Shopping Local Enriches Us All Chamber of Commerce launches 2021 #ChooseTBayFirst campaign

Thunder Bay: November 2, 2021 - Today the Thunder Bay of Commerce officially kicks off their 2021 #ChooseTBayFirst campaign which runs until January 14, 2022. The campaign is designed to bring awareness to the importance of shopping local and how every local purchase impacts our community.

Today is the release of the third in a series of videos that will be rolling out weekly right through the holiday shopping season.

Each week the campaign will tell a different story. Some will feature individual businesses and will explore the way their customers’ money flows through them to their employees, to other local businesses, and to the charities, sports teams and other local organizations that help make Thunder Bay a more vibrant place for all of us to live. Others will focus on the experiences customers have with businesses in Thunder Bay’s neighbourhoods. The videos feature testimonials from customers and employees of local businesses and aim to educate consumers about the ways money spent locally returns to us through a stronger, healthier community.

“We’ve been talking for years about the “money-back guarantee” that’s part of every local purchase you make,” said Charla Robinson, President of the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce. “This campaign has given us the opportunity to get out into the community and have people tell us in their own words what that means.” “While exploring the way Thunder Bay’s businesses connect with our community, we’ve been given daily reminders of the kindness, generosity and community spirit of people in Thunder Bay,” Robinson said. “In a lot of ways, working on this project has been an antidote to the disconnect many of us have been feeling as a result of COVID policies, and we hope that the stories we tell over the next several weeks will inspire people to visit our local retailers and have these uplifting experiences for themselves.”

This week’s video features a tour around Westfort with Aaron Gillingham from The Sal and can be viewed on Facebook or Instagram @ChooseTBayFirst or at www.choosetbayfirst.ca.

The campaign has been produced in partnership by a team of Chamber Members; videography and editing are supplied by

Sociable Thunder Bay, additional videography and photography by Epica Pictures, social media coordination by Konnect, and campaign management and advertising by Beanstalk Consulting, with a number of other Members providing additional services.

Beginning November 15, the campaign will also include four weeks of contests on Facebook and Instagram to help spread awareness and encourage community participation by supporting local businesses. Contest information will be available at www.choosetbayfirst.ca at that time.