Plane accident near Marathon

One person is reported to be suffering only minor injuries after OPP say a small plane crashed outside of Marathon today. A report says the plane had just taken off from the Marathon Airport when the incident took place. Police say it forced the closure of Highway 17 for a couple of hours.

Landmark ruling on residential schools

Two First Nation schools in the Nishnawbe Aski Nation are now on a formal list of residential schools which makes former students eligible for government compensation. NAN Deputy Grand Chief Mike Metatawabin says it opens the door to more such claims and will have ramifications across the country.  Metatawabin calls it a landmark ruling.

Youth Council talks safety

A member of the Multicultural Youth Council is recommending a city wide curfew.  Spokesperson Martin Zhang  says secretly teens know it's for their own good.  The youth council feels more needs to be done to help keep the city's at risk teens safe.  Meanwhile, another member is starting an after school program for aboriginal boarding students who will be attending school in the city.  Members are also displeased with having their centre located next to a bar.  They feel it sets a bad example for their patrons.

Mayor heads to AMO on Monday

Thunder Bay has a number of meetings set up with ministers at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference.  City Manager Tim Commisso says they'll be speaking with nine different ministers.  The City will continue to push for Aboriginal Affairs to set up a regional office in Thunder Bay.  Mayor Keith Hobbs will attend as will Councillors Joe Virdiramo, Ken Boshcoff, and Iain Angus.

One beach open, one still closed

Good news for people who want to cool off this weekend.  The Health Unit has lifted the swimming bans at Boulevard Lake's main beach. Chippewa Park's main beach is still closed.

Local mental health expert lauds Rypien family

The untimely death of Rick Rypien of the NHL's Winnipeg Jets is creating a lot of talk about depression after it was revealed he struggled with it for a decade. Nancy Black of the Smith Clinic in Thunder Bay says it may help others to realize they aren't alone. She believes it's very courageous for the Rypien family to come forward and to make Rick's issues public.

The Environment is still important to people in Thunder Bay

A new study says the environment isn't as big of an issue in Canada as it used to be.  The consumer study saw 49 percent of people say the environment was very important down 11 percent from 2008, but EcoSuperior's Ellen Mortfield says Thunder Bay isn't following that trend.  She says 11 thousand people in Thunder Bay took part in EcoSuperior's Spring Up to Clean Up Program. Mortfield says she thinks the decline in interest has more to do with a lack of commitment from the Federal Government.

Planning for retirement isn't as easy as it used to be

Relying solely on a pension plan for your retirement isn't the way to go anymore.  That's the opinion of investment expert Blake Cameron who says the baby boomer generation retiring will put a strain on pension plans and already Stats Canada predicts there will be only 3 workers for every retiree by 2030.

Afghan war vets honoured

The Royal Canadian Legion is giving something back to Afghan war veterans in Thunder Bay Friday. Branch 5 president Rob Cutbush says they're holding an event at their Van Norman Street hall to welcome home the troops.

Tornado ranked as a zero

Environment Canada has released more details on Tuesday's tornado that touched down. Spokesperson Geoff Coulson says the tornado tracked roughly 80-kilometres from Oxdrift, north of the Dryden Airport and northeast between Lac Seul and Sioux Lookout. Coulson says the tornado is being rated as a zero event, which is the weakest on the tornado ranking scale. Coulson notes the time it took for the tornado to blow through was unusually long, but notes the exact length isn't known at this time.

Goodbye to US fire crews

More out-of-province fire crews are heading home today.  Fire crews from Minnesota and Michigan are being released from the fire lines, as the situation continues to ease in northwestern Ontario.  There are now just 81 forest fires burning across the region.

Winnipeg man found dead

The body of a missing 28 year old Winnipeg man has been found in Shoal Lake. Lucas Janz was last seen swimming on Sunday and failed to return to the camp he was staying at. OPP say Janz's body was found not far from the camp on Galt Island. A post mortem exam is taking place in Kenora today.

Syrian people are still on their own

Western Powers are following the US and are calling on Syrian President Bashar Assad to resign.  Lakehead University Political Science Expert Laure Paquette says this is likely as far as they will go unfortunately.  Paquette says despite the calls, she doesn't think Assad will step down.

Get ready for traffic woes on Golf Links Road

Get ready for a mess when you head down Golf Links Road.  Thunder Bay Hydro will be taking up a lane starting Monday to move power lines to make way for a widening of the road. Crews will take up the right lane from Fanshaw to the Harbour Expressway and the work is expected to take a month. 

Police lay charges after vehicle fires

A pair of teenagers are facing charges after 5 cars were burned to the ground.  Thunder Bay Police arrested the two yesterday morning after fires near two homes on Carl Avenue just after 3 o'clock.  The two boys are aged 17 and 18 years old.