More fire fighters on the way

Two days of showers has brought some relief to firefighters battling 110-wildfires across Northwestern Ontario. 100-new fire rangers from B.C. will be arriving Friday while 200-out of province staff will be released by the end of the week. Yesterday was the first day since June 10th that no new fires were reported.

New Hepatitis C Treatment

Northwestern Ontario Hepatitis C patients will soon be able to access a new treatment. Health Canada recently green lighted a new drug program.  It targets a specific type of Hepatitis C that's the hardest to treat.  The treatment will be available in Thunder Bay by the new year.

Kenora sues Province

The City of Kenora is talking legal action to get the provincial government  to help pay for much needed repairs to a couple of local bridges.  The price tag to fix up the Keewatin Channel and the Winnipeg River West Branch Bridges is into the millions. Kenora Mayor Dave Canfield says a lawsuit is one way of forcing the government's hand.  The bridges were downloaded onto the municipality 14 years ago, and Canfield suggests some of the problems predate the transfer.  He plans to bring the issue up as his number one priority at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario convention in London later this month.

Strike is on

Thunder Bay's 700 Bombardier Plant employees are walking the picket line. Company Spokesperson Marc Lefebvre says they were unable to reach a deal. Union Spokesperson Dominique Pasqualino is hoping for a very short strike.

Pukaskwa Park Bear may be dead

The Ministry of Natural Resources thinks it may have killed the bear that attacked a Pukaskwa Park visitor. The bear matches the physical and behavioural description provided by the victim.  Tests are being conducted to determine if the DNA of the killed bear match evidence collected from the scene.

Great Lakes getting warmer

The Great Lakes are getting warmer.  Over the past thirty years the water temperature has increased 1.5 degrees.  That's going to impact Lake Superior's fish population according to Dr. John Casselman.  Rock bass, and Sunfish will increase while Lake Trout populations will decline.  Casselman says all we can do to help our fish population is adapt to change.

Horwath makes mining and forestry promises

The NDP are promising to scrap the current wood allocation process in the north if they form the next government at Queen's Park.   In unveiling a part of it's northern election platform in Thunder Bay,  leader Andrea Horwath also says the NDP would force mining companies to process the minerals they mine in Ontario.

Bombardier contract talks continue

We are just hours away from a possible Bombardier Strike. A source tells our newsroom the company and the Canadian Auto Workers Union negotiated throughout the night and are continuing ahead of today's 4pm deadline. Company Spokesperson Marc Lefebvre says they're hoping for a resolution to be reached by this afternoon. The Union has said workers will strike if a deal is reached by then.

Firefighters hopeful for rain

Ministry of Natural Resources fire managers are nervous as a low pressure system treks across Northwestern Ontario. They are hoping for rain but may get more lightning as the storm passes over the region. Successful initial attacks by fire crews and aircraft have kept new fires small and easier to extinguish.  More than 2-thousand fire personnel and 100 aircraft continue to work on forest fires in the area.

Service cuts in Thunder Bay are not out of the question

Could Thunder Bay follow in Toronto's foot steps in cutting operating costs?  According to our mayor everything is on the table.  Mayor Keith Hobbs says he wants to make the city leaner and no option is out of the realm of possibility.  Hobbs says at this time he thinks cut backs to the public library system isn't an option. 

Time of Use Rates put off

Thunder Bay Hydro customers are getting a temporary reprieve from time of use rates. Spokesperson Tim Wilson says the new rates were to start in August, but will now be pushed off until October. Wilson says the billing program still has some bugs that need to be worked out.

Housing starts rise again

Housing starts in the city continue to rise.  Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation Analyst Warren Philp says there were 34 single detached starts last month up from 28 in July of last year.  So far there has been 99 single detached starts in 2011 down from last year's 101.  On the multi family side of things there has been 34 starts compared to last year's 8. 

PC Party Race in Kenora Rainy River

It looks like there will be a race for the Conservative nomination in the Kenora-Rainy River Riding. Louis Roussin has confirmed that his nomination papers have been accepted by the party. Roussin is a member of Kenora City Council and is the seat mate of the other candidate seeking the Conservative nomination, Rod McKay. Roussin is a former real estate agent in the City of Kenora. Still no word as to when a nomination meeting will be held.

Two people fall off Dryden Bridge

A case of a rescue attempt gone horribly wrong.  Dryden Police, paramedics and firefighters were called just before 10 o'clock last night after receiving a report that two people fell of the bridge platform at the Roy Wilson Suspension Bridge.  Police say an intoxicated woman fell into a fenced-in compound, 5-metres down from the bridge platform.  Her drunk friend tried to rescue her, but he ended up falling into the compound, badly breaking his leg. Personnel spent one hour cutting the fence, treating the victims and loading them up to the Ambulance. The woman suffered serious injuries. There is no word on if charges have been laid.

Gas Pipe leak

Union Gas has repaired a section of pipe that broke early Monday morning. Spokesperson Andrea Stass says they're looking into what happened.  Construction crews were working in the area when a two inch section of the pipe was damaged. Stass reminds residents to always call before you dig.

Horwath to make more promises

The province's NDP leader is going to make some election promises in the city Tuesday relating to forestry and mining. Andrea Horwath will announce her plan to protect jobs in those sectors in Northwestern Ontario.

Canoeist Safe

Red Lake OPP have been able to rescue an injured canoeist from Woodland Caribou Provincial Park. Police say the 51-year-old man from Florida severely injured his knee on the first day of his planned 15-day canoe trip. Officers received the call on Friday and it took 5-hours for Police to locate and rescue the man.  OPP say the tourist is in good condition.

Million Dollars to Play Program

The Provincial Government is pledging another million dollars to expand the Right to Play initiative in Northern Ontario.Minister of Aboriginal Affairs Chris Bentley says initially they are expanding the program.

Bentley says communities will have to apply for funding.

Electricity program expands

The Provincial Government has started to roll out its Northern Industrial Electricity Rate Program. The ILevel Timberstrand Mill in Kenora was the latest recipient of a two cent per kilowatt hour subsidy.  Minister of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry Michael Gravelle says the program is to help local mills remain competitive. The program was launched last September.

Time to vote for P-A Stadium

The push is on to make Port Arthur Stadium the favourite baseball park in Canada. City Tourism spokesperson John Cameron says the designation would just be another notch on our tourism belt on the heels of last year's World Baseball Championship. You can vote for Port Arthur Stadium by clicking on this link

Another drug bust in Thunder Bay

More illegal drugs have been taken off the streets of Thunder Bay.  Officers searched a house on Wentworth Crescent Friday and found around 9 thousand dollars worth of Cocaine and over 8 thousand dollars in cash.  A 32 year old woman was arrested and is facing charges.

Pukaskwa closes backcountry portion of park

Officials at Pukaskwa National Park have closed the entire back country portion of the park.  The move comes after last week's bear attack on a visitor.  Acting Park Manager Robin Heron says an investigation found no mistakes made by the visitor, making this a problem bear situation.

It's time to start thinking about locking in your mortgage

The US Debt rating drop could jack up interest rates.  That's the prediction from Thunder Bay Investment Expert Blake Cameron who says it could be a smart move to get locked in at a low interest rate on your mortgage. 
Cameron says in the short term expect more market volatility.

The Sheepdogs to play Thunder Bay

Organizers of the Superior Youth Festival must be living right because they've managed to snag an act that is currently one of the hottest in North America.   The Sheepdogs from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan are on the cover of  Rolling Stone magazine after they were chosen as the first winners of the annual "Do You Wanna Be A Rock & Roll Star" contest.   The band was booked for the August 24th event at Marina Park prior to the band receiving the accolades.

Man arrested for drugs after traffic stop

Dryden Police have laid 2-charges against a Quebec man after a traffic stop outside of Dryden.  Officers stopped the 19 year old man yesterday for speeding and found drugs.

Atikokan is trying to enhance reputation

Atikokan is challenging its residents to help build on its reputation as the Canoeing Capital of Canada.  Paula Sanders of the Atikokan Economic Development Corporation says funds will be provided for residents to come up with ideas. The contest ends August 31.

No let up in Forest Fire activity

Some rain is expected in Northwestern Ontario today, which could help reduce the number of new fires as well as dampen existing fires. Lightning strikes ignited about two dozen more fires in the region over the weekend, raising the total to almost 130. The Ministry of Natural Resources says smoky conditions continue to be a concern for communities in the far north. Smoke from Red Lake Fire 124 was expected to drift in the communities of Red Lake and Pikangikum..

Still waiting

Time is running out to work a deal between Bombardier Transportation in Thunder Bay and members of Canadian Auto Workers Local Union 1075. Local Union 1075 President Dominic Pasqualino says this is not an ideal time to deal with uncertainty. Pasqualino also says its frustrating because with a strike they would lose time and fail to deliver to customers on schedule. The deadline for a new settlement is Tuesday at 4 PM. The union would strike immediately if a deal couldn't be reached. Pasqualino says he hopes the two sides can meet somewhere in the middle.

Forest fires remain active

The forest fire situation continues to be very active both with existing fires and new ones being discovered. Currently there are 112 active fires in North Western Ontario burning close to 600,000 hectares in the province. About 2000 fire personnel and over 100 aircraft are engaged in fire suppression.

Not the ending they hoped for

It looks like the Chill have cooled off quickly. The Thunder Bay chill lost to the Kitsap Pumas 3-1 in the Premier Development League final four held at Bremerton Memorial Stadium; in Bremerton, Washington. The Chill could not contend with Kitsap's offensive firepower. The Pumas scored three clutch goals in the second half, two by Matt Friesen, to come back from their 0-1 halftime deficit. Thunder Bay’s Gustavo Oliveira scored the only goal for the Chill on a penalty kick in the first half. The Kitsap Pumas will be playing in it's first USL PDL Championship game Saturday night against the Laredo Heat.

Shaw to fight for Minneapolis TV

Shaw Cable says it supports the concerns of it's Thunder Bay subscribers who want to get back the Minneapolis TV stations. Spokesperson Greg Pultz says that's why they're applying to the Canadian Radio and Telecommunications Commission to get them back.   Pultz says the CRTC forced them to take the stations off in the first place.

Tory hopeful emerges in Kenora-RR

The manager of the Kenora Forest Products Mill in Kenora is looking at a shift in career to provincial politics. Rod McKay has indicated he plans to run for the Conservatives in the upcoming Provincial election. McKay says the decision by Howard Hampton not to run again, didn't really affect his decision. McKay is also a member of Kenora City council.

MNR flies band members over fire

It appears the concerns of Whitewater Lake First Nation residents may have been premature. Their Chief was complaining that they were ignored by the Ministry of Natural Resources during forest fire evacuations. However ministry staff flew some band members over the fire near their community and they were satisfied the MNR acted properly.

Communities in NWO get NOHF grants

Nine communities in Northwestern Ontario are sharing 5.4-million provincial dollars.  The Minister responsible for the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund, Michael Gravelle says these projects are deserving of the funding.The money will be used for projects ranging from a sawmill to a recreation centre

Williams returns to old position

It's deja vu all over again for Dr. David Williams.   He is returning to Thunder Bay to become the new Medical Officer of Health, a position he held for many years before heading to Toronto to take up a senior public health position there.   Dr. Williams will be joined by Dr. Janet DeMille who will be the Associate M-O-H.

Woman seriously injured in bear attack

A woman from Michigan is suffering serious wounds after being attacked by a bear in Pukaskwa National Park this morning. The woman was part of a group of boaters who stepped on shore, which is where the attack took place. Erin Vincent of the rescue centre in Trenton says it was park staff that handled the incident.  She says they took the patient to the hospital where she is recovering.

Heat, winds and lightning an MNR concern

Eight new forest fires in Northwestern Ontario are now under control according to the Ministry of Natural Resources. Spokesperson Art Osbourne says it's fortunate that those were the only new blazes reported and says wind and possible lightning could keep firefighters busy today.

Chill take on Kitsap Pumas in PDL Semi's

The Thunder Bay Chill will try to take another step towards a second PDL championship tonight when they take on the Kitsap Pumas. Head Coach Tony Colistro says a well balanced style of play will help them tonight. The winner will move on to the final.

Shelter House adding addiction beds

The Shelter House is expanding to help people addicted to alcohol. Executive Director Cal Rankin says its a vital service that needs to be provided and 15 beds will be added to help those people.  Rankin says he hopes to have all the renovations complete by November.

Damaged vehicles at airport removed

All the vehicles that were heavily damaged in last month's wind storm in the Thunder Bay Airport parking lot have been accounted for. Airport Manager Scott McFadden says for the most part owners were understanding, except in one instance where an owner's vehicle had to be towed away for safety reasons.  When the owner returned,  the car wasn't there which McFadden called a "difficult situation". As for repairs to the roof of the terminal building, McFadden hopes that can be completed by the end of the month.

Jobless rate falls

It appears to have been a good July for hiring in Thunder Bay.  Our jobless rate went from 6.7 percent in June to 6.2 percent last month.  That followed the trends nationally and provincially which fell to 7.2 and 7.5 respectively.

Ministry allows bridge work to resume

Work has now resumed at the site of the MacKenzie Bridge, the first time that's happened since the death of a worker at the construction site in June. Matt Blajer of the Ministry of Labour says that Ministry officials are giving the company the green light.  He says that means the company involved has complied with all the work orders it was given.

Advisory back up at Boulevard Lake

The hot weather is causing problems for people who want to cool off at the local beaches.  The Health Unit already has a swimming advisory up at the main beach at Chippewa Park and has now posted one at Sunnyside Beach at Boulevard Lake due to high bacteria levels.

High price of gold affects jewellery demand

The talk at next week's jewellery show in Toronto will be the price of gold which is over 16 hundred dollars an ounce. Thunder Bay's Dave Douglas says that price is causing many consumers to buy products made of something else adding that silver has taken the place of gold as far as jewellery goes.  Douglas says with the price of gold predicted to go higher, buying gold now is the wise choice.

Weather not cooperating with MNR

The heat is on as firefighters in Northwestern Ontario continue to battle over a hundred wildfires in the region. Annemarie Piscopo of the Ministry of Natural Resource says mother nature isn't helping as there has been a minimal amount of rain this week.  Piscopo adds, the fire hazard is high to extreme at the west end of the region and moderate closer to Thunder Bay

Syrian people won't get help from the West

Despite widespread violence in Syria, western powers are unlikely to intervene.  That's the feeling of Lakehead University Political Science Expert Laure Paquette who says there is no economic benefit for Western Powers to intervene which means the people in Syria are on their own.  There has been an increase in reports about violence, torture and imprisonment in the country over the last few days.

Environment Canada cuts could affect local weather services

Proposed personnel cuts at Environment Canada could impact local weather predicting.  The Federal Government wants to layoff 700 people at the crown agency and our Meteorologist Bill Laidlaw says cuts to radar or weather modelling services will make predicting weather in Northwestern Ontario far more difficult.

Sharp cements relationship with Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks and Patrick Sharp will be partners for the next 5 years.    The Thunder Bay native has received a nearly 30 million dollar contract extension from the NHL club.  General manager Stan Bowman calls the 29 year old Sharp one of the hockey's elite players as well as a fixture in Chicago

RFDA gets 150 K

 The organization which makes sure 28 food banks in Northwestern Ontario are stocked is getting 150 thousand dollars from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Regional Food Distribution Association will use the money over one year to make necessary roof repairs and add insulation at it's Thunder Bay headquarters. The foundation says it will help to ensure the RFDA is able to continue its work. .

Liberals in Kenora-Rainy River choose Leek

Liberals in Kenora-Rainy River have their candidate the October provincial election.  Emo township councillor Anthony Leek says he's ready to begin the campaign.  Leek was unopposed at last night's nomination meeting in Fort Frances