Hospital Board Fills Vacancies

Thunder Bay's Hospital is filling three, three year vacancies and two one year vacancies on their board.  Sharon Cole-Paterson, Nadine Doucette and Karen McDaid will be back for three year terms.  Doug Shanks and Sharon Pitawanakwat will serve for one year.

Science North Office Turns 3

Thunder Bay's Science North office is celebrating its three year anniversary today.  Spokesperson Emily Kerton says it means a lot for them to be able to reach out to Northwestern Ontario youth.  Science North's Thunder Bay office services most of the smaller communities in the Northwest.

Aboriginal Day Celebrated Tomorrow

Marina Park at Prince Arthur's landing is the site for this years Aboriginal days activities.   It begins at 5:30 with a sunrise ceremony at the  Spirit Garden.  Grand opening ceremonies at 11 o'clock take place at the Main stage at Marina Park with the theme being youth and youth leadership.   A pow wow follows at 11:30.   at 5 o'clock there is a feast and the day closes with a ceremony 8 o'clock

Drugs, Gun and Ammo Seized In Bust

One hundred and eighty thousand dollars worth of drugs are off the street following a bust in the city.  A 24 year old man is facing charges after police Sgt. Murray Brown says he was arrested at a local coffee shop yesterday.  That lead to a raid on a home on the 400 block of St. Patrick's Square which resulted in the seizure of Oxycodone and Cocaine.   Also seized was an illegal handgun and ammunition.

OPP Search For Missing Cliff Diver

OPP divers from Gravenhurst are expected to arrived in Thunder Bay this evening.  They will be heading to the  McKenzie River in Shuniah Township to search for a missing cliff diver.  OPP say that a 26 year old Thunder Bay man did not resurface after making a dive  around 4 o'clock Wednesday afternoon.  Police say he was with  three other friends at the time.   They say the location is off of McKenzie Heights Road just east of the McKenzie River Bridge.

Claman In T.Bay For Shoes & Champagne

A Canadian reality TV star is in Thunder Bay today helping Habitat for Humanity raise money.  Jody Claman of the Real Housewives of Vancouver says she loves to give back to charities like Habitat for Humanity.  Claman will be speaking at the Shoes & Champagne event tonight at Bight Restaurant.  That's where designer shoes signed by celebrities are auctioned off.

Commercial Drivers Targeted

Following a campaign targeting bad commercial truck drivers OPP are satisfied the message is out there.   Sgt. Shelley Garr says out of 300 commercial drivers charged in the province, 26 were in the northwest region.  She says 13 were for speeding, 4 for seat belt violations, 3 were out of service and only 1 was for drinking and driving.   Across the province 35 per cent of all the charges were equipment related compared to 12 per cent in the northwest.

LU Bar Offering Pregnancy Tests

Lakehead University's Outpost bar is the first in Canada to offer pregnancy tests in their bathroom dispensers.  Healthy Brains for Children Thunder Bay is behind the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder initiative.  Spokesperson Marilyn Leiterman says the pregnancy tests are already on their way to the City.  Leiterman hopes to have more local bars get on board and offer pregnancy tests.

Search on For Missing Cliff Diver

OPP divers from Gravenhurst are expected to arrived in Thunder Bay tomorrow morning.  They will be heading to the  McKenzie River in Shuniah Township to search for a missing cliff diver.  OPP say that a 26 year old Thunder Bay man did not resurface after making a dive this afternoon.  Police say he was was with  three other friends at the time.   They say the location is off of McKenzie Heights Road just east of the McKenzie River Bridge.

Scott Potts Leaving Hospital

A senior executive at the Regional Health Sciences Centre is leaving under a veil of mystery.  The official word from hospital officials is that Scott Potts has resigned and his last day is June 28th.  However, there is no way to interview Potts, who's the vice president of Corporate and Diagnostic Services, because he is on vacation.   A hospital spokesperson says they can't confirm a replacement for Potts at this point. 

Garbage Dumped At Area Lake

The Ministry of Natural Resources is trying to find who is responsible for dumping garbage at Sandstone Lake.    Officials say they've received complaints several times from the public about the situation.  The area is located about 80 kilometres southwest of the city off Highway 588. 

Rae To Focus Full Time On ROF

The Matawa First Nations now have a full time Ring of  Fire negotiator.   Liberal MP and former Ontario NDP Premier Bob Rae is resigning as a Member of Parliament.   He says it's in order to focus on his new role as chief negotiator for Matawa First Nations in talks with the province about development of the Ring of Fire mining development in northern Ontario.

Police Clarify Info On Charges

Thunder Bay's Jeff Paxton isn't facing his first brush with the law.    Deputy police chief Andy Hay says the 10 sex related charges against young boys announced yesterday are actually included with four charges from when he was first arrested  last year.   The police say the charges against Paxton are related to incidents between 1983 and 2004.

Golfers Raise $

The Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation is almost 22 thousand dollar richer following this weeks golf tournament.   The 7th Annual RE/MAX Queen of Hearts Ladies Golf Classic attracted a field of 152 women golfers.   The money will go towards the Northern Cardiac Fund. 

Forest Plan For Pikangikum

Pikangikum and the Province are working together to boost the forestry sector in the Far North.  The first nation has received a Sustainable Forest Licence for the Whitefeather Forest, 90km North of Red Lake.

MNR Forest Fire Update

Five new forest fires have sparked in Northwestern Ontario.  The Sioux Lookout and Nipigon Districts each saw two, while one was reported in the Kenora area.  The MNR adds while some rain is forecast, the hazard remains moderate to high in the region.

Kenora Council Broadcasting Live

It might not be a ratings hit, but Kenora City Council is looking to broadcast its open meetings.  Council says its willing to work with Shaw to air committee-of-the-whole and monthly council meetings.  It will set the city back about 12 thousand dollars to purchase and install the technology.  Councillor Rod McKay says he has his reservations about spending that kind of money and wants to know how many people might actually watch their meetings, before supporting the expenditure.

Fire At Bight Restaurant

Thunder Bay's Fire Department is looking into a small fire in a garbage room at Bight Restaurant last night.  Crews were able to bring the fire under control shortly after being called to the blaze at 11:30.  There's only minimal damage to the room and light smoke damage throughout the rest of the restaurant.  It's unclear if restaurant operations will be affected.

Serious Sex Charges Face City Man

A former bible camp counsellor and babysitter in the city is facing some serious sex charges that involve minors. Police say the charges against Jeff Paxton  date back to between 1983 and 2004.   They say they involve boys between the ages of 7 and 14.   Paxton faces four counts each of gross indecency and sexual assault and two counts of invitation to sexual touching.  He is currently in custody and will be in court for a bail hearing on Friday.

Four "Worst Roads" In Thunder Bay

Four roads in Thunder Bay are on the latest worst roads list from the Canadian Automobile Association.   Adelaide Street, Hutton Park Drive, South Water Street  and Onion Lake Road made the top fifty worst roads in the province.    None of them made the top twenty however Adelaide Street was ranked at number 33 in the online vote by the association.