New Brunswick company gets home contract for Atawapiskat

Maple Leaf Homes of Fredericton has been tasked with building 22 homes for the Attawapiskat First Nation. Sales Manager Jacques Roy says their homes are very energy efficient with superinsulation.  The first homes will begin the long trek to the Northern Ontario community Friday and then next week 3-4 homes will leave every day.

Singer warns against texting and driving

Local Thunder Bay singer Shy-Anne Hovorka has produced a music video about the problem of texting and driving.  The song is called “Too Young, Too Late” and was released today on YouTube.

Feds won't back down from TPM

The gap between the Attawapiskat First Nation and the Harper government is wider than ever.  The First Nation says it's going to court to try and put an end to Third Party Management.  The announcement from Chief Theresa Spence follows a meeting between her and Aboriginal Affairs Minister John Duncan in Thunder Bay.   Duncan did not back down from the appointment of the independent manager to handle the finances of the impoverished James Bay community

MacLean's pegs us at 17 in annual crime rankings

Thunder Bay is the 17th most dangerous city in Canada according to MacLean's Magazine.  The Annual list pegs us 7th overall for violent crimes and 23rd for non violent crimes.  Prince George BC, tops the list this year with Victoria and Saskatoon rounding out the top 3.  Thunder Bay Police Chief JP Levesque says while its not good to be ranked so high, he isn't surprised.  He says until the social issues are addressed our crime rate will stay close to where it is. 

Attawapiskat meeting over

The meeting of two adversaries is over.  Aboriginal Affairs Minister John Duncan and Chief Theresa Spence have concluded their critical meeting in Thunder Bay.  They met for about 90 minutes at the regional Aboriginal Affairs office in Fort William First Nation.  The two sides continue to struggle with how the band's finances should be handled.  The two sides were attempting to smooth over their conflicts over how to deal with the community's housing crisis.

Sketches of deceased woman released

OPP have released sketches of a woman whose remains were found in Kenora in 2009.  Sgt. Shelley Garr says they're hoping the sketch will help jog the memory of a doctor or family member.  Foul play is not suspected in her death. Investigators describe the deceased as a Caucasian female, between the ages of 35 and 55 years, approximately 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighing approximately 110 pounds, with shoulder length light brown hair.

Waterfront Celebrations Friday

You can tour the newly renovated waterfront Friday night.  The City is holding a grand opening celebration and Spokesperson Doug Henry says there are a number of areas of the waterfront re-opening.  Henry says public response has been great so far.  The event starts at 6:30 pm and will wrap up with fireworks at 8:30 pm.

300-thousand raised for Attawapiskat

The Red Cross has raised 300 thousand dollars for the troubled community of Attawapiskat.  Spokesperson Karen Snider says they've ended their fundraising campaign.  Donations came in from across Canada.

Rafferty surprised by swear

Thunder Bay MP John Rafferty says opposition MPs are frustrated with the Conservative Government.  Rafferty's remarks come after Environment Minister Peter Kent chided the NDP's Environment Critic for not being at a climate conference in South Africa.  The Environment Minister's questioning prompted Liberal MP Justin Trudeau to use a swear word in the House of Commons.

Highway near Kenora closed

The winter weather has resulted in a Highway closure.  Highway 17A is closed at Airport Road near Kenora.  The road was closed around 2:30 this morning.  OPP say traffic is being re-routed through Kenora. Motorists are urged to use caution on the road today due to blowing snow and slippery conditions.

Aboriginal Affairs and Attawapiskat meet today

The housing crisis at Attawapiskat will be examined today when Aboriginal Affairs Minister John Duncan meets in Thunder Bay with Chief Theresa Spence. Spence has threatened to sue Ottawa for imposing a third party to manage the band's finances.

T.Bay Tel restores service to most areas

Thunder Bay Telephone is reporting that all cell service in the Westfort area of town is back up and running. Landline and Internet service is also restored to most impacted areas. Service issues still remain in some rural areas and crews continue to work towards fixing the problem.