City Playing Host To Conference

Thunder Bay is playing host to the 2014 Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities annual general meeting.  250 delegates from across North America will be taking part.  Thunder Bay will welcome delegates in June of 2014.

Bail Safety Program Funding Out In March

Thunder Bay's Police Chief wants the Provincial Government to extend funding for the "Bail Safety" program.  Funding runs out at the end of March and means there will no longer be a Constable in charge of alerting victims of domestic abuse when their attacker is being let out of jail.  JP Levesque says they'll be lobbying the Province to keep funding the project.  Levesque says the program is critical since they investigate over 3-thousand domestic violence incidents a year.

Local ETFO Strike Wednesday

Elementary Teachers in the Lakehead Public School Board are on strike Wednesday.  Over 500 teachers will be rallying at 5 local schools and at the offices of MPPs Bill Mauro and Michael Gravelle at Mini Queen's Park.  Local ETFO President Ellen Chambers says this strike is aimed directly at the Education Minister.  Strike locations include Algonquin Avenue School, Edgewater, Sir Winston Churchill, Vance Chapman and Westmount.

Hyer Makes Statement Wednesday

Thunder Bay Superior North MP Bruce Hyer is going to bring up Bill C-45 in the House of Commons Wednesday.  On Monday, First Nation residents across Canada rallied to spread awareness on how the bill will affect their treaty rights.  Hyer says he understands why First Nation communities are upset and notes they are in good company since the Prime Minister has failed to consult most groups that are impacted by the Federal Government's legislation.

More Money For Flood Relief Fund

Thunder Bay's Fire Fighters are proudly presenting the Disaster Relief Committee with over 15-thousand dollars. The money was generated from the "Rock the Fire House" event held in November. With the matching Provincial Government funds it raises the donation to over 47-thousand dollars.

Politics And Nuclear Waste

The politics of nuclear waste is not lost on the Nuclear Waste Management Organization as it searches for a host community for a disposal site for used radioactive fuel bundles . Spokesperson Mike Krizanc says recent public hearings held by MP Bruce Hyer on the subject are of interest to them and they'd like to speak with him to find out what he learned. Eight northwestern Ontario communities are now in the midst of learning about the project so they can decided whether they want the disposal site built in their town.

Hospital New VP Of Medical & Academic Affairs

Thunder Bay's Hospital has a new Executive Vice President of Medical and Academic Affairs. Dr. Stewart Kennedy was recently appointed to the position and will start his new role on January 2nd.

Kennedy is responsible for clinical programs and services. Kennedy is replacing Dr. Gordon Porter who will be taking on the role of Chief of Staff.

Striking NWO Teachers Rally In Dryden

Lights will remain off in elementary schools operated by the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board today.A one day strike is taking place today by members of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario.  Local Union president, Ann Saltel says their members will be gathering in Dryden today for a mass rally.The one day strike is against Bill 115, which imposes contracts on the teachers, and is supposed to take away their right to strike. 

Police Budget Lowered

The Police Services Board is approving a decrease in it's 2013 budget.  At Tuesday's meeting, members voted to cut around a 100-thousand dollars from the fiscal document.  Chief JP Levesque says after the board passed the budget in November they went back and looked for more savings. City Council will look at the police budget in the New Year.

New Courthouse Brings Extra Police Costs

The new consolidated court house is expected to open in September of next year. With the grand opening comes extra costs for the local police force. They'll have to hire 4 new full time employees to work the metal detector x-ray and the security system. Members of the Police Service Board are hoping the Provincial Government will step up and provide funding for the new positions.

Upbeat Climate For Hiring: Survey

Thunder Bay area employers expect an upbeat hiring climate for the first quarter of 2013, according to the latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey. The survey reveals that 13 per cent of employers plan to hire between January to March, while 13 per cent anticipate cutbacks. Another 70 per cent of employers plan to maintain their current staffing levels while three per cent of employers are unsure.

City Reserves Support Of Green Project

The City is holding off on throwing it's support behind a new company that wants to use food waste to create green energy.  Digestic Corp. will burn food waste from local grocery stores to create renewable energy.  Company Spokesperson Jason Whiteside says he doesn't foresee any neighbours on Front Street having a problem.  Council isn't going to give its blessing until it hears more from city staff.  The company is looking for support from the City so it can gain approval from the Provincial Government.

City Takes Over Training Centre

City Council is taking over the management of the local Emergency Training Centre. Councillors voted Monday night to waive the 572-thousand dollar loan that was provided to the centre's board several years ago to build the training facility.  President Larry Price says they'll have to hold a board meeting to determine the fate of their many projects.  City staff told council the training centre had muddy finances and that they should consider recouping their loan by taking over the facility.

Idle No More

Rallies are happening all across the country today including in Thunder Bay.  Idle No More is raising awareness on how Bill C-45 will affect treaty rights.  Maegan Gardner from Eagle Lake First Nation is the coordinator of the rally that was held in Dryden this morning, and says this bill will affect everyone.  Gardner says the bill will have an impact on area First Nations and the environment.

Airports Authority Gets 1 Million $

The Thunder Bay Airports Authority's industrial park is getting 1 million dollars to help attract new businesses, specifically, those involved with the aerospace industry. The money is coming from the provincial government and MPP Bill Mauro says part of the expansion includes adding up to 10 more lots to the park.

Director Says She Has No Choice

The Public School Board is closing its elementary schools on Wednesday because teachers will be going on a one day strike as part of their labour action against the Ontario government's anti-strike legislation. The Board's Director of Education Cathi Siemieiuk says she has no choice but to make the move to shut the schools down for the safety of the students.  Siemieiuk says however the schools day care centres will remain open.

First Aid Funding

The Red Cross is preparing a first aid program for several northwestern Ontario First Nations communities thanks to a donation from Union Gas. Red Cross spokesperson Rob Zuback says the company has given them 25 hundred dollars towards helping the most vulnerable learn the basics of first aid.

Housing Starts Up 17 Per Cent

The number of new housing construction starts in Thunder Bay has surpassed last year .   According to government statistics the number of single detached starts is over the 200 mark.  Warren Philp of Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation says it's only the 3rd time that's happened in the last 15 years and is a 17 per cent increase over last year at the same time. 

Missing Man Found

Thunder Bay Police say a 19 year old Cherry Ridge man is now back with his family. Police say James McCormack returned last night after being on the missing person's list for almost a week. No further details are available.

Crimestoppers Crime Of The Week