City Man Recounts Bear Attack

Thunder Bay's Trevor Miller will never look at bears the same.  It follows an attack this week in Sandbar Provincial Park near Ignace. Miller tells our newsroom that it was a harrowing experience that seemed like it would never end as the whole ordeal lasted about 2 hours as he tried to dodge the bear by going in the water.  He says at one point he smacked the bear on the nose with a stick as it swam towards him,  but that only stopped the stalking for a short period as the bear regrouped itself.   Miller says it all ended when his dog went after the bear and was killed in the process.

Police Arrest Robbery Suspect

A 28-year old Thunder Bay man is being held in custody following his arrest for the armed robbery of the Simpson Street Mac's Store on August 2nd.  Police made the arrest yesterday without incident on East Victoria Avenue.  The man entered the store armed with a syringe and escaped with a small amount of money. His court date has yet to be determined.  No one was injured during the incident.  

Murray Visiting NWO

Ontario's transportation minister is visiting Northwestern Ontario this week.   Glen Murray will be in Murillo this morning. The minister will consult with Northern and rural municipal leaders on the new 100 million dollars in provincial funding for infrastructure in their communities.  He will be in Kenora tomorrow.

Minor Injuries In Expressway Mishap

There were no injuries following a three-vehicle collision on the Thunder Bay Expressway and Balsam Street late yesterday morning.  The accident involved a car and two tractor trailer units.  The driver of the car, a 27-year old Calgary woman has been charged with a lane change violation.

Meals On Wheels Could Change Hands

The city's Meal's on Wheels program could be given to someone else to run. Councillor Rebecca Johnson says it's one of the options being considered as a source of saving money.  She says it would be about 100 thousand dollars a year.  Johnson says the Red Cross is one organization considering taking over the decades old program.

Tragedy Risk Reduced In thunder Bay

Owning exotic pets like a python in Thunder Bay is against the law.  One pet store owner in the city we spoke to says for that reason the likelyhood of the  New Brunswick python tragedy repeating itself here is greatly reduced.  Two young boys in Campbellton were suffocated by the giant snake as they slept in an apartment located above a pet shop

College Expands Mining Opportunities

Some new educational opportunities in mining are opening up at Confederation College. The College will deliver Timmin's based Northern College's highly successful Haileybury School of Mines program through its Thunder Bay campus. It allows graduates of Confederation's Mining Techniques certificate program to advance to the third semester of  Northern's diploma program. The Colleges say it will help meet an expected demand for workers.

Treaty 3 Police Chief Calls It Quits

The Chief of the Treaty 3 Police Service is calling it quits. Conrad DeLaronde handed in his resignation this morning. Police Board Chair Eli Mandamin says they will discuss the situation next week.  Mandamin says DeLaronde will leave his post in 3 months.   No reason was given for the decision.

Forest Fire Activity Still Low

Cool weather across northwestern Ontario continues to keep the forest fire hazard down to low levels. Only a handful of new fires were reported over the weekend, mostly in the Kenora and Thunder Bay regions. There continues to be no fires burning in the Rainy River district.

Osisko Suspends NWO Operations

Osisko Mining has suspended construction of the Hammond Reef gold mine in the Atikokan area. Low gold prices and high construction costs are to blame. Company President Sean Roosen says the property is still a valuable asset, but better prices are needed.  Roosen says the company still plans to complete the permitting process. Osisko Mining has been working on Hammond Reef since acquiring the property from Brett Resources in 2010.

Highway Improvements For Greenstone

Expect some delays if you are taking the northern route of the Trans Canada Highway.   Twenty one kilometres of Highway 11 in Greenstone is getting some summer improvements.   The government is paying 5 million dollars to have that portion of highway reconstructed.

Suspects Caught Near Marathon

Two men from Kitchener are in OPP custody in Marathon following a weekend adventure.    Police say the two ran away from police after the car they were passengers in was stopped by police on the Trans Canada Highway near William's Mine yesterday.  One of the men was caught last night, the other this morning and both have been charged.   The car's driver, who is also from Kitchener, is also charged.

Councillor Pumped About AHL Possibility

The purchase of the Phoenix Coyotes by Thunder Bay's Anthony LeBlanc and company is reviving hopes for an American Hockey League franchise for the city.   Councillor Ken Boshcoff says that possibility  will certainly be a catalyst for the new events centre.  Boshcoff says it could spur partnership between the city and private developers.

Fire Cause Still Not Known

There's still no cause to report involving a weekend fire on the city's south side.   Officials say that a house on the 1300 block of Mountdale Avenue is heavily damaged as a result of the blaze.  They say it started in the rear of the home, and while there were people inside at the time the fire broke out, they managed to escape safely.   The Fire Marshall's office is investigating.

City Man Attacked By Bear

A Thunder Bay man is lucky to have only minor injuries after being attacked by a bear. The OPP say the 42-year-old man was camping at a park in Ignace and was out for a walk with his dogs when he was attacked by a black bear. The man and his dogs were able to fend off the bear, and he was able to escape with non-life threatening injuries.

Crime Stoppers Crime Of The Week

 Crime Stoppers and the Thunder Bay Police are asking for your help to identify who was responsible for a break and enter into a home on the 2000 block of Government Road which happened on June 26th. Police say a number of items were stolen from the home including a flat screen TV, laptop, as well as several pieces of jewelry, including a Confederation College graduation ring. The total value of the stolen items is over $15,000. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 623-8477.

Dryden Firefighters Ride Bikes For Charity

Northwestern Ontario firefighters will participate in the 2nd Annual Bike Ride in support of Muscular Dystrophy Canada. Reagan Breeze with the Dryden Fire Service says they leave on September 9th. Breeze says last year they raised six thousand dollars and they're looking to beat that this year.

TransCanada Pipeline To Expand

TransCanada is calling it the biggest capital expenditure in company history: a 12 billion dollar Energy East pipeline that will bring Alberta oil through to the Irving Refinery in Saint John. TransCanada President Russ Girling says demand by potential customers was higher than anticipated. The pipeline proposal will use existing TransCanada pipe through northwestern Ontario to Quebec City with construction of a new leg from there to Saint John.

Sunday Wilde To Record New Album

An Atikokan Blues artist is getting ready to record her next album. Sunday Wilde will head to North Dakota at the end of August. It comes almost a year after releasing her last album that has been well received around the world. It's expected to be released before the end of the year.

Civic Holiday Increases Border Activity

If you are heading to the United States this long weekend you could face long line ups. The Canada Border Services Agency expects the Pigeon River border crossing to be busy. In previous years, the Civic Holiday weekend has been the busiest of the year in terms of traffic volume.