N.W.O. Fire Hazard Grows

The fire hazard is growing in Northwestern Ontario with the recent, warm, dry weather. Ministry of Natural Resources Information officer Debbie McLean says crews will be on alert this Easter Long weekend. She is urging people to use extreme caution with flammable materials in the wilderness. A fire in Lac Lu on the Minaki Highway on Thursday destroyed an old abandoned log home. Its estimated the log cabin was more than 130 years old.

Brush Fire on Mission Island

Thunder Bay's Fire Department spent it's Good Friday dealing with a brush fire on Mission Island last night. 9 crew members were called to the blaze just after 11 o'clock and were able to put it out. A fire spokesperson says the fire was a good size when they arrived and the wind helped to keep it contained.

Feds pull financial manager from Attawapiskat

Ottawa says it's pulling the third-party manager who had been handling the finances of the troubled Attawapiskat First Nation.  The federal government says there's been an improvement in reserve management, so it's withdrawing the third party manager.  It stems from when the First Nation declared a State of Emergency in the fall over a lack of housing. 

L.U. Basketball Adds Three Players

The Lakehead University women's basketball program announced the addition of three players to the roster for the upcoming year. Rachael Bland of England, Gabrielle Robin of New Brunswick and Thunder Bay's Jessica De Haan have all formally announced their commitments to join the Thunderwolves.

School bus accident in Oliver Paipoonge

A motorist is charged in an accident yesterday involving a school bus full of children.  Police were called to Harston Road in Oliver Paipoonge after a bus was hit by another vehicle and went off the road.  The kids and bus driver were uninjured, with only some minor scratches being reported. The driver faces a charge of careless driving.

Fire kills over a hundred cows

A barn fire in Olver Paipoonge has left a large amount of cattle dead.  Farm Owner Peter Aalbers says over 120 cows were killed in the fire that destroyed his barn.  Aalbers says by the time they noticed the fire black smoke was coming out the windows and nothing could be done to save the animals.  No word on what the cause of the blaze could be.

Oliver avoids protest, talks EAP

Local protesters are disappointed they didn't get to greet federal Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver when he arrived for a speech at the Valhalla Inn. Oliver managed to make it through a back entrance saying he wanted to avoid the demonstrators, who were upset over various Harper government policies. Meantime, while in Thunder Bay, Oliver defended the Harper government's decision to streamline the environmental approval process in Canada. He says it will help to get many important projects on track without the long wait. Earlier in the day Oliver toured a mineral testing lab.

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Mauro demoted

Sgt. James Mauro is going to be demoted to the rank of first class Constable.  The demotion will last twelve months.  The verdict came down this morning in the Police Service Act hearing being held at the Valhalla Inn.

Possible DMTS Tbay Tel team up

The City of Dryden is speaking with TBay Tel about a possible deal to purchase the municipal telephone service.  Mayor Craig Nuttall has confirmed that the two have been in discussions.  However, Nuttall notes that they are keeping an open mind.  Nuttall says they are looking at the best possible deal for the citizens of Dryden and they want to make sure their telephone service is still operating.

Racing crash update

Thunder Bay Police are charging the driver involved in a drag race around North James Street yesterday afternoon.  The driver of a blue Volkswagen lost control of the vehicle as it took the corner and collided with a tree on the boulevard. The 17 year old driver and his 20 year old passenger were treated for their injuries and are reported to be in good condition.  Six charges are being laid including racing, careless driving, driving while suspended, operating a motor vehicle without insurance, failing to notify a change of address, and using an unauthorized license plate.  Police are still looking for the other vehicle involved in the race.

Jobless rates released

Thunder Bay's jobless rate is on the decline.  March's rate went down point 3 percent to sit at 5.3.  The national unemployment rate was 7.2 per cent in March.

Garage fire on Regina Avenue

Police are looking for a suspect in a case of arson this morning on Regina Avenue.  Fire Crews were called to a shed fire just after 6:50 this morning.  A snow blower and lawn furniture were damaged.  Fire Fighters were also called to a grass fire around four this morning in the same area where witnesses say they saw a suspicious male leaving the area.  The suspect is described as being a 20 year old man, 5'9" with a thin build and dark hair.  He was wearing jeans and a dark coat with a hood and white running shoes.

Racing a factor in accident: Police

Two people are hurt, but not seriously, as the result of a single vehicle accident on James Street near Ryerson Crescent late Wednesday afternoon. Police say that one of the victims was taken to hospital as a precaution. They say racing was a factor in the mishap.

Police to honour their own

On Thursday, 16 members of the Thunder Bay Police Service will be honoured for their long service. 3 different awards will be handed out to recognize outstanding achievements in different categories, the exemplary service medal, exemplary service bar and dedication to service award. The awards will be given out at around 8:30 at the Valhalla Inn.

Mauro bill promotes wood use

Bill Mauro is introducing legislation to promote the use of wood in new government funded buildings. The Thunder Bay MPP says his private members bill is designed to help the struggling forest products industry after it was stung by the collapse in the U-S housing and newsprint markets.  Mauro's bill would also increase the maximum height of wood frame buildings from 4 to 6 stories.

Hyer mourns loss of Katimavik

Saying he's sad to see it go, MP Bruce Hyer is blasting the Harper government's decision to put an end to a taxpayer funded youth volunteer program. Hyer says the move to axe Katimavik is pure partisan politics.  He says the government is throwing students "under the bus" on this one.   Hyer calls Katimavik one of the bright lights on the Canadian scene.

Ontario Human Rights hearing

A hearing being held in Thunder Bay today is looking at Ontario's Human Rights programs.  Toronto Lawyer Andrew Pinto is the Chair of the review board and says Northerners are telling him more needs to be done.  The City's Urban Aboriginal Strategy Spokesperson Beth Ponka says they need an outreach program for First Nations to help them speak out about racism.  30 local organizations are speaking out at today's meeting.

Marathon route changes

There's a new route for the Miles with the Giant Marathon. The full 26.2 mile loop will start and finish at Prince Arthur's landing and takes in Lakehead University and Boulevard Lake. President Barry Streib says the new course will bring in more participants and is set to be certified as a Boston qualifier. To view the new course you can go here

CBS won't back down

Canadian Blood Services isn't backing down from its plans to shut down the local plasma donation centre.  The word comes after City Council sent a letter asking them to reconsider.  Ian Mumford is a spokesperson with CBS and says the closure will take effect on Thursday of next week.

Dryden says DMTS doing ok

The City of Dryden says DMTS is still very much in business. The audited 2011 financial statements have been released and Dryden Mobility has incurred losses to date of over 8.3-million dollars. That includes an operating loss for 2011 of more than 3.7-million. City Manager Joe Van Koeverden admits they have had financial difficulty in delivering cell service to the area. He notes the chosen technology, in the end, has fallen far short of what was promised and staff are aggressively pursuing replacement opportunities.

Break and Enter on Limbrick Street

Police are investigating a break and enter on Limbrick Street early this morning. A man armed with a knife broke into the home at around 1:48. Police say he appeared to be drunk and didn't know who or what he was looking for. A resident of the home called police from an upstairs room while others tried to get him to leave the residence. He's been taken into custody and is charged with breaking and entering with a dangerous weapon.

Prospectors meeting in Thunder Bay

Prospectors from across the Province are in Thunder Bay today for the final day of their annual conference.  Today delegates will hear updates on several Ring of Fire projects.  The Northwestern Ontario Mines and Minerals Symposium is taking place at the Valhalla Inn.

Transport mishap on Oliver Road

No one is hurt after a transport truck somehow landed in the ditch on Oliver Road just metres from the Thunder Bay Expressway Tuesday evening.   Oliver Road wasn't closed but police were directing traffic around the mishap. 

New industry for our waterfront

A mining executive, who has a company in Thunder Bay, is going to build a multi million dollar plant to process iron ore on property at the end of Maureen Street. Pierre Gagne of Rockex Mining, hopes to use the facility to process what his company mines in the northwest and to ship it to eastern and western Canada as well as south to the United States. Gagne says clean up work on the property is underway and he hopes to be shipping ore in a couple of years.

Syrian situation still tense

The bloodshed in Syria could be tailing off but it's still unclear if a UN proposed ceasefire will stop fighting.  Lakehead University Political Science Professor Laure Paquette says the Bashar Assad regime is still keeping forces near troubled areas but has sent troops in calm areas back to base.  She says that could be a move to rotate fresh resupplied forces into the troubles areas like Homs.  Paquette says Assad is running out of time and at best will have to accept Democratic reforms or become a wealthy ex-pat in exile.

Agency's demise, "no surprise"

The federal government is scrapping an agency called Rights and Democracy. MP Bruce Hyer's advisor Andy Blair has followed the organization for years and says he's not surprised by the move,  saying the Harper government has "had it in" for the agency for years.  He says that included appointing board members that weren't supported by the rest of the board or the staff,  creating a lot of "bad blood" in the institution.   The agency was created by Parliament in 1988 to promote human rights and support  democracy in other countries

MPP tries to save tourist centres

The campaign to keep three tourist information centres in Northwestern Ontario open has been brought to Queen's Park.   Kenora-Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell appealed to Premier Dalton McGuinty to have a change of heart and reverse what she calls an "erroneous and misguided decision."

Changes for Chippewa

Some changes are coming to Chippewa Park this year. City Parks Manager Paul Fayrick says for starters, the roller coaster ride will be removed for safety reasons. He says it stems from an incident they had with one of the cars which needed to be repaired last season. As well, Fayrick says they plan to demolish some of the older cabins in the tourist camp and increase the size of the RV park.

Northern Cancer Fund Golf Tournament

30 hockey players will be taking part in the annual Freedom 55 Hockey Celebrity Golf Classic at the Whitewater Golf Course this summer.  Northern Cancer Care Fund Spokesperson Glenn Craig says it's one of their biggest fundraisers.  The Staal brothers, Alex Auld, Tyler Pyatt and Mike Richards have all been invited to attend.

Lock it or lose it

If you are leaving your vehicle or house don't forget to lock it up.  That's the message from Thunder Bay Police.  Chief JP Levesque says it's no longer safe to leave your personal property unlocked.  The reminder is a joint project from the Crime Prevention Council, Northwestern Ontario Insurance Brokers and local police.

Neebing doesn't like wind farm project

Neebing Council has issues with the proposed Horizon Wind Farm project.  Mayor Ziggy Polkowski says they recently passed a resolution saying on the record that they're not in favour of the project.  Polkowski notes they're concerned about the Neebing watershed.

Police deal with man on railway tracks

Thunder Bay Police say an intoxicated man is safe after he laid down in between the CP Train Tracks on Simpson Street.  The man passed out this morning and when he woke up realized a train had driven over him.  Police say he crawled away after the train passed by and noted the man had 10 inches of clearance from the front of the train.  The man was sent to the hospital as a precaution.

Council is fighting for Plasma Centre

Thunder Bay's Plasma Centre is getting the support of city council.  Our elected officials voted to send a letter to the Canadian Blood Services asking to keep the facility open.  Councillor Ken Boshcoff says the Regional Director for Canadian Blood Services doesn't seem have a legitimate reason for closing our facility.  He says the director state a declining need for Plasma as one of the biggest reasons for the closure but people inside the health care Field say there is still a big need.  The facility is scheduled to close its doors next Thursday.

Council hands out works contracts

Council is handing out around 6 and a half million dollars in contracts.  Nadin Contracting will be given almost 3.2 million dollars for sewer and watermain replacement in the city.  The work will be done mainly in the south side of town.  Council also handed out a 2.7 million dollar contract to Bruno's Contracting for road resurfacing and Bur-Met Contracting is getting over 600 thousand dollars to replace the roof on the Victoria Parkade.  Council accepted the lowest bid in each of the tenders.

Local couple win the big one

The 50 million dollar lottery winners are looking for professional advise now that they are millionaires.  Louis and Jo-Anne Chikoski are the winners and say so many things can be done with this much money and they want to spend it properly.  Jo-Anne says she couldn't believe it when Louis showed her they had won, she says she kept wondering if she was dreaming.  Jo-Anne says they plan on staying in Thunder Bay because it is their home, but travelling is definitely in their near future.  Louis, a mill worker for the past 40 years was planning on retiring this fall and now says there are no more worries for him or his wife.

Scherban gets new contract

Lakehead University has locked up men's hockey Coach Joel Scherban for 3 more years. Scherban was given the extension today (Mon) and says he's thrilled to stay part of this team and would be happy to stay even longer. Scherban says he thinks his team is ready to move into the elite level in the OUA this year.

Dew Drop Inn gearing up for Easter feast

The Dew Drop Inn will be feeding the needy this weekend. They will be serving Easter dinner Sunday for about 300 people. Board President Paul Deighton says they are looking for volunteers and anyone can come to help at around 2pm. They will start serving at 2:30 Sunday.

Herman joins NAPS

Bob Herman is back. The former Thunder Bay Police Chief is the new interim Deputy Chief with the Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service. NAPS Sgt. Jackie George says he will be helping the force for the next year to navigate through expected funding cuts. Herman begins his new duties on April 16th.

Tourist info centres closing

The full impact of the Provincial budget is just starting to be felt. The Government has announced that its closing the Tourist Bureau on Highway 17 west at the Ontario-Manitoba boundary. That's one of three tourism centres being closed across the region. The Tourist Information Centre in Fort Frances at the Canada-U.S. border is being shut down along with the one in Rainy River. The Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership is blaming low visitor numbers for the decision to close the centres.

March weather amazes

No surprise here as March is being touted as one of the warmest months on record in northwestern Ontario. Our meteorologist Bill Laidlaw says it's something we may not see for some time. He says a similar weather pattern happened about 60 years ago.  Laidlaw says in all his years of weather forecasting he hasn't seen anything like it.

Donor dollars needed more than ever

Last week's Ontario budget could mean the Health Science's Foundation may need to become more relevant than ever. Board chair Brian McKinnon says the austerity measures in the budget indicate donor dollars will be more important to raise for expensive hospital equipment.  The Foundation recently honoured its donors.

Polar Bear Plunge a Success

The Third Annual Polar Bear Plunge took place yesterday at Prince Arthur's Landing. Lots of people came out to watch brave participants jump or run into the freezing cold waters. The event, hosted by the Law Enforcement Torch Run, raised funds for Ontario Special Olympics. Event organizer and corrections officer, Warren Giertuga, was the first one in the water. Army, navy, firefighters, police, and corrections workers all helped out with the event, making sure that participants were able to get dry and warm as fast as possible out of the water. Giertuga is happy with the turnout and already looks forward to next year's event.

Westgate tops local high schools

Westgate High School is on top in the latest Fraser Institute's local high school rankings. The organization says that Westgate is on the list of the 20 fastest improving high schools in the province. The Institutes report card uses information from the annual province wide math and literacy tests by the Ontario government's Education Quality and Accountability Office. It shows that Westgate made gains over the last five years in the area of academic math. Provincially the survey shows the school ranks 144 out of 718 schools. The local results can be found here.

Westfort incident ends peacefully

A 37 year old man is in police custody following an incident in Westfort Friday afternoon. Police say they were called before 3 o'clock about a man who may have been in distress and may have had a weapon. This drew in the Emergency Task Unit who then managed to get the man to surrender peacefully. He was taken to the Health Sciences Centre for an assessment. They say firearms were located in the home.

Dawson Road could be put off

It looks like Dawson road traffic may not be discussed Monday night after all.  A motion to create a community safety zone on Dawson Road to protect residents from fast moving transport truck traffic is on the agenda but a new motion is being put forward asking discussion to be put off until April the 16th.  No word on why the move is being made but council originally decided to call for a length restriction on vehicles on the road which was shot down by the Ministry of Transportation.

Power to remain in Thunder Bay

Michael Power is staying in Thunder Bay.  His resignation from the Health Sciences Centre and the Regional Research Institute was announced yesterday and Power says he will be opening an office her that will include a support staff.  Our newsroom has been told as many as 7 people could be hired for the Elekta office and Power says it should be up and running by this fall.  Power says his 16 years at the hospital were nothing short of great and is proud of what the Cancer Centre has accomplished during that time.  His resignation takes effect in May. 

Ice Edge Holdings back in the Coyotes Saga

Ice Edge Holdings has been reborn and could be in line to run an AHL team, just not in Thunder Bay.  CEO Anthony LeBlanc said via Twitter, Ice Edge has discussed a plan B with the City of Glendale if the Phoenix Coyotes are relocated.  LeBlanc went on to say his priority is to see the Coyotes remain in the desert.  Possible locations for the Coyotes if they do move are Seattle, Quebec City or Saskatoon.  Quebec City is thought to be the front runner with a new 18 thousand seat arena in the works.  LeBlanc said during Thursday night's Dudley Hewitt Cup Dinner that they remain committed to bringing a professional team to Thunder Bay.

Time to name the worst road in Thunder Bay

Sick and tired of the state of a local road or fed up with endless pot holes? Here's your chance to take some action and cast your vote in the Annual Ontario Worst Roads campaign. Spokesperson Korey Kennedy says the campaign is extremely effective.  He says 90 per cent of roads nominated to the annual list are repaired or are slated for repair.   You can now vote for the worst road and nominations will be accepted until April 24th. (To vote go to www.worstroads.ca)

Rickford says FedNor is safe

Conservative MP Greg Rickford is defending the federal budget from area critics who say it will result in the demise of FedNor. Rickford says nothing could be farther from the truth.  He says the regional development program  remains in good shape and reports to the contrary are "disappointing".  Rickford says the budget is designed to draw a balance between keeping the deficit in check and jobs growth. 

MP says budget is on the wrong track

The federal budget is getting the thumbs down from NDP MP John Rafferty. Rafferty says he's disappointed that the government has increased the amount of goods you can bring back duty free from the United States. He's also critical about what he says is a 10 per cent reduction in money for FedNor and a loss of public service jobs.  Rafferty calls the budget a disappointment for the people of northern Ontario

KI wins mining dispute

The Ontario government has settled a dispute over mineral exploration near a northwestern First Nation by buying the land. Toronto-based God's Lake Resources agreed to surrender its mining lease and claims near the KI First Nation.  As a result of the $3.5-million sale, God's Lake Resources does not own any mineral exploration interests.

Arson arrest made

Police are hoping they have put an end to a series of arsons in the city with the arrest of a 17 year old youth.  He's been charged with three counts of arson and damaging property.  It's in connection with two fires on Regina Avenue and one on John Street Road a couple weekends back.   He is still in custody and has a court day this morning