Green Party Leader Says He Can Make Debate

If the leader of the PC Party can't make it to a Northern Ontario debate, Mike Schreiner of the Greens is more than willing to take Tim Hudak's seat. Schreiner says if the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association gives the OK he'll head to Thunder Bay on Monday for the debate. Premier Kathleen Wynne and NDP Leader Andrea Horwath will take part, Hudak is unable to attend because of scheduling conflicts.

Catholic Board's Mustapic Retiring

The Superintendent of Business and Corporate Affairs with the Thunder Bay's Catholic School Board is retiring.  Tom Mustapic announced his retirement this week after more than 24 years with the board. Mustapic says he'll enjoy his down time and will do some consulting with a mining company that he's involved with.

Not Much Fire Activity

Not much activity on the forest fire front but the warm weather in the forecast may change things. The fire hazard remains low with only 9-human caused fires over the long weekend. A majority of the small fires were in the Thunder Bay and Nipigon districts. The region has only seen 16-fires this season.

Evacuees Set To Go Home Thursday

A short visit for residents from Attawapiskat First Nation. About 140 arrived in Fort Frances on the weekend as part of the 1-thousand airlifted away from their remote community due to flooding concerns.The town's public information officer, Patrick Briere says they are scheduled to return home Thursday. Briere says so far they've been able to meet the needs of the evacuees.

Anti-Homophobia & Transphobia Day

Today is International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. Students and staff at Hammarskjold High School will be looking to create acceptance in the school through a number of activities, including an ally pledge.

Enter The Den

The 5 high school finalists in the annual Enter The Den contest get to present their business plans this week. Deborah Poole-Hofmann of Thunder Bay Ventures says the event allows students to come up with ideas and compete for cash prizes.  The event takes place at Hammarskjold High School tomorrow.

Group Creates Nature Reserve

Thunder Bay's Field Naturalists group is buying a new piece of property. They are creating a nature reserve in the Terrace Bay area.  The purchase agreement is expected to close on July 15th and they're looking for public donations to help pay for it.

Homelessness Town Halls Announced

Thunder Bay's Homelessness Coalition and members involved with the Drug Strategy want to inform the voting public about poverty related issues and that's why they are holding a series of town hall meetings prior to the fall municipal election.  The three meetings will be held at the Finlandia Club on Bay Street with the first being held next Wednesday.

Hamilton Police Want Suspension Without Pay

City Police appear to be on board with a call from their fellow officers out of Hamilton.  Hamilton Police want to see the Police Services Act amended to allow Chiefs of Police to suspend members without pay. Chief JP Levesque says they've seen cases in other police services where this option is needed. The issue is being brought up at the Ontario Association of Police Services Board meeting in Toronto this week.

Hudak Will Not Make Debate

Tim Hudak will not show up for the northern leaders election debate in Thunder Bay next week.  His spokesperson  says the PC leader has scheduling conflicts.  Organizer Iain Angus of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association says the event will go ahead anyway with the NDP's Andrea Horwath and Kathleen Wynne of the Liberals.  Angus says the precedent was set during the last election when the northern debate went on without Dalton McGuinty.

Northern Evacuations Over The Weekend

Another weekend, and more evacuations from another northern community. About a thousand people were removed from the Attawapiskat First Nation due to flooding. About 140 were airlifted to Fort Frances, while others ended up in northeastern Ontario and Quebec. It's hoped the evacuees should be able to return home as early as today as water levels begin to subside.

Inspection Due For Police

The Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services is going to be paying City Police a visit in the near future. A rep for the Province alerted Police that they are due for an inspection.  Chief JP Levesque says it's almost been eight years since their last review.  A date for the inspection has yet to be set but they are hoping to arrange one in the fall.

Overtime Costs At Court

The City and Chief of Police will be sitting down to talk about ways they can save money through eliminating overtime costs.  Chief JP Levesque says they want the City to allow changes through their provincial offences court.  The City is in charge of running the provincial offences court and Levesque says they've found that most times police officers have shown up to court and have been told they're not needed.

Zone Policing Starts June 3rd

It's been almost 2 years since City Police first started talking about moving towards a zone policing model. In just under two weeks the new way of policing will take effect on June 3rd. Chief JP Levesque says there were some delays.  The new schedule means officers will go to work each day in the same part of the City and one side won't be more busy than another.

Flood Warning Remains In Dryden Area

A flood warning remains in effect in the Dryden area. The Ministry of Natural Resources says the warning will stay in place until Friday morning.   The MNR adds it will re-evaluated at that time. Flooding has already occurred along Highway 605 as well as Highway 105. Water levels are expected to rise over the next couple of days impacting low lying areas, streams and water crossings.

Payback Time

The Mayor is sporting a new do.  Keith Hobbs made a hockey bet over the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins playoff series and he lost.  His worship now has the Canadiens logo painted on the side of his head.  Hobbs says he will keep in on a day or two but admits it's starting to sting a little.

OPP Report Two Weekend Fatalities

The Ontario Provincial police say  that two people died on OPP-patrolled roads over the Victoria Day Long Weekend. One man died in eastern Ontario when the farm tractor he was driving failed to negotiate a turn on a township road.  Another man died following a single vehicle collision in northeastern Ontario.

Hudak Can't Confirm Debate Appearance

Progressive Conservative leader Tim Hudak has not confirmed his appearance at next week's northern leaders debate in Thunder Bay.  His spokesperson says that while Kathleen Wynne and Andrea Horwath made the decision that particular date works well for their schedule, Hudaks people are looking at options because the date conflicts with his other visits.

Stillwater Still Proceeding

It's all happening according to the general manager of Stillwater Canada.  Clark Gilbert says the wheels remain in motion to have a copper and palladium mine built outside of Marathon.    Gilbert says it all rests on a number of key items, including putting together another environmental assessment for the provincial government.    He says if major changes are required to the environmental report it could be a long process.  Gilbert says the company should know early next year on the best way to move ahead.

Kiptoo Wins Again

Gilbert Kiptoo is the winner of the Firefighters Ten Mile Road Race. The Kenyan runner crossed the line in just over 51 minutes. This is the fifth straight time Kiptoo has won the race.