No arrests in credit union heist

Police still have not made an arrest in the Apple Credit Union robbery last Friday. They say witnesses saw the suspect escape in a newer model silver or gray mini van that looked similar to a Pontiac Montana. It was last seen speeding away west on Clark Street.

TTC rubber stamps subway contract

It's a done deal. The Toronto Transit Commission has excercised its option to purchase 186 more subway cars that will be built at Thunder Bay's Bombardier plant. Those cars are in addition to the 234 already being built at the Montreal Street facility.  The TTC's Brad Ross says the issue was approved without debate.   This latest contract is worth 400 million dollars

House fire sends one person to hospital

One woman is recovering from smoke inhalation after a fire on the city's north side. It took place at 620 Harold Street at around 1:30 Thursday afternoon. District Chief David Long says it appears damage is confined to the upper floor of the 1 and a half story home.  He says when they arrived smoke was coming out of two upstairs windows.  Crews went upstairs and extinguished the blaze.  One witness says a man was sleeping but woke up in time to escape. There is no cause to report.

McHappy day a McHappy success

It was a very successful day for McHappy day. McDonald's spokesperson Kathy Bukovy says Thunder Bay restaurants raised 14 thousand, 656 dollars yesterday through the sales of Happy Meals and Big Macs.  Bukovy says the Memorial location was ranked 14th in the province after raising almost 5 thousand dollars.  All the money raised in Thunder Bay is going towards the construction of a new Ronald McDonald house in Toronto.

Regular gas in short supply

There is a shortage of regular gasoline in Thunder Bay. In one case the Canadian Tire gas bar at the Thunder Centre ran out of fuel Wednesday but is now back in business.  A spokesperson for Suncor, the major supplier in the local market, says the shortage will be temporary. Michael Southern says it should be resolved by the weekend when a ship arrives with a new load on Saturday.  Southern also says that tanker trucks from Winnipeg and Sault Ste. Marie are expected to arrived with fuel between now and Saturday.

Hyer's Climate Change bill passed

Bruce Hyer's climate change bill has passed third reading in the House of Commons. The Thunder Bay MP has set out timelines for the government to reduce greenhouse gases. Hyer knows the Harper government isn't likely to listen to his suggestions, but says there is hope when the bill goes before the Senate for a vote there. The Bill was passed by a vote of 149-136.

Bombardier on the verge of another contract

The Toronto Transit Commission is expected to rubber stamp 400 million dollars worth of work for Thunder Bay's Bombardier plant.   The TTC is going to vote Thursday on allowing the plant to build an additional 186 subway cars.  Those cars are in addition to the 234 already being built at the Montreal Street facility.   TTC chair Adam Giambrone says it's a logical move since the additional cars were always part of the contract to extend the subway system.

Oliveira back with the Chill

The MVP of the Premier Development Soccer League in 2008 is coming back. The Thunder Bay Chill have announced the return of Gustavo Oliveira for the 2010 season. Oliveira is most famous for scoring the tying goal in a playoff game that sent it into overtime, which eventually led to a Chill Championship in the 2008 finals inTexas.

Public process starts on new arena

The city wants your input on a possible new multi-plex arena facility. According to City Manager Tim Commisso it would be able to seat 5 to 7 thouand people and cost in the range of 50 to 60 million dollars. He believes we would benefit greatly if it also included a convention centre. The city is hosting two public meetings on the proposal. The first is Thursday at the DaVinci Centre and the second a week later at the Italian Hall. In both cases the evening will start at 6:30 with displays the public can view. That will be followed at 7 by a presentation that will last about 45 minutes which will be followed by a question and answer session.

City cab driver robbed but not hurt

A Thunder Bay cabbie has his vehicle back after it was stolen in a armed robbery yesterday. The driver picked up a fair at Westfort Foods around 4 pm. The suspect eventually pulled a knife on the driver, demanded money and then stole the cab. It was found behind the Royal Edward Arms on May Street a short time later. The cabbie was not hurt. Police have not made an arrest.

Overnight rainfall forces an end to fire ban

The city wide fire ban is about to be lifted. Deputy Fire Chief Greg Hankkio says it will take effect as of 5 o'clock today.  He says the 11 millimetres of rain that was received overnight was enough to lift the restrictions.  Hankkio says they'll continue to monitor the weather conditions daily in case the ban needs to be put back in place.

Local celebs help with McHappy Day

It's McHappy Day at all McDonald's Restaurants in the city. It means that one dollar from every Egg McMuffin, Big Mac and Happy Meal sold today goes towards Ronald McDonald House in Toronto. That's the facility that houses families from Ontario who need to travel to Toronto so their children can receive cancer treatment. All day local celebrities, politicians and other well recognized citizens will be serving McDonald's customers: Pictured: Our very own Ian Grant pours coffee at the Cumberland Street location.

Kam River tragedy averted by alert mom

A family visiting from southern Ontario is relieved after a near drowning in the Kam River. Fire Service Platoon Chief Joe Grzelewksi says the incident took place around 5 o'clock Tuesday afternoon at the Kam River Park at the end of Donald Street. One of their children accidently fell into the river and was in there for a few minutes before the mother jumped in and rescued him. The young boy, who is about 4 years old, didn't require treatment.

Skateboarders get props from Navy boss

The citys' top Navy official is praising the young people who use the BMX-skateboard facility at Marina Park. Lieutenant-Commander John Bell says there were fears the kids might desecrate the nearby naval memorial, but that hasn't happened. Bell was impressed with the respect the young people showed over the weekend at the Battle of the Atlantic ceremony

New call centre to set up in Vic-Ville

A Prince Edward Island company is the citys' newest employer. OLS will be setting up its' inbound call centre at Victoriaville Mall. Its' President Ross Beattie says our city was chosen out of 10 others to host his centre because of our workforce, and says unlike other call centres that have come and gone, his company is here for the long haul.   Beattie says the centre will employ 200 people with the aim of doubling that within the year.

Critic calls energy credit insulting

The McGuinty governments' Northern Energy Credit is being called an insult. Randy Hillier, the Progressive Conservatives' Northern Development critic, says the program is laughable. He says thats because 200 dollars is the most any family will get. Hillier says in some parts of the north this credit won't even cover one month of the HST

New Miss Thunder Bay ready to compete

A Thunder Bay woman is going to represent the city at next years' Miss World Canada Pageant. 21 year old Tegin Popowich was selected as Miss Thunder Bay in Sudbury recently and can't wait for the chance to compete nationally in Vancouver in July of 2011. Popowich says she was shocked to be one of 7 contestants selected. As part of the process she'll be fundraising for a charity organization called Children's Variety.

Iggy wants internet for all

A Liberal government would bring high speed internet to all of Northern Ontario and the rest of Rural Canada within three years. Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff made the announcement in Thunder Bay today. Ignatieff says high speed internet is vital in increasing national unity, by connecting everyone in Canada together online. Ignatieff spoke to students at St Patrick's High school this afternoon and will also be hosting a meet and greet at Tony and Adam's Restaurant this evening.

Sidewalk contract in limbo

A one million dollar city sidewalk contract is on hold right now. It's because a handful of northside residents don't want a portion of that contract to include a stretch in the High Street and Parsons area. Councillor Brian McKinnon agrees with them.   He believes that if the majority of residents don't want it, why build it?  Councillors will revisit the issue next week.

Easement a major headache for Northwood homeowner

A Ryerson Crescent homeowner appears to be stuck between a rock and a hard place.  Don Cooper says he unknowingly had his new garage built over an easement. He has been ordered to tear the garage down.    While Coopers' plight may have the sympathy of some on City Council and administration it appears to be out of their hands.   Other companies like Shaw Cable and TBayTel say they want to keep their rights to the easement property.  Adminstration will come back to councillors with possible options next week.