Hampton talks property taxes

Northerners living in the unorganized area received a shock in the mail when they received their final property tax bills on November 30th. The bills included a due date of December 3rd for the first instalment and December 17th for the second instalment.  Kenora-Rainy River MPP Howard Hampton blames the office in Thunder Bay, which was given the contract to look after all of the bills.  Hampton is asking for the deadline to be extended into the New Year without penalty to homeowners.  The deadline has since been extended to the end of the month.

Council meetings now on the Internet

Watching city council meetings will now be as close as a click of a mouse. City Clerk John Hannam says starting Monday, council meetings will be streamed live on the city website.  They'll also be archived so you can watch any meeting at your leisure.  The live stream can be viewed at thunderbay.ca/councillive  

OPSEU protests tax cuts

Members of Ontario Public Service Employees Union in Thunder Bay have a complaint against MPP Bill Mauro. They claim his government is giving tax breaks to big corporations at the expense of government workers.  The members protested in front of Mauro's office over the lunch hour Friday

Wasaya deal postponed

Wasaya Group is delaying the launch of its new Helicopter Charter Company.  An announcement was to be made Friday morning, but officials put it off until January stating that they are finalizing some legal details.  The multi million dollar deal was to be signed with V. Kelner Aviation but Spokesperson Joe Moses says it's unclear who the major parter will be. President Tom Kamenawatemin says he can't confirm or deny it's because they are finalizing partnerships.  The company would provide helicopter services for the mining, construction, geophysical, environmental, and tourism industries in Northern Ontario.

Big sigh from City Hall

There are no more worries at city hall about completing the waterfront project by March 31st.   The Harper government has extended the completion deadline for that and other stimulus projects in Canada. The deadline is now October 31st.  The new Mary J-L Black Library is the other local stimulus project.

Exhibit targets racism

There's an anti-racism exhibit on display at City Hall. Our city is one stop on a seven city Canadian tour. The Mathieu Da Costa Challenge Exhibit is made up of twenty six works. The pictures and stories are on display for about another week.

Bombardier keeps lawyers at bay

Bombardier says it's just an observer for now .   Company spokesperson Marc Laforge says comments by the Toronto mayor that he'll scrap the company's billion dollar TTC contract are strictly political. He says the company wants to stay out of it.  Laforge says it's premature to talk about a lawsuit involving the Thunder Bay plant.

Gas price skyrockets

Gas prices are up in the city....Stations have jacked up the price of regular gas to about 1 dollar 22 a litre. The price of regular had been hovering in the dollar 7 to dollar 11 mark for months.

Kaszycki updates Thunder Bay on Ring of Fire

Thunder Bay will soon have an office for the Ring of Fire project.  Coordinator Christine Kaszycki says they recently posted a director's position in Thunder Bay.  They hope to have an office set up and someone in the position by January.  Kaszycki was in the city on Wednesday to give an update on the Ring of Fire.

Pugh meeting in T.O.

Thunder Bay's incoming City Councillor is already hard at work. Paul Pugh is in Toronto meeting with a variety of organizations about the Bombardier TTC contract. Pugh says he plans to speak with city councillors. Pugh says he's going to express to Toronto council that canceling the contract will mean millions of dollars in fees. Pugh adds there's no point in talking to Ford because it's a waste of time.

Chum plans to crack down on drugs

The Nishinawbe-Aski Nation will welome a new Police Chief in January. Claude Chum is the incoming Chief and says he wants to work on community policing initiatives. Chum adds he plans to continue to crack down on illegal prescription drug use.

Jeffery wants proof of favouritism

Show me the proof says Natural Resources Minister Linda Jeffery.    The NDP's Gilles Bisson claims road access to some remote lakes in the north is being cut off in favour of tourist outfitters.  Jeffery says Bisson has yet to provide her with any details.  Meantime Jeffery knows First Nations still struggle with accepting her Far North Act.  However she's pleading with them to give it time.   She suggests there are many who secretly support it.  

Di Novo thinks Wynne needs to use clout

Another NDP MPP is wondering why the McGuinty Government isn't doing anything about the Bombardier TTC contract.  Cheri Di Novo says Transportation Minister Kathleen Wynne needs to use her clout to pursuade Toronto council to continue with the project.  Di Novo says Wynne has taken a stand back approach and needs to be more forceful.  Toronto's new Mayor Rob Ford announced on Wednesday that he plans to cut the TTC light rail contract.

Wilson doesn't believe TTC deal is doomed

The president of the Chamber of Commerce is saying don't panic. Harold Wilson says he understands there are concerns about Bombardier's TTC contract being torn up by the new mayor of Toronto. However Wilson says it doesn't mean it'll happen.   He says that Rob Ford has only one vote on a city council that has over 40 members.   Wilson believes local decision makers should have a unified voice on the issue

Graduate Retention Report Released

Northwestern Ontario's labour force has a hard time retaining post secondary graduates.  That's one of the findings in a report created by the North Superior Workforce Planning Board.  Author Livio Di Mateo says the first step is to create a graduate survey.  The report also recommends retention incentive programs and employer surveys.

Alarm bells go off over TTC deal

There's a lot of concern that Bombardier's contract to build light rail cars may be torn up by the new mayor of Toronto. A report from Toronto says that Rob Ford wants the Toronto Transit Commission to put the brakes on the LRT plan. Premier Dalton McGuinty says he plans to meet with Ford to find some common ground on the issue. It's widely believed if the 1.8 million dollar contract is torn up there will be a penalty to pay. Our mayor-elect Keith Hobbs says he wants to meet with Ford to tell him how important that contract is to the economy of Thunder Bay

Trillium Foundation gives money

The Ontario Trillium Foundation has awarded 820-thousand dollars in grants to 19 not-for profit organizations across Northwestern Ontario.  Sandy Lake First Nation is getting 72-grand to purchase equipment and hire professional artists to deliver a youth media outreach project. 50-grand is going to Muskrat Dam to study the possible construction of a bridge over the Severn River. The Chimera Project is getting 74-thousand dollars to hire artistic and program staff to create contemporary dance opportunities in Sioux Lookout. Ignace is welcoming nearly 14-grand to install a walkway and benches in the downtown core. The Red Lake Indian Friendship Centre will use 15-thousand dollars to purchase canoes, paddles, a trailer and life jackets.

OPG Atikokan project underway

Ontario Power Generation says work to convert the coal-fired plant in Atikokan is well underway.  It's to burn biomass fuel by 2013.  CEO Don Mitchell says part of the work includes developing an energy supply agreement and seeking pricing bids for fuel.  Mitchell says a number of bids were received in their call for bids.

Local MS Society weighs in on treatment

A Thunder Bay MS Society official understands the desperation of some MS patients. However, Board Chair Linda Adamson says the Government should hold off on putting money on the table for the controversial Liberation treatment. Adamson feels it would be in everyone's best interest to wait for the results of research on the treatment to be released. The NDP is calling on the Liberal Government to commit funds and the exact amounts for the treatment.

Bearskin deal takes time

It may be another month before the acquistion of Bearskin Airlines is completed.  Winnipeg-based Exchange Income announced its intentions to purchase the Northwestern Ontario airline back in September.  President Michael Pyle says the deal is moving along but notes it may be another 30-days until its finalized.  Pyle notes they are waiting on a number of things to happen, including Government approvals, but he doesn't anticipate any problems. Airline officials were hoping to have the deal completed the first week of December.