“I was looking at one of the first illustrations I ever did for The Walleye and I noticed the date on it: 2015. I realized, ‘Oh man, it’s going to be 10 years!’ That felt huge,” says Hotson. Wanting to commemorate this milestone, he first thought of an exhibition showcasing illustrations from throughout the years and then, discussing with the magazine’s staff, the idea for Field Notes for Translating Ghosts: A Decade of Quiet Conversations—a collection of illustrations he’s done for The Beat—was born.

The City of Thunder Bay Arts & Heritage Awards made their return last night onstage at Magnus Theatre, where nominees and the public were invited to honour the artistic talent, dedication, and achievements across artistic disciplines.

And it couldn’t be a more appropriate time to reflect. On October 16, 1985—40 years ago—the TBCA opened its doors, unlocking a world of potential for the region. To commemorate this milestone anniversary, the TBCA hosted a special event to launch their 40th season that paid homage to its roots.

The past four years of Ooky Spooky have left behind a trail of blood, slime, and a white substance not suitable to be named in this publication—all of it unhinged and unforgettable to those who were there to see it.

This year’s lineup features a variety of genres such as drama, comedy, documentary, horror, and thriller, with an emphasis on filmmakers from the region. “Our goal is to highlight local films and the local film industry, and we’ve been accomplishing that,” says Harpelle.

Described as Fargo meets Trailer Park Boys, this dark comedy follows Jason/Tumbleweed (Ben Albert), who dreams of becoming a famous rapper. But, he needs money to get to Sudbury to record his album. With the help of his girlfriend Tiffany (Shaundra Benincasa), they come up with a scheme to blackmail his estranged dad James (Greg Bishop) into giving them the money.

Director Laura-Lynn Petrick’s Lempo brings a chilling and intimate story to life on familiar northern waters. Childhood friends Shaun and Annie reconnect at neighbouring cabins, only to be forced to confront an ominous figure tied to Annie’s family history.

‘Tis the season for festivals, fun, and folk music, and Mt. Joy’s fourth LP, Hope We Have Fun, boasts 13 tracks that sound as good in headphones as they do on a festival stage.

Many of you may know Lights from her 2000s emo pop era; now, while we all may be ready to leave the extreme side bangs behind (if you know, you know), Lights’s new album A6 shows that she is ready to enter a new musical chapter.

The issue I’ve been stuck with, though, is wanting to move myself beyond just acceptance and be able to see the beauty in my body. Recently, I have discovered the most incredible, perspective-adjusting form of art that has led me on a path to appreciating myself through music and movement: burlesque.

It's a curtain call for the democracy Canadians built after the world wars. Politics is evolving from an arena where powerbrokers create consensus from disparate viewpoints into a zero-sum game where stakeholders choose loyalties, the victor divides the spoils, and the losers are annihilated. Our partisan choices are either a technocratic centre-right that thinks it knows better or a rules-weary right wing that feigns no moral pretense.

I was ready for the unexpected on my first day as an outreach worker at Elevate NWO. Elevate is a harm reduction organization responding to treatment and prevention of HIV and Hepatitis C in Thunder Bay and the wider region, but also finds itself responding to other emerging issues. In Thunder Bay, that often means advocating for our unhoused neighbours in the fight for housing, not tents.  

All this said, I was nevertheless surprised when all the talk of my first day was about birds!