The Fort Wins

The town of Fort Frances is celebrating a victory over Dryden as they captured the TSN's Kraft Celebration Tour contest. Fort Frances will receive 25-thousand dollars in improvements to its curling club and will also host a live broadcast of TSN's Sportscentre next month.

Treaty Three Board Holds AGM Today

The Treaty Three Police Services Board is holding their annual general meeting today in Kenora , and the closure of the service will be a hot topic.  It will include the financial report of the 2012-2013 fiscal year. Supporters of the police service have planned a day long rally outside the meeting.

Fire Destroys Home In O-P

A house in Oliver Paipoonge is destroyed after a fire last night.  Police say it happened just after 10 o'clock at 3392 Rosslyn Road.  One person who was inside the home at the time escaped without injury.   The cause is not known.

Firefighters Contract Finalized.

City firefighters will now be paid the same as city police officers are.   Councillors voted last night to accept an arbitrators decision on the new  three year contract which is retroactive to January of 2011.

Dilico Talks On

Contract talks resume this morning to try to resolve the 2 week strike at Dilico Anishnabek Family Care.   Union boss Marvin Pupeza  represents the 350 striking social workers and is hopeful something can come from today's discussions. One of the major issue is in the dispute is the workload carried by the employees.

Youth Centre Proposed

Officials of the Thunder Bay Indian Friendship Centre want the city's help to build a new youth centre.   Executive director Bernice Dubec made the pitch to city lawmakers last night saying the centre is needed so they can help a wider variety of young people.  They are requesting 2 and a half million dollars to purchase and renovate the Prosvita Hall on High Street and 300 thousand dollars a year for operating costs. City Hall staff will be working with the Centre to come up with a game plan for the new facility.

Union Boss Pitches Bus Museum

The head of the city transit union is spearheading a move to open a transit museum.  Charlie Brown announced his campaign at City Hall  this evening as part of his efforts to find a home for some refurbished local Brill trolley buses. He is asking the community for support and ideas.  Brown says his organization is also asking for donations to make the dream a reality.

Youth Centre Proposed

Officials of the Thunder Bay Indian Friendship Centre want the city's help to build a new youth centre.   Executive director Bernice Dubec made the pitch to city lawmakers last night saying the centre is needed so they can help a wider variety of young people.  They are requesting 2 and a half million dollars to purchase and renovate the Prosvita Hall on High Street and 300 thousand dollars a year for operating costs.  City Hall staff will now work with the Centre to come up with a game plan for the new facility.

Union Boss Pitches Bus Museum

The head of the city transit union is spearheading a move to open a transit museum.  Charlie Brown announced his campaign at City Hall  this evening as part of his efforts to find a home for some refurbished local Brill trolley buses. He is asking the community for support and ideas.  Brown says his organization is also asking for donations to make the dream a reality.

It's A Boy For William And Kate

It's a boy.  Catherine the Duchess of Cambridge has given birth to a 8 pound 6 ounce boy who automatically becomes the Prince of Cambridge.   The royal birth was announced this afternoon after the birth at St. Mary's Hospital in London.  No name as been announced.

Fire Victims Identified

The cause of a fatal fire on the weekend west of Nipigon remains unknown.   Police say that 66 year old  Fern Marquardt died in her Lyon Township home  Friday night .  Her cause of death is still being determined as is the cause of the blaze itself.

No Leads In Murder Case

If city police are making any progress on the city's second murder of the year, they aren't saying.  Spokesperson Chris Adams says that so far there is no new information to report and that there have been no leads called in from the public in the case.  Thirty year old Shannon Hogan died last week after being found seriously injured behind a Lake Street house.

Fire Hazard Expected To Drop

The forest fire hazard is expected to drop because rain is forecast for much of the Northwest Region.  There are no fires reported in the Thunder Bay District but there were 3 new fires reported yesterday in the Kenora and Sioux Lookout areas.  Meantime crews from the Northwest  are helping fight blazes in the Northwest Territories, Manitoba and Quebec.

Tall Ship Attracts Hundreds

The Norwegian tall ship  Sorlandet is still in port at the Pool 6 dock next to the marina.   It will be open for public tours again today from 10 until 4.  Yesterday hundreds turned out to get a tour of the ship which arrived here on the weekend to help celebrate Lake Superior Day.

Dryden Clean Up Continues

Clean up efforts continue in Dryden following last weeks major storm. A city official says  trees in the cemetery and around city hall were ripped right out of the ground Thursday night. Crews hope to have everything looking back to normal sometime this week.

Survey Shows Happy Citizens

It appears Thunder Bay citizens are more than satisfied with how city services are provided.   The latest citizen survey shows that almost 90 per cent of us are happy with the way we are served by the city.  That's up slightly from the survey in 2011.   The number one issue facing citizens is roads followed by the economy and crime.   Ninety two per cent say quality of life is good or very good.   Some of the top reasons are the size of the city, safety and cost of living.

Councillors To Hear Request For Youth Centre

 The Thunder Bay Indian Friendship Centre is looking for a new home.    Officials are coming to City Hall tonight to plead their case for a new building to house a proposed youth centre.  Also tonight, the Thunder Bay Art Gallery's bid to move to a new waterfront location is expected to take another step forward tonight. The next phase of a process will likely be given approval by city lawmakers.  As well, councillors are being asked how they would like to see the Katherine Dugmore remembered.   She managed the waterfront development until she died from cancer.

Con College Enrollments

Confederation College is forecasting strong enrollment figures this fall at its Lake of the Woods Campus. Jim Madder is president of the college and says they still have space in a number of the programs they offer.

Victoria Avenue Macs Held Up

Police have a 20  year old man in custody following another Mac's store robbery. They say that at around 1 am this morning a man entered the store on East Victoria Avenue and put a knife to the throat of the clerk. The man took cigarettes and ran off.  Police say he was located in a yard a short distance away.

Sorlandet Docks At The Marina

The Norwegian tall ship the Sorlandet is in port. It is at the Pool six dock  next to the marina and will be there today and tomorrow for public tours. The tours begin at 10 am both days.  The ship is here to help celebrate Lake Superior Day today.  Activities take place all day on the waterfront.

Fire Hits City Duplex

No one is injured following a fire on the city's north side early Saturday afternoon.   It happened in a duplex at 178 Shipley.  Chen Chekki lives in the unit adjacent to it and called the fire service after he heard the smoke alarm go off.  No one was home at the time of the fire.    The cause isn't known and fire damage is heaviest in a back bedroom.

Woman Dead After House Fire

A 66 year old woman is dead in Lyon Township, west of Nipigon. The death was the result of a house fire which  was reported to the OPP at 9:04 p.m. The victim is not being identified until her family is notified.  The coroners office is investigating the cause.

Dryden Finances Update

An update on City of Dryden finances has been provided. The City is posting a 99-thousand dollar deficit in Municipal operations for the 6 months ending June 30th. Waterworks operations are reporting a 361-thousand dollar surplus.

New Dryden Sewage Plant

Construction of the new Dryden Sewage Treatment Plant is nearing completion. Manager of Public Works Blake Poole says they expect to start testing in late August. Poole stresses that the project is on budget this year. He adds that some minor work continues and the next step is getting power to the plant.

Charity Rider Leaves Town

A University of Victoria cyclist on a charity ride is back on the road after spending a couple of days in the city.  Anas Cheema  was here to help draw attention to SOS Children's Villages  an international child charity, providing long- term care for orphans and children.

Striking Workers Get Support

The blame games continues in the Dilico Anishnabek Family Care workers strike. Today members of CUPE joined the striking workers on the picket line in Thunder Bay to sound an alarm bell about what they say are the impacts of provincial underfunding of child welfare. No talks are scheduled in the dispute which began June 8th.

Dryden Hit By Storm

The clean up begins in some areas in the Dryden area following a wicked early morning storm. Hydro One is reporting 7-different power outages in the area with snapped power lines. Nearly 14-hundred customers were impacted.  The area was hit with lightning , heavy rain and severe wind with  several reports of trees snapped in half and tossed around property and roads. There have been reports of twisters but Environment Canada hasn't confirmed any of the reports as of yet.

Inflation Up In Thunder Bay

The inflation rate in Thunder Bay is now above one per cent.  Statistics Canada says the rate in the city for the month of June was 1.2 per cent.  That's almost a full per cent over May's rate.    Nationally the rate  was also at 1.2 per cent mainly due to higher gas and car prices.

Minor Injuries In Cyclist Mishap

Only minor injuries to report in connection with a morning traffic mishap involving a cyclist.  Police say a  boy on the bike came in collision with a car at the intersection of Pearl and Algoma just before 9 o'clock this morning.   They say he was taken to hospital as a precaution.

OPP Detachment To Open

The community of Armstrong is getting a visit today from the OPP's top cop. Commissioner Chris Lewis is going to help open the new OPP Detachment there.

Fort Bust Nets Drugs/Guns

A  39 year old Fort Frances man faces several charges following an investigation by several agencies including OPP, Health Canada, Kenora-Rainy River Districts Child and Family Services and the Town of Fort Frances.  A police search of a home on the 11-hundred block of Kings Highway last Friday led to the discovery of by several types of drugs include morphine, oxycocet, fentanyl, methadone, cannabis resin and several marihuana plants.  Police also seized 12 firearms.

Celebration Voting Starts Today

The  northwestern Ontario communities of Dryden and Fort Frances are about to enter a friendly rivalry which has some financial benefits in the end.   Both are asking for your votes in the Kraft Celebration Tour starting at noon today.   Whichever city wins they will get money from Kraft for a local project. You can vote for your favourite community here kraftcelebrationtour.ca

No New Cases Of C-Diff

Officials at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre appear to have some control over the c-difficile bacteria outbreak.  They say the superbug has now been reduced to only one section of the hospital, 3A and no new cases have developed. 

Iacobucci Fully Immersed In ROF

Frank Iacobucci is fully immersed in his role as the province's chief negotiator for the Ring of Fire mining project.   Just before leaving on a trip from Thunder Bay to visit  area First Nations communities he spoke of how he's been getting himself up to speed on the complex issues he must face.  He says he feels a sense of excitement and challenge about what lies ahead.  Iacobucci says he will be meeting with First Nations negotiator Bob Rae in the coming days

More Forest Fires In Red Lake District

The Red Lake area continues to get hit with forest fires. The Ministry of Natural Resources is reporting one in the district, as well as in Kenora and Nipigon. However, these fires are considered small and pose no problems at this time. The fire hazard is high in the Red Lake and Sioux Lookout areas, while it remains low to moderate in the Dryden area.

Man Charged In Dog Deaths

A 50 year old Murillo man is now charged after last weeks incident which killed two dogs on Poleline Road.   The man is charged with failing to remain after a 17 year old girl told police that someone in a truck struck and killed her two labs while she was walking them.

Dryden Woman Convicted Of Fraud

A Dryden woman has been convicted on 2-counts of fraud from the Shaw Walleye Masters and the Ski Hill. Allyson Dunham has received a conditional sentence order of 2-years, less a day. The sentence results in house arrest, a curfew and other strict conditions. Dunham was charged last March with 2-counts each of theft over $5,000, fraud over $5,000 and criminal breach of trust. Dunham sat on the executive committees of both the Shaw Walleye Masters and the Ski Hill.

New Partnership For Aspenware

Aspenware is back with a presence in northwestern Ontario. Members of the Wabauskang First Nation will soon start harvesting poplar trees and creating veneers for the B.C. based company.  The operation is being carried out in the Whiskey Jack Forest and Makoose Wood Innovations Owner Doug Riffel is also heavily involved in the project. Aspenware President Terry Bigsby says it's a win-win situation for everyone involved and could become a blueprint for future partnerships. Bigsby says this is only the beginning and notes he's already in talks for a similar venture with Grassy Narrows and Lac La Croix. Aspenware produces single-use biodegradable wooden cutlery and at one time was thinking about setting up shop in the Dryden area.

Arrest Made In NWO Death

An arrest has been made in the death of 38-year-old Christopher Lee Jack in Onigaming First Nation, near Nestor Falls. Provincial Police and Treaty Three Police have charged 24-year-old Micheline Nicole Chiefson of Naicatchewenin First Nation with second degree murder. She's in custody. The cause of death isn't being released at this time. Police were called to an apartment last week and found Jack dead inside the residence.

Mining Conference Shifts To Kenora

A mining conference that was once held in Dryden is taking place in Kenora this year.The Ministry of Northern Development and Mines puts on an Exploration Information Session each year, which focuses on activity taking place in the Kenora District. It's taking place July 24th and 25th and will feature a site visit to the Coventry Resources Site near Cameron Lake.

Flyers Stop In Dryden

About 50 private airplanes are on their way east after touching down at the Dryden Regional Airport. John Lovelace is the founder of The Century Flying Club and says they are making their way from British Columbia to Prince Edward Island.He says there are a number of planes, including one worth over $1 million.The club was started in 2009, and Lovelace says it's a great way for aviation lovers from all over to come together and hangout. Their next stop after Dryden is Elliot Lake.

Aboriginal Experiments Cause Controversy

News that nutritional experiments were once conducted on unwitting, hungry aboriginal children back in the 1940s has angered chiefs at the annual meeting of the Assembly of First Nations.  National Chief Shawn Atleo says such details have to come out if aboriginals and mainstream society are to reconcile. Some of those nutritional experiments took place in northwestern Ontario.

Police I.D. Murder Victim

Police are reaching out to sex trade workers in  the city  following the latest murder.  They say the victim was 30 year old Shannon Hogan, whom police say was involved in the adult sex trade.  The cause of her death is being withheld.   Police they have been talking to local street walkers  to see if  they know anything about Hogan's death.  She was found outside a Lake Street residence early Tuesday morning with serious injuries.  She later died.

Tall Ship Coming This Weekend

Thunder Bay is in store for another visit from a tall ship.  The Norwegian ship Sorlandet will be here all day Sunday and Monday for public visits according to event organizer Ashley Priem.   Public deck tours will take place starting at 10 o'clock both days at the Pool 6 dock.

Accident Sends Two To Hospital

Traffic is now moving  at Algoma  and Wolseley following a collision just before 7 o'clock this morning.   Police say it was a two vehicle mishap which sent a man and a woman to hospital with minor injuries. One of the drivers is charged with failing to yield.

Dryden Council Balks At Reduction

Dryden Council has thrown cold water on a suggestion to reduce the number of councilors from 7 to 5. The idea was tossed around during budget discussions as a way to save money and was brought forward Monday by Acting Chief Administrative Officer Debra Kincaid. Council overwhelmingly decided to not investigate the merits of the reduction. Sid Wintle and Brian Collins both stressed that the City has more serious problems to deal with. Wintle adds that five councilors would lead to burn out and would likely result in councilors missing meetings on the various boards they sit on.

Cup Will Arrive August 2nd

 The date is now set.  Patrick Sharp of the Chicago Blackhawks will bring the Stanley Cup to Thunder Bay August 2nd.  The date was confirmed on the Visit Thunder Bay Facebook page.  Details are still being finalized.

Union Pleads For Talks In Treaty 3 Dispute

The pressure continues to save the Treaty Three Police Service. The Public Service Alliance of Canada, which represents the officers, says the board hasn't really changed it's mind on any of the issues raised. Regional Vice President Sharon De Sousa says they're hopeful a solution can be found.  De Sousa is requesting the help of a mediator.

Body Recovered

The body of a swimmer who went missing in the Rainy River in northern Ontario this week has been found. Provincial police say a dive team recovered the body of the 27-year old  Toronto man just before 5 p.m. yesterday

Police Remain At Crime Scene

Police are still protecting the crime scene on Lake Street this morning, 24 hours after the city's second murder of the year.   They have not released the name of the woman who died after being found with injuries outside a residence early yesterday morning.   The cause of her death has not  been released.