Rooted in North Bay: The Garden Centre That’s Bloomed for 75 Years!
Published about 1 month ago • 4 min read
Rooted in North Bay: The Garden Centre That’s Bloomed for 75 Years
Echo Podcast Roundup
Growing and Nurturing Community
For over 75 years, Laporte’s Nursery & Greenhouses has helped North Bay grow — quite literally. In this episode, we sit down with Lori Laporte, third-generation owner, to talk about how her grandmother’s backyard garden turned into a local institution.
Constable Merv Shantz from the North Bay Police Service joins the show to talk about road safety: from cell phone tickets and speeding hotspots, to mobility scooters and modded bikes. This episode is a crash course in how traffic enforcement works, what’s legal (and what’s not), and how to keep yourself safer on the road.
This week Bill and Ben sit down with Stephen Scharper, University of Toronto professor, theologian, and author of The Green Bible, to explore the deep connections between faith, creation, climate change, and our moral responsibility to the planet.
West Ferris Secondary came out on top with a 2-1 victory over SJSH last week in NDA baseball. The Bears did defeat the Trojans in Sr. Boy's Soccer to move to the semi finals. Catch all the NDA sports action in the latest Echo Sportscast!
Non-unionized North Bay city employees will see a 16 per cent salary increase over the next four years.
City Council passed a salary bylaw during last Tuesday’s regular council meeting.
“Salary increases for non-union staff, we have a collective agreement for unionized employees, we have a salary bylaw that represents how non-unionized staff are compensated,” Deputy Mayor and Budget Chief Maggie Horsfield told The Nugget following the 90-minute meeting.
She said non-unionized employees will see a five per cent wage increase this year. In 2026 the wage increase will jump by four percent, 3.5 per cent in 2027 and 3.5 per cent in 2028.
These wage increases are exactly the same as the 16 per cent wage increase negotiated with the city’s unionized employees, and approved by the city council in March.
This agreement comes on the heels of council passing the 2025-2026 budget, which taxpayers saw a three per cent increase.
The City and the North Bay Police Service are preparing once again for another summer, dealing with homeless encampments within the city limits.
"Certainly, safety is number one, to make sure that the people there are getting services that they need," said Peter Chirico, North Bay's mayor. "Through the city, police services and our outreach program with True Self, we try to make sure that at least they're getting some sort of health service."
One homeless encampment that has grabbed the headlines over the past year includes a stretch of private property on Third Avenue East. Daryl Longworth, North Bay's police chief, says in that case last September, the encampment was broken up after the property owner evicted individuals on the property under the Trespass to Property Act.
Longworth says so far, the system has been working well from a police perspective. He believes the public is getting a better understanding of how to deal with encampments in city limits.
"I think they are, and I think it's incumbent on us to continue to educate the public and let them know the city has a step-by-step manual about how things are handled."
A few hundred French-speaking students from across Ontario were in West Nipissing for a three-day provincial chess tournament.
Students are battling on the board for the right to compete at the national competition this summer as they put their strategies to the test and try to out-manoeuvre their competition.
More than 325 Franco-Ontarian students from as far south as Hamilton and as far north as Kapuskasing are competing in this provincial competition. Tournament organizers from Conseil scolaire catholique Franco-Nord said they are seeing a revitalization of the classic board game.
“It’s a bit of a chess culture that’s happening in French Ontario,” said organizer Luc Larocque. “Many kids are getting into it. Especially with the new math programs in Ontario schools. They start learning in Grade 1, Grade 2.”
There are six match rounds taking place over the three-day competition.
It’s expected around 75 of the best competitors will qualify for the Canadian Youth Chess Championship in Surrey, B.C., which is set to run from July 8-11. Many of these students hope to make a move closer to becoming Canada’s next chess master.
The local Tim Hortons smile cookie campaign raised over $99,000 for the North Bay and District Humane Society.
Officials say the money raised will help vulnerable companion animals with vet care, medicine, adoptions, and more.
This is the second year the Humane Society has participated in the Smile Cookie campaign.
“Our community really rallied around us this year,” says Liam Cullin, Executive Director for the North Bay Humane Society. “Every cent raised through the Tims Smile Cookie campaign helps a vulnerable companion animal get a second chance at a better life and we could not be more grateful. Our local Tim Hortons were amazing in supporting and encouraging us to do great things during our second year of this incredible campaign.”
A new Smile Cookie record was reached across the country with $22.6 million raised for local charities and community groups.
What started as one student’s idea has become one of North Bay’s most powerful grassroot fundraisers! Echo Podcast Roundup How a Student Parade Became a North Bay Cancer-Fighting Tradition In this episode, Lisa sits down with West Ferris teacher Mark Robertson, grade 9 student Mallory and North Bay Regional Health Center Foundation CEO Tammy Morison to talk about how the Parade for Cancer started, what it funds and why it brings out the best in the community. Watch Now North Bay’s Housing...
Kindness Takes Over - How One Brave Hotel Worker Saved A Life Echo Podcast Roundup What a 10-Year-Old Can Teach Us About Being Good Humans Graham Shaver may only be 10 years old, but he’s already mastered something many adults still struggle with: kindness. As North Bay’s Kindness Ambassador, Graham has made it his mission to turn Kindness Week into Kindness Infinity. Watch Now Kindness Isn’t Soft — It’s Science! What if kindness wasn’t just a feel-good gesture—but a psychological superpower?...
Confirmed Case of Measles in North Bay for First Time Since 1995 Echo Podcast Roundup The Pro-Cathedral's Place in North Bay History Father Larry Rymes joined Lisa to talk about one of North Bay's most iconic buildings: The Pro-Cathedral of the Assumption. They talk about the recent renovations and who exactly can sit in the throne inside the Cathedral. Watch Now Understanding the Recent Measles Outbreak In this episode of Echo Essentials, Chris and Dave sit down with Dr. Carol Zimbalatti,...
