Sandals visits Dryden talks health

The Parliamentary Assistant for the Ministry of Health believes Local Health Integration Networks are benefiting Ontarians.  MPP Liz Sandals was in Dryden recently for a round-table discussion on improving the Health Care system in Northern Ontario.  A final list of recommendations is expected to be presented to the Governing Liberals early this Summer.

Rickford vows to continue work with Treaty 3

The Parliamentary Assistant for the Indian and Northern Affairs Ministry is touting his Governments relationship with First Nations.  Grand Council Treaty 3 Chief Diane Kelly says the Harper government gives little hope to aboriginal youth in Northwestern Ontario.  Greg Rickford says they've donE numerous things to improve their quality of life.

Aboriginal Culture Centre talks continue

Thunder Bay City Council is getting an update on the Aboriginal Cultural Centre Monday night.  The project has been in the works for two years.  The facility would include tourism initiatives and also a healing area for the region's first nations.

Fire Chief's daughter in traffic accident

One city official is thankful there are no serious injuries to report from a morning traffic accident.   A 2 car mishap at the intersection of Balsam and the Thunder Bay Expressway hit home for Fire Chief John Hay.  His 21 year old daughter was involved in that accident that took place around 10 o'clock.   Hay says it was his daughter who called him to say she was okay.  Another person was taken to hospital for observation.

FedNor bill passes 2nd reading

Liberal MP Anthony Rota is continuing his push for a permanent FedNor agency for Northern Ontario.  His Private Members Bill has passed second reading in the House of Commons by a vote of 149-134.  Rota says by becoming an Agency, all FedNor decisions must go before Parliament and not just one individual. Rota calls FedNor a pork barrel for the Industry Minister.  Rota is upset that FedNor Minister Tony Clement and Kenora MP Greg Rickford voted against Bill C-309.

Can you live on 35 dollars a week?

12 Kenora residents will live off 35 dollars for the next 5 days. The Making Kenora Home committee wants to make local residents aware of how hard it is to live on Social Assistance. Chair of Communications committee, Dan Jorgensen says they want the challenge to be as realistic as possible. Kenora Rainy River MPP Howard Hampton is taking part; the Program officially ends on the 16th.

Thunder Bay police have busy morning

Thunder Bay police dealt with a potentially serious situation this morning. Officers were called to a disturbance on the North side just after 3:30 this morning and when they arrived found the door open and could hear some noise. Once inside they discovered a man armed with a knife standing over a woman. Police subdued the man and arrested him.  About an hour later a man was assaulted on North May street by his brother in law. The victim was sent to the hospital after suffering a broken shoulder and a 20 year old man was arrested and charged with assault.

Hobbs talking Waterfront on Facebook

What would you do about the Waterfront if you were the Mayor?  That's the question being posed on Keith Hobbs' Facebook page.  Hobbs posted the question yesterday and so far has 99 responses.  To read Hobbs' post click here.

Heney touts benefits of ship purchases

An announcement that the Canadian Wheat Board is purchasing new ships is good news for Thunder Bay. That's according to Port Authority CEO Tim Heney. He says given that the life of the lakers is about 45 years, it's a sign that there is confidence in the seaway system which we are a part of.   He says it's a major investment and adds this is the first vessel purchase for the Wheat Board.

McGuinty to visit next week

Premier Dalton McGuinty is coming to Thunder Bay.   Chamber of Commerce President Harold Wilson says the premier will be speaking at a luncheon at the Italian Hall Thursday. It will be McGuinty's first visit to the city this election year.

Rafferty motion aims to boost firefighter funding

Thunder Bay Rainy River MP John Rafferty says he wants to protect volunteer fire departments.  Rafferty introduced a motion in the House of Commons this week calling on the Federal Government to work with the province and municipal governments to ensure they are properly funded.  The NDP member says the motion stems from several constituents who raised the issue to him over the years.

Traffic stop leads to Oxy bust

OPP believe they may have stopped another shipment of Oxycontin headed for northern First Nations.   They say a highway traffic stop near Raith netted a quantity of Oxy's they say could fetch up to 45 thousand dollars in some northern areas.  Two Sioux Lookout residents are charged.

Dugmore says micro-managing may be tough

The waterfront manager says she has no problem working with the City Manager on the project.  The mayor has told Tim Commisso to micro-manage the development.    But waterfront boss Katherine Dugmore suggests that could be challenging.  She says that would come down to doing her job and she doesn't believe that was the intent.  Dugmore says in spite of the 8.6 million dollar cost overrun she would not do things differently.       

   
   
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Fort William signs Solar Park deal

Sky Power has signed a deal with Fort William First Nation to create a 10 megawatt solar park.  100 jobs will be created from the construction.  The park will be located on the south bank of the Kam River.  Chief Peter Collins says power generated will be used locally through the area power grid.  Construction will start this summer.

Thunder Bay's Future is Now

Mayor Keith Hobbs gave his first State of the City address and points to economic growth, community safety and building partnerships as priorities.  Hobbs says he wants to build the city's population base to 150 thousand people to help increase the tax base and make balancing the budget easier.  Hobbs says people in Thunder Bay can't afford any more increases in their property taxes.  He says one possible way to keep taxes down and tackle the rising infrastructure deficit could be to use the city's reserve funds to cover some of the infrastructure needs.  Hobbs also says developing a community policing plan would go a long way towards making the city's streets safer.  Another important issue according to the Mayor is the importance of building relationships with our neighbours especially the First Nations.  Hobbs says Thunder Bay could one day become a First Nations Community and we need to work together to ensure a prosperous future.

Cat scratch fever in the ER

Two men had to spend the night in jail after they refused to leave the ER at the Health Sciences Centre.  Police say earlier in the evening they had been drinking and thought it would be interesting to introduce their two pet cats.  That turned into a fight between the two felines which resulted in each man getting clawed up on their face and hands.  At the hospital police say they became unruly and one of them even had a fight with security.

Police look for missing boy

Thunder Bay police are once again looking for a missing teen.  15 year old Jordon Wabasse was last seen in the Victoriaville area Monday.  He is described as 6 foot one and around 200 pounds.

Council runs up budget tab

Thunder Bay City Council ran up a 242 thousand dollar tab at Wednesday night's budget meeting.  Councillors reviewed the capital and operating budgets and added items to it.  An extra 160-thousand dollars for Roads in the Shuniah area was tagged on.  65-thousand goes to the Children Aid Society and 17 thousand for the Minnesota and Kushnier rinks.  The tax rate as it stands now is at 1.27 percent.

Fee increases in 2011 budget

It's going to cost slightly more money to take part in activities at the Canada Games Complex.  Administration is recommending a variety of increases in the 2011 budget.  Adult midday yearly memberships will cost 19 dollars more than in 2010.  Meanwhile, the increases will also impact taking your trash to the dump.  Vehicles weighing in will now pay a 20 dollar land fill fee. Finally, Golf membership fees are slated to go up by 3 percent meaning adults will pay almost 593 dollars a year.  Green fees will cost an extra dollar at Chapples and 2 dollars at Strathcona.

Taxes less than first thought

Thunder Bay taxpayers will be getting a bit of a break in their property taxes. Last week's budget figures were tweaked to include the education tax and administration is now recommending a 1.13 percent increase. Homeowners will pay an extra 28 dollars on their total tax bill. With council adding another 242 thousand dollars to the budget on Wednesday night the tax rate stands at 1.27 percent.

Council fosters would be NHL'ers

Councillor Rebecca Johnson is legislatively being checked against the boards. Council decided Wednesday night to add boards and lights to two neighbourhood outdoor rinks.  Johnson says it's money that doesn't need to be spent.  The 14 thousand dollars for Minnesota Park and John Kusznier Memorial Park will be included in the 2011 budget.   Mayor Keith Hobbs calls it money well spent that will improve the quality of life for Thunder Bay's youth. 

　

Trail lights would cost 500K

The costing report is in.  It would cost the City of Thunder Bay 500-thousand dollars to install lights and cameras to the "Black Path."  It's an extra 5-thousand dollars a year to light it.  Administration would also like to take some time to see how much it would be to install solar or LED lights.  The report comes from a petition asking for the path to be lit as a way to make it safer.

Hobbs compares waterfront to The Money Pit

Mayor Keith Hobbs says he is not pleased that the waterfront project is 8.6 million dollars overbudget. He says that it reminds him of the movie The Money Pit.  He says he's not about to start second guessing the old city council and just wants to see the project move forward.  As a result, Hobbs says he's asked City Manager Tim Commisso to micro-manage the project. The mayor says he's not about to start firing people.

Woman hurt in Westfort stabbing

City police are investigating a stabbing on the city's south side. They say that a 58 year old woman was stabbed in the leg with a knife. The incident took place at an apartment in Westfort at around noon Wednesday. A 61 year old man is in custody.

Local broker gives thumbs up to merger

An investment expert in Thunder Bay says the announced merger of the Toronto and London stock exchanges is far from a done deal. ScotiaMcLeod's Blake Cameron says an official review is still possible by the federal industry department.  However Cameron says if it does go through, businesses in the region will benefit in the long run

Government provides funding for business

Thunder Bay has three more local businesses thanks to funding from the Provincial Government.  They include a small scale farm, a marketing company and a cleaning service.  Six full time jobs and part time jobs were created.

Commisso takes the blame

Tim Commisso says he takes full responsibility. The waterfront project has come in 8.6 million dollars over budget so far. The city manager says the 17 per cent increase is the result of a complex project and says the buck stops with him.  The city's share of the the overrun is about 4 million dollars. It will be taken from Phase 2 of the project. The rest will come from stimulus cash.  As well Commisso says he will become more involved in the project from now on.   Katherine Dugmore will retain her full responsibility as project manager.

Waterfront project 17% over budget

The city's waterfront development is 8.6 million dollars over budget. That's a 17 per cent increase from what was originally approved by city council. The city's share of the the overrun is about 4 million dollars. The rest will be covered through Infrastructure Stimulus money and from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund

Budget talks continue

City councillors get back to some serious budget issues tonight. Included in tonight's agenda are financial decisions regarding fees at the city run golf courses, the games complex, animal services and child care.

Home safe and sound

A missing 17 year old girl is safe and sound. Leah Ooshag had been missing since last Wednesday but returned to her home just after 9:30 this morning.   Police say she was staying at a friends house for the last week.

Council needs to keep low income residents in mind

Not everyone wants money from Thunder Bay City Council. Two groups who attended the budget consultation session Tuesday night urged council to consider low income residents. A recent widow told of how her rent is going up because of the proposed increases to water rates and property taxes. Sandra Taggart says she's not looking for sympathy, just empathy from council. Poverty Free Thunder Bay says the 2011 budget could have positive impacts on low income residents but the city needs to remove barriers that might hinder residents from benefiting from city initiatives and services.

Council hears requests for cash

A variety of community groups are looking for money from Thunder Bay City Council.  The Children's Aid Society is asking for 65-thousand dollars.  Thunder Bay's Community Foundation wants council to create a 100-thousand dollars endowment fund.  Councillor Iain Angus suggested the city would consider providing the money in 2012. The Community Foundation provides grants to other community groups.

Child care subject of forum

The Ontario Federation of Labour brings its lobbying efforts to Thunder Bay Wednesday evening. President Syd Ryan says the Federation's Better Child Care Coalition is trying to get Ontario's finance minister to inject 100 million dollars into such programs.  Wednesday's forum takes place at the West Thunder Community Centre from 5:30 until 8. 

Airbag injury sends man to hospital

One person is feeling the bruises of an air bag injury as the result of a traffic accident.  It took place at the corner of Mcdonald and Christie just before 2 on Tuesday afternoon. Police say it involved two half ton trucks.   One of the drivers was hurt after the truck's airbag went off.   Police say he was unconscious when they arrived.  Police say the other driver has been charged with a turning infraction.

Fire in Conmee destroys home

No one is hurt following a fire in Conmee Township this afternoon.   The volunteer fire department was called just before 1 o'clock to a house fire at 468 Mokomon Road.   A Township official says the blaze completely destroyed the residence.   The cause isn't known. 

A heat wave is coming our way..lol

The work week will be cold, but this weekend looks like its going to be a nice one. Our Meteorologist Bill Laidlaw says by the weekend the temperatures will be hovering around the freezing point with cloudy skies and some scattered flurries. Laidlaw says unfortunately with the warmth you can expect a mess on the roads.

City finally reaches deal with firefighters

The city has finally reached a new contract with its firefighters.  After over 7 years an agreement has been reached through arbitration.  The new contract gives firefighters an average wage increase of just under 4 percent per year from 2004 to 2010.

More street addicts showing desperation

The use of mouthwash and hand sanitizing liquid by street addicts is going up in Thunder Bay. Deputy Police Chief J-P Levesque says beat officers are telling him it's becoming a major concern and they see it quite often.  He says they are seeing a lot of these items being shoplifted and getting that under control is a challenge.  Levesque says there needs to be a way to handle these people away from the criminal justice system.

Fraud artists captured near Marathon

Three Southern Ontario men will be appearing in court in Thunder Bay facing fraud charges after a recent routine traffic stop near Marathon.  OPP pulled over the vehicle for speeding on the Trans Canada and after a search of the vehicle credit card fraud materials were found.  A fourth man is facing drug charges.

Council approves drug study

Thunder Bay City council is committing to a substance abuse study.  Council voted unanimously to provide 30 thousand dollars for the study that will look at possible solutions to the drugs and alcohol problems plaguing the city.  The District Social Services Administration Board is also providing 30 thousand dollars.

Man flys to Thunder Bay with fireworks

An Ottawa man recently flew to Thunder Bay and claims airport security missed something. Mark Bennett says he flew here over a week ago via Toronto and security overlooked some fireworks in his carry on bag. He says it included a Roman eight-ball candle, Roman 10-ball candle, a big pack of extra-large sparklers and an airbomb. He says he didn't notice them until he was ready to fly back to Ottawa. Bennett is concerned about lax security. The government agency responsible for security had no comment.

Military may sack Mubarak says prof

Lakehead University's Laure Paquette says we may be days away from a change in government in Egypt. The political expert says if Hosni Mubarak doesn't step down willingly he may be forced to do so by someone with a rank. Paquette says to watch for the protests and violence to spread to more cities.

NAN looks at drug strategy

The Nishnawbe Aski Nation is looking at creating a drug strategy of it's own. Grand Chief Stan Beardy says NAN leaders are concerned about the abuse of prescription drugs in their communities.  Beardy's hoping they can somehow connect with the city of Thunder Bay's proposed strategy

Walk takes in 38K

The annual Walk for Memories by the Thunder Bay Alzheimers Society took in a sizeable amount on the weekend.  The Intercity Mall event raised almost 38 thousand dollars with more expected to roll in later in the month.

Hillier hints at sweetheart hydro deal

The Opposition at Queens Park are hinting at a possible sweetheart deal for Cliff's Natural Resources. The mining company says high energy prices may force them to build a chromite smelter outside the province.   Conservative Northern Affairs critic Randy Hillier says it's  unacceptable for a government to indicate that they may set one hydro price for one company while other companies are suffering

50 year old woman dies in Dryden fire

One person is reported dead in an apartment fire in Dryden. Fire crews were called around 5 o'clock Sunday morning.  They forced their way into the complex and found an unconscious woman.Teams searched all 10-apartments and moved everyone from the building to a local Hotel.  Some were treated for smoke inhalation. The cause of that fire isn't known.  The Dryden Police and the Ontario Fire Marshal's office are investigating.  

NDP Leader condemns HST in Thunder Bay

The Leader of the Provincial NDP is taking another shot at the HST. Andrea Horwath was in Thunder Bay today and says scrapping the HST on home heating bills would benefit people in the Northwest. She says the McGuinty government is out of touch with Northerners. She says the HST is costing people in the Northwest 50-60 dollars each month in extra heating costs and with living expenses already higher than other parts of the province, people are suffering.

Busy week for police

The last half of the week was busy for police. On Thursday they arrested two men after a man was pulled into a north side apartment, assaulted and robbed. Police say the incident was drug related and have issued a warrant for a woman who was involved as well.

Saturday morning a man was assaulted at a North Cumberland Street hotel. Police arrested two men and a woman in connection.

Two men were arrested after a failed robbery attempt on the city’s south side Saturday night. According to police, two men assaulted a man after demanding he hand over money and a cell phone. A bystander intervened and the two men were arrested after police arrived.

Bystander stops robbery

A failed robbery attempt has resulted in two arrests. Police say a man was assaulted after leaving a south side ATM by two men who wanted money and a cell phone. According to police, a bystander came to the mans assistance after seeing him on the ground being kicked by the two other men. The police were eventually called to the scene by another person. Upon arriving, the police arrested the two suspects.

Mayors talk Northern Growth Plan

Municipal leaders from Northern Ontario's largest cities want the province to get the ball rolling on the Northern Growth Plan.

Thunder Bay Mayor Keith Hobbs attended a meeting of the Northern Ontario Large Urban Mayors and Chief Administrative Officers last week where the plan was the topic of discussion.

The leaders say they're looking forward to what the plan may offer the region but are concerned about how long it's taking to get it in place.

The mayors also added the plan should ideally include new sources of funding to help spur growth.

The group is looking  to meet with Northern Development Minister Michael Gravelle and Infrastructure Minister Bob Chiarelli to discuss the plan.