Wilson heads to Toronto to talk Bill 151

Chamber of Commerce President Harold Wilson will be in Toronto Monday to share concerns about Bill 151. The bill would create a number of Crown corporations to manage forestry-a move that Wilson says could cause roadblocks for the industry. Wilson says he prefers the Ministry of Northern Development's wood supply competition program to what's outlined in the bill.

Overnight knife assault

Police have a man in custody this morning in connection with an overnight assault. According to police a man and woman were taken to hospital with apparent knife wounds. The pair were released after their injuries were treated. The accused man will appear in court today.

Golf Courses post 400-thousand dollar defecit

Thunder Bay's golf course finished off the 2010 year 400-thousand dollars in the red.  Director of golf Tom Forsythe attributes the loss in revenue to unexpected expenditures.  Forsythe says although they posted a defecit rounds of play were up over previous years.  Forsythe will present the figures to council on Monday night.

Hotel developers try try try again

It will likely be June when developers of the proposed waterfront hotel try again to get their way.   After being shot down by the city's Committee of Adjustment, they plan to go to council.  The developers are hoping to get approval to add an extra floor to the hotel, without increasing the height of the building.   The committee turned down the idea saying the added number of rooms might create parking problems.

De Faveri retires

Thunder Bay's Catholic School Board is bidding farewell to its Director of Education.  John De Faveri is retiring this summer after four years with the private board.  The Board is searching for De Faveri's replacement.

Construction season off to slow start

Thunder Bay's construction season is off to a slow start.  Housing starts are down 27 percent from last year's first quarter total.  Canada Mortgage Housing Corporation Analyst Warren Philp says the cooler weather is to blame.  Late snowfall is also contributing to the slow start to the building season.

Women's run has new component

The 32nd annual Royal LePage women's run has new twist. This year men are able to join the action with the new addition of "Walk A Mile In Her Shoes". Men that take part will be walking the distance in high heeled shoes to protest violence against women. Both events are held at Boulevard Lake on May 7th.

Hobbs taking part in business conference

Thunder Bay's Mayor is going to be absent from Monday night's council meeting.  Keith Hobbs is taking part in a business improvement conference in London, Ontario.  Hobbs says it's in preparation for Thunder Bay's conference hosting duties next year.  Hobbs will miss the ratification vote on the Horizon Wind settlement.  He doesn't foresee any councillors changing their minds and votes on the issue.

Collins re-elected as Chair

Fort William First Nation has re-elected Peter Collins as their chief.  8 people were running for the top job and 67 residents were interested in the 12 council seats.  There are two new faces at the band table including Georjann Morriseau and Valerie Chapman.  The new term of office starts April 15th.  The election was held yesterday.

Troubled times for Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity in Thunder Bay could be seeing red. Its annual raffle is behind in selling tickets.  CEO Diane Mitchell says if they don't sell anymore tickets, the organization would be looking at a 94 thousand dollar deficit in this year's budget.  It also means there won't be a house built this year.  Mitchell says they need to sell around 4 thousand more tickets to reach the break even point in the raffle.

Fricot takes a shot at NDP platform

The NDP Northern Platform is being panned by the Liberal Candidate for Thunder Bay Superior North. Yves Fricot says it's a national platform with only one regional piece "FEDNOR". The former lawyer is concerned about the cost of the platform. Fricot takes issue with the NDP's credit card and cellphone initiatives noting it's not really a north specific issue.

Lindstrom case remanded

It's back to court in June for a Thunder Bay man accused in the death of city man 2 years ago.  After a hearing Friday,  Eric Lindstrom's Toronto lawyer says that the case will be back in Superior Court June 14th.  Lindstrom was originally charged with second degree murder in the death of 36 year old Richard Quimet whose burned remains were discovered up Highway 527.  His co-accused in the case, Christopher Gregorchuck was sentenced to 10 years in jail in January after pleading guilty to manslaughter. 

Relay for Life set for June 17th

Thunder Bay's Canadian Cancer Society is gearing up for this summer's 12th annual Relay for Life.  Chair Elizabeth Stafford says money raised here goes towards local cancer research.  Last year's 12 hour relay raised over 143-thousand dollars.  This year's goal is to raise 152-thousand.  Stafford says she hopes to see 85 teams enter this year's relay that takes place June 17th.

Manley pays visit to Thunder Bay

Silver medalist figure skater Elizabeth Manley is helping honour the Alzheimer Society.  Manley was their guest speaker at the local chapter's fundraiser.  Manley says she personally wants to say thank you to the organization.  The Olympic skater lost her father to the disease in October.  The fundraiser also marked the 25th anniversary of the local Alzheimer's Chapter.

Pressure nothing new for Eric Staal

It will be an intense weekend for Eric Staal and his Carolina Hurricanes. They have two games remaining and hold their destiny in their own hands.  Two wins and they're in.  Staal tells our newsroom he lives for this kind of pressure. He says the team appears to be handing it well and haven't buckled yet. The Canes take on Atlanta Friday and Tampa to close out the regular season.  They were helped out by the Thrashers Thursday night when they beat the New York Rangers 3-0.

MNR and Grassy Narrows sign agreement

The Province and Grassy Narrows First Nation are working towards allowing logging activity in the Whiskey Jack Forest near Kenora.  Chief Simon Fobister says they're not against environmentally friendly logging practices; they're against clear cutting.  Fobister notes they will not dismantle their blockade; but the agreement with the province is a step towards that.

Marathon man facing child porn charges

A 71 year old Marathon man is facing Child Pornography charges. OPP say following an on-line undercover investigation they searched a home in that community and 3 computers were seized which they say contained movies of child sexual abuse. Charged is Reginald Begin. He appears for a bail hearing in Thunder Bay Friday.

NDP MP's launch Northern platform

Northern Ontario's NDP members are hoping to get your vote with their election platform.  Thunder Bay Superior North MP Bruce Hyer says if his party is elected they'll make FEDNOR a stand alone agency.  The Northern platform also suggests providing more funding for seniors homes and strengthening the Canada Pension Plan.  The NDP are proposing increases in funding for seniors homes and 700 million dollars towards eliminating senior poverty.

LU prof follows candidate tweets

A Lakehead University professor is counting the tweets. Livio DiMateo says he is checking out which of the local candidates in the federal election are on Twitter and seeing what kind of following they have.  He says he was interested in knowing how the candidates were making use of the new social media.  He began tracking the number of Twitter followers on his blog March 30th.  DiMateo says at the end of the election he will try to see if the number of followers a candidate has matches the vote count.  A link to his blog can be found here

Hearings controversy won't go away

The McGuinty government is being called out of touch, arrogant and uncaring about the north. NDP leader Andrea Horwath is still hounding the government over its refusal to hold forest tenure committee hearings outside of Toronto. Horwath predicts however, the government won't change it's mind about the issue