Hospital Expanding With New Building

Thunder Bay's Hospital continues to grow.  CEO Andree Robichaud say they're building a new health services centre that will house several of their programs like Cardiac care.  A ground breaking ceremony was held Wednesday at 1040 Oliver Road.

Children's Centre Cutting Staff

Thunder Bay's Children Centre is merging two group homes. That means 4 full time staff are being reduced to part time, and 12 part time employees are being laid off. Executive Director Tom Walters says the move is due to a lack of demand for their service.

Adam Leon Awaits Fate

It's a case one city lawyer calls double jeopardy. A former Confederation College aviation student is hoping a Thunder Bay judge will agree that he's already paid his dues. Adam Leon is charged with theft in connection with an incident in April of 2009 that caused an international sensation after a Cessna was taken from the college flight school and flown into the United States. In court this morning his lawyer Neil McCartney argued that Leon has already been punished in the U.S. with jail time and that should count in Canada. The judge in the cause will be handing down a ruling on December 5th.

New Walmart To Open Friday

The city's new Walmart is set to open this Friday.  The County Fair Mall location will open to the public at 8 am sharp.  The store will be home to 105 employees.  The Arthur Street Walmart is expected to open in November.

Vehicle Destroyed In Fire

Thunder Bay Fire and Rescue Service say they will look more closely at a vehicle fire from this morning. Crews were called to the 500 block of 11th Avenue at 8:45 a.m. to find a suburban fully engulfed in flames. District Chief Richard Morden says no one was in the vicinity of the fire and no one was hurt.

Taxpayers Want To Voice Concerns To City

A group of concerned taxpayers plan to voice their concerns to City Council.  Around 60 people attended a public meeting last night calling on the City to hold a vote on the location of the proposed Multiplex.  Chair Ray Smith says they'll be bringing the results of local media polls and feedback from the meeting to council.  Smith says many people are opposed to the downtown waterfront location because of the cost.

No Twinkle For Stars At Home

The Thunder Bay North Stars have some work to do in order to catch up with the league's elite. The two-time defending S.I.J.H.L. champion Minnesota Wilderness scored two powerplay goals and skated to a 5-1 win over the Thunder Bay North Stars at the Gardens last night. The win improves Minnesota's first place record to 12-2, while the second place North Stars dropped to 8-4 on the season.

TSB Still Looking Into Plane Crash

Still more questions than answers surrounding the fatal plane crash in Pickle Lake last week.  Members of the Transportation Safety Board have worked tirelessly to remove the wreckage from a densely wooded area.  Spokesperson Peter Hildenbrand explains where they are in the investigation stage.  He said a full draft report on the crash probably won't be available for four to five months.  Three men from Quebec died in the crash.

Cancer Society Looks At Program Efficiencies

The Canadian Cancer Society is looking at ways to find efficiencies in it's volunteer program at Ontario Cancer Centres. Society spokesperson Barb Spencer says that include the Regional Cancer Centre in Thunder Bay. Just under 100 volunteers help out at the centre doing various duties to help comfort those who come for cancer treatment. Spencer says the goal is to make the most efficient use of donor dollars that are used to run the program. Spencer says when the changes are made in the future they won't remove volunteers from the hospital or impact patient support. She says discussions with cancer centre officials are ongoing.

NAPS Recruiting

Part of this week's Career and Job Expo at Lakehead University is showcasing a new recruitment campaign by the Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service. Spokesperson Sergeant Jackie George says they are interested in anyone who is 19 years of age or older and wants a challenging but rewarding career in law enforcement. The official launch of the "Faces Behind The Flash" campaign begins at 11:00 a.m. in the ATAC building at L.U.

Hope In The City

Cancer survivors and their supporters are invited to Thunder Bay's Hope in the City Thursday November first.  This year will be filled with prizes and shopping opportunities for all women who attend.  Fundraising Coordinator Kyle VanRavensway says the biggest prize will be a trip for 2 to New York City.  All women of Thunder Bay are welcome to attend the event.

Mining Ready Wraps Up Wednesday

The Nishnawbe Aski Development Fund is hosting a mining ready summit. The 2 day event comes to a close Wednesday at the Valhalla Inn and Spokesperson Brian Davey says they want to bring all mining stakeholders together. Over 300 aboriginal, industry and government delegates are attending.

LU Researchers Share 1.3 Million

Over 1.3 million dollars is being shared by three Lakehead University researchers.  Dr. Rui Wang is one of the LU researchers to receive the cash from the Canadian Health Research Institute.  Wang says they'll use the money to continue their work on dementia, HPV and blood vessel inflammation.

MP Calls Vets Treatment Deplorable

 The Auditor General's report says war veterans in the country still don't get the information they need to get back into civilian life or the benefits they're entitled to. Thunder Bay MP John Rafferty calls it deplorable and says it should be a concern here because of the closure of the Veterans Affairs office.

Police Officers Undergo Training

Two Thunder Bay Police officers are going to undergo training after a Police Services Hearing found them guilty of unlawful use of authority.   Detective William Wowchuk will also have 8 hours of pay docked while Detective Constable Brad Bernst is going to receive a reprimand. The lawyer for the two officers is filing an appeal with the Ontario Police Commission.

Pickle Lake Transmission Line

An environmental assessment is in progress for a new transmission line to Pickle Lake.  The two-phase project was presented last night at an open house in Dryden.  Phase one would provide the required power for First Nations communities who currently are serviced by diesel generation.  Committee member of the Corridor Energy Group Richard Habinski says diesel comes with quite the price.  Habinski says they are working with the provincial government to access funding for the project.

Police Service Business Plan

Thunder Bay Police are working on implementing a 3 year business plan.  In the first year, the force has started to provide online reporting for citizens.  More training in crime prevention has been provided to officers as well.  An update on the police service's progress was provided to the board this morning.

McKinnon To Sit On Police Board

The Police Services Board will have a new member.  Councillor Brian McKinnon was appointed at Monday night's City Council meeting.  McKinnon's term on the Police Board will expire in November 2014.

Spay & Neuter Program Continues

City council is going to continue it's spay & neuter program for cats and dogs but with a few changes.  Council decided to lower the adoption fee for young animals because they are too young to be spayed or neutered at the time of their adoption.  The City will also allow the adoption fee to be reduced when the number of cats or dogs in the Animal Shelter is at or near capacity.

Sir John A MacDonald Up For Debate

Representatives with Nordmin Engineering are pleading their case to turn the old Sir John A MacDonald School into an office building.  President Chris Dougherty  told council last night that the project received very little complaints from the neighbourhood.  Council is asking for a traffic study before they allow the school to be transformed into an office.