To North Bay With Love

In this episode of To North Bay With Love, we talk with Justin Robinson, founder of Honeycomb Promotions, about how he's breathing new life into North Bay’s underground music scene. From booking huge guests within the metal community and also giving a place for local bands to thrive. We dive into his journey as a musician and how he turned into a music promoter and the long running history of Nort...

In this episode, we sit down with Allister Thompson—musician, publisher, editor, and the author of Birch and Jay—a novel set 100 years in the future after climate collapse has reshaped the world. We talk about the power of climate fiction, the gritty realities of getting published in Canada, and how Northern Ontario continues to influence his work. Whether you’re a writer, reader, or just curious...

In this inspiring episode of To North Bay With Love, we sit down with Jack Lockhart, an accomplished artist, and educator. Jack reflects on his creative journey, his belief that everyone can be an artist, and why art is a lifelong pursuit—not a profession. Whether you're a painter, a dreamer, or someone who hasn’t picked up a brush since kindergarten, this episode will change how you think about c...

Elisa Butoyi’s journey is nothing short of inspiring. Born in Rwanda, he came to Canada as a refugee, facing the challenges of starting over in a new country. Now, he’s a community leader in North Bay, working to build connections, empower others, and break down barriers. In this episode of To North Bay With Love, Elisa shares: ✅ His journey from Rwanda to Canada – The struggles, triumphs, and ev...

❄️ Ice fishing, first-time experiences & a deep dive into Indian culture – all from an ice hut on Lake Nipissing!  In this episode of To North Bay With Love, Lisa takes us inside an ice fishing hut for an unforgettable conversation with Uphar, who is experiencing ice fishing for the first time! 🏕️🎣 🌍 What’s in this episode? ✔️ First-time ice fishing on Lake Nipissing – The struggle is real w...

 This week we went on a roadtrip to Clayverly’s Pottery Studio to chat with the owner Zoe Caverly about all things pottery! Lisa takes a crack at some basic pottery  skills and Zoe takes us through the pottery process from a lump of clay to a beautiful piece of art. Check out Clayverly’s here: https://www.clayverlys.com/   For exclusive North Bay updates and insights, subscribe to our newsletter E...

This past weekend was the 2025 Home and Garden Expo and Echo was there all weekend. On Saturday Lisa chatted with attendees at the show to talk all things North Bay! She also met a couple of furry friends and checked out the Pet Expo that was also being held including some fun agility courses for dogs to try out! For exclusive North Bay updates and insights, subscribe to our newsletter Echo Essent...

Planet Youth is an initiative that originated in Iceland and has become a world wide movement including here in North Bay. Their mission is to reduce substance abuse in youths and Alyssa Bedard and Julie Cull join the show from Planet Youth Nipissing. Julie and Alyssa talk about the causes of youth substance abuse and how they are trying to help to reduce the number of cases in our community. Redu...

Buster’s Page got its start back in late 2013 by Tracey Truchon after using social media to try to find her missing dog Buster. It then blossomed into a passion project to find lost pets and reunite them with their owners Tracey is also joined by Tracy Richardson-Sloan who also helps out with Buster’s page and together with Lisa they share their story and how they are making a huge impact on our c...

Jocelyn Bell spent 25 years as a teacher at Widdifield and she joins the show to reminisce on what made the school and the art program so special.  She talks about her personal theater journey and shares her perspective on the importance of summer programs for teenagers. Jocelyn's journey 3:00 Widdifield 10:30 Dreamcoat involvement  17:05 Importance of summer programs 26:30 For exclusive North Bay...

Imagine riding a horse at the speed of a car in front of hundreds of people while also deftly turning to complete a pre set course. That’s exactly what our guest Diana Manella does for fun and she is in to talk about barrel racing and her experiences alongside her horse Rain.  Diana chats about her passion of horses and barrel racing as well as her journey to be an entrepreneur opening up her busi...

Brenda Soucy is the lady you will see when you go to the farmer’s market to buy her homemade soups under her business name EuroClaire French Fusion. Before she sold soups she worked for Bombardier and traveled the world including trips to the UK and to Morocco. She shares her story of her adventures moving across Canada and eventually settling into North Bay and how her soup business started. Bren...

Geoff Richardson and his wife Tracy Richardson-Sloan have been silently doing work in our community in a number of different organizations including the Santa Fund.  They chat with Lisa about their community impact, Tracy’s crazy costume collection and Sal makes a surprise appearance after her debut last week on the podcast. Santa Fund 2:48 The DIA 15:30 Tracy’s costume collection 22:00  For exclu...

 Lisa has told many stories about her mom Sal on the podcast and she finally agreed to come on to the podcast to share some of her life story. She talks about how she ended up in North Bay thanks to a premonition and shares some of her favourite spots in the city. Sal’s journey to North Bay 2:08 Learning new things in North Bay 8:32 Sal’s crazy journey abroad 20:17 For exclusive North Bay updates...

As 2025 approaches Yvonne Morin recently self published her new book “Jay Saves the Bay” as a tribute to North Bay for it’s 100th anniversary. Yvonne wanted to create a fun children’s book that is an ode to the city and all proceeds go right to the North Bay Public Library Challenges of self publishing 2:40 North Bay staples featured in the book 8:32 A look into the illustrations 20:30   For exclu...

Kevin Hoffman for decades has been quietly creating art both professionally and personally and he joins Lisa to talk about his time in the art world. He also spent time in a touring band after falling in love with the guitar and has been featured in a number of movies that were shot in North Bay! Kevin’s art journey 2:15 His Father’s influence 14:56 Favourite art form 23:29   For exclusive North B...

Brian Overholt, teacher at St Joseph Scollard Hall, made his dream come true by creating the only high school marching band in North Bay. He joins Lisa alongside his student and marching band member Natalia Boss. They talk about how the marching band started and how they have brought it on the road to places like Toronto and even all the way to Disney World! How did the marching band start? 2:15 T...

Allison the Bookman has been a North Bay staple for over 50 years. Lisa went on the road to the downtown store to chat with Annette who inherited the store and has been keeping the legacy alive and well. The store isn’t just a place to buy books but also has a rich history which is displayed throughout and Annette takes us through some of her favourite memories and stories!   On the road to Alliso...

To North Bay With Love is now available on video! You can find the video version on the North Bay Echo YouTube Channel or on NorthBayEcho.ca North Bay’s 100th year is less than a month away and the city has been busy putting together festivities to celebrate the major milestone. Jeff Fournier, the Heritage Committee Chair, joins Lisa to talk about what is in store for this coming year and he goes...

Sweetman’s Garden has been a hot topic lately not just on the Echo network but also in our community. For the past 2 weeks it has been the main topic of Echo Essentials based on the recent controversy surrounding the garden. Liza Vandermeer and Carol Hansman make their second appearance on the podcast as they talk about the community impact of the garden and why it is so important to so many peopl...

It is officially Christmas season as Remembrance Day passes and we start to see Santa making the rounds. That means it’s the perfect time to check out the Outdoor Winter Market that has been happening on Saturday nights at the Museum downtown!  Lisa went down this past Saturday and chatted with different vendors and people to see how this collaboration The Artisan’s Way and Tourism North Bay has b...

This year marks the 100th year of the RCAF and the 22 Wing Band is celebrating with a special concert. Chip Kean, longtime member of the ba nd and 40 year Veteran of the RCAF, joins the show to talk about his time in the military (including being stationed in Germany) and the relationship between music and military.   Chip talks about the upcoming 22 Wing show 2:00 Chip’s background in the militar...

The crew goes on the road to the Humane Society to chat with Shelter Manager Janet Bredin. Janet talks about her passion for pets, the work the Humane Society does and their foster to adopt program. Back in the studio Lisa and Ben talk about the adventure of putting on your winter tires and Lisa tells a story of her cat Winston.   Changing to your winter tires is an adventure sometimes 2:00 Winsto...

On this episode Producer Ben put together a surprise to celebrate 100 episodes of this podcast by quizzing Lisa on her North Bay knowledge. The game is split into 3 categories: History, Entertainment and Sports with each correct answer being worth 1 point. Let us know how well you did by messaging us on social media!   Question 1-4 2:00 Questions 5 - 9 15:00 Questions 10-14 27:00 Lisa’s final scor...

In today's To North Bay With Love podcast, host Lisa Boivin recounts her time in theatre, including a trip to the emergency room and then back on stage with a little help from duct tape. Johanna McPherson, President of the Gateway Theatre Guild, is today’s guest as they talk about the upcoming season and this week's production, Misery, directed by Maureen Cassidy, runs Wednesday through Saturday e...