One Dead In Canoe Accident

One man is dead following a canoe accident on Lake Superior at Pukaskwa National Park. The OPP say two men were canoeing on Saturday when their canoe capsized, resulting in one man drowning. Officials say the other man managed to swim safely to shore.

Another Quiet Day For The MNR

The forest fire hazard in the Northwest Region remains low to moderate.   The Ministry of Natural Resources says there were no new fires reported today but that they were checking into a report of one in the Elsie Lake area.  There are 22 active fires in the region and 20 of those are being monitored. The MNR says the forest fire situation remains relatively quiet.

Hobbs Happy With Economic Prediction

Thunder Bay's mayor is happy about the summer report from the Conference Board of Canada. The non profit research group says our city is expected to show a 1 per cent growth this year. Keith Hobbs says it jives with another report from the organization this year which said we were one of the fastest growing cities in Canada. Hobbs believes there's potential to show even stronger growth than what the Conference Board has predicted.

Swimming Advisory Lifted

It's safe to swim at Chippewa Park again.   Earlier this week the Health Unit issued a swimming advisory for the Sandy and Main Beaches because of high E-coli bacteria levels.  However after several tests, officials have now lifted that advisory.

RCMP Reopening NWO Cold Case

The RCMP’s historical case unit will conduct a search of the Sakimay First Nation in Saskatchewan looking for remains or evidence in the death of a Kenora area man who vanished 10 years ago. About 25 people, including RCMP officers, civilian employees of the force and volunteers, are combing through a wooded area on the reserve. Robin Cocks, who was in his mid-30s, vanished in 2003 but his skull was found in the area on April 13, 2012. Cocks was born Robin Timothy Jamieson and was originally from the Dalles First Nation, before being adopted. He was believed to be hitchhiking to Vancouver when he vanished.

Ruberto Asking Pet Limits

Councillor Aldo Ruberto wants to limit the number of pets people can have in their homes. Ruberto says as it stands now you can have as many pets as you want and in some cases it's causing big problems, such as the hoarding of animals. Ruberto is asking his fellow councillors to support his proposal to get city staff working on a new pet by-law

Police Update Transport Mishap

A 58 year old transport truck driver from Quebec is injured as the result of yesterdays highway rollover on the Trans Canada near Marathon. Police say the man was hauling a load of wood chips when his rig hit a rock cut. They say they have not completed their investigation into the incident.

City Jobless Rate Drops

Only a slight drop for the unemployment rate in Thunder Bay. Statistics Canada says the jobless rate in the city last month was an even 6 per cent...compared to 6.1 per cent in June. That's still more than one per cent better that the national unemployment rate of 7.2 per cent. 

Resale Housing Market Offsets New Starts

More new houses and apartments are being build in Thunder Bay this year that last. Warren Philp of Canada Mortgage and Housing says that there has been a 30 per cent increase in the total number of new projects so far this year compared to last, but that isn't enough to fill the void because of a tight resale market.  So far this year there has been a 5 per cent drop in the number of single family home starts compared to last year.

Still A Slow Fire Season

The Ministry of Natural Ressources is reporting one new forest fire in the Northwest Region. Nipigon District Fire Number 61 was reported as a grass fire on the side of Highway 17 west of Nipigon. FireRangers from Thunder Bay District responded and put the fire out by the afternoon. Red Lake District Fire Number 24 has also been declared out. This was a lightning-caused fire that started July 02 and burned an area of 300 hectares. It was located about 40 kilometres northwest of Red Lake.

Firefighter Injured In Blaze

One firefighter is recovering from minor injuries following a fire at Northwood Park Plaza.  Crews were called to the scene just before 8 o'clock last night with smoke coming from the roof of the building.  Workers had been using torches to melt tar on the roof of the mall earlier in the day.  The firefighter, who fell off a ladder battling the blaze, was treated at hospital and released.   

Hospital Sees No Impact From Blood Shortage

Local hospital officials are refusing to say much about a reported blood donor shortage in Canada.   A spokesperson at the Health Science's Centre says they will not offer any comment except to say they have not been seeing any impact.   The shortage has forced Canadian Blood Service to delve into its reserves.

Renewed Call For Spring Bear Hunt

Bringing back the spring bear hunt would be beneficial for the region according to the Northwestern Ontario Sportsmen's Alliance. Executive Director John Kaplanis's comments follow the bear attack at Sandbar Provincial Park, north of Ignace.  Kaplanis says by bringing back the spring hunt, it would help the bears develop a greater fear of humans and not consider them as food.

Hebert Frustrated With Energy Process

An energy conference in the city this week is concerning to Larry Hebert.  The co-chair of the city's Energy Task force says the gathering to examine Ontario's long term energy plan seemed to focus on the needs of southern Ontario and not our region which will require extra electricity to deal with various mining projects.  Hebert calls this weeks process frustrating.

Inmate Hurt At District Jail

The province is probing an incident at the District Jail on MacDougall Street yesterday afternoon..  Brent Ross of the Ministry of Correctional Services isn't allowed to say much about what happened only to say than an inmate was hurt.   City police say that it  involved a 58 year old inmate who sustained minor injuries after being assaulted by two other prisoners.  Two men, aged 25 and 45 are facing charges.

ROF Training Cash Announced

The federal government is kicking in almost 6 million dollars to help train Aboriginals for work in the Ring of Fire mining development.  Minister of State Greg Rickford made the announcement in Thunder Bay today.  He says the project will run in cooperation with Confederation College and Noront Resources

Process Begins For East West Tie Line

The process is now underway for the construction of a new transmission line to provide electricity between northwestern and southern Ontario.  The Ontario Energy Board's Vanda Wall says a company has been chosen to begin the initial design, the environmental assessment and land acquisition. She says this stage of the so called East-West Tie Line can last up to 18 months.

Manufacturer Still Eyeing NWO

B.C. based Aspenware still has plans for expansion but the exact location isn't known. President Terry Bigby says the wooden cutlery manufacturer still has its eye on northwestern Ontario.  He says the key is getting a steady supply of wood fibre.  Aspenware recently signed an agreement with a Kenora area First Nation for harvesting operations in the Whiskey Jack Forest.

RFDA Needs Food

The local organization that distributes food to area food banks is in need of donations.   Volker Kromm of the Regional Food Distribution Association says they are looking for the basics. He says that includes pasta, canned goods and peanut butter. Kromm says they are "scrounging around the rest of the province" to try to get at least a truck load of food to ease the shortage.  He adds summer is the time when food bank stocks are normally low.

CEDC Praised For CEO Selection

Charla Robinson

The president of the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce is giving props to the board of the Economic Development Corporation.  Charla Robinson says the choice of Doug Murray as the new CEO of the city organization is a a great one for Thunder Bay.  She says the Chamber has worked with Murray in the past and calls it a great fit.   Board Chair Paul Inksetter says Murray beat out  about 65 other candidates for the position, many from as far away as China and Australia. Murray will be handling a yearly budget of 1 million dollars towards the goal of attracting more industry and jobs to the city.