Man Charged With Aggravated Assault After Cumberland Street North Stabbing
Thunder Bay police say an injured man was taken to hospital and a suspect was arrested nearby
THUNDER BAY — A 31-year-old man faces five charges after police responded to a reported stabbing in Thunder Bay’s downtown north core early Saturday, October 24, 2026.
Thunder Bay Police Service Primary Response officers were dispatched to an address on Cumberland Street North shortly before 1:45 a.m. following a report of an incident involving a weapon.
Officers found an adult man with injuries consistent with a stabbing. He was taken to hospital with injuries police described as serious but not life-threatening.
Police say evidence gathered during the investigation led officers to a suspect nearby. He was arrested and taken to hospital for injuries sustained before officers arrived. Police also reported that the suspect was uncooperative with hospital staff.
Images from the incident circulated on social media on Sunday.
Christopher Daniel Poulin, 31, is charged with:
- Aggravated assault;
- Mischief under $5,000; and
- Failure to comply with a probation order — three counts.
Poulin was remanded into custody following an initial court appearance, according to police.
The allegations have not been proven in court. Poulin is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
The charges cover different alleged offences under Canada’s Criminal Code. The following explanations describe the law and do not establish what happened in this case.
Aggravated assault: Section 268 applies when an assault wounds, maims, disfigures or endangers the life of another person. Injuries do not have to be life-threatening for the charge to apply, because wounding is also included in the legal definition. Aggravated assault is an indictable offence, prosecuted through the more serious criminal process, with a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison upon conviction.
Mischief under $5,000: Section 430 covers deliberately damaging property, making it unusable or interfering with its lawful use. This charge generally concerns property valued at $5,000 or less; the threshold refers to the property’s value, not simply the repair bill.
For this category of mischief, the Crown may proceed by indictment or by summary conviction, a procedure generally used for less serious offences. The maximum prison sentence is two years if prosecuted by indictment. Police have not identified the property involved or explained the alleged conduct behind the mischief charge.
Failure to comply with a probation order: Section 733.1 makes it an offence for someone bound by a probation order to fail or refuse to follow it without a reasonable excuse. Each count alleges a breach that the prosecution must prove. The release does not identify the conditions involved, and three counts do not necessarily mean there were three separate probation orders.
This offence can also proceed by indictment or summary conviction. If prosecuted by indictment, the maximum sentence is four years in prison for each count.
If the mischief or probation charges proceed by summary conviction, the general maximum for each offence is two years less a day in jail, a $5,000 fine, or both.
These are legal maximums, not predicted sentences. Any sentence would depend on the offences proven, the circumstances and the sentencing rules that apply. The maximums should not be added together as an expected outcome.
The investigation is listed under TBPS incident number TB26042826.
Summary: Thunder Bay police charged Christopher Daniel Poulin after a Cumberland Street North stabbing. Learn what the charges mean and the penalties upon conviction.
