Minister of Natural Resources visits Tbay

Minister of Natural Resources Linda Jeffrey is defending her governments far north act.  Jeffery paid a visit to Thunder Bay on Thursday and spoke with the Nishinawbe Aski Nation.  Jeffrey says she had a good discussion with NAN and they hope to come up with a document that both the government, business and first nations are comfortable with.  NAN is holding a news conference about the issue on Friday.

Hudak promises to scrap Far North Act

Ontario's Opposition leader says if he's elected, say good-bye to the Far North Act. Tim Hudak is promising to scrap the controversial legislation if it's passed. Hudak says the act does nothing for job creation.  He says if the act would have been passed years ago we would never have heard of the the Ring of Fire or the Victor Mine.  He says Dalton McGuinty basically wants to turn the far north into a park and kiss all those opportunities good-bye.  Hudak says the bill has been rammed through the Legislature without consultation.  Pictured:  Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce President Harold Wilson speaks at news conference as Conservative leader Tim Hudak looks on.  Meanwhile, Minister of Natural Resources Linda Jeffrey disagrees with Hudak and notes she's willing to alter the act to accomodate first nations and northern businesses.  Jeffrey was in Thunder Bay on Thursday.

Aviation camp comes to close

Confederation College is hosting a group of aboriginal high school students interested in learning about flight. Aviation Dean Joe Vieria says they hope to inspire students to become pilots. There's a lack of first nations people in the skilled labour force. 26 local first nations youth took part in the week long camp. Wasaya Airways, Local First Nation Councils, and the Kenney Family Foundation help fund the week long flight camp.

Local dogs flying high at Canadian Dog Agility Nationals

A pair of Thunder Bay dogs had a successful showing at the Canadian Nationals for Dog Agility. The event happened in Calgary last weekend and Jessica Dubinsky says her and dog Jersey had a very solid showing winning 2nd once and 13th. Nancy Laser also of Thunder Bay and her dog placed 2nd twice, 4th once and also had a 5th place finish.

Michael Ignatieff is not coming to Thunder Bay

Michael Ignatieff's magical mystery tour is giving Thunder Bay a miss. The Liberal leader is making three stops in the Northwest during his cross country bus tour, Kenora Saturday, Dryden Sunday and Kapuskasing Monday. Ignatieff had originally planned to visit Thunder Bay Sunday.

Tim Hudak is coming to Thunder Bay

The Leader of the provincial opposition will be in Thunder Bay today to talk with the Chamber of commerce. Tim Hudak will be talking about the Far North Act. He's expected to meet with the Chamber's board of directors just after noon.

Judge reserves decision in conflict case

A Thunder Bay city councillor must wait before a judge rules on allegations that he was in a conflict of interest. Justice Douglas Shaw of the Superior Court of Justice has reserved his decision in a case that involves city councillor Robert Tuchenhagen. Tuchenhagen is being accused by city businessman Gilles Mondoux of a conflict of interest in connection with the purchase of a building on Hardisty Street

Online gambling could lead to addiction

Provincially regulated online gambling isn't sitting well with the Sister Margaret Smith Gambling addiction center.  Spokesperson Amber Trochimchuk is worried young people will be attracted to online gambling. Trochimchuk says online gambling will also make gambling available to Northwestern Ontario's remote communities.

Pot bust in Neebing Township

Another marijuana growing operation is out of business in the Thunder Bay area. Police say they executed a search warrant at a property located on Minnisto Road in Neebing Township on Tuesday. There were 265 pot plants seized that they say had a street value of over a quarter million dollars. 4 people are charged and will be in court in October.

LU gets research funding from the province

Lakehead University will be upgrading its research equipment in the water protection field. The upgrades are being paid for by the provincial government thanks to almost 172 thousand dollars in funding. Researcher Doctor Peter Lee says the upgrades are long overdue and will allow the university to keep up with industry standards.  The research is intended to help protect our waterways.

American Man turned away from border

An Ilinois man is speaking out after being denied entry into Canada at the Fort Frances border crossing last month. 55-year-old Paul Pepper was part of a bus tour headed for a fishing lodge near Dryden and was questioned about a criminal report dating back to 1972. Pepper claims charges laid were eventually dismissed, but was denied entry and forced to walk back to International Falls. Pepper has written to a variety of government agencies and the Canada Border Service Agency, but so far has not received any response.

Maple Leaf recalls Garlic Sausage

There's another food recall in Northwestern Ontario.  Maple Leaf Foods is recalling its Country Morning Garlic Sausage Ring and Olympic Fine Meats Ukrainian Garlic Sausage.  The company recalled the sausages because they have milk in them and it wasn't listed on the package.  The sausages were sold in Kenora and Thunder Bay.

Newmarket man dinged for hunting offences

A Toronto area man's bank account is 68 hundred dollars lighter. A judge in Thunder Bay has fined him for illegal hunting offences from last year. It was for firing his gun carelessly, transporting more grouse that he was allowed to and having another person's moose game seal. Conservation officers orginally charged the man after a road check near Schreiber last October.

Heart and Stroke gives money

Atikokan and Thunder Bay will share just over 8-thousand dollars from the Heart and Stroke Foundation.  Thunder Bay Heart and Stroke Spokesperson Wendy Savoy says the money will go towards advocating against childhood obesity.  Savoy says statisics show that this generation of kids likely won't outlive their parents.  The Northwestern Ontario Women's Centre received 5 thousand dollars and the Atikokan Youth Initiatives group will be using over 3 thousand dollars.

Accident sents one person to hospital

One person is recovering from an injury following a traffic accident at Highway 61 and Arthur Street this morning. OPP say that the mishap which occured just before 11 o'clock just after it began to rain. Police say that a vehicle was being towed. At the stoplight the victim went out to check on the tow when a third vehicle collided into the rear and pinned him. The extent of the person's injuries aren't known but are not considered life threatening.

Minor injuries in mishap

There are only minor injuries to report after a multi-vehicle accident during the noon hour on Fort William Road at Central Avenue.    Fire and Ambulance personnel attended along with police.  It caused some minor traffic issues for about an hour.  

Morning fire at LU

Lakehead University got a scare this morning, after smoke filled the Braun Building. Thunder Bay Fire and Rescue had to deal with a student experiment gone awry in a science lab, according to District Chief David Grant. He says that some chemicals caught on fire and ignited nearby egg cartons and the room was evacuated. There was plenty of smoke from the incident, otherwise damage is minor, with no injuries to report

Ring of Fire conference killed

Marten Falls First Nation has called off it's Ring of Fire emerging business conference. Companies were told they would have to pay for a meeting with the first nation. 5 thousand dollars gets a meeting with the first nation and 350 dollars would allow interested companies to participate in the opening presentations. Chief Eli Moonias says he doesn't like the way the fees for the conference were being portrayed. Moonias says they have no plans to reschedule the conference and if companies want to meet with them they can schedule a flight into their community.

The Thunder Bay Art Gallery has a new curator

The Thunder Bay Art Gallery has a new curator. Nadia Kurd has taken over the post and made it through her first day on the job Monday. The 31 year old has a bachelor degree in fine arts from the University of Ottawa and a Masters from York University.  Kurd says Thunder Bay is a beautiful community and is enjoying her time here.

Housing starts continue to stay strong in Thunder Bay

Thunder Bay is having a solid year for housing starts. So far this year there has been 101 starts, during the same time last year there was 85 starts. The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation's Warren Philp says July did see a small dip in numbers with 28 single starts last month compared to 2009 which saw 37 starts. Philp says so far this year there has been a total housing start increase of just under 20 percent.