Hello Neighbours!
Mark your calendars for Neighbour Day, on Saturday, September 20, 2025!
Neighbour Day is a chance to come together, connect, and celebrate the incredible people and places that make our neighbourhoods so special.
It’s all about building strong relationships, creating welcoming spaces, and showing that Thunder Bay is a city with a giant heart!
Whether you’re planning something big or small, there are so many fun ways to get involved and make your community shine.
Here are some great ideas to celebrate Neighbour Day:
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Book the Community Clean-Up Trailer and spruce up your street
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Host a Patio Concert and showcase local talent
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Organize a Neighbourhood Yard Sale to meet and mingle
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Create a Chalk Mural on your sidewalk
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Plan a Neighbourhood Potluck or BBQ
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Start a Mini Book Library or Seed Swap Station
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Set up a Front Yard Movie Night or game night
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Coordinate a Plant or Craft Exchange
Whatever you plan, big or small, it all adds up to a stronger, more connected Thunder Bay.
Let’s celebrate our vibrant and diverse neighbourhoods together this Neighbour Day!
Let us help promote your Neighbour Day activities!
Email us with your plans, ideas, or any questions!
Stay up-to-date & follow us on Facebook & Instagram.
Neighbourhood Walking Tour App |
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Does the Tourism Thunder Bay have the perfect Neighbour Day activity for you! Their brand new Tour App has a number of neighbourhood walking tours! Download and discover the most incredible things to see and experience in Thunder Bay through detailed tours with turn-by-turn directions, local attractions, and event information all from your hand held device. The Thunder Bay Tour app is available in the Apple iTunes App Store and Google Play Store: Thunder Bay Tours
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Neighbour Day Ideas |
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New City, New Streets |
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After amalgamation in 1970, the newly formed City of Thunder Bay found themselves with a problem other amalgamated municipalities have faced: multiple streets with the same or similar name. One street name in particular that held great prominence in both Fort William and Port Arthur was Arthur Street. As with many street names in Fort William, Arthur Street was associated with the Vickers family, named after son Arthur Algoma Vickers. Residents of Toronto, John Joseph (J. J.) Vickers, and his wife Catherine, were frequent visitors to Fort William and held close friendships with prominent Fort William families. Recognizing the region’s great opportunity after his first visit in 1859, Vickers began investing locally both in mining and real estate. The Vickers Park property, bordered by Arthur Street to the north, was gifted to the Town of Fort William in 1902 by Catherine Vickers in memory of her husband. Arthur Vickers himself did become a resident of Fort William, arriving in 1903, he handled the sales of family lands. In contrast, Arthur Street in Port Arthur was named in 1871 when the community was first surveyed as Prince Arthur’s Landing. Both the community and the street were named in honour of H.R.H. Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught. In 1977 the street was re-named Red River Road, commemorating the route to the Red River Settlement. Another set of streets sharing the same name was McIntyre Street. The Port Arthur street, named after railway executive Duncan McIntyre, retained its name after amalgamation. The Fort William streets’ namesake was John McIntyre, Clerk in Charge, and later Factor, of Hudson Bay Company’s Fort William Fur Trade Post. Upon his retirement in 1877, McIntyre remained a prominent member of the growing community along the Kaministiquia River. In 1971, McIntyre Street in Fort William’s East End, was renamed McNaughton Street after long-time city clerk Alexander McNaughton. McNaughton began his role in 1900 prior to Fort William’s incorporation as a city. He remained city clerk until 1945. Certain duplicated street names had straightforward solutions. John Street in Fort William, named after Fort William’s first Mayor, John McKellar, was simply renamed McKellar Street. These are just a few examples of Thunder Bay street name changes post-amalgamation, there are certainly many others! If you would like to learn more, contact the City of Thunder Bay Archives, archives@thunderbay.ca. Source: The Street Names of Thunder Bay by Diane Grant |
Neighbourhoods Past and Present
Neighbour Day 2024 |
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Community Yard Sale & BBQ Toonie Swim IMPROVATHON! Northern Nature Trading Plein Air Painting: Gold Domed Church in Westfort BARBIE-que Movie Night in the Park – Barbie Edition French Language Café & Badge-Making Activity Thunder Bay Art Gallery Thunder Bay Museum |
Neighbour Day 2023 |
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Neighbour Day Scavenger Hunt Gallery Neighbour Day (Thunder Bay Art Gallery)
Neighbour Day Drag Queen Story Time (Thunder Bay Waverly Library, 285 Red River Rd) |
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