Constable demoted for Discreditable Conduct

City police say the Police Service Act proceedings against a city constable have ended.   Constable Jamie Maijala has pleaded guilty to two counts of Discreditable Conduct in  connection to an incident in May of last year.    The Constable has been demoted from a First Class to Fourth Class Constable.   Meantime, in an unrelated case, hearing dates have been set for Sgt. Jim Mauro.  He is facing two charges of misconduct.  The hearing will take place starting October 4th.

Rickford cool with moonlighting

No complaints from Greg Rickford. The Kenora Conservative MP thinks there's nothing wrong with some MPs having an extra income. He says the only rules should be that elected duties come first and that there are no conflicts. The names of about 150 MPs who had outside income were named recently, that included Thunder Bay NDP MPs Bruce Hyer and John Rafferty.

Grand Chief meets Queen

The Grand Chief of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation is feeling good after his meeting with the Queen today. Stan Beardy says it was important that she met with him because it means she respects First Nation treaty rights. Chief Beardy says he told the Queen that it was the 100th anniversity of the signing of Tready 5. He said she just responded with a nod of her head. He says in total he spent about 2 minutes with Her Majesty.

Bike lanes added in Westfort

There are now more bike lanes in the city. Lane markings have been painted on Walsh Street and Syndicate Avenue. City Transportation Coordinator Adam Krupper says it's the last of the lanes for this year. He says plans are already in the works for 2011. Kupper says so far there has been some good response to the bike lanes.

LU hosts digital conference

About 80 researchers from 33 countries are attending a digital information conference at Lakehead University. The 3 day event is being organized by LU professor Rachid Benlamri who believes bringing the conference here is a significant accomplishment. Speakers have come from Nova Scotia and Florida for the conference.

OFIA against proposed forest tenure reform

A coalition of northern businesses, municipal leaders, unions and forestry groups are against the province's forest tenure proposal. The coalition includes the Ontario Forest Industry Association and President Jamie Lim says they're dead set against the initiative. Lim adds its going to have a negative impact on the industry driving up costs and creating uncertainty. The forest tenure proposal is expected to be approved by the government sometime this year.

Thunder Bay Police Chief likes new legislation

Police officers from Ontario and other provinces can now better collaborate to target crime. The McGuinty Government recently passed the Interprovincial Policing act. Thunder Bay Police Chief and President of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police Bob Herman says the act makes it easier to investigate crime that occurs across Canada.  Herman adds the Chiefs of Police Association has been calling for this legislation for some time.

MNR Fire Hazard is low

The Ministry of Natural Resources says the fire hazard is still low in the region.  Despite the rain, two new fires were confirmed in the Red Lake district.  One fire is northwest of Sandy Lake and the other is west of Keewaywin.  There are 9 other fires being monitored in the Sioux Lookout and Nipigon districts.

Abitibi close to getting out of bankruptcy

AbitibiBowater could end nearly eighteen months of creditor and bankruptcy protection on October 1 if its restructuring plan wins creditor support next month. A meeting on the plan takes place August 26th. The plan would see unsecured creditors receiving between nothing and 48 per cent when their debt is converted to equity, depending on their class. Current shareholders will walk away empty-handed. Others fall somewhere in between, including workers who received no severance when their mills were shut over the past year.

Shelter House volunteer turns 93

A Shelter House volunteer is celebrating her 93rd birthday today by helping prepare and serve a meal for Thunder Bay's less fortunate. Marie Tracz has been volunteering at Shelter House since it first opened in Thunder Bay in 1984.  Tracz is also a long time volunteer of the First Church United.

NAN Grand Chief meets Queen

The leader of the Nishinawbe Aski Nation will be meeting the Queen today. The visit with Queen Elizabeth comes as area first nations mark the 100 year signing of Treaty number 5 with the British Crown. The Queen will wrap up the Canadian tour with a stop at the Ontario Legislature.

124 million dollar school board budget

The Lakehead Public School Board has passed a balanced 126 million dollar budget.  School officials feel their budget will lead to the success of all students.  The 2010-2011 budget will maintain current Educational Assistants, Early Childhood Educators and Social Workers.  The board also found some efficiencies in transportation costs due to the second year of blended routing and shared transportation costs with partner boards.

More illegal painkillers seized

There appears to be no end to the drug busts involving Oxycodone in the city. The latest arrests were made at two rooms at the Landmark Inn recently. The street value of the pills is estimated to be 96 thousand dollars. There was 60 thousand dollars in cash that was also seized.

City playgrounds staffed for the summer

Thunder Bay playgrounds are open for the summer. 17 Playgrounds throughout the city will have activities for kids from 5 to 12 years old. Supervisor A.J. Kresack says there are structured programs involved to keep children busy. The program runs from 9:30 to 4 Monday to Friday.

Make way for SuperArts

Kids can't complain there's nothing to do this summer. The City of Thunder Bay has kicked off it's SuperArts Program at Ogden Community Centre on McKenzie Street. The program keeps the children busy each afternoon according to supervisor Kirsten Fritsch.   The program includes activities like drama, cooking and scrapbooking. Pictured:  SuperArts participants Matthew Vidis and Rachael Morgan

New hospital prez comes with top credentials

The new president of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre is from New Brunswick. Andree Robichaud takes over the position from Ron Saddington as of October first. Robichaud is a seasoned health executive. She is currently the CEO of the Region Health Authority in that province. She also held the position of Associate Deputy Minister of Health in the New Brunswick government.

Road washout closes Highway 11

A large sinkhole has closed Highway 11 west of Kashabowie.   Provincial Police says the sinkhole impacts both lanes of the highway, about 10 kilometres west of Burchell Lake Road.  Heavy rain is to blame. The highway is not expected to reopen until crews complete repairs sometime today. For people  travelling to Atikokan or Fort Frances fromThunder Bay , it means having to detour through Highway 502 and Dryden.

Warm weather will continue

Northwestern Ontario can expect to see warmer than normal temperatures this week.  The normal temperature for this time of year is 24 degrees, but Environment Canada is calling for highs of 26 or more.  Spokesperson Geoff Coulson adds the region will see scattered showers on Tuesday and Thursday.

Gas station robbery leaves attendant injured

A gas bar attendant has been injured after a morning robbery.  A man entered the service station at the corner of Wardrope Avenue and Balsam Street just after 7:30 this morning and attacked the clerk from behind.  The victim sustained a minor injury from what appeared to be a straight edged weapon.  Police have yet to locate the robbery suspect.

Local MPs have side jobs

Thunder Bay's two MPs are in the spotlight along with a number of their fellow parliamentarians. John Rafferty and Bruce Hyer are among the 150 MPs who have outside business interests that could suppliment their regular salary of 151 thousand a year. The information has been taken from the Office of the Ethics Commissioner. It shows that Rafferty owns a communications and media recording company while Bruce Hyer still owns Wild Waters Wilderness shop and Nature Tours.