Police Lay Six Charges

A Thunder Bay man is facing several charges stemming from an investigation by City Police that began in November, after a complaint of sexual assault involving a fifteen year old girl. The fifty-three year old man faces a total of six charges:

- Sexual Assault
- Sexual Exploitation
- Invitation to Sexual Touching
- Possession of Child Pornography
- Breach of Probation
- Breach of Prohibition Order.

He will appear in court December 22nd.

Holiday Garbage Collection Dates

There are new collection dates for garbage and recycling to take note of. There will be no collections on Christmas, Boxing Day or New Years Day. For Area One - Blue Cards the new dates are Monday December 23rd and Monday December 30th. For Area Two - Yellow Cards Tuesday December 24th and Tuesday December 31st. For Area Three - Green Cards Friday December 27th and Thursday January 2nd. For Area Four - Pink Cards Saturday December 28th and Friday January 3rd. Be sure to have waste out for collection by 7 am on those days.

Greg Rickford Is Optimistic

Kenora MP Greg Rickford says the Ring of Fire mining project should be able to make some progress in 2014. Rickford admitted recently that the project does have some challenges specific to the development but that there is reason to be optimistic when it comes to the construction of an east-west road corridor. Rickford adds that he has maintained close contact with Mines Minister Michael Gravelle.

Gas In Short Supply

Reports of a gasoline shortage in the city has some station managers on edge.  Gail Robertson of Chapman's Gas Bar says right now they are going day to day and have imposed a ceiling on purchases.  She says until further notice, no one will be allowed to pump m ore than 50 litres.  As well, several gas bars have been selling premium gasoline for the price of regular because of the shortfall

Toys For Tots Exceeds Last Years Totals

This years Toys For Tots Campaign has raised one-hundred fifty-eight thousand dollars. Thunder Bay firefighters made the presentation this afternoon at the Intercity Mall. Paul Penna is fundraising Chair and says all the work done by the city's firefighters was on their own time. Toy buyers will attend the March Toy Fair where they will try and purchase most of the toys needed for next Christmas.

Bar's Liquor Licence Suspended

A Thunder Bay bar owner will have to stop serving liquor for a month in the new year after officials say there were violations of the Liquor Control Act.   The Alcohol and Gaming Commission  says the sanction follows the investigation into an incident outside what was then, the Aden tavern on Brown Street last year.  They allege surveillance video wasn't made available to police.  As well, in a separate case,  investigators allege that a patron of the bar left drunk and drove a vehicle that hit a pedestrian. The licence to serve alcohol will be suspended from January the second until February the sixth.

Flu Death Confirmed

The Health Unit is raising a red flag about the number of flu cases in the region after the death of one person.  Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams, says the death took place in the last week and involved a person under the age of 65 who developed the symptoms.    He says  that Thunder Bay leads the province with the highest number of emergency room visits for patients experiencing symptoms of the flu.  Williams adds there have been 35 confirmed cases of the flu and that several  have been severe with some requiring hospitalization.

Murder Charged Laid In Hogan Death

Thunder Bay police say an 18 year old man is charged with second degree murder in connection with the death of Shannon Hogan in July. Police say he was arrested when he was appearing in court on some unrelated charges. His name can't be released because he was 17 at the time of the incident. Police say that the 30 year old Hogan died after being found in the laneway behind a Lake Street residence, the victim of a violent assault.

Thunder Bay Man Faces Eight Charges

A Thunder Bay man is facing eight charges from OPP as a result of a police investigation that began last June. Fifty-one year old Gary Lamont was arrested yesterday and is facing: one count of assault, three counts of utter threats to cause bodily harm, three counts of sexual assault and one count forcible confinement. Police say the assaults happened in Thunder Bay and Warnica Lake between 1997-2007 and involved a number of male victims between the ages of 17 and 24 at the time. Lamont will appear in the Ontario Court of Justice December 23rd.

Bridge Talks Planned

Behind the scenes work could begin before Christmas on getting a new bridge build to the Fort William First Nation. It's to replace the James Street Bridge which is closed frequently.    Mayor Keith Hobbs says he was hoping to get the ball rolling this week however a snowstorm forced the postponement of a planning meeting on the issue.  Hobbs says one solution could be to build a temporary bailey bridge until a permanent one can be constructed.

Youth Centre Receiving Support

There is some support coming from the community for the proposed Indian Friendship Youth Centre on High Street. A community meeting was held Thursday evening at the Moose Hall with just under one-hundred in attendance including Mayor Keith Hobbs, MP Bruce Hyer and Councillor Joe Vidiramo. There was little opposition being directed towards the project but some concerns did surface around parking space and the impact the youth may have on the community. Hobbs added in closing that during a city survey ninety-five percent of youth surveyed said they support having a centre, that number fell slightly to seventy-five percent for adults surveyed.

Lee Antoniak Inquest

The inquest into the death of Lee Antoniak is providing some suggestions for how further incidents like this can be avoided. A four person jury presented their seven findings Thursday evening which include: extra post-mortem blood testing for the presence of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), back-up and proximity sensors as well as cameras used to reduce blind spots for heavy equipment, personal communicators for workers, random drug testing for operators, increase in the use of signal persons and an increase in awareness of workers rights. Antoniak died of his injuries after being hit by a dump truck on-site at work in April 2012.

Min-DoT Talks Winter Highways

With criticism continuing to pour in regarding northwestern Ontario winter highway maintenance, we decided to look south of the border.  Pat Houston is with the Minnesota Department of Transport and says using chemicals on their highways doesn't happen until the highways are all plowed thoroughly to the pavement.  Houston says though the chemicals won't work in sub zero cold like we had last weekend.

Thunder Bay Has #1 Murder Rate

Thunder Bay once again has the dubious honour of being the murder capital of Canada.  Statistics Canada says the 7 homicides we had in 2012 helped push our per capita rate to 5.8 murders for every 100 thousand people.    Police Chief J-P Levesque did not want to comment on the figures.

Expanded Dental Services For Needy Kids

The province says it's trying to make it easier for needy families to send their children to the dentist.    The eligibility for free dental care has now been expanded to include  70 thousand more low income children and youth.  The government says the expansion is part of Ontario's Poverty Reduction Strategy.

Campbell Outraged Over Highway Maintenance

It has been another tragic week on area highways and Kenora-Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell has seen enough. She's calling for immediate action to winter road maintenance in northwestern Ontario. Campbell points to a recent decision by Iron Range Bus Lines to cancel service on a major route. Campbell says police are even indicating that most recent collisions have been caused by poor road conditions.

Records Judgement Reserved

Former residential school students in Fort Albany will have to wait a bit longer to see if they get access to records that could help support their claims of abuse. Two days of hearings into the matter wrapped up Wednesday night in Toronto.  The justice reserved his decision on whether the federal government and the OPP should hand over the documents, and whether they should be used in the complex process for claiming compensation. Former St. Anne’s Residential School student Andrew Wesley said he hopes a ruling is made soon.

PCs Have Plan For Skilled Trades

Tim Hudak, Jane McKenna

The Progressive Conservatives in Ontario are proposing to give high school students hands on experience.  PC economic critic Jane McKenna says as part of the party platform on big cities, they would make sure skills training was included in the curriculum for at risk youth.  The plan would see local high schools would be partnered with provincially funded construction projects.    The PCs believe their idea would ease the current high demand for skilled trades.

Savings Bond Rate Unchanged

The province is keeping the Interest Rate on Ontario Savings Bonds the same. The rate of  1.3 per cent applies to Variable-Rate Bonds dated 2007 and 2008. Finance Minister Charles Sousa says keeping the rate competitive encourages the people of Ontario to invest their money at home where they help create jobs and build infrastructure.

Olivia And Liam Remain Top Baby Names

Young parents in Ontario aren't changing their ways when it comes to naming their children.   The government says Olivia and Liam are the most popular names for girls and boys born in the province for the second year in a row.   Emma, Sophia and Ava are right behind Olivia for popular girls names.   For boys Ethan, Jacob and Lucas filled in the top four.