Overnight Blaze

City Fire crews battled an overnight blaze on the south side.  Firefighters were called to garage fire in the 400 block of South Marks Street around 3:45 this morning.  A second alarm was called in as five pumpers and an aerial platform battled the fire. An SUV was destroyed inside the garage, but there was no damage to any surrounding homes or buildings in the area.  Officials are attempting to determine a cause and there were no injuries.

Public Consultations To Be Held

Expect plenty of public consultation now that the Provincial Government is looking at giving the Thunder Bay Expressway a face lift.  Ian Smith is the Regional Director of the Ministry of Transport and says they'll be conducting an environmental assessment of a 13 kilometre stretch of highway between Balsam and Arthur Streets.  The study is expected to be completed by 2015.

NOSM Recognition

Thunder Bay's Dr. James Goertzen received the Ian McWhinney Family Medicine Education Award at a national conference held in Vancouver. The Northern Ontario School of Medicine was well represented with Dr. Sarah Newbury also winning an award. Four former members were also recognized.

Sioux Lookout Family Centre Receives Accreditation

The Sioux Lookout Family Treatment Centre has received recognition from the Canadian Accreditation Council. This is the first time the centre has received accreditation. Executive Director Roy Thunder says this will provide credibility to the provincial and federal government when making decisions, and will allow clients even better service. A formal announcement was made in Thunder Bay late last week.

Weather Statement

Environment Canada is issuing a special weather statement for Thunder Bay. A low pressure system moving over Lake Superior is expected to drop up to fifty-millimetres of rain on the city by Monday morning with temperatures dropping, and wind increasing.

Garage Fire On Van Horne

Thunder Bay Fire Services responded to a garage fire on Van Horne Street last night. The fire was quickly contained however there is moderate structural and smoke damage to the garage and its contents. There were no injuries and the cause is not yet known.

Courthouse Opening Still Up In The Air

The new courthouse in Thunder Bay remains under construction with the opening date still up in the air.  The provincial government originally said the facility should be open before the end of the fall. However there are some people within the court system in the city speculating that may not happen.  A spokesperson for the Ministry of the Attorney General won't confirm that the opening has been pushed back, but says that the move from the two existing facilities will be staggered and says planning and dates are still being finalized.

Twenty-Third Annual Christmas Parade

The annual Christmas parade took place earlier today. A slight change was made from years past with the reversal of the usual route. The parade began at the Real Canadian Superstore and finished at the Community Auditorium.

Bomb Scare

Thunder Bay Police and O.P.P continue to investigate a bomb scare on East Frederica Street. The incident happened around 9:30pm Friday when a smouldering object was thrown thru a house window. When police responded they closed off the area and had the O.P.P Explosive Disposal Unit called out. Anyone with information is being urged to contact police.

Child Pornography Charges

City Police are laying two child pornography related charges on a Thunder Bay man. Thirty-eight year old Dan Nawrocki was arrested at his home yesterday morning where investigators seized fifteen computers, six hard drives and an estimated ten-thousand DVD's. These charges are not related to the current international child pornography investigation.

Man Charged In Hit And Run

Thunder Bay Police are charging a 22 year old man with a series of drinking and driving related charges.  Sgt. Glenn Porter says early this morning they were called to investigate a vehicle that skidded off the road and drove over a fence at the County Fair Plaza Mall.  Police followed tire tracks in the fresh snow and found the vehicle parked at a home nearby.   A young man was still behind the wheel of the running car when officers asked him for a breath sample.  A breath test revealed his blood alcohol level was 2 and a half times over the legal limit.

Plant To Burn Biomass Instead Of Coal

Thunder Bay's two MPPs are announcing the Provincial Government will convert the local coal plant to advanced biomass.  Over the next year, the plant will stop burning coal and will be converted to use forest or agricultural sources as fuel for electricity generation.  Work to convert the plant will begin in 2014 with work expected to be complete by 2015.

Flu Is In T.Bay

The flu is now officially in Thunder Bay.  The Health Unit is reporting two lab-confirmed cases of influenza A in the region.  The first two cases were confirmed in younger kids.  The health unit is reminding residents that there is still time to get your flu shot at any one of their clinics or at your local pharmacy.

CUPE Town Talk On Dec. 3rd

13 Township of Schreiber workers are moving closer to a strike.  The Canadian Union of Public Employees represents the staff and hopes upcoming mediation talks will move them closer to getting a collective agreement.  Mediation talks are set for December 3, 2013.  The workers previously voted 100 per cent in favour of a strike if a deal can't be reached.

Fire On Coady Thursday Night

There were no injuries following a fire at a home in the 100 block of Coady Avenue.   Fire crews were called to the scene at 11 o'clock last night and discovered a mattress on fire in a basement bedroom.  An adult and three children were able to make it safely out of the home before firefighters arrived.  Damage to the basement was minor and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

New No Frills Open

The city's new No Frills store on Edward Street opened its doors to customers this morning. Darcy Leduc is the Owner and says he looks forward to talking with his customers about what they would like to see in the grocery store. The store is 24-thousand square feet in size and has been remodeled to include wooden slates on walls, wood crates for display cases and softer lighting.  The County Fair No Frills store is expected to open up soon as well.

LU Shares Accomplishments

Lakehead University is celebrating its accomplishments this year and sharing them with the community through its annual report.  Chair of the Board of Governors Cam Clark says they've accomplished many goals this year including opening the new law school, an increase in enrollment and launching a new strategic plan.  Clark and President Dr. Brian Stevenson addressed a group of community partners at a special breakfast this morning at the school.

Tourism Award

Officials with Tourism Thunder Bay are coming home with an award from Toronto.  Thunder Bay captured an Ontario Tourism Award for its part in the "Ride Lake Superior" program, which partnered with tourism groups in the Sault Ste. Marie region as well as Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. The organizations promoted a motorcycle ride touring program around Lake Superior as a bucket list tourism experience.  

PARO Holds Awards

Eleven women business owners are being honoured by the PARO Centre for Women's Enterprise. They are being recognized as the top enterprising women of 2013.  PARO Executive Director Rosalind Lockyer says best new business goes to Sharla Brown and her company Keynote events.  A formal ceremony took place last night at the Valhalla Inn.

Christmas Kettles Campaign Is Back

The Salvation Army is gearing up for another Christmas Kettle campaign.   Executive Director Major Rob Kerr says this year they're looking to raise 170 thousand dollars.   Volunteers are needed for several locations across the City including Intercity Mall, the Superstore, Walmart and the LCBO.