Outbreak at Grandview Lodge

There's an illness outbreak at a local seniors residence.  Officials at the Health Unit say Grandview Lodge is restricting access to the C-Wing of the facility until further notice.  

Housing starts slow in Thunder Bay

Data released from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation suggests that housing starts in Thunder Bay were lower than usual during the month of February. Only one single-detached unit was built throughout the  month which was slightly below the ten year average for the month.

Salvation Army Centre hit by fire

Operations for the homaeless at the Salvation Army Centre on North Cumberland are back to normal after a Monday fire. Executive Director Merv Halvorsen says the blaze broke out in the laundry room of the basement in a dryer.  Halvorsen says half the food supply at the centre was lost as a result of the smoke damage. He says the laundry is now being contracted out everyday.  No one was hurt.

Hearing for Sgt. Mauro in October

A Police Service Act hearing for Sgt.Jim Mauro is set to take place in the fall.  He has been charged in connection with allegations that in October of 2009,  during an arbitration hearing,  he provided the arbitrator with a letter of support which appeared to be signed by Keith Hobbs.  At the time Hobbs was the president of the Thunder Bay Police Association.  The misconduct charges allege that Hobbs did not sign the letter.   The hearing will take place starting October 13th at a location yet to be decided.  Mauro is suspended from the city police service until then.

Planning Board pumped about policy institute

The North Superior Workforce Planning Board is taking some credit for the announcement of a Northern Policy Institute. Now that it's been included in the province's new Northern Growth Plan Executive Director Marg Scott couldn't be happier. Scott says the non- profit group has been working on the concept of a policy institute for about 5 years.

Board considers re-naming Selkirk Auditorium

The Catholic School Board is pondering changing the name of the Selkirk Auditorium at St. Patrick's High School.  One suggestion is to re-name it after long time trustee Phil Colosimo.   The idea is meeting with some resistance.  Trustees have not made a final decision.

Patient falls reduced in the Northwest

There's praise for health care facilities in Northwestern Ontario from a top provincial official. Dr. Ben Chan, CEO of the Ontario Health Quality Council notes that institutions in Kenora, Dryden and Red Lake have reduced patient falls by half in the past year. Chan says that frees up beds in Thunder Bay since patients don't have to come here for surgery. Chan is in Thunder Bay to talk to health care providers.

City Police working on new business plan

Thunder Bay police are gearing up for a new business plan. Deputy Chief JP Levesque says the plan will outline the focus for the next three years as directed by the Police Services Board.  Mayor Keith Hobbs sits on the board and says he will be pushing for a shift towards community policing.  A survey was conducted of both the public and members of Thunder Bay police to get feedback.

Missing votes isn't a big deal

MP absences are in the spot light in Ottawa after Michael Ignatieff took heat for missing 135 votes during this Parliament. Our local MP's are near the middle of the pack with Bruce Hyer and John Rafferty missing 33 and 26 votes respectively. Rafferty says he believes Mr Ignatieff is taking unfair criticism because being a leader he could have had other important duties to attend to.  In comparison NDP leader Jack Layton missed 17 votes, Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe missed 20 and Stephen Harper missed 74 votes.

2011 budget passed

Council has passed the 2011 budget.  But, before it was ratified councillors decided to keep 160 thousand dollars in the 2011 budget for road work slated for Shuniah Street.  Hobbs voted against the move saying the road doesn't need to be widened it needs to be paved.  The 2011 budget will result in a 1.27 percent increase in property taxes.

Gridlock ideas brought to council

A Health Science Centre nurse is speaking out about patient gridlock in the emergency room.  Alana Bishop wrote a letter suggesting ways the hospital might be able to free up 52 beds by creating a facility that would deal solely with mental health, alcohol and drug addiction cases.  Bishop says she's dissapointed she didn't receive a response to her ideas from the Health Minister.  Bishop thinks the former Lakehead Psychiatric Hospital could serve as a Mental health centre and has brought the idea up with St. Joseph's Care Group as well.

Council won't sell land to Badanai Motors

Thunder Bay City Council won't give up it's ownership of the Court Street extension.  The President of Badanai Motors has asked council for a second time to sell it to him; with most of council voting against the move Monday night.  City Planner Mark Smith says they don't want to sell the land because of the city's underground infrastructure. Badanai currently leases the land from the City and says he hasn't decided on whether or not he will continue to do that.

Council meets with TTC

Members of the Thunder Bay City Council are feeling better about Bombardier's transit contract after speaking with the head of the TTC.  Councillor Joe Virdiramo says they also spoke to Mayor Rob Ford about it.  The city spoke with Ford and the TTC while attending the Good Roads conference last week in Toronto.

Awareness Walk for Jordan Wabasse

Two Big Trout Lake residents will be walking from their community to Webeque First Nation to raise awareness about Jordan Wabasse.  Wabasse has been missing for a month and was last seen getting off a city bus in Westfort.  You can follow the 500 kilometer walk through the "Help Find Jordan Wabasse" facebook page.

Charges laid in union fraud case

Thunder Bay OPP are releasing details of a fraud case in Nipigon.  Sgt. Shelley Garr says it involves a 64 year old man from that community.  Wayne Asselin was charged after a member of the Communication, Energy and Paperworkers Union came to the police in December of 2008 after they noticed over 175 thousand dollars was missing from their accounts.  Asselin was the financial secretary of the union.

Snowfall=accidents

Police are reporting several accidents since the snow started falling last night. City police say there have been at least 8 with one of them resulting in minor injuries. The OPP say there were at least 3 in the area this morning. In one case a driver was sent to hospital as a precaution when a SUV went in the ditch in Shuniah. There was also a accident involving a school bus which didn't have students in it on Highway 102.

Veneruz dies at 81

A former Catholic School Board trustee calls it the end of an era. That's how Jolene Kemp describes the death of long time trustee Francis Veneruz  at the age of 81. Kemp says as chair, Veneruz guided the board through changing times.  She says he had the vision to make sure the school system had the means to operate for the future.   His funeral takes place Wednesday at St. Patrick's Cathedral

More gold exploration in the northwest

An already busy mining activity in the Rainy River district is about to get busier. Catalina Metals is paying 146-thousand dollars plus shares to acquire 18-thousand acres located along the same belt that's hosting the gold-rich finds north of Barwick and at Cameron Lake near Nestor Falls. Catalina is now planning an exploration program for the area.

NOACC praises growth plan

The Northwestern Associated Chambers of Commerce is another organization on board with the Northern Growth Plan.  President Barry Streib says the proposed Northern Policy Institute is welcome by the chambers. He says it's exciting for Northern Ontario to conduct research on business, economic and social issues. 
While critics say the plan has no substance, Streib believes the framework is there to guide growth.

Civil War grips Libya

With more confirmed clashes between rebels and loyalist forces it appears civil war has engulfed Libya. Lakehead University Political Science Professor Laure Paquette says the west is mainly staying out but could be providing indirect support to the rebels by sending in special forces units to make contact with different rebel factions. Paquette says as far as military action by the west it has been ruled out.