “There are very, very few full-time trumpet professor jobs in Canada,” she says. “It was a career opportunity, and my family is out here, and it just came along at a time that it seemed like it was going to be possible.” Klazek began her career as a symphony musician with a threeyear stint in southern Ontario; however, that part of the country never felt like home, she says. When a spot with the TBSO opened up, Klazek jumped at the chance, winning the audition and a spot with the orchestra. “Thunder Bay, to me, feels like the beginning of the west,

60 The Walleye

and I’m from the west,” Klazek says. “There’s just a little bit of a different independent vibe. I felt like it’s a community that stands up for itself, and creates things for itself.” TBSO concert-goers have not seen Klazek during the current season; she’s been on leave, as she began her new position in Victoria in the fall. But she’ll be back—at the final TBSO Pops concert of the season, Klazek and her husband, fiddler Pierre Schryer, will perform as soloists. She says the concert is a way to offer something to the community that’s been her home for so long. “I love the concept behind the concert—an opportunity to play of lot of pieces that I’ve always wanted to do with the orchestra that’s been my family for so many years,” Klazek says. The concert, called Brass and Bow, will take place at the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium, and will include “Toreador” from the opera Carmen, “Libertango” from Astor Piazzolla, some Gershwin— including “Someone to Watch Over Me” and “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off”—and a number of Celtic pieces. “It really represents my experience with the TBSO, and what I’ve done over the years,” Klazek says of the concert. “The incredible variety.”

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Music

Overcoming the Monday Night Blues Kim Churchill Live at Crocks

Story by Paula Marsh, Photo by Sarah McPherson

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hen barefooted Kim Churchill graced the stage at Crocks on Monday, March 5, he was sure to thank his crowd. “What a cool way to spend a Monday night!” Churchill wasn’t far off on this sentiment. He delivered a set of original, acoustic-alternative songs to a crowd that overcame their Monday blues to dance along to his unconventional beats. What made Churchill’s performance so danceable was the fact that he was accompanied by two drummers, as well as his own pedal drum. If having amped-up drum beats weren’t enough to draw you in, he also made sure to bring a guest electric violinist, and add in just enough harmonica with an electric echo to bring a feeling of melancholic joy. Churchill’s career has spanned almost a decade—quite the feat for a 27-year-old. During the show, he paid homage to the fact that near the beginning of his career he performed in our neck of the woods. “Is anyone here from Red Rock?” he asked, to multiple whistles and cheers. “It’s been nine years since I

first played there [at the Live from the Rock Folk Festival].” Considering Red Rock is a far cry from his home and native land of Australia, it shows a genuine humility that early beginnings are remembered. Of course, Churchill’s career didn’t begin with the release of his first album (2010’s With Sword and Shield)—he trained in classical guitar for many years, a fact that was prominently evident in his performance. While he may look like any other blond-haired, blue-eyed surfer who can pick up a guitar and bang out a rusty cover of “Wonderwall,” Churchill’s music has a surprising depth, something achieved from combining authentic musical skill with lyrics written from personal experience. He prefaced his heartfelt ballad “Rosemary” by explaining it was written from the perspective of a man named George, who fell in love with Churchill’s grandmother in a hospital ward. “They died within 24 hours of each other,” Churchill added. “It was a nice way for Grandma to go.” After a set of energetic performances, Churchill was enticed back to the stage for an encore, but this time he switched gears. He revealed how he spent 18 months writing and recording a new album with a record label, but didn’t feel a connection to it, describing it as being “too expensive”—meaning a lot of production, but not a lot of authenticity. He ended up throwing the whole thing out before it was set to be released, and wrote an entirely new album with just his own means within a week. To pay tribute to this experience, Churchill’s encore was “totally unplugged.” Coming to the front of the stage to one microphone, he accompanied the song with his acoustic guitar, and his drummers picked up the beat with finger snapping and clapping, which eventually drew in the audience to do the same. His raw vocals made it clear that Churchill is in the business solely for the overwhelming love of music. If you’re in the mood for some tunes that are simultaneously laidback and energetic, Churchill has a talent for bringing such juxtaposition to life.

The Walleye

Music

Five Bird Songs

here are few wild creatures that have inspired songwriters in the way that birds have—perhaps it is their beauty, or the songs they sing, or perhaps the freedom they exemplify as they soar through the air. Here are five songs that cover the broad range of emotions that birds (and their actions) can invoke.

By Gord Ellis

Steve Miller “Fly Like an Eagle”

Steve Miller has written a lot of AOR (Album-Oriented Rock) classic rock songs. They usually are wrapped around a catchy guitar riff, and are pretty straightahead ditties—both wellproduced and basic. However, Miller’s “Fly Like an Eagle” soars like the great bird he name-checks. It’s awash in synths and treated guitars and an ethereal vocal. “Time keeps on slippin’, slippin’ into the future,” Miller warns. “I wanna fly like an eagle/ Till I’m free/Fly through the revolution.” You can almost see that eagle looking down on the mess we’ve made, and the inevitability of the end.

Paul McCartney Nelly Furtado and Wings “I’m Like a Bird” “Bluebird”

Paul McCartney wrote what may be the single most famous song about birds ever. That is, of course, “Blackbird,” originally performed by the Beatles. The guitar signature, the words, the whole thing—it is perfect, and remains a cornerstone of McCartney’s live shows. Yet he is so good at writing songs that a lesser-known gem of a bird song might be just as good. “Bluebird” is considered something of a toss-off from the Band on the Run album, yet the song is soft, romantic, and whimsical, and as filler goes, it’s rather beautiful. “Late at night, when the wind is still/I’ll come flying through your door,” sings Sir Paul. “And you’ll know what love is for/I’m a bluebird.” McCartney liked the song enough to play it throughout his 1975 Wings at the Speed of Sound world tour, although it has rarely been heard since.

BURNING TO THE SKY

When Canadian singer/ songwriter Nelly Furtado burst onto the scene in 2001, it was with this serious earworm of a song. At the time it was hard to get a handle on exactly what genre Furtado fit into, but “I’m Like a Bird” is something of a contemporary folk song. Furtado had not quite embraced the full urban dance ethos she would later take on, but this song still had wide appeal. It’s partly due to her voice, which flutters in the high register like a hummingbird. Yet the words so perfectly fit her voice, and are so yearning that the whole thing becomes even more compelling. “I’m like a bird, I’ll only fly away,” sings Furtado. “I don’t know where my soul is/I don’t know where my home is.”

Prince

Bob Marley

Arguably the Purple One’s greatest song, “When Doves Cry” has a bird in its name that’s usually associated with peace and love. This is undoubtedly one reason Prince chose the image of a dove as the cornerstone of a song about longing, identity confusion, and sexual frustration. It’s a song that’s more feline than birdlike, but perhaps that is a part of the tension built in to the song. And the missing bass creates a musical hole that only serves to increase the uneasiness. “How can you just leave me standing/Alone in a world that’s so cold,” sings His Purpleness.”Why do we scream at each other/ This is what it sounds like when doves cry. “

Maybe the most beloved of all songs about birds (and easily among the most famous), Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds” is a lullaby for adults. Simple, gentle, and beautiful, “Three Little Birds” transcends age, musical genre, sex, and religion. “Rise up this morning/Smile with the risin’ sun/Three little birds/Pitch by my doorstep/Singing sweet songs/Of melodies pure and true/Sayin’: this is my message to you.” The song is a reminder that life, with its complexities, pain, and disease, is still a beautiful place to be. And as heavy as our weight can seem, everything is gonna be alright.

“When Doves Cry”

“Three Little Birds”

SPRING LEAF & YARD WASTE COLLECTION takes place between: TUESDAY, MAY 8 and FRIDAY, MAY 18

Use Kraft (paper) bags only, available at many grocery and hardware stores to collect leaves and organic garden waste, and place at the curb on your regular recycling day. No limit on leaf and yard waste. Bag/bundle must not weigh more than 18 kg (40 lbs.) No grass clippings please.

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The Walleye

Music

TBShows.com presents ON THE SCENE

Creating Music that Flows and Shines By Jimmy Wiggins Born: Flowshine Hometown: Calgary Genre: Rock/fusion/funk/folk Recommended if you like: Sloan, Phish, Hollerado, Santana One of my favourite perks of this job is being exposed to a lot of new music from up-and-coming bands from all over the country. When a band contacts me about setting up a show for their tour the first thing I do is listen to their music and watch their videos. It’s opened my eyes to a whole other world of amazing Canadian music. So when I was given the opportunity to work with Calgary’s Flowshine I could tell after listening to their new 4-track EP, Gets Me Going, that this was a band that I wanted to help bring to TBay. Jeremiah Erhardt (guitars, vocals), Dallen Muise (bass, vocals), Calen Blondal (percussion), and Jeff Oman (percussion) of Flowshine came together through the Calgary music scene after being headhunted from the finest stock this side of the Rockies. Their sound is a well-crafted upbeat fusion of roots-rock with a touch of funk paired with a high-energy live show. The band’s first two EPs, Mountain Queen and Soak Me Like A Wave charted on campus and community radio

64 The Walleye

stations across the country. In 2013 Flowshine was a featured artist in the Untapped Alberta concert and radio series and received a juried FACTOR grant for the title track off of Soak Me Like A Wave. In 2016 the band was chosen as regional finalists in the CBC Searchlight Competition. No strangers to the road, Flowshine has been playing pubs, clubs, campfires, farm fields, cafes, basements, community centres, festival stages, and street corners from the Yukon to New Brunswick since 2009. Over the years they have performed at the Edge of the World Festival as well as scoring an opening spot for gypsy-rock powerhouse Five Alarm Funk. “We’ve learned a lot from each other and the time we’ve spent on the road over the years,” explains Erhardt. “It takes a specific kind of person to throw themselves into a van for weeks on end with three other people. It has brought Flowshine together and has definitely unified us in our mission to bring fun tunes and get people excited.”

The Foundry April 27 Flowshine.ca

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2018 Outlander PHEV SE/2018 Outlander ES Touring AWC/2018 Eclipse Cross /2018 RVR SE AWC model shown has an MSRP of $42,998/$30,698/$27,798/$26,998. Vehicles are shown with optional equipment and/or accessories. 1 O ffer available from March 1, 2018 to April 2, 2018 for eligible and qualified customers on the purchase/- nance (Mechanical Breakdown Protection) or lease (Appearance Protection) of a 2017 Lancer, 2018 Mirage/Mirage G4/RVR/Outlander/Outlander PHEV/Eclipse Cross, valued at up to $2,430/$2,430/$2,430/$2,430/$2,600/$2,600/$2,600. Limited-time extended warranty coverage is covered through Mitsubishi Motors Diamond Care ancillary product suite. Mechanical Breakdown Protection (purchase and - nance only) covers air conditioning, electrical systems, fuel delivery, trip interruption roadside assistance and more for up to 120 months/160,000 km, whichever comes first. A $250 deductible per repair visit applies during the limited-time extended warranty period. Appearance Protection (lease only) covers car rental, front windshield repair, interior protection, paint repair and paintless dent removal for up to 48 months. Lease sample on 2018 Outlander PHEV is at 2.99% for 48 months. Mileage allowance is 16,000km’s per year or 64,000km’s for 4 year lease. Charge of .15 cents per/km applies for mileage over that. Lease is administered by Mitsubishi Motors Financial Services. Cost of borrowing on financing term for 2018 RVR over 60 months at 0% is $0. See dealer for details. OAC. HST & License Extra. $7,000 Ontario Government Rebate is subject to change the amount and terms of rebate at any time. Rebate is not administered by Mitsubishi Motors. Rebate will apply to the negotiated price including applicable fees and taxes. See Ontario Government website www.mto.gov.on.ca for full details. Other warranty term options may be available. Certain terms and conditions apply. Extended warranty is transferable to the next private purchaser (fees apply). Roadside assistance within the extended warranty coverage has a $100 tow maximum per event. Visit www.mitsubishi-motors.ca or your local dealer for complete o er and coverage details. § S-AWC standard on Outlander PHEV, Outlander GT and Eclipse Cross. AWC available on RVR SE AWC/Limited Edition/SE AWC Anniversary Edition/GT AWC and Outlander ES AWC/ES AWC Touring/ES AWC Premium/SE AWC/SE Touring models. ¤ Weekly payment amount is provided for informational purposes only. Finance o ers are only available on a bi-weekly or monthly basis and cannot be made weekly. ** Whichever comes - rst. Regular maintenance not included. See dealer or mitsubishi-motors.ca for warranty terms, restrictions and details. Some conditions apply.

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Pricing on chain saws and blowers will remain in effect until June 30, 2018. Pricing on all other power tools and accessories will remain in effect until July 31, 2018 at participating STIHL Dealers, while supplies last.

66 The Walleye

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Music

SILVANA CIDDIO

Sales Representative, Realtor ®

If you’re waiting for a sign...

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Elevation

Come Soar with Woodhawk Story by Justin Allec, Photo by Mario Montes

807.355.3262

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Live at the Five fundraiser for the

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Thunder Bay District Veterans' Fund

The

Cajun Country Rock BAND

A tribute to the music of CCR and John Fogerty

good guitar riff is elemental, like a force of nature. Depending on the tone, distortion, and speed, a riff can bury you like an avalanche or chill you like an icy wind. Calgary trio Woodhawk write rock songs using massive, scuzzy blues riffs that effortlessly soar. Touring in support of their first full-length album, 2017’s Beyond the Sun, Woodhawk are ready to blast off, with a stop at Black Pirates Pub on April 5. After putting out a self-titled EP in 2014, Turner Midzain (guitar/vocals) and Mike Badmington (bass) recruited Kevin Nelson for drum duty, and Woodhawk’s been streaming towards the horizon ever since. Made up of equal parts distilled riffy goodness, thumping bottom end, and honey-dripped vocals, these

PATTY HAJDU Member of Parliament I Thunder Bay-Superior North

Sat, May 5th, 2018 8:00pm - 12:00am

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advance tickets available in clubroom

now, every rock band with a riff is getting the ‘stoner’ title in front of it… [we know] we’re not reinventing the wheel, but we’re just trying to make music that we want to hear.” That means that as much as Woodhawk draws from metal’s proto-blues beginnings, they’re also just as likely to name-drop Phil Collins. Pop hooks add structure and upbeat energy to their sweet riffs, which can be heard in Beyond and witnessed in their vivacious sweat-drenched stage show. Get ready to fly high and fly true, ‘cause Woodhawk is primed for full flight.

Black Pirates Pub April 5 facebook.com/woodhawkriffs

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are stoner rock songs designed for hellraising with a smile. With several tours around western Canada already under their belts and impressive sales happening in the east, the trio knew the time to tour was ripe. “Everyone loves playing shows and having fun, so to go out on the road and do this for a couple of weeks is a gift,” Midzain says. That sense of fun keeps things moving, as the band positively sprints through the nine songs on their latest. Beyond has a clean, welcoming sound without sacrificing any instrumental heft: everything’s on display, all the little shining details that make this a stoner rock album focused on elevation instead of burning you out. Well aware of the genre’s limitations, Midzain says, “It feels like

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Keep your Pjs on, don’t do your hair or make-up, hell even wear your slippers, and hopefully nobody bothers you while you pee by saying “MOMMMMMM.” It’s wine night with other moms that need relaxation. Sex and City will be on, come down, relax and just de-stress. Mackenzie Riverside Pizzeria and Lounge Located in the Historic Mackenzie Inn Shuniah, ON 983-3446

The Walleye

OfftheWall

Brigsby Bear

REVIEWS

I’m Bad Now

Dave McCary

Nap Eyes

James (Kyle Mooney) is obsessed with The Brigsby Bear Adventures, a fictional children’s television show produced just for him. I don’t want to give too much of the film’s plot away but when the show, which is something like a live-action version of Teddy Ruxpin meets Flash Gordon, abruptly ends, James’ life dramatically changes and he’s thrown into the real world. Mooney (who also co-wrote the film) is excellent as the awkward man-child James (think Peter Sellers’ Chauncey Gardiner in Being There.) The film also has an stellar supporting cast, including Mark Hamill, Jane Adams, Greg Kinnear, and Matt Walsh. Although Brigsby Bear takes on a bit of a cheesy, wholesome tone in the final act, the film still provides lots of laughs and has a big heart.

Since their debut in 2014, Halifaxbased band Nap Eyes have received not only critical attention, but numerous comparisons to the likes of The Velvet Underground and Pavement. However, their third studio release, I’m Bad Now, sees Nap Eyes carve out their own musical identity. The album pushes the limits of balance by relying heavily upon conservative, rolling rhythms while allowing guitarist Brad Loughead to take centre stage with a jangly, fuzzy-yet-crisp sound. This contrast can be found on the deceptively simple track “Follow Me Down,” which opens with a slowly galloping drum beat but doesn’t truly shine until a lingering howl of feedback from Loughead’s guitar adds a moody, unexpected layer. But despite the success of this sonic disparity, I’m Bad Now’s minimal rhythmic variety tends to flirt with monotony. Nonetheless, by coupling introspective lyrics with melancholic crooning, I’m Bad Now manages to mingle folky vocals with their alternative instrumentals, ultimately crafting a mixture that is both nostalgic and progressive.

- Adrian Lysenko

- Melanie Larson

By George — By Bachman Randy Bachman

Randy Bachman is a guitar guy and in By George — By Bachman he’s paying homage to another guitar guy. Covering a wide range of selections from George Harrison’s early Beatles days right up to his time with the Traveling Wilburys, this record is like a moose romp in an English rose garden. Although big-beat classic rock featuring vintage Bachman riffs and solos layered over monotonous vocals doesn’t drive me to consider higher consciousness, it does get me to consider dusting off the tape deck in my Camaro and going for a long drive. Put another way: this album doesn’t sound like Bachman’s suffering through the pain of incarnation to give birth to creative expression in the aesthetic realm. The singing is without anguish, vacant of pathos, and “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” makes me cry, all right. However, comparing Bachman’s take to the original does serve to sharpen my appreciation of Harrison’s spirituality. For that, I thank you, Randy. - Peter Jabs

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68 The Walleye

Girls, Girls, Girls Miesha & The Spanks

Girls, Girls, Girls—an album title from years past rightfully reclaimed by Canadian musician Miesha Louie in honour of all women of rock. The latest work from Miesha & The Spanks taps into everything going on within the rock and roll renaissance happening right now across the country. Listening to the album, I find myself locking in on bits and pieces that allude to sounds from other new Canadian acts. The two-piece “pocket riding” of The Pack A.D., wrapped in melodies reminiscent of Broken Social Scene, topped off with a pure grit similar to Death from Above 1979. And yet the album still stands on its own legs and delivers a distinctive style. What more could you ask for? The first single, “Atmosphere,” is a perfect example of classic rock with a new twist, and “First Blood” starts the album out with just enough punch to get your attention. As an album, Girls, Girls, Girls is a perfect Swiss army knife of rock and roll—a tool for every task.. - Jamie Varga

Both Ways

Marry, Bang, Kill

Donovan Woods

If you’re looking for some music to relax to, Donovan Woods has just the thing. I was immediately drawn in by the first track on Both Ways. Appealing to my introverted nature, Woods sets a minimalist tone in “Good Lover” with fingerpicked banjo and soft, understated vocals, adding rich bass and low piano tones for depth and intensity. Keep an ear out for the different instruments used on this album; you’ll catch strings (not uncommon) and the less frequently heard vibraphone. “Easy Street” is the only track that feels like it doesn’t necessarily belong in this collection—heavy on the synth and with a throwback aesthetic, it wouldn’t be out of place in the 80s. But in the end, the album is rounded out nicely with a return to the same chilled out feel created at the outset. - Steph Skavinski

Andrew Battershill Marry, Bang, Kill follows Alan Mouse (Mousey to his “friends”), a retired cop living on Quadra Island, a quiet place just off the coast of Vancouver Island. When he crosses paths with Tommy Marlo, a small-time mugger who has accidentally stolen a laptop loaded with incriminating photos (and purposefully stolen a hundred grand) from a dangerous biker gang, Mousey decides to help him escape probable torture and dismemberment, knowing full well the risk to his own life. Marry, Bang, Kill comes across as an exercise of subverting reader expectations, for better or for worse. The synopsis on the back doesn’t get to the heart of the story, the writing is sillier than that I would have expected with a crime thriller, and Battershill’s description and characterization often hurts readers’ immersion in and the perceived realism of his story. While a few passages impressed me greatly due to their uncommon maturity and insight, I would struggle to recommend this one.

The Peterson Reference Guide to Birding by Impression

Dale Allyn Rosselet and Kevin T. Karlson Have you ever been out birding when you see a quick glimpse of a bird, then it’s gone? In their book The Peterson Reference Guide to Birding by Impression, Kevin T. Karlson and Dale Rosselet outline a method to help you ID birds in these difficult situations. Called Birding by Impression (BBI), it uses your right brain’s visual skills in addition to your verbal left brain to help with your IDs. After describing how to use BBI, the book then shows how BBI helps identify many common bird groups out in the field. Unfortunately, the book is lacking in pictures (which is a shame since Karlson is a well-known bird photographer) and the chosen pictures often don’t illustrate the descriptions or give a good baseline bird shape for the different species. For this reason, Birding by Impression is a better fit for more experienced birders rather than beginners.

American Utopia David Byrne

It would be easy to give David Byrne a passing grade on his first solo album in 14 years based solely on his previous output. It would also be easy to write American Utopia off based just on lyrics like “The brain of a chicken and the dick of a donkey” or “The pope don’t mean shit to a dog.” Byrne has never been easy and he isn’t about to give everyone a piece of slick, easily consumed pop—or completely unfathomable art, either. Indeed, American Utopia seems designed to not only keep you slightly off balance without realizing why, but to make you think, “What the hell is he trying to say?” American Utopia is quirky, catchy, and smart, which is exactly what you would expect from a David Byrne solo album. Don’t be fooled by how happy it sounds though—there is a lot of heavy thinking going on behind that smile. - Jason Wellwood

- Shauna Kosoris

- Alexander Kosoris

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Proud to serve as your Member of Parliament. Constituency Office 905-1 E Victoria Ave, Thunder Bay, ON, P7C 1B3 807.625.1160· don.rusnak@parl.gc.ca

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The Walleye

Architecture

St. Patrick High School

Formerly Fort William Vocational School and Selkirk Collegiate and Vocational Institute Story by Laurie Abthorpe, Photos by Brooke Towle

n the early 1900s, high school education in Fort William was focused on academics only, geared towards students wishing to go on to train as a teacher, or attend university in order to secure a professional career. Between 1904 and 1910, the rapid industrialization of Fort William was well underway and the urban population had tripled from 6,491 to 19,859. Demands for a skilled workforce grew as well. In 1911, technical courses were being

70 The Walleye

offered as evening classes at Fort William Collegiate Institute (FWCI). The student body at FWCI grew by 350% from 1914 and 1924, with technical classes now offered during regular daytime programs. By 1929, even with the school’s recent major rebuild, it was evident that FWCI could not continue to meet the growing demand for both academic and vocational educations. The technical training and domestic courses were suspended

and the training areas of the technical wing turned into additional classroom space. The Fort William Board of Education’s request for the construction of a new school building to provide technical educations was granted by city council in 1930, and a 7 1/5 acre property at the corner of Selkirk Avenue and Walsh Street was secured as the site for the new school. Joseph Tocheri of Fort William won the construction contract and work began at the site on November 13, 1930. Obligated by contract to have the new school completed in time for an occupancy date of September 1, 1931, Tocheri met his deadline and Fort William Vocational School opened in the fall of 1931 at a final cost of $489,541.

Designed in the Collegiate Gothic Revival style by local architect R.E. Mason, the school is both solid and symmetrical. Stately towers connect low rectangular blocks and cut stone frames the central opening of the school. The spacious interior was built to accommodate the large instruction areas required to facilitate programs in the industrial, practical, and commercial arts. A $440,000 addition of 15 classrooms was constructed in 1957, which gave the space needed to become a composite school. It was then renamed Selkirk Collegiate and Vocational Institute. In 1970, a $2,163,000 addition and alterations were made, including a cafeteria. Declining student populations at Selkirk saw the school’s capacity fall to 57% in 1987. During this same period, the local Catholic Board needed space to accommodate its growing high school student body. After a study was completed, trustees of the Lakehead Board of Education decided to close Selkirk in 1988 at the end the school year on June 30. The school building was then sold to the Lakehead District Roman Catholic Separate School Board for $1 in August. The public board received nearly $1,000,000 in grants from the Ministry of Education towards future capital projects for the exchange. Dedicated as St. Patrick High School after the former St. Patrick Catholic High School on South Franklin Street, the school underwent a series of interior renovations. The addition of a double

Architecture gym in 1992 brought the buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s total interior area to over 12,000 square feet. This past summer the playing field at St. Patrick High School was upgraded with a new 400-metre running track and a Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Level 1-certified artificial turf field. Laurie Abthorpe is the heritage researcher for the Heritage Advisory Committee, which advises city council on the conservation of heritage buildings, sites and resources, and their integration into development. For more information on the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s heritage resources, visit thunderbay. ca/living/culture_and_heritage.

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The Walleye

Health

Abnormal Pap Tests Q&A with Dr. Naana Jumah

By Katherine Mayer, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre

etting results from your Pap test can sometimes be confusing. A “normal” result means three more years until your next Pap test, but an “abnormal” result could mean something different when it comes to screening timelines. To help clear up the confusion, Dr. Naana Jumah, obstetrician gynaecologist, and regional cervical screening/colposcopy lead at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, answers some of the most frequently asked questions when it comes to abnormal Pap test results.

I have an abnormal Pap. What does that mean? A Pap test sweeps some cells off the surface of a woman’s cervix. The cells are sent to a lab where they are looked at under a microscope. Cells that are infected with

human papillomavirus (HPV) look different than normal cells. If there are cells that look like they have been infected with HPV under the microscope, then the result will be an abnormal Pap test. Sometimes cells look different under a microscope even when there is no HPV there; for example, if there is inflammation. This is why Pap tests are just screening tests because even though they tell us that something does not seem right on the cervix, they do not tell us for sure that there is an HPV infection.

What does HPV have to do with Pap tests? Some abnormal Pap tests are caused by HPV, which is transmitted through sexual contact. HPV causes changes on the cervix that can lead to cervical cancer. Pap tests screen for pre-cancerous changes caused by an HPV infection. Women who have regular Pap tests have a lower risk of developing cervical cancer because pre-cancerous changes can be detected early and treated before they turn into cervical cancer.

I got a letter in the mail from Cancer Care Ontario after my Pap test. Do I have cancer? Whether your Pap test results are normal or abnormal, you will receive a letter in the mail from Cancer Care Ontario notifying

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you about your Pap test result. Don’t worry. This letter is part of the Ontario Cervical Screening Program—it does not mean that you have cancer. You will also get a reminder letter in the mail when you are due for your next Pap test. This helps take the guesswork out of trying to remember to get a Pap test every three years. When you receive the appointment reminder letter, this is the best time to book your next appointment.

How serious is an abnormal Pap test? Most abnormal Pap tests show cells that have a mild infection with HPV or inflammation. Often your body is able to fight off the HPV infection or get rid of the inflammation and the abnormalities go away on their own. If we see this type of Pap test, we recommend repeating the Pap test in six months. If this repeat test is abnormal, then you would be referred to a colposcopy clinic for further examination. If your abnormal Pap test shows a more severe HPV infection, you will be referred to a colposcopy clinic right away.

What is a colposcopy? Cell changes found through Pap tests are almost never cancer but do require follow-up testing. Colposcopy is just like a Pap test except that a microscope is used to look at the cervix instead of just looking with our eyes. A solution is put on the cervix that makes abnormal areas brighter than the rest of the cervix. The microscope magnifies areas on the cervix that look abnormal so a very small sample or biopsy from that specific area can

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What can I do to prevent cervical cancer? There are a few things that are important for women to remember when it comes to preventing cervical cancer: • Get a Pap test. Your health care provider can tell you how often you need to be screened based on Ontario’s Cervical Screening Guidelines. • Get a follow up appointment. If your Pap test is abnormal, you should be seen by your healthcare provider or at a colposcopy clinic. • Get vaccinated. The HPV vaccine is available for females aged 9 to 45. It protects against HPV that cause 90% of cervical cancers and 90% of genital warts. Girls up to the age of 18 can get the vaccine for free as part of the routine childhood vaccinations. • Quit smoking. Non-smokers are better able to fight off HPV infection compared to smokers. If you can’t quit, cutting back helps too. Check out NWQuit.com for smoking cessation resources. April is Pap-A-Palooza month. Eligible women in Northwestern Ontario who complete a Pap test in April will be entered to win a portable Bose speaker. Visit tbrhsc.net/pap to view all participating clinics or call 684-7791 for more information on the campaign. For more information on Pap tests and cervical screening visit tbrhsc.net/ cancerscreening.

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be taken. The biopsy is sent to the lab to confirm whether the cells are pre-cancerous. It may sound complicated but colposcopy only takes a few minutes to complete.

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Green

An Urban BirdFriendly Garden By Ellen Mortfield, Executive Director, EcoSuperior

hen that hipster chickadee couple go looking for an appropriate place to raise their brood, will your backyard meet their aesthetic? She’s all about the nesting sites—looking for mature trees with woodpecker holes, or perhaps some tree stumps where they can excavate a home of their own. She’ll be happy if there’s a dense clump of cedars or spruce, or shrubs in varying heights to offer good cover. He’s looking for a tall tree where he can perch to show off his singing voice and get a good view of the neighbourhood’s best sources for seeds and insects. Once their eggs hatch, they’ll be taking turns to gather insects and seeds for up to five hungry youngsters for nearly a month, so a garden that has

native plants, fruit-bearing shrubs, 3and a healthy insect population is just what they’re looking for. There are plenty of reasons to landscape your backyard with native plants, but providing food, shelter, and water for our feathered friends should be top of the list. You can tailor your garden plan to a specific type of bird—for example, hummingbirds can be attracted with a great variety of nectar-producing flowers—or you can work toward providing a variety of bird-friendly features. Gardening for the birds involves doing specific things like planting a variety of flowers, shrubs and trees that produce nectar, fruit, and seeds, as well as cultivating prime nesting places. Putting

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food late in the season. Do you have an old tree that’s dying? Cut down what’s required to make it safe, but leave a tall stump that can become a haven for woodpeckers and a bug buffet for many other species. Of course you can also help out the birds by providing feeders and birdhouses, but these are unnecessary if you plan your garden properly. Some people even like to put out a stash of pet hair or dryer lint for the birds to use to soften their nest, but you can also choose plants like milkweed and thistles and leave the seedpod fluff in place for nesting material. Welcome birds to your backyard with a mix of native flowers, shrubs, and trees, and they will be singing your praises all year round!

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plants in large groups is more attractive to most birds than featuring single plant specimens. It also means avoiding certain things like pesticides and large expanses of lawn. Pesticides impact birds both directly and indirectly by poisoning the vegetation and/or insects they may consume. And while some species such as robins appreciate some open space for worm hunting, most birds prefer sheltered areas. Recreating the natural forest ecosystem in your yard by establishing a variety of levels—trees, tall shrubs, smaller shrubs and large perennials as well as low-growing ground covers—will attract the greatest diversity of bird species. A source of water is a must, whether you choose a simple bird bath, cleaned and refilled regularly, or a small pond or fountain with a shallow wading area. Birds appreciate the untidy gardener, the one who doesn’t get around to deadheading the flowers or raking the leaves—that means more sources of

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Attend the Launch Sunday, April 15, 2:00pm at the Thunder Bay Museum [425 Donald St. E.]

The Walleye

AprilEventsGuide April 1–7

Bed & Breakfast Magnus Theatre

A play written by up-and-coming Canadian playwright Mark Crawford.

magnustheatre.com

April 3, 10, 17 & 24, 10:30–11:45 am

Read, Sing, Play!

County Park Branch Library

Children and their family or caregivers will enjoy this 100% literacy-based drop-in storytime combining stories, songs, and rhymes with activities and time for play!

tbpl.ca

April 3, 7–9 pm

Advanced Ancestry LE Waverly Resource Library

April 4, 7–8:30 pm

Book Talk with Kim Casey

Brodie Resource Library

Author Kim Casey will be talking about her recent book, Thunder Bay District’s True Murder Investigations from 1885 to 2016.

tbpl.ca

April 4, 10:30 am–12:30 pm

Eat Smart Free Cooking Series

NorWest Community Health Centres

Baking bonanza: boost your fibre intake with these easy bake recipes. Come out for this cooking series and take home some tasty food that you create.

626-7854

This class goes beyond the introductory Ancestry LE class to get the most out of the Library’s online genealogy resource Ancestry Library Edition (LE) database.

April 4 & 11, 1:30–2:30 pm

tbpl.ca

April 3, 5–6:30 pm

A low impact yoga program facilitated by a certified yoga instructor. Free of charge, with snacks provided.

Resting Frog Yoga Studio

624-3449

Ascension Meditation We invite you to a free talk on ascension meditation. Discover what it truly means to be alive! All are welcome, no experience required.

346-7662

April 4, 10:30–11:15 am

Preschool Storytime Mary J.L. Black Library

An eight-week school readiness program for three and four year olds to attend on their own while caregivers remain nearby. Includes stories, songs, finger plays, and a craft.

tbpl.ca

April 4, 6:30–8:30 pm

Composting 101 Workshop

Waverley Resource Library

Learn how easy it is to recycle your fruit and vegetable scraps, leaves, and plant cuttings into food for your soil!

Chair Yoga

NorWest Community Health Centres

April 5, 7–8:30 pm

Colour Me Calm

Waverley Resource Library

April 6, 1–3:30 pm

Retirement Explorers Mary J.L. Black Library

Retirement Explorers are a group of retirees who pursue active recreation options. Retirees and soon-to-be retirees are welcome to attend.

625-3135

April 6, 7–11:30 pm

Local and Live

Sleeping Giant Brewing Co.

A night featuring The Bay Street Bastards and Ryan MacDonald of Honest Heart Collective along with a beer and cheese tasting, games, and much more!

foodbank.lusu.ca

Until April 7

Canadian Firefighters Curling Championship Port Arthur Curling Club

The Northern Ontario Firefighters Curling Association will host this event at the Port Arthur Curling Club in support of Muscular Dystrophy Canada.

cffca.ca

April 7, 14, 21 & 28, May 5, 12, & 19, 9–10:30 am

Wise in Mind: DBT Emotion Regulation Workshop

Looking for a creative way to relax and meet new people? Join Colour Me Calm, the adult colouring club at Waverley. Supplies and refreshments will be provided!

Urban Abbey

684-6814

maamawi.ca

April 6, noon–3 pm

100 Years of Waldorf Education

Waverley Resource Library

Join Northern Lights School for a short film and discussion to explore what Waldorf education looks like in our community followed with fun Waldorf-style wet-on-wet watercolour painting.

tbpl.ca

This 10-week workshop will teach you how to manage negative and overwhelming emotions while increasing positive experiences.

April 7, 7–11 pm

Urban Infill: Art in the Core 12 Downtown PA

Celebrating its 12th anniversary, Urban Infill lets you experience Thunder Bay transformed by multi-sensory art and unparalleled live performances in this Nuit Blanche-like event. Featuring multidisciplinary works by 400 regional/ national/international artists at 25 downtown north locations, including active and empty spaces transformed into new temporary

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2 74 The Walleye The Walleye

galleries. See wearable art window performances, visual and new media arts, film, music, performance, world dance, and catered refreshments. 2500 attended last year! Start at Definitely Superior Art Gallery for art maps and performative tour guides. Exhibition (visual art only) also runs April 8–10, noon–6 pm. All by donation/all ages welcome. Re-discover the Waterfront District through contemporary art!

definitelysuperior.com

April 7, 7–11 pm

Gala Opening Reception Erysichthon, Canadian Contemporary 16, and Glitched Memories V.2 Definitely Superior Art Gallery

Erysichthon - Jon Rafman (Quebec): A critically acclaimed international artist, Rafman’s work has a recognizable anthropological visual internet language that unleashes the bizarre and normalizes it, meanwhile forcing the mundane to become mystical. A prominent Canadian artist with an MFA from The Art Institute of Chicago, Rafman has shown extensively nationally and internationally. Canadian Contemporary 16 - Dr. Chaudhuri Art Collection: An impressive curated selection of 16 multidisciplinary art works from one of the largest private collections of contemporary art in our region. See paintings, prints, sculpture, drawings, and more by critically acclaimed Canadian artists, big on the international art scene and featured in major art magazines. Glitched Memories V.2 - Drew DeGruyter (regional/international): A CRT-based analog glitch video art installation that utilizes stock videos processed through 1980s video gear, recorded to VHS tape, then captured as a compilation of analog glitch art to be played in a gallery installation comprised of a dozen TVs and live performance. Widely known for his live music video work, internet art, video circuit bending, DeGruyter is producing analog video glitch art for the digital age. Part of the Urban Infill downtownwide exhibition.Exhibition runs until May 7.

definitelysuperior.com

April 7

Blacksheep’s Trails and Ales Fundraiser Sleeping Giant Brewing Co.

Blacksheep Mountain Biking Club is hosting a fundraiser complete with DJs, food, prizes, and of course, tasty beverages. See this month’s City Scene for more info.

blacksheepmtb.com

April 7, 2–5 pm

Family Lego Drop-in County Park Branch Library

Play, build, and create! Kids of all ages and their caregivers are invited to drop in for imaginative play. Materials provided!

345-8275 ex 7400

April 7, 2–5 pm

L.U. in Conversation: Ergonomics and Work Waverley Resource Library

Dr. Kathryn Sinden from Lakehead’s kinesiology department will offer a talk at the Waverley Library called Ergonomics and Work: Using research to develop tools and processes that improve worker safety.

tbpl.ca

April 7, 2–4:30 pm

Saturday Crafter-noon Waverley Resource Library

Bring a project to work on and join others for inspiration. Staff can assist with knitting and basic needlework.

624-4206

April 7, 2–4 pm

Revealing Heaven: The Christian Case for Near-Death Experience St. Paul’s Anglican Church

In Revealing Heaven, Reverend John W. Price makes the case for how near-death experiences can be gifts from God and are fully compatible with Christian spirituality and the Bible.

707-3048

April 24

April 28, 7 pm

All the DAZE Productions presents the well-loved musical. See this month’s Film and Theatre section for more info.

The local Salvation Army will be hosting their annual fundraiser, the Journey to Life dinner in the Valhalla Ballroom. See this month’s City Scene for more info.

Thunder Bay Community Auditorium

allthedaze.ca

valhallainn.com

April 20–22

April 25, 7:30–10 pm

Resting Frog Yoga Studio

St. Agnes Roman Catholic Church

April 8, 1–4 pm

April 13, 6–11 pm

April 20 & 21, 7:30 pm

Victoria Inn

Valhalla Inn

Shuniah Building Confederation College

High Tea and Fashion Show Presented by Community Living, enjoy high tea, fancy sandwiches, and dessert, plus a fashion show featuring designs from Perfect Fit Lingerie & Fashion, The Little Mermaid, Silhouette Boutique, and Hey Sailor Boutique.

Bachelors for Hope Charity Auction The popular fundraiser is celebrating 20 years of supporting local breast cancer care! Enjoy a four-course gourmet dinner as Thunder Bay’s most eligible bachelors are auctioned (with fabulous date packages) to the highest bidders.

622-1099 ext. 0

valhallainn.com

April 8, 1:30–4 pm

April 14, 1–4 pm

Thunder Bay Castlegreen Myeloma Advocacy Annual Spring Tea Group’s Silent Auction Castlegreen Community Centre Lakehead Baptist Church

Enjoy an afternoon with the music of Don Shaver and his Mayor’s Band and guest artist, local classical guitarist Matt Sloan.

A spring tea featuring door prizes, a penny auction, an art exhibit, and crafts. Tickets are $6 each, $4 for children under 10 (under 3 years are free).

707-1599

castlegreen.on.ca

April 8, 2–6 pm

Until April 15

Spaghetti Supper for Children’s Centre Foundation Italian Cultural Centre

Italian Cultural Centre’s spaghetti supper in support of Children’s Centre Foundation Thunder Bay.

345-5511

April 11, 6–7:30 pm

Northern Lights Open House North McIntyre Recreation Centre

Registration is open for our 2018/2019 school year. Join us to meet the teacher and experience our space. We look forward to meeting you and your little ones.

northernlightsschool.ca

April 11, 7:15–9:30 pm

Lakehead Stamp Club Meetings

Hammarskjöld High School Library

Lakehead Stamp Club will meet on Wednesday, Apr 11th, 2018 at 7:15pm, Hammarskjöld High School Library. Program is a Speaker and a Table Auction. Entry is free. Visitors are welcome.

475-4515

April 12, 5:30–8 pm

Community Energizers Meeting Finnish Labour Temple

Come out and talk with the community about what key policies and support you’d like to see from a new city council.

info@leapthunderbay.org

Lakehead University Visual Arts Department Annual Major Studio Exhibition Thunder Bay Art Gallery

The fourth year graduating students in the Lakehead University Visual Arts Department present their annual exhibition full of wild, wonderful, wacky, and fabulously creative and compelling artwork.

theag.ca

April 15, 10 am–4:30 pm

Mosaic Window Workshop Vintage Pixie Studio

In this workshop you will learn to create and mosaic a basic design to hang in a window. All materials provided.

622-9627

April 15–22

NOSFA Film Fest SilverCity

Now in its 25th year, the Northwest Film Fest will show 27 films. See this month’s Top Five for more info.

nosfa.ca

April 19, 7–8:30 pm

Walking Holidays Mary J. L. Black Library

Join world walking trekkers Keith Nymark, Cathy Farrell, and Rosemary and Wayne Melville as they share stories of walking holidays. Refreshments are provided and admission free.

ecosuperior.org

April 20, 6 pm

Ham Dinner and Auction

St. Paul’s United Church

This ham dinner and auction is the church’s major fundraiser for community programs. Tickets are $25 from the church office.

stpaulstbay.net

The Jungle Book

Journey to Life Dinner Beauty and the Beets Beats! Valhalla Ballroom

Spring Concert: First Sphere Ascension Meditation “Night & Day” Come out to our next ascension meditation workshop with guest teacher Dharani Ishaya.

620-2601

April 20

Taste of History Dinner Prince Arthur Waterfront Hotel

The Taste of History dinner is back with an exciting evening of discussion, a fine meal, and a silent auction. See this month’s Top Five for more info.

Lakehead Choral Group presents its 2018 Spring Concert, “Night & Day,” at St. Agnes Church (corner of Brown & Mary Streets) in Westfort. Some special musical treats are in store! Advance tickets $15; $18 at the door.

April 20–21, 9 am–5 pm

Service Learning Project: Sturdy Stackable Sawhorses North House Folk School

Help North House build a set of sturdy horses for the shop in this two-day class, ideal for beginners or intermediate woodworkers. Lunch provided.

northhouse.org

April 21, noon–2:30 pm

Knitting for Beginners St. Paul’s Anglican Church

A very simple beginning for anyone, with hands-on instruction, handouts, and ongoing support. Coffee, tea, and treats provided.

707-3048

April 21, 10 am–3 pm

Coin and Collectibles Spring Show West Thunder Community Centre

Come and talk to us about your coins and get an on-the-spot appraisal of some of your rare or everyday coins.

577-5416

DaVinci Centre

TOP KIK Promotions presents Live Action Kickboxing: Thunder in the Night, where action is the main attraction! Doors open at 6 pm; action starts at 7 pm.

April 28, 10 am–1 pm

Westgate High School Gymnasium

HMCS Griffon

Xanadu

westgate.lakeheadschools.ca

northhouse.org

Live Action Kickboxing: Thunder in the Night

April 25–28

North House Folk School

Learn the basics of power tool use and framing and help North House build a deck and platform for our new yurt! Lunch will be provided.

April 28, 7 pm

472-6437

April 20–21, 9 am–5 pm

Service Learning Project: Build a Deck

tbca.com

577-1224

Westgate and Churchill High School are collaborating to entertain audiences with Xanadu, a one-of-akind musical theatrical experience. See this month’s Film and Theatre section for more info.

thunderbaymuseum.com

Chaban Ukrainian Dance Group presents Beauty and the Beets Beats, their 38th annual concert. Tickets are $22–$27.

April 26, 6 pm

MFRC Spring Yard and Craft Sale Don’t miss out on the biggest craft/ yard sale in the city! Admission is $2. Shop through over 60 tables. This is a fundraiser for the Military Family Resource Centre.

345-5116

April 29, 7 pm

Peppa Pig Live

Le Stelle Alpine Italian Dancers

Peppa Pig, the #1 family show of 2016, is back with an action-packed live show featuring your favorite characters as life size puppets and costume characters!

A performance by Le Stelle Alpine dancers, who strive to represent all regions of Italy and delight audiences with vast range of traditional performances.

Thunder Bay Community Auditorium

tbca.com

April 27, 7:15–9:30 pm

April 30–May 5, 7 pm

Hammarskjöld High School Library

One hundred students will be taking part in this year’s musical which tells the story of an upbeat Chicago teen who moves to a small town where dancing and rock music have been banned. Tickets are $20.

475-4515

623-5218

April 27, 8:30 am–4 pm

Until May 13

Airlane Hotel and Conference Centre

Thunder Bay Art Gallery

Lakehead Stamp Club Footloose Meetings St. Patrick High School Come out to the Lakehead Stamp Club meeting. Program is a table auction and a one-page exhibit. Entry is free. Visitors are welcome.

A Day in Trauma

Topics covered include working in the context of Indigenous health, intergenerational trauma, traumainformed approaches to the law, working with youth and families, substance use, and more. Breakfast and lunch will be served.

goo.gl/cKv2SY

Honouring Our Stories

Honouring Our Stories is an artbased community project that centres the resilience and dignity of women surviving sexual violence.

theag.ca

EVENTS GUIDE KEY

General Food Art Sports Music

The Walleye The Walleye

75 3

AprilMusicGuide April 1 Dear Rouge

Crocks 7:30 pm • $20 • 19+

April 3 Thunder Bay Community Band Jam Night 250 Park Ave 7:30 pm • No Cover • AA

The Best Karaoke in Thunder Bay The Foundry 10 pm • No Cover • 19+

April 4 Sloan

Crocks 8 pm • $25–$30 • 19+

The Best Karaoke in Thunder Bay The Foundry 10 pm • No Cover • 19+

April 5 Woodhawk w/ Vape Dealer + Visual Past + Angel of Anguish Black Pirates Pub 8 pm • $6 • AA

Jazzy Thursday Nights The Foundry 7 pm • No Cover • 19+

Brothers Grim Crocks 8 pm • $10 • 19+

Prime Time Karaoke PA Legion 8:30 pm • No Cover • 19+

Open Stage with Craig Smyth & Tiina Flank The Foundry 10 pm • No Cover • 19+

April 6 TBSO Masterworks 4: Ode to Joy

Thunder Bay Community Auditorium 7:30 pm • $11.50–$42.25 • AA

In Loving Memory: A Tribute to Big Wreck The Foundry 10 pm • $5 • 19+

April 7 Folk’n Saturday Afternoons The Foundry 1 pm • No Cover • 19+

Shameless Saturday w/ DJ Big D The Foundry 10 pm • $5 • 19+

Pride at the Pub: Thunder Pride Pub Night 2018 Black Pirates Pub 10 pm • $5 • 19+

April 8 Open Jam Sundays PA Legion 8 pm • No Cover • AA

4 The Walleye 76 The Walleye

Jamo Gang

Crocks 8:30 pm • $20 • 19+

Bevz

Dragon’s Den 10 pm • No Cover • 19+

April 9 TBSO Special Events: Noondaagotoon

Fort William First Nation Community Recreation Centre 7:30 pm • No Cover • AA

Every Folk’n Monday Night The Foundry 7 pm • No Cover • 19+

April 10 TBSO Special Events: Noondaagotoon Da Vinci Centre 7:30 pm • $15–$25 • AA

Kinky Boots

Thunder Bay Community Auditorium 7:30 pm • $59–$89 • AA

The Best Karaoke in Thunder Bay The Foundry 10 pm • No Cover • 19+

April 11 Kinky Boots

Thunder Bay Community Auditorium 7:30 pm • $59–$89 • AA

The Best Karaoke in Thunder Bay

April 14 James Boraski Solo

Beaux Daddy’s Grillhouse 6:30 pm • No Cover • AA

Folk’n Saturday Afternoons The Foundry 1 pm • No Cover • 19+

Jack Nelson & County Line PA Legion 8 pm • $5 • 19+

Hillsburn w/ DJ Big D The Foundry 10 pm • $5 • 19+

Page 38

Black Pirates Pub 10 pm • $5 • 19+

April 15 Open Jam Sundays PA Legion 8 pm • No Cover • AA

PA Legion 8 pm • No Cover • 19+

Open Stage with Craig Smyth & Tiina Flank The Foundry 10 pm • No Cover • 19+

April 13 James Boraski Solo AJ’s Trading Post 5 pm • No Cover • AA

Jack Nelson & County Line PA Legion 8 pm • $5 • 19+

Black Pirates Pub 10 pm • $5 • 19+

Prime Time Karaoke

April 21 Folk’n Saturday Afternoons

Ten Minute Detour

The Foundry 1 pm • No Cover • 19+

TBSO Pops 6: Brass & Bow Thunder Bay Community Auditorium 7:30 pm • $11.50–$42.25 • AA

I Mother Earth + Finger 11 Crocks 7 pm • $40–$60 • 19+

PA Legion 8:30 pm • No Cover • 19+ The Foundry 10 pm • $TBA • 19+

April 27 TBSO Masterworks 4: Glorious Brahms

Thunder Bay Community Auditorium 7:30 pm • $11.50–$42.25 • AA

Flowshine w/ Sarah Hakala + DJ Big D

Hearing Trees w/ Soapboxer + DJ Big D

Without the Glory Reunion

The Foundry 7 pm • No Cover • 19+

April 17 Thunder Bay Community Band Jam Night 250 Park Ave 7:30 pm • No Cover • AA

The Best Karaoke in Thunder Bay

Thunder Bay Community Auditorium 8 pm • $69–$99 • AA

The Best Karaoke in Thunder Bay The Foundry 10 pm • No Cover • 19+

April 19 Jazzy Thursday Nights The Foundry 7 pm • No Cover • 19+

Skudfux Canadian Tour Black Pirates Pub 8 pm • $6 • AA

Prime Time Karaoke PA Legion 8:30 pm • No Cover • 19+

Open Stage with Craig Smyth & Tiina Flank

Thirsty Monks The Selfies & Friends

April 20 James Boraski Trio

Black Pirates Pub 10 pm • $5 • 19+

The Foundry 7 pm • No Cover • 19+

WERQ presents Drag & DJ Party

The Foundry 10 pm • No Cover • 19+

The Foundry 10 pm • $5 • 19+

Tumblestone 420 Fundraiser

April 16 Every Folk’n Monday Night

April 18 2Cellos The Score Tour

Prime Time Karaoke

April 26 Jazzy Thursday Nights

The Foundry 10 pm • $5 • 19+

Dragon’s Den 10 pm • No Cover • 19+

April 12 James Boraski Duo

The Foundry 7 pm • No Cover • 19+

Tourist Bureau

The Foundry 10 pm • $5 • 19+

Quest Presents Country Night

The Foundry 10 pm • No Cover • 19+

Jazzy Thursday Nights

My Son the Hurricane

PA Legion 8 pm • $10 • 19+

Tracy K & Blue Thunder

Bevz

The Foundry 10 pm • No Cover • 19+

Seattle Coffee House 6:30 pm • No Cover • AA

Tracy K & Blue Thunder

Mackenzie-Riverside Pizzeria & Lounge 7 pm • No Cover • AA

PA Legion 8 pm • $10 • 19+

Black Pirates Pub 10 pm • $5 • 19+

The Foundry 10 pm • $5 • 19+

April 22 James Boraski Solo: Poetry Night & Acoustic Performance The Creative Art Gallery 7 pm • $10–$15 • 19+

PA Legion 8 pm • $10 • 19+

The Foundry 10 pm • $5 • 19+

Black Pirates Pub 10 pm • $5 • 19+

April 28 Brother John

Beaux Daddy’s Grillhouse 6:30 pm • No Cover • AA

Folk’n Saturday Afternoons The Foundry 1 pm • No Cover • 19+

Open Jam Sundays

Go Grease Lightning

Bevz

Shark Infested Daughters w/ Isolate Peaks + more

PA Legion 8 pm • No Cover • AA

Dragon’s Den 10 pm • No Cover • 19+

Neck of the Woods Black Pirates Pub 10 pm • $5 • 19+

April 23 Every Folk’n Monday Night The Foundry 7 pm • No Cover • 19+

April 24 Thunder Bay Community Band Jam Night 250 Park Ave 7:30 pm • No Cover • AA

The Best Karaoke in Thunder Bay The Foundry 10 pm • No Cover • 19+

April 25 Lakehead Choral Group Spring Concert

Red Lion Smokehouse 9 pm • $20–$25 • 19+

Black Pirates Pub 10 pm • $5 • 19+

JAFO’s Mood

The Foundry 10 pm • $5 • 19+

April 29 Open Jam Sundays PA Legion 8 pm • No Cover • AA

Bevz

Dragon’s Den 10 pm • No Cover • 19+

April 30 Every Folk’n Monday Night The Foundry 7 pm • No Cover • 19+

Brought to you by:

St. Agnes Roman Catholic Church 7:30 pm • $15–$18 • AA For more info visit tbshows.com

LU RADIO’S MONTHLY TOP April Show Spotlight

Top 20 1 Greenbank* Glory Days Self-Released 2 Nap Eyes* I’m Bad Now You’ve Changed 3 Ought* Room Inside the World Royal Mountain 4 Bahamas* Earthtones Barchords 5 U.S. Girls* In A Poem Unlimited Royal Mountain

The Patch

Hosted by Connor Graham Mondays 9-10 pm Hosted by CILU’s Music Director, Connor Graham, The Patch features the sounds of contemporary indie, art-rock, and all things post. New artists are played alongside bands that influenced the genres of indie rock, post-punk, and beyond. Tune in to find some new music or hear the threads of influence that weave back to the music of the late 70s and early 80s!

Song of the moment: Nap Eyes - “I’m Bad”

3 Fraction & Finsta* Thoughtwork Self-Released

19 Chad VanGaalen* Light Information Flemish Eye

4 Moka Only* Concert For One Urbnet

20 St. Vincent MASSEDUCTION Loma Vista

5 Touch* Journey to the West Hand’Solo

Electronic

International

1 Kutch* Notionside Self-Released

1 Afrika Mamas Iphupho ARC 2 So Long Seven* Kala Kalo Self- Released 3 Minor Empire* Uprooted Self-Released

7 Weaves* Wide Open Buzz Records

9 Destroyer* ken Merge Records 10 Milk & Bone* Deception Bay Bonsound 11 Colour Tongues* Colour Tongues Self-Released 12 Soccer Mommy Clean Fat Possum 13 No Museums* It All Begins To Feel Self-Released 14 Terra Lightfoot* New Mistakes Sonic Unyon

4 Boogat* San Cristóbal Baile Inn Maisonette 2 Hax Meadroom* Astral Projection Self-Released 3 StegoSarahs* Simple Subtraction Self-Released 4 Jason Sharp* Stand Above The Streams Constellation 5 Petit Biscuit Presence Frontside Group

5 Compassion Gorilla* Coalesce Self- Released

Loud 1 Miesha & the Spanks* Girls Girls Girls Saved by Vinyl 2 Storc* Storc Self-Released 3 Whimm* A Stare Ajar Pleasance 4 Yamantaka//Sonic Titan* Dirt Paper Bag 5 Slow* Against the Glass (Reissue) Artoffact

Folk•Roots•Blues 1 Bahamas* Earthtones Barchords 2 Emily Kohne* Our Favourite Year (Single) Self-Released

Jazz

1 Søren Nissen* Departures Self-Released

4 Buffy Sainte-Marie* Medicine Songs True North

Joe Vickers* Notes for the Wood Burning Stove Gunner Records

5 Sue Foley* The Ice Queen Stony Plain

Hip Hop

* Indicates Canadian Content

1 Cadence Weapon* Cadence Weapon eOne Music 2 Chick Corea and Steve Gadd Chinese Butterfly Concord

15 Shame Songs of Praise Dead Oceans

3 Prime Time Big Band* Live at the Ironwood Chronograph

16 Laura Sauvage* The Beautiful Simone 17 Gord Downie* Introduce Yerself Arts & Crafts

CILU 102.7fm’s Monthly Charts for this issue reflect airplay for the month ending March 20, 2018. Check out our weekly charts online at luradio.ca or tune in to the weekly Top 20 Countdown Saturday from 5-7pm (or the rebroadcast Monday 4-6pm) on 102.7fm in Thunder Bay or stream us live world-wide at luradio.ca.

18 The Fallers* Get In, Loser Self-Released

6 Born Ruffians Uncle, Duke & The Chief Paper Bag

8 Spirit of the Bear Fade into Blue Self-Released

Music

4 Alex Pangman* Alex Pangman’s Hot Three! Justin Time 2 Tachichi* Chico’s 90s Project Hand’Solo

5 Adam Shulman Sextet Full Tilt Cellar Live

The Walleye Walleye

77 5

WeatherEye

April Can be the Cruellest Month Story by Graham Saunders, Photo by Darren McChristie Enjoying the spring freshet, April 2015, Middle Falls, Pigeon River

n his poem “The Waste Land,” T.S. Eliot suggests that “April is the cruellest month.” Literary scholars will insist the poem is about more than just the weather, but on its most basic level it still works to describe some of the seasonal happenings in our latitude. The line “Winter kept us warm, covering Earth in forgetful snow,” while especially true for mice, also works for all of us who depend on snow to protect various water lines that can freeze in worst-case scenarios. This most recent winter season in our area had some aspects of a more traditional winter. The season of snow on the ground began in late October in rural areas and almost a month later in urban Thunder Bay. There was no debate about a “white Christmas” in rural areas, but in the

city the bare minimum of two centimetres was on the ground at the Thunder Bay International Airport on the morning of December 25. A colder-than-average December and February preserved the sketchy snow cover and combined to make it the coldest winter since 2013-14 and 2014-15. Winters in the past decade have been either/or—almost balmy in six winters and frigid in four. This year the snow cover persisted well into March, whereas in 2017 continuous snow cover was gone by mid-February (although skiing and other recreation requiring a snow base was possible for several more weeks in rural settings). Technically, the spring season begins in March, but in this region “breeding Lilacs out of the dead land” and “stirring dull roots with

spring rain” is just not going to happen this early. We have to wait til April for our spring, and perhaps this timing is the cruellest part of the month. Spring weather can be changeable from one day to the next and, if we want visual evidence of spring growth, we often have to wait until May. The sun is high in the sky in early April and typically conditions are the warmest they have been in nearly six months. Daytime heating can occasionally push temperatures to 15°C and even to records around 20°C. However, this sunshine and daytime heating often initiates another process—the lake breeze. It happens next to all northern lakes in spring due to the considerable contrast between warm land and cold surface water temperatures. Air

immediately next to Lake Superior may be 1°C, whereas inland temperatures may be 10 to 15°C warmer. The resulting wind flow can easily reach 25 kph and penetrate 25 km or further inland. Locally, this cruel cold lake breeze effect, which will persist for the next couple of months, can require adding a layer or two in spite of the bright sunshine. Eliot writes “April showers bring May flowers,” but precipitation can be complicated in April. It is not unusual to have snow; the longterm average is 14.8 cm and April 2016 and 2017 both had about this amount. In any case, any new snow melts quickly. It is rare, but snow cover can sometimes persist—in 1996, even in urban Thunder Bay, the final snow did not disappear until the end of April. But usually, April features the completion of melting of winter snow and ice accumulations and sees, on average, around 50 mm of precipitation. Usually our “rainy season” does not get underway until May, but 176 mm in April 2001 combined with the spring melt and caused some nuisance flooding. April this year is predicted by several agencies to be warmer than usual, which means an earlier spring for us. Environment Canada and the European Centre for MediumRange Weather Forecasts predict this, but the American National Weather Service place the warmer temperatures well south of northern Ontario. Our region is in a broad zone with average temperatures and precipitation. Here’s to spring! It is spring, no matter what is forecasted.

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Adrian Lysenko

TheWall

Who Gives a Cluck? By Erin Beagle, Executive Director, Roots to Harvest

ne year ago, Thunder Bay was caught in the grips of a fowl problem—should the city pass a bylaw allowing residents to keep chickens (hens, to be more exact) within urban limits? The

community was engaged—an open house attracted over 300 people to give feedback that turned out to be overwhelmingly pro-poultry, while on the other end of the spectrum, a display outside city hall was set up

by one committed anti-chicken resident showcasing a “coop eyesore.” To be certain, feathers were ruffled. Over the course of two city council meetings, many people voiced their opinions on the proposed bylaw. Ultimately the motion failed to pass, with councilors citing issues such as noise, smell, pest problems, human health problems, lack of regulation, and aesthetics. Even with heavy-hitters like the Thunder Bay District Health Unit, the Thunder Bay and Area Food Strategy, and EcoSuperior supporting the backyard chickens, it was the voice of a few residents speaking against them that seemed to influence the vote. Loud voices get a disproportionate space at the table on issues like these, and it’s hard to overcome those voices with reason and credentials. By no means do I think that residents should not speak up and become engaged in civil discourse—it’s something that I value and appreciate, even if I don’t always agree. But decision-makers need to be able to dampen the white noise, listen with depth, and ask questions that clarify the issue in order to move beyond the rhetoric and scare tactics that reactive individuals employ in such situations. Raising chickens isn’t only about food supply. That’s some of it, but it’s not all of it. I actually think that a motivating factor for keeping backyard chickens is an attempt to achieve a quality of life and sense of community that people feel is missing from everyday urban life. They want their children to have a connection to their food

and they want something productive and meaningful to happen in their space. They want to reconnect to a way of life that has been lost due to the pressures of urban standards—chopping wood, carrying water, and now, raising chickens. The same values that one generation laments as lost in younger ones are the exact ones that they are trying to regain. Why do urban dwellers assume one certain lifestyle over another? The push against things such as clotheslines, vegetable gardens in front yards, and now chickens is a push towards a vision of city life that is arbitrary and short-sighted, and needs to be re-evaluated. I’m not advocating for backyard jersey cows—not because they are unsightly or loud, but because that size of animal demands more space to be well provided for. Chickens are a beautiful middle ground where animal welfare can be protected and neighbourhoods can still thrive. And that middle ground isn’t even groundbreaking anymore. Chickens have been allowed in many municipalities across the province and country, with more cities taking the poultry plunge every year. An approach that a number of cities have recently taken has been to introduce backyard chickens as a pilot project that can be monitored over time. And I love that part—the part where a city says, “Yes, let’s try.” It’s brave, it’s uncomplicated, and it’s worth it. It’s the city I want to live in (along with a few hens in my backyard, one of these days).

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80 The Walleye

TheBeat

Do you know? By Jodene Wylie Jodene Wylie has lived in the Thunder Bay region all her life. She has a Master of Arts degree in English from Lakehead University and has served on the Board of Directors for the Northwestern Ontario Writers Workshop since 2016. She is a lover of books, stories, and grand adventures. She occasionally writes short stories and is currently working on her first novel.

“Dobrý pes.” (Good dog.) Baba squatted down to scratch the dog under its grey chin. The spikey short hairs moved in fanning circles as she rubbed gently. It was late afternoon and the orange sun brightened the kitchen where towering mixing bowls full of powdered flour and the yokes of many eggs covered the counters. “Do you know…” Moving her hands to her hips as she looked high into the corner of the ceiling talking to me—and Papa in heaven. She starts all her stories this way. A conversation with us both though I’m the only one in the kitchen to answer to her. Behind her tightly curled hair were eyes that shined— she’d been thinking. “Do you know, my girl, how to catch a fly?” She turned from the ceiling and stared down at me. I shook my head “no” towards the tiny woman who was barely bigger than me. She dried her hands on her apron that was tied twice around her waist. “Tut, tut,” she sighed. “Can you believe it, my love? The girl doesn’t know.” “My love” was Papa. I imagined him there too. Sliding up behind her to make a cup of black coffee. Always black as though the tar tasted better that way. My nose would wrinkle at the bitter smells as the coffee brewed on the counter and Papa would smile into his old tin mug before taking a sip. “He should have taught her by now,” Baba waved her hands as though explaining to Papa that my Dad had made a mistake. “There are skills little girls should learn—ways they can help around the house. Life isn’t all about eating pancakes, is it?” She grabbed a wooden spoon from her bucket on the counter and dove it into the mixing bowl to spin the

batter ‘round the edges. “No Baba. Life’s not just about pancakes. I can help with the dishes and I can dry them and help put them away.” I pointed to the sink where bubbles could be seen rising over the edge and rolled up my sleeves to jump in. “Later. Later.” She waved off the sink full of soapy spoons and forks. “First, my girl, how do you catch a fly?” I looked around the room for a net or a bucket—anything to help catch a fly. “I’d use a jam jar.” I lifted a jar from the drying mat and showed her how I would use the bottle and cap to sweep it through the air before snapping it shut on an imaginary fly. “No, my girl, how do you catch a fly with these?” She wiggled her fingers in the air and the orange sun swam along her skin only to be caught by the lashes of her eyes. Bruno, the good dog, lifted his shaggy, skinny body from the woven carpet in front of the sink and moved to the corner of the kitchen where Baba’s feet wouldn’t stamp on him by mistake. I folded one hand over the other into the shape of a ball and Baba shook her head. I went to the table and cupped my hand over the wood and pointed to the little opening I’d make for the fly to hide inside. Again, she shook her head no. I chewed on my lip and scrunched my brows trying to solve her puzzle. I think Papa was laughing now. Laughing at me and Baba chasing imaginary flies around the room. He’d lean in to the corner of the counter, wrap his arms around his chest, and laugh deeply. All while struggling to take sips of his black tar. “Baba, do you really know how to catch a fly?”

Fly, digital illustration, boy Roland

“Oh yes,” she said. “My Baba and her Baba and all the Babas in our family have been great fly catchers.” “Then how do you catch a fly?” I pleaded with my voice and my eyes and my brows still scrunched tightly. “Well, my girl, if you are quiet and if you are patient then when the little fly lands on the counter in front of you all you must do is open the palm of your hand and scoop the air above the fly and the little fly will zip right into your fingers. Just like so,” Baba smoothly swung her bare palm an inch above the counter and curled her fingers quickly. “My girl, you can do great things if you try.” Smiling, I swung my own fingers through the air just above the counter and made a pocket with my hand. “Baba, I’ll practice! Every time a little fly is near me!” “And will you teach your Dad how to catch flies? I think he’s forgotten.” She glanced out the window with a smile. “You know, I used to

teach him how to catch flies when he was a little boy.” “I will! And we’ll catch all the flies in your house! Every one!” Baba held the old dish rag to her lips to cover her laugh. She pointed out the window. “Go look, my girl!” Outside I saw my Dad with sweat running down his faded t-shirt. He put his axe down on the ground next to the wood piles and began swinging his arms from left to right. He jumped and spun, moving his body quickly through the yard. Around him were ten or twenty or maybe even thirty flies that zipped in and around his body, drawn to him from the smell of his sweat. “Look at him go, my love!” Baba laughed in delight to Papa by her side. I ran to the metal screen door and threw it wide open and laughed along with Baba and Papa. There was my Dad all covered in flies with the sun setting on the trees above. I’d have to be a good fly-catcher for them both. “Hey Dad!” I called, “don’t you know how to catch a fly?”

The Walleye

Kim Churchill Live at Crocks

Photo by Sarah McPherson

TheEye

8282 The The Walleye Walleye

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