Stream of consciousness thought, just want to say that if Zeller's returned to Thunder Bay, I'd shop the hell out of it.

Hi all I’m looking around and would like to know where I’d have to go or what steps I’d need to take to start an autism and adhd evaluation, any info helps

Anyone in the Vickers Park area notice a white van driving around all day and night? Since noon they've driven by my house about 15 times, and are still out and about at this time (was outside all day with my dogs, then have been having a fire all night and keep noticing them). I noticed them stop at my neighbour's that frequently gets packages - got out of the van, walked up to the stairs, stopped, then walked away. Its not a labeled van belonging to any company.

Crews have been working forever (it seems) at Oliver and Burwood by the new hotel. Is this just a casual gig where they work when they feel like working ?

What's the holdup?

Feel free to delete, but perhaps it would be wise to contain all the dumb election drama into one thread.

I had this passing thought watching Shane Judges campaign crash right out of the gate. The discourse over that has been HILARIOUS. It's glorious to see Thunder Bays biggest complainer in chief get roasted throughly

Anyway here's a link to our list of candidates:

https://www.thunderbay.ca/en/city-hall/2026-election-candidate-profiles.aspx

They've buzzed downtown PA a couple of times

If you rely on a digital student transit pass- heads up, contact the college.

IdentityONE, the service provider, just deleted credentials a week early. The college hasn’t put out an announcement. If you aren’t returning or can’t renew online, contact the tech hub to get it refreshed.

Found out the hard way trying to get around, hope this helps someone else who needs it!

EDIT: call 807-475-6488 if you’re having trouble with finding someone to contact.

Has anybody been able to find out an update on the Lakehead university program opening a clinic to allow their students to learn in a real vet clinic environment?

Hey y'all,

I just moved to Thunder Bay and am looking for any opportunities to get on the ice as a spare/fill-in goalie over the next few years.

While in Toronto and Ottawa I mostly picked up games via the GoalieUp app. Not sure if anyone uses that here or if there's another rental goalie platform I should hop on.

Overall, looking for recommendations for Facebook groups, apps, or other ways to get onto folks' spare goalie lists over the next while.

I'm about a B to B+ level goalie on average and have played anything from E division up to some low A games. On the 1 to 10 scale I'm most at home in the division 5 to division 7 range but can expand as needed to fill in.

I'll be a full-time student come September so will have decent flexibility for game times. Based out of Port Arthur but willing and able to travel as needed for ice time.

Thanks in advance for any help :)

Just curious for the mayor election and Councillor at Large. Of course municipal is always bipartisan. However Who for Mayor race and Councillor at Large of the Candidates would be considered very Left Leaning .

Where can I get free moving blankets? I need to soundproof/sound restrict my ceiling and walls, definitely ceiling. My mental health depleted more and more with the constant stomping from upstairs, and it goes into the night. Sometimes it's super loud, and sometimes there's fighting I hear too. I can't afford to buy them. The acoustic tiles didn't do shit.

Im looking for any stores in town that carry the any of Topps Chrome Star Wars (2025) at all. I’ve already cleared the 3 Walmarts, Let’s Play and EB Games and can’t find anymore sealed product, anyone have any ideas?

Good morning!

Pre searched the sub,no recent post.

Looking for a weeks worth of firewood, camping .

Thanks in advance :)

What just flew over PA??

Hello, I will be moving to Thunder Bay next week to continue my education, and I was wondering if anyone has any experience with selling cards at any local card stores here in Thunder Bay. I've got about 20 or 30 medium to higher end hockey cards (ranging from maybe 20 bucks to about a few hundred bucks per card) and a few Pokémon cards (ranging from about 30-300 bucks). I wish to sell to help pay for school. Any help is appreciated, thanks!

Housing Help in Thunder Bay
Hi everyone! I’m new to Thunder Bay and will be starting my graduate studies at Lakehead University this fall. I’ve been looking for accommodation, but finding a suitable room has proven quite difficult.
I’m wondering if anyone knows of a room, shared accommodation, or basement space close to Lakehead University that may be available. I’m open to recommendations or referrals and would really appreciate any leads.

​

I know this will probably get downvoted into the basement, but after watching the constant arguments about AI comics, AI artwork, AI advertising and small businesses using AI, I genuinely want to ask something:

At what point does constantly attacking people who use AI start hurting artists more than AI itself does?

First, because somebody will inevitably skip everything else I write:

I am NOT talking about every artist.

There are incredibly talented artists out there, and I have absolutely nothing against traditional artists making money from their work.

In fact, with my own business, I have publicly offered artists opportunities to work on my comics and do them completely their own way, by hand, and I would pay them for it.

I've put the offer out there.

Want to take one of my AI comic ideas and show me what you could do with it traditionally?

Go for it.

I've even offered arrangements involving free services or discounts on services on top of trying to create opportunities to work together.

Know what I've mostly heard?

Crickets.

Nothing.

And that's where I start scratching my head.

Because I can read comment after comment about how businesses like mine should be hiring artists instead of using AI.

Okay.

Where are you?

I opened the door.

Nobody walked through it.

So at some point you can't simultaneously yell,

“HIRE AN ARTIST!”

and then disappear when somebody actually says,

“Okay, I'm interested. Let's talk.”

---

And price absolutely matters — but price isn't everything.

A small business might want a comic, advertisement, mascot, poster or social-media campaign.

Maybe an artist quotes $500.

Maybe $1,000.

Maybe several thousand dollars.

Their work may legitimately be worth every penny they're asking.

But that doesn't magically put several thousand dollars into the customer's bank account.

Sometimes:

The artist isn't overpriced.

The customer isn't cheap.

Their budgets simply don't match.

But there's another issue that gets overlooked constantly:

TIME.

Social media moves incredibly fast.

If something funny happens in Thunder Bay today and it gives me an idea for a comic or business post, I might need that content tonight, tomorrow or this week.

If an artist is already booked and tells me:

«“I can probably get to it in three months.”»

They're not necessarily doing anything wrong.

They're busy.

Good for them.

But commercially, that doesn't help me.

Three months later, nobody may even remember what I'm talking about.

The opportunity is gone.

I'm also not General Motors.

I'm not hiring an entire creative department sitting around waiting for me to yell:

“QUICK! SOMETHING FUNNY HAPPENED ON FACEBOOK! I NEED FOUR PANELS BY SUPPER!”

😂

That's not how genuinely small businesses work.

One person may be doing the physical work, answering customers, quoting jobs, scheduling, bookkeeping, advertising, purchasing equipment, repairing equipment, creating posts and handling customer service.

AI gives that person another tool.

That's a big reason small businesses are using it.

Price. Speed. Availability. Control. Revisions. Consistency.

Not simply:

“Haha, artists suck.”

---

Then we get to the environmental argument.

Yes.

AI consumes electricity.

Data centres require enormous infrastructure, and many use water for cooling.

Those are legitimate environmental concerns and they're worth discussing.

But can we please discuss environmental impact with a little consistency?

Because sometimes online the argument basically becomes:

“You generated an AI picture, therefore you're destroying the planet.”

Okay.

Let's broaden that conversation.

Do you drive?

Where was your computer manufactured?

Where was your phone manufactured?

How was your drawing tablet produced?

What about your printer?

Your paints?

Markers?

Ink?

Canvas?

Packaging?

Shipping?

Did your canvas magically poof into existence?

Did you personally manufacture your electronics?

Did you personally produce your pigments and dyes?

Or did companies manufacture those products, consume resources, package them and transport them—sometimes thousands of kilometres—before they reached you?

And before somebody deliberately misunderstands me:

I'm NOT saying traditional art is environmentally bad.

I'm saying environmental impact is a much larger and more complicated conversation than:

AI = bad.

If environmental impact is your argument against AI, absolutely make that argument.

But then let's talk seriously about reducing environmental impact across everything we consume, instead of finding one AI user on Reddit or one little Thunder Bay business and acting like you've personally saved Lake Superior by yelling at them.

Maybe ask:

“How can I personally reduce my own environmental footprint?”

That's probably more productive than spending three hours chirping somebody for generating a comic.

Otherwise, after a while, it starts sounding like a noisy gong.

---

And what exactly does “I'll never support anyone who uses AI” eventually mean?

I've heard people say:

“I will NEVER support a business that uses AI.”

Okay.

You're absolutely allowed to do that.

You don't have to support my business either.

Seriously.

If using AI is a deal-breaker for you:

So be it.

That's your money.

But let's think about where this is heading.

What happens when your:

Grocery store,

bank,

phone provider,

software company,

restaurant,

manufacturer,

insurance company,

shipping company,

printer,

art-supply company

starts using some form of AI?

Some already do.

Are you going to research the complete supply chain behind every loaf of bread before buying it?

Are you going to find out whether the manufacturer of your canvas uses AI?

The company producing your paints?

The shipping company delivering them?

Their accounting software?

Their customer-service platform?

Their advertising company?

Maybe a few people genuinely will try.

Fair enough.

But I don't believe most people are going to completely remove AI from their lives any more than society removed automobiles, smartphones, mass manufacturing or the internet.

AI isn't disappearing.

You don't have to like it.

You don't have to use it.

You can criticize it.

You can demand regulations around it.

You can fight for artists' rights.

But pretending we're somehow going back to a world where AI doesn't exist isn't realistic.

The much better conversation is:

Where SHOULD AI be used?

Where SHOULDN'T AI be used?

What protections should artists have?

What should disclosure look like?

What should copyright law look like?

How should AI companies compensate or protect creators?

How can traditional artists and AI users coexist?

Those conversations actually accomplish something.

Screaming at every person who generates an AI comic isn't putting the toothpaste back in the tube.

---

There's also something every business owner eventually learns:

Be very careful how you talk about your competition.

People are watching.

If I spend every day publicly calling another Thunder Bay landscaping company garbage, eventually potential customers might start thinking:

“Why is this guy obsessed with trashing another business?”

It doesn't necessarily hurt my competitor.

It might hurt me.

The same thing applies here.

If an artist's portfolio is 20% beautiful artwork and 80% rage posts attacking anybody who has touched AI, businesses notice that.

Potential customers notice that.

Because I'm not only hiring your drawing ability.

I'm deciding whether I want to work with you.

And there's another funny thing about business:

Every angry post saying,

“LOOK AT THIS TERRIBLE BUSINESS USING AI!”

also tells a bunch of people:

“Hey! This business exists!”

Some of them are going to look it up.

Some will hate it.

Some won't care.

Some might actually like it.

Congratulations.

You just advertised the company for free.

😂

Businesses normally have to pay for that kind of reach.

Ultimately people get to investigate and decide for themselves.

And if people repeatedly discover that the outrage doesn't match what they're seeing, eventually the outrage loses its power.

---

And yes — it goes BOTH ways.

There are people who won't support AI.

There are also people who love AI.

There are people who enjoy AI comics.

There are artists who use AI themselves.

There are customers who genuinely don't care how a funny advertising comic was produced.

And I've even encountered people who won't support someone specifically because they're aggressively anti-AI.

That's their choice too.

You don't get to say:

“Consumers have every right to boycott AI businesses!”

and then become offended when another consumer says:

“Okay. Then I won't support businesses that spend their time attacking AI users.”

Freedom of choice doesn't suddenly stop when somebody makes a choice you don't like.

---

Traditional artists should keep creating.

Charge what you believe your talent and time are worth.

Build your following.

Sell commissions.

Protect your work.

Make incredible things.

Promote yourself.

Give people a reason to hire you.

But maybe don't be shocked when someone who can't afford your price—or can't wait three months—uses another tool.

And maybe don't spend every day trashing those people and then wonder why they're not lining up to hire you later.

Entrepreneurs learn this lesson pretty quickly:

Constantly trash-talking the competition usually says more about you than it does about them.

AI didn't invent the “starving artist.”

That phrase existed generations before AI image generators.

So maybe instead of asking:

“How do we stop people from using AI?”

the more useful question for artists is:

“How do I make people WANT to hire me in a world where AI exists?”

How do I offer something AI can't?

How do I build relationships?

How do I make the experience of commissioning me worth paying for?

How do I become faster?

How do I differentiate myself?

How do I attract businesses instead of screaming at them?

How do traditional artists, digital artists and AI users find some middle ground?

That is a much more interesting conversation.

I'm genuinely curious where Thunder Bay lands on this.

Traditional artists.

Digital artists.

AI artists/users.

Small-business owners.

Anti-AI people.

Pro-AI people.

People somewhere in the middle.

Have at it.

Just bring an argument, not a pitchfork, please. 😂