Workers Strike At CCAC

The union representing striking Public Support Workers at the Red Cross says the cold weather isn't deterring local picketers. Bill Joblin of the Service Employees International Union says the workers here are willing to pound the pavement in bone chilling temperatures in an effort to get a settlement with the employer.  The 21 workers in Thunder Bay are part of a province wide walk out that involves 45 hundred PSWs.

Four Vehicle Accident

A 51 year old man is charged after several vehicles were involved in a collision at the intersection of Balmoral and the Harbour Expressway. The crash took place just before 2 this afternoon and resulted in two drivers being taken to the hospital for treatment of injuries. Traffic was snarled for about a half hour today and has since been cleared.

Hospital Imposes Interview Sanctions

The Regional Health Science's Centre denies it's treating city news outlets differently when it comes to granting interviews.   Our newsroom was not allowed an interview with Peter Myllymaa the head of corporate services, over possible plans for parking expansion,  unless we provided questions in advance.   A hospital spokesperson says Myllymaa was caught off guard by questions from an earlier interview with another news outlet, and so the sanctions were put in place for subsequent exchanges.  However it's Acadia Broadcasting's policy not to provide questions in advance of any interview.

New Health Links Program In T.Bay

The Provincial Government is creating a new new health care network for high needs patients in Thunder Bay.  The new program will offer seniors and patients with complex conditions better care through more coordinated support.  The program links together the various health care providers in the City.

St. Pat's Closed

St. Patrick High School is closed and students are going home.  The athletic director with the Catholic School Board says the school has a boiler issue that's forcing the entire school to be sent home.  All sports games at the school today are being rescheduled.

Big Changes For Canada Post

It's a new dawn for Canada Post.  Our national mail service provider is going to be phasing out door to door mail delivery for a third of Canadians who live in urban areas.  Over the next five years those people will be converted to so called  community mailbox delivery.    As well the corporation is increasing the cost of mailing a letter to 85 cents from 63 cents starting on March 31st.

Red Cross Working With CCAC

Thunder Bay's Red Cross Personal Support Workers are striking to back demands for a new contract. Red Cross Care Partners Spokesperson Tanya Elliott says they're keeping a close eye on the job action. Elliott says they will be finding other organizations who can provide care for their clients during the strike.

Matawa Holds Education Conference

Matawa First Nations are hosting an education forum this week. Topics up for discussion include what needs to be changed or added to the First Nation education system, and what systems are already in place that are working well. Matawa Ring of Fire Negotiator Bob Rae will be the guest speaker today and is expected to talk about what training needs to take place for area residents to take part in the mining project.

Doctor Shortage Included In Report

Northern Ontario's doctor shortage is drawing the attention of Ontario's Auditor General. In her annual report, Bonnie Lysyk says while the province has increased the number of physicians, only 5-percent are practicing in rural areas where 14-percent of Ontario's population live. Lysyk notes that locum doctors, meant to cover short-term vacancies in eligible communities, are instead being used for long periods of time. At the time of the audit, there were about 200 specialist vacancies in Northern Ontario, and a third of the hospitals had been using temporary physician services continuously since 2007.

NOMA Looking Forward To Future Meetings

Leader's throughout the region will get to discuss issues every three months with the provincial government.  Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association President Dave Canfield says the promise was made to some key figures at the Northern Leaders Forum.  Canfield says last weeks meeting opened up discussions on a variety of topics including forestry, infrastructure, and the Ring of Fire.

Rickford Announces New Fund

Businesses throughout the region could get some much needed help by the Federal government. FedNor Minister Greg Rickford has announced the Advanced Manufacturing Fund, which will spend 200 million dollars over the next 5 years. Rickford says he's focused on one industry close to home. He says 2 local companies are taking a serious look at the program.

Camping On Crown Too Long

An Ignace man is 400 dollars lighter in the pocket-book for leaving his camper on Crown Land too long. The MNR says it responded to complaints of a number of campers parked on Sturgeon Lake north of Ignace this past summer. Conservation officers posted notices that camping on crown land is limited to just 21 days. The MNR managed to track down the owner who didn't move his camper and Leon Ray was charged.

Hudak Wants Wynne To Take Action

Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak wants to see Premier Wynne take action on the findings of the Auditor General.  In the 2013 annual report, Bonnie Lysyk found that more children with autism are waiting for government funded services than are receiving them. Hudak doesn't have much faith in the Premier following up on the report. Hudak held a news conference after the release of the auditor's report Tuesday in Toronto.

Dawson Road Fire Undetermined

Officials say they may never know exactly what caused a massive house fire on Dawson Road this week. Fire Inspector Paul Bureau says Sunday evening's fire scene was examined by the city and the Ontario Fire Marshal. Bureau says they examined the rubble but could not find a cause that means the fire is going down as undetermined He says however, they have ruled out arson as the cause, but he didn't explain why.

Hwy 17 Open Near Wawa

OPP say Highway 17 between Wawa and Batchewana is now open in both directions.  The highway was closed yesterday due to weather related conditions causing poor visibility.

Homecare Workers Poised To Strike

Personal Support Workers with Red Cross Care Partners, including 21 in Thunder Bay, plan to walk off the job tomorrow to back demands for a new contract. The job action comes more than a week after the members of the Service Employees International Union rejected a tentative contract with the agency. The workers are demanding improved wages and benefits.

Survey Shows Moderate Hiring Climate

On the local economic front, Thunder Bay area employers expect a moderate hiring climate for the first three months of 2014.   According to a survey by Manpower, 10 per cent of employers surveyed plan to hire extra workers while almost three quarters plan to maintain their current staff.

Minor Injuries In Smash Up

Police say there are only minor injuries following a three vehicle smash up on the Thunder Bay Expressway from this morning.  The collision took place at around 8:15 between Oliver Road and John Street Road.  It involved the cab of a transport truck, an SUV and a station wagon.

Highway 502 Open

The OPP have re-opened Highway 502 between Dryden and Fort Frances.  The highway was shut down earlier this morning due to a jack-knifed tractor trailer unit.  There were no injuries.

Dawson Heights Raises Concerns

City staff are hoping to address the concerns of a resident about the proposed expansion of the Dawson Heights subdivision.  Darlene Fedorchuk owns property that neighbors the proposed 25 new lots and is worried people will trespass.  Staff are considering putting up signage saying that the land is private property as away to ease Fedorchuck's concerns. Council will vote on the expansion project at their January 13th meeting.