Belongs to Northwestern Ontario. Journalist @ Ricochet Media. Regional director @ CAJ. Past words & baritone for Canadaland, CBC, TVO.https://bsky.app/profile/jonthompson.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/jonthompson.bsky.social/post/3mufjgcdkqs22Thunder Bay Police Service Board has named educator Christy Radbourne as its executive director.31 Aug 2026 18:19 +0000at://did:plc:wt4im2v63yrefso2m54gvnv5/app.bsky.feed.post/3mufjgcdkqs22https://bsky.app/profile/jonthompson.bsky.social/post/3muf3bp4eic2mThe Sun’s Monday column is on how Trump renaming Lake Ontario is basically the same as how things are being renamed in Indigenous languages, and where’s the outrage for that? https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/where-was-outrage-canadians-renamed-history Never mind equating reconciliation with invasion threats,“Ontario” is an Indigenous name.31 Aug 2026 14:06 +0000at://did:plc:wt4im2v63yrefso2m54gvnv5/app.bsky.feed.post/3muf3bp4eic2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/jonthompson.bsky.social/post/3mtz33jwc222zMatawa council is calling on the federal and provincial governments to address the state of emergency Neskantaga First Nation declared on Aug.4. I filed this story from Neskantaga for @ricochetmedia.bsky.social on Aug.10. https://ricochet.media/indigenous/repeated-evacuations-strain-mental-health-in-northern-ontario/26 Aug 2026 19:31 +0000at://did:plc:wt4im2v63yrefso2m54gvnv5/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtz33jwc222zhttps://bsky.app/profile/jonthompson.bsky.social/post/3mtume3aqls2aAmong things that are not a “road to the Ring of Fire,” repaving existing road infrastructure in Aroland First Nation.25 Aug 2026 00:56 +0000at://did:plc:wt4im2v63yrefso2m54gvnv5/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtume3aqls2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/jonthompson.bsky.social/post/3mtjhstxfik2xDo you find people are unable to restrain themselves from emptying their wallets and handing the contents to you? Do strangers feel compelled to pay you even after short exchanges? Do others often say of you,”I can’t believe how much I want to give that person all of my money?” Come work with us. [contains quote post or other embedded content]20 Aug 2026 14:36 +0000at://did:plc:wt4im2v63yrefso2m54gvnv5/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtjhstxfik2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/jonthompson.bsky.social/post/3mtk4wefgvc2nIn only two days, a fascinating 6,400 people have signed a petition calling for limits on the number of traditional media stories allowed to feature one individual. https://www.change.org/p/proposal-for-arday-s-law-a-limit-to-articles-published-on-one-person-within-a-timeframe?recruiter=652774601&recruited_by_id=f4cb0590-c2f9-11e6-82a7-479f1ef5a01b&utm_source=share_petition&utm_campaign=psf_promote_or_share&utm_term=psf_promote_or_share&utm_medium=twitter&share_id=9QJTTpMNwF20 Aug 2026 20:54 +0000at://did:plc:wt4im2v63yrefso2m54gvnv5/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtk4wefgvc2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/jonthompson.bsky.social/post/3mtjyyuyodk2rI see media's running Neskantaga First Nation's second evacuation of the summer. For those who want to read more, I flew to Neskantaga so @ricochetmedia.bsky.social could bring you this story: https://ricochet.media/indigenous/repeated-evacuations-strain-mental-health-in-northern-ontario/ Note for editors: it's free to republish under Local Journalism Initiative.20 Aug 2026 19:43 +0000at://did:plc:wt4im2v63yrefso2m54gvnv5/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtjyyuyodk2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/jonthompson.bsky.social/post/3mtjmed7rrk2mIf you haven't checked in with Emo, ON Mayor Harold McQuaker's efforts not to recognize Pride Month, the latest is how he admitted to the integrity commissioner that he pocketed the proceeds of online fundraisers collected for his cause. McQuaker is currently running unopposed for a new term in 202620 Aug 2026 15:57 +0000at://did:plc:wt4im2v63yrefso2m54gvnv5/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtjmed7rrk2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/jonthompson.bsky.social/post/3mtjja275nc2dOn the lighter side, @ricochetmedia.bsky.social is proud to present Lakehead University's own Todd Dufresne telling Adrian Harewood about the end of enlightenment philosophy and the urgent need for climate revolution. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=090SfK6y9e420 Aug 2026 15:01 +0000at://did:plc:wt4im2v63yrefso2m54gvnv5/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtjja275nc2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/jonthompson.bsky.social/post/3mtjhstxfik2xDo you find people are unable to restrain themselves from emptying their wallets and handing the contents to you? Do strangers feel compelled to pay you even after short exchanges? Do others often say of you,”I can’t believe how much I want to give that person all of my money?” Come work with us. [contains quote post or other embedded content]20 Aug 2026 14:36 +0000at://did:plc:wt4im2v63yrefso2m54gvnv5/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtjhstxfik2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/jonthompson.bsky.social/post/3mthx5c6lxc2fThe late Barbara Kentner’s home of Wabigoon Lake First Nation is calling her killer, Brayden Bushby’s, parole only two years into his eight-year sentence a “message that Indigenous lives are treated as expendable.“20 Aug 2026 00:05 +0000at://did:plc:wt4im2v63yrefso2m54gvnv5/app.bsky.feed.post/3mthx5c6lxc2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/jonthompson.bsky.social/post/3mthrab7z3s2tCome out with Ricochet Media at 7 p.m. to a Reddit AMA with Jeremy Appel about how Postmedia (owned by a Trump-aligned U.S. hedge fund) has amplified conservative grievance politics — creating fertile soil for MAGA-style ideas, and Alberta separation. https://www.reddit.com/r/RicochetMedia/19 Aug 2026 22:19 +0000at://did:plc:wt4im2v63yrefso2m54gvnv5/app.bsky.feed.post/3mthrab7z3s2thttps://bsky.app/profile/jonthompson.bsky.social/post/3mteyvg6inc2qNishnawbe Aski Nation calls the Parole Board of Canada’s decision to grant Brayden Bushby full parole, “devastating.” Bushby struck Barbara Kentner with a trailer hitch he threw from a moving car in 2017. She later died from her injuries. Parole board said he showed no remorse.18 Aug 2026 19:58 +0000at://did:plc:wt4im2v63yrefso2m54gvnv5/app.bsky.feed.post/3mteyvg6inc2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/jonthompson.bsky.social/post/3mt7avb5vls2mReturning to Cushing Lake, north of Lac Des Mille Lacs, after the fires.16 Aug 2026 13:05 +0000at://did:plc:wt4im2v63yrefso2m54gvnv5/app.bsky.feed.post/3mt7avb5vls2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/jonthompson.bsky.social/post/3msysr5qk2k2b“Thunder Bay” was just the answer of a daily double on Jeopardy! Ontario city with stormy name. Slogan “Superior By Nature.” Guy didn’t get it. He guessed Toronto.13 Aug 2026 23:37 +0000at://did:plc:wt4im2v63yrefso2m54gvnv5/app.bsky.feed.post/3msysr5qk2k2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/jonthompson.bsky.social/post/3msyi27j6q22sA notice from Grassy Narrows band office says water has been restored but air remains in the system. Leadership expects to welcome members home from Winnipeg on Saturday. [contains quote post or other embedded content]13 Aug 2026 20:25 +0000at://did:plc:wt4im2v63yrefso2m54gvnv5/app.bsky.feed.post/3msyi27j6q22shttps://bsky.app/profile/jonthompson.bsky.social/post/3msvyzb3cr22xGrassy Narrows First Nation has declared a state of emergency and the community is under evacuation over water.12 Aug 2026 20:50 +0000at://did:plc:wt4im2v63yrefso2m54gvnv5/app.bsky.feed.post/3msvyzb3cr22xhttps://bsky.app/profile/jonthompson.bsky.social/post/3msvq6y6ajc2xGrassy Narrows First Nation has declared a state of emergency and the community is under evacuation over water.12 Aug 2026 18:13 +0000at://did:plc:wt4im2v63yrefso2m54gvnv5/app.bsky.feed.post/3msvq6y6ajc2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/jonthompson.bsky.social/post/3mstz35dink2yAre we noticing how liberals have started using "those who present simple solutions to complex problems" as polite longhand to mean "fascists?12 Aug 2026 01:46 +0000at://did:plc:wt4im2v63yrefso2m54gvnv5/app.bsky.feed.post/3mstz35dink2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/jonthompson.bsky.social/post/3msstk6rqxc22Friends of the Attawapiskat River has applied for a judicial review in an effort to stop construction on the Webequie Supply Road, which would connect the First Nation to proposed mine sites in the Ring of Fire deposit. https://www.timminstoday.com/local-news/first-nations-group-wants-court-to-overturn-ring-of-fire-road-approval-1264866211 Aug 2026 14:35 +0000at://did:plc:wt4im2v63yrefso2m54gvnv5/app.bsky.feed.post/3msstk6rqxc22https://bsky.app/profile/jonthompson.bsky.social/post/3msrbv3tlps2mI’m back from Neskantaga First Nation, whose eerie emptiness echoes the mental struggle of both those left behind and those who have spent their summer in Toronto hotels, especially among young people. [contains quote post or other embedded content]10 Aug 2026 23:46 +0000at://did:plc:wt4im2v63yrefso2m54gvnv5/app.bsky.feed.post/3msrbv3tlps2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/jonthompson.bsky.social/post/3msqtqoviys2eRepeated evacuations are beginning to take a mental health toll on the members of Neskantaga First Nation. It’s the silence that’s deafening. https://ricochet.media/indigenous/repeated-evacuations-strain-mental-health-in-northern-ontario/10 Aug 2026 19:33 +0000at://did:plc:wt4im2v63yrefso2m54gvnv5/app.bsky.feed.post/3msqtqoviys2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/jonthompson.bsky.social/post/3msqpcbpkfs2x“It’s rough out there right now. Bigots on one side of the political aisle and too many cowards on the other."- Ken Jennings [contains quote post or other embedded content]10 Aug 2026 18:13 +0000at://did:plc:wt4im2v63yrefso2m54gvnv5/app.bsky.feed.post/3msqpcbpkfs2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/jonthompson.bsky.social/post/3mshawigyxs2sThe latest from Gull Bay: fires are 20kms north and 28kms west from KZA First Nation. Today’s message from chief & council says anyone remaining or blowing blockades does so at their own risk. For more on those who are violating mandatory evacuation orders: https://ricochet.media/indigenous/running-the-blockade-evacuation-orders-challenged-in-northern-first-nations/07 Aug 2026 00:02 +0000at://did:plc:wt4im2v63yrefso2m54gvnv5/app.bsky.feed.post/3mshawigyxs2shttps://bsky.app/profile/jonthompson.bsky.social/post/3msehtiijgs2cThe thing that has been coming is here. https://www.thetrillium.ca/news/politics/ford-government-staging-official-announcements-without-inviting-reporters-12631960?utm_source=Villager&utm_campaign=Content&utm_medium=Twitter05 Aug 2026 21:28 +0000at://did:plc:wt4im2v63yrefso2m54gvnv5/app.bsky.feed.post/3msehtiijgs2chttps://bsky.app/profile/jonthompson.bsky.social/post/3msbrrqb5a22oBREAKING: Only five days after being repatriated from a forest fire evacuation, Neskantaga First Nation is flying out again, this time due to a contractor causing a sewage backup in the health centre basement. https://ricochet.media/indigenous/from-wildfire-to-sewage-crisis-neskantagas-nightmare-isnt-over/ Just as summer festival was to begin...04 Aug 2026 19:48 +0000at://did:plc:wt4im2v63yrefso2m54gvnv5/app.bsky.feed.post/3msbrrqb5a22ohttps://bsky.app/profile/jonthompson.bsky.social/post/3msbay6v2c22oJust a reminder that absolutely no one cares if you're working with your community partners. Even if your local media doesn't find it categorically disqualifying when you say that, zero readers/listeners/viewers will remember you or what you do if you pretend working with community partners is news.04 Aug 2026 14:47 +0000at://did:plc:wt4im2v63yrefso2m54gvnv5/app.bsky.feed.post/3msbay6v2c22o