Shelter House kicks off $ drive

Shelter House has a lofty fundraising goal this Christmas season. Manager Cal Rankin says they are looking to raise 150 thousand dollars in the community and are hoping they can reach some new donors this year.  He says no donation is too small. The money raised is a critical part of the homeless shelter's yearly operations.

Open house makes its mark

New design proposals for the main streets in Thunder Bay are now public. They were presented at a City open house. Scott Garner of the local office of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind came to see if his groups ideas were included in the consultants plan, as did Gloria Cyr from the Heritage Committee. City council will get to see the final report in the new year which will present guidelines on how make the city's main drags look nicer through tree planting and landscaping

Wood Supply is not the reason for struggles at Global Sticks

The Forestry Minister says a wood supply is not to blame for the problems at Global Sticks.  Michael Gravelle says his ministry has worked tirelessly to find the company a proper wood supply and has in fact identified over 30 options for the struggling company.  Gravelle says there is no question the company is having problems but nothing more could have been done at providing a wood supply.

Northern teens drink and smoke more

Northern Ontario teens are doing more drugs and drinking more alcohol than their colleagues in the south. That's the findings of a new provincial survey.  Patty Hajdu of the District Health Unit says the good news is that drug use in general is going down, except for cannabis

Chamber prez touts zero per cent

The president of the Chamber of Commerce wants the city to look at other ways of raising money for road repairs. Harold Wilson questions why taxes have to go up 1 and a half per cent in order to make it happen.  He suggests that other areas be found to fund those projects including internal savings.  Wilson says Chamber members would be willing to work with the city to help find those savings.

Party planned for Prince Arthur's Landing

The City wants to celebrate the opening of the new look waterfront at Prince Arthur's Landing. Events Supervisor Doug Henry says they plan to hold a big bash next month.   He says on the evening of December the 16th there'll be  events and ceremonies to mark the occasion.   Henry says the evening will end with a fireworks display.

Allstate Canada rates T. Bay sixth

Thunder Bay ranks sixth on a list of the safest places to drive in Ontario.  The study that was carried out from 2009 until this year was conducted by Allstate Canada.  Thunder Bay has a collision frequency rate of 3.66 per 100 cars on the road.

Ring of Fire Conference on this week

The Ring of Fire continues to be a hot topic for First Nation Communities.  The Centre for First Nations Governance is holding a two day conference in Thunder Bay this week and Spokesperson Len Hartley says they hope to foster good discussions.  The aim of the conference is to develop a better working relationship between Government and First Nations.

Clean, Green and Beautiful

City Council celebrated some of the best and brightest buildings in the city last night. The New Mary J L Black Library earned a Diamond Award, with Gold Awards going to Isabella Retirement Living and the McIntyre Building at Confederation college. The committee chose the the buildings that best enrich the life of the community through art beautification, heritage and environmental greening.