Jury Committee Meets In T.Bay

Irwin Glasberg

A Provincial Committee continues to work on implementing a set of recommendations aimed at getting more aboriginal  representation on jury rolls.  They met in Thunder Bay on Thursday. Co-Chair Assistant Deputy Attorney General Irwin Glasberg says they spoke with a remote First Nation woman who told them she received a letter for jury duty but she ignored it.  Co-Chair and Nishnawbe Aski Nation Deputy Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler says they heard of some cases where entire communities have been left out of jury duty.

Commissioner Blasts MNR Budget Cuts

Ontario's environmental commissioner is critical of the provincial government's and what it calls a transformation of the Ministry of Natural  Resources. Gord Miller accuses the Liberal government of deliberately dismantling environmental protection. In his annual report, Miller says changes to the MNR "cast doubt on the ministry's ability to properly manage and protect Ontario's natural environment." Miller says budget cuts and regulatory changes have reduced the Ministry's effectiveness.

Airport Fees Going Up

Starting in the new year prices at the Thunder Bay airport are going up for aircraft that use the terminal   Manager Scott McFadden says that includes aircraft landing and parking fees.  McFadden can't say if the higher costs will be passed on to travellers or not.   McFadden says the increase will be three per cent across the board and is mainly to keep up with inflation.

Tim Horton's Gets Through Security

 Air travellers waiting in the Thunder Bay airport's departure lounge will soon get to have a coffee and a snack while waiting to board their flight.  Manager Scott McFadden says Tim Horton's is putting in a new coffee shop which he hopes will be up and running in the next week or so.  McFadden says security issues had to be settled before the company was given permission to set up shop.

New Cancer Fundraising Goal Set

Thunder Bay's Hospital is looking to raise just under 6 million dollars for their four year cancer plan.  The Exceptional Cancer Care campaign's goal is to raise money for research and state of the art equipment. Spokesperson Joanne Lacourciere says they're nearly half way there with 3 million dollars raised already. The Fort William Rotary Club is pledging 500-thousand dollars through their house lottery over the next five years.

More Cell Phone Violators Nabbed

City police are using a new method of trying to catch people who are using their cell phones while driving.   Officers hopped on city transit buses Wednesday and watched drivers from their elevated perches and radioed to police ahead of them to nab any violators. Officials are still working on providing the final numbers from the exercise.

KWG Not Sweating Appeal

It's business as usual for KWG Resources.  Cliffs Natural Resources filed a court appeal of a decision by the Province's Mining Commissioner that bans them from building a road on KWG mine claims.   KWG Spokesperson Moe Lavigne says they're not surprised.  Lavigne says the appeal isn't impacting them at the moment.

Plant Conversion

The conversion of Thunder Bay's generating station from coal to gas may be delayed. Yesterday's release of the auditor's estimate has costs at over 675-million dollars for cancelling the Oakville power plant. Ontario's NDP leader Andrea Horwath feels Thunder Bay may have to wait for a Liberal election platform before a decision is made.

Repairs Expected To Be Complete Tonight

Repairs to a 12 inch water main at the intersection of James and Victoria are expected to be fixed by tonight. The Health Unit is issuing a localized Boil Water Advisory for the homes and school that were affected until water is tested and can be restored. 10 homes in the area and the Edgewater School were without water for most of the today.

Warm Weather Staying For The Week

The warm weather will continue for a few more days.....we're already in the low 20s today and in the high teens tomorrow and Friday.    Environment Canada Meterologist Geoff Coulson  says that cooler temperatures will move back into the Thunder Bay area during Sunday and Monday of the Thanksgiving long weekend.

Gas Plants Dominate Talks

At Question Period this afternoon...the cancellation of the Oakville Gas Plant continued to be raised by the opposition parties.  Premier Kathleen Wynne says it's difficult to get accurate estimates on the cancellation of the Oakville gas plant. Leader of the Ontario NDP Andrea Horwath disagrees and feels the auditor's estimate is accurate. Cancellation of the Oakville gas plant is expected to cost between 675-815 million dollars.

Problem Gambling Prevention Week

The Responsible Gambling Council is in Thunder Bay for problem gambling prevention week.  They'll be handing out pamphlets on how to manage your addiction at the local casino and community bingo. Spokesperson Heather Ly says gambling addiction runs rampant in the province, including Thunder Bay. Members of RGC will be at both bingo and the casino up until Saturday night.

Sawmill Deal In Place

A new contract is in place between the UNIFOR union and the owner of the Ear Falls Sawmill, EACOM. 300 mill and woodlands jobs will be created with the announced start-up of the Ear Falls Sawmill in the spring of 2014. Key terms of the deal include a 20 percent general wage increase over 8 years.

73 Year Old Charged After Collision

A 73 year old man is charged with careless driving after a rear end collision at the Walsh Street rail crossing yesterday morning. A school bus came to a stop and another vehicle stopped safely behind but was hit from behind by a third vehicle. No one was injured.

Gale Back At Paramedic Association Helm

Superior North EMS Chief Norm Gale is back at the helm of the Ontario Association of Paramedic Chiefs.  He was given a second three year term as the group's President.  The re-election was held recently at their annual conference in York Region.

Don't Let The Bed Bugs Bite

Lakehead University says they've sprayed and cleared up seven cases of bed bugs in their Pretie residence. Director of Residence Service David Hare says they sprayed last week and it looks like they are pest free. Hare says the bugs are brought in from all over the province and notes students might have picked them up while they're travelling in airports and bus terminals.

Edgewater School Closed Due To Watermain Break

A water main break in the James Street area has forced Edgewater Public School to be closed for the day. The closure is due to the school being left without water while repair work is done today. The school will re-open once the water main is repaired and the water is turned on in the school.  9 homes are also impacted by the break.

Robbery Attempt At Robin's

A robber got away empty handed following a hold up at the Robin's Donuts location on South May Street. City Police say around 4 o'clock this morning a man entered the coffee shop brandishing a knife and demanding money, but fled the scene when he noticed the alarm had been activated.  No one was injured. The suspect is described as a native Canadian male, between 30-40 years old, who was wearing a black hooded sweater.    

Mauro Tables Bear Hunt Legislation

Thunder Bay MPP Bill Mauro is tabling his private members bill that looks to expand the province's northern bear hunt.   It was introduced Tuesday afternoon and Mauro says it should reach second reading in December.  The bill aims at reducing the nuisance bear population in the region.

Revera Confirms Death

Revera Home Health is investigating the death of one of its Pinewood Court residents.  They've reported the critical incident to the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care and are cooperating with their investigation.  The company says it's also going to review the circumstances around the death. For privacy reasons the company says it will not confirm the name or way the resident died but says there thoughts are with the family.

Paramedics Recognized

Three Superior North EMS paramedics are now recognized by the government for their long years of service.   The three were given exemplary service medals at a recent ceremony in southern Ontario.   The three are Robert Corbeil and Ernie Kadikoff of Thunder Bay and Paula Verin of Marathon.

Hate Crime Training

City police are working on getting victims of hate crimes to come forward and report them.  Community members and police took in a Statistics Canada training session on hate crime reporting today.  Trainer Warren Silver says local police are actively trying to get more people to speak up about possible hate crimes.  Silver says to date Thunder Bay hasn't reported a hate crime but that's not to say those types of incidents aren't happening in our community.  Silver says the national training session will help police get a better picture of what is a hate crime and how it should be reported to Statistics Canada.

Stay In The Kitchen When Cooking

It's fire prevention week in the city and Fire Chief John Hay says this year the effort is to encourage cooking safety in the kitchen especially with people being busy preparing Thanksgiving meals this weekend.  Hay says it's timely because over the weekend there was a serious kitchen fire that had the potential to be fatal. 

City Man Charged In Police Dog Death

A 27 year old city man  is facing various charges in Edmonton including animal cruelty after a police dog  was stabbed  and later died.   Police say that the incident took place Monday morning when they were trying to stop a stolen car.   Eventually police got the dog to slow down their suspect which is when the canine was allegedly stabbed.  Charged is Paul Vukmanich of Thunder Bay

Power Deal Signed In City

Project Board Chair Margaret Kenequanash

A First Nation run power company is expanding its transmission line to 5 northern communities.  At a signing ceremony today in Thunder Bay, the communities of Deer Lake, Keewaywin, McDowell Lake, North Spirit Lake and Poplar Hill First Nation joined in on the project.  The communities will now be able to stop using diesel for their power source and have access to a reliable source of electricity.

Year Stays Strong For Housing Starts

2013 continues to be a productive year for housing starts in Thunder Bay.   Government statistics show that so far this year the number of housing starts is up 40 per cent compared to 2012.  But Warren Philp of Canada Mortgage and Housing expects that will even itself out by the end of the year  because starts of multi-family housing units surged in the final months of last year.  Meantime there was a 25 per cent drop in the number of September starts this year compared to 2012.

Children Encouraged To Report Abuse

Two children's organizations in the city are teaming up to help prevent child abuse.   Darcia Borg of Dilico Anishinabek Family Care says that along with the Children's Aid Society they will be trying to encourage school children to report abuse to someone in authority.  She says it's important to get the message to children that there is support for them.  The awareness campaign will be taken to city schools all this month.

Flood Prevention Program For All

Council is offering the Residential Drainage assistance program to all property owners City wide.  They made the decision to open up the flood prevention program at Monday night's meeting.  Councillor Andrew Foulds had concerns low income residents might not be able to afford their share of the cost of flood prevention devices.  Staff will be coming back with a report on whether or not low income residents are using the rebate program.

Pool Issue To Be Discussed Again

The future of the City's outdoor pools will be made in November. Council heard Monday night about the work that needs to be done at Heath Park Pool and Dease.  Meanwhile, a group of supporters of the Heath Park Pool told Councillors how important the pool is to the neighborhood.

Small Crowd Rallies At City Hall

Erin Bottle

Thunder Bay's Idle No More Movement is becoming active again in the community.  Spokesperson Erin Bottle says they've been quiet in the past months but it doesn't mean they've given up their cause. A small turn out rallied at City Hall Monday night and Bottle says it's about quality not quantity.  The Idle No More Movement started over Federal Government legislation that First Nations felt was imposed on them.

Tamarack Trees To Be Removed

The City is going ahead with the chopping down of nuisance Tamarack Trees on Mohawk Crescent. Cutting down 11 trees and replacing them with white spruce will cost the City 8 thousand 500 dollars.  The decision was made Monday night.

Yesno Back To Court Next Week

Its back to court next week for the 32 year old Sheldon Yesno.   Yesno appeared in a Thunder Bay courtroom today on a charge of Second Degree Murder in the death last week of 38 year old cyclist Richard Vrastak.  Police say Vrastak was run down by a minivan on South Algoma in what they allege to be a drug related incident.

Tbaytel Launches For Good Campaign

Tbaytel is reaching out to community groups in their new charity campaign called "for good".  Spokesperson Katie Crowe says they'll be giving up to 15-thousand dollars to local organizations who have ideas that will improve education in the City.   People can send in their ideas by visiting the "for good" website and winners will be selected by a voting process. Another three charity campaigns will be offered throughout the year focusing on different areas that need improvement.  To submit your idea click here.

Habitat Dedicates Two Homes On Mary Street

Mark Rodgers, Owner & Diane Mitchell

Two more Thunder Bay houses are now complete thanks to volunteers from Habitat for Humanity. Organizer Diane Mitchell says both are on  East Mary Street, one is a new home that was recently completed and the other is a being reoccupied by another needy family. Mitchell says they dedicated some rebuilt houses in Marathon today as well.

Virdiramo Wants Support For Heath Pool

Westfort Councillor Joe Virdiramo is hoping his fellow councillors will put 300-thousand dollars towards repairs for the Heath Park Pool.  A report is coming to council tonight that suggests the money is needed to fix a leak in the outdoor pool.  Virdiramo says they won't be making a decision on the matter tonight but hopes when it comes time to a vote they approve the spending in the 2014 budget.

Young Professionals To Vie For Recognition

Thunder Bay's young professionals network, also known as SHIFT,  is looking to create a top  20 list of community leaders under 40 years old in northwestern Ontario.  Spokesperson Keith Anderson says the purpose of the awards is to showcase young professionals in the region.   The deadline to nominate someone for the 2014 Visionary Awards is November 15th.

City Woman In Dryden Custody

Dryden Police have a 25-year-old Thunder Bay woman in custody after a vehicle chase early Sunday morning which started  in Dryden and ended in Ignace. Provincial Police helped by setting up a spike belt to stop the vehicle, and one cruiser almost went off the road during the chase. As a result, Anita Lawson has been charged with several offenses including impaired driving, dangerous driving, assaulting police with a weapon and running from police.

Shipwreck Found

A shipwreck from sixty-years ago has been found.  The Scotiadoc collided with another ship in 1954 and sank near the Sleeping Giant.  Jerry Eliason is one of the members that found the ship and describes some of the steps involved in making the discovery.  The Scotiadoc is the deepest shipwreck ever found in the great lakes.

Borg Named Dilico Executive Director

The new executive director at Dilico Anishinabek Family Care is Darcia Borg.  Borg joins the Aboriginal child care agency with a background of over 20 years of experience in the field. She is a member of the Red Rock (Lake Helen) First Nation and holds a Master's Degree in Social Work.   Borg's been the acting director while the board conducted its search for a permanent executive boss.

Aboriginal/International Centres On LU Radar

The Chair of the Lakehead University Board of Governors says the upcoming year will be a challenge for fundraising.  Cameron Clark says plans for a new Aboriginal centre on campus will require a strong effort in order to leverage government funding for the project.  Also on the Board's radar this year will be a new building for international students.  Clark says the eventual goal is to have a place that students from other countries can gather at.   He says it may or may not include a student residence,  that hasn't been decided yet.  

Outdoor Pools Need Work

City Council is examining the state of their three outdoor pools.  Staff are recommending money go towards the Heath Park and Widnall Pools in the 2014 budget.  Councillor Rebecca Johnson says the Dease pool is in dire straights.  A group supporting Heath Park will be speaking to Council about the pool's future.

Tournament Centre Needs New Doors

Thunder Bay's Tournament Centre could soon be getting some upgrades.  Council is considering spending up to 25-thousand dollars to repair their front entrance.  The money is approved would come from the Tournament Centre's Reserve Fund.

Radar Signs Help

City Council is going to hear about the radar speed signs they installed a year ago on Dawson Road.  Staff feel the signs have reduced the operating speeds of vehicles by 5 kms an hour.  That's something Councillor Ken Boshcoff agrees with.  Staff will be coming back to Council in another two years to tell them if the signs are still having an impact on how fast people are driving.

Tamarack Trees Up For Debate

City Council is tackling the issue of Mohawk Crescent's Tamarack Trees.  Staff are delivering a report that says it would cost almost 9-thousand dollars to remove 11 tamarack trees from the area and then replant white spruce.  Councillor Ken Boshcoff has Tamarack trees in his yard and has some concerns about paying to remove the trees.  The report is coming forward after several neighbours complained about the Tamarack needle drop and how it was impacting their roofs.

Blue Sky Open For Business

Downtown Fort William has a new addition. The Blue Sky Community Healing Centre opened it's doors for the first time and hopes to help strengthen the community. Cindy Crowe is a Blue Sky consultant and says they want to make people feel like they belong in the community.  Blue Sky Community Healing is located at 512 Victoria Avenue east.

FedNor Milestone

FedNor is celebrating a milestone this year.  The federal economic development agency is turning 25. Kenora M.P. Greg Rickford is the minister responsible for FedNor and had a chance to speak to the agency's employees about their mandate.  Rickford adds that FedNor will have a significant presence at the Royal Agricultural Fair in Toronto this fall, with a focus on products from northwestern Ontario.

NWHU Looks To Follow In T.Bay's Footsteps

The Northwestern Health Unit wants to follow in the footsteps of their counterparts in Thunder Bay.  The Dryden based health unit is asking Council to consider implementing a smoke free outdoor spaces bylaw that will cover public spaces where kids frequent.  Dryden Council has asked for staff to come back with a report on the issue.

City Council Preview

City staff want to prepare a report looking into possible parking options for the residents of 720 McLaughlin Street.  A change to the location of a fire hydrant in the area has left the homeowners with no legal place to park.  Staff are asking Council to allow them to prepare a report looking into possible parking solutions.  Meanwhile,  A petition calling for more storm sewers to be installed on the City's south side is being presented to Council Monday night.  The 36 person petition is calling for storm sewers to be installed from Murray Avenue and Kingsway Avenue to Franklin Street.  The residents are concerned with possible spring flooding.

Fire on Balsam Street

A two storey building on Balsam Street had its kitchen and main floor severely damaged after a fire yesterday afternoon. Two children were treated for smoke inhalation, and then later released from hospital. Thunder Bay fire continues to investigate the cause.

Macaroni Salad Recalled

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is warning of a voluntary recall of Reser's Fine Foods Cheesy Macaroni Salad.  It's being recalled because of possible Listeria contamination.   The 454 gram and 1.25 kilogram containers are dated Oct. 20, 2013 with UPC codes 0 71117 18241 5 and 0 71117 61227 1, are being recalled.  The salad is sold at Wal-Mart stores in Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia as well as Canada wide in Loblaw stores.

Run for the Cure

Thunder Bay's Royal Legion Track will play host to the CIBC Run for the Cure this morning. The event takes place at the Delaney Arena starting with registration at 8:45 and the run at 10. Money raised goes towards breast cancer research.