New Westfort Fire Station To Be Built On West Frederica

The new Westfort Fire Station will be located on City-owned land on West Frederica Street.  City Council approved the location at it's meeting Monday night.  Fire Chief John Hay says the fire station will cost around a million and a half dollars and construction will start in 2013.  A new Neebing Fire Station will be built in the New Year as well at it's current location.

Hobbs Relieved Plant Didn't Malfunction

Mayor Keith Hobbs is comforted by an independent consultant's report that shows equipment at the Atlantic Avenue Water Pollution Plant didn't malfunction during the May 28th flood.  Hobbs says he's always held the opinion that the plant was simply overwhelmed by the huge amount of rainfall that night.  The Mayor says he's relieved to hear the plant didn't malfunction and that they are dedicated to helping those impacted by the flood.  City staff will be back in January with an overall damage assessment of the plant and provide council with its options on how to proceed with the 1.4 million dollars in upgrades that are recommended.

What Went Wrong May 28th

Flooding at the Atlantic Avenue Water Pollution Plant started in the area of the facility that houses screens that catch large debris in waste water before it's treated.  Consultant Troy Briggs told City Council Monday night that the amount of water exceeded the equipment's capability and there wasn't any equipment failure.  Briggs is recommending as a short term emergency measure removing one screen to allow unrestricted flow through the preliminary treatment plant.  Longer term recommendations include increasing the screen cleaning speed and designing an emergency bypass around the preliminary treatment area.  Briggs noted there was no benefit of having someone work at the plant overnight since there was no special machinery that could have prevented what went wrong.  He also mentioned the design of the plant was typical for when it was built and the recommended changes only started to be included in new water pollution plant design plans.

Commission Makes Historic Visit

A historic moment in Thunder Bay this week as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada makes a stop for two days of hearings at the Da Vinci Centre starting tomorrow. Chair Justice Murray Sinclair says it will give First Nation survivors of residential schools a chance to tell their side of the story. The Commission is in the middle of 5 year journey to gather information and then present a report to the government.

Eat Local Pizza Robbed

Thunder Bay Police are looking for a suspect in a weekend robbery of Eat Local Pizza on May Street.  The incident occurred just before 9:30 on December 1st when employees called 911 after a man with a knife demanded money from them.  The suspect wearing a toque with two eye holes made off with the cash register tray and headed westbound on Dease Street.  The police are looking for a fair skinned man with long brown hair wearing a dark blue North Face jacket and pants.

TSB Ready To Begin Death Probe

The Tecumseh is expected to be in Windsor sometime on Tuesday.   The bulk carrier was the scene of an industrial death while it was berthed at the Viterra grain elevator in the Thunder Bay harbour.   John Cottreau of the Transportation Safety Board say they are ready to begin the investigation once they board the ship in Windsor.  The circumstances surrounding the death have not been made public. 

ONA Wants You To Value Nurses

The Ontario Nurses Association is starting an ad campaign in the city to help improve the image of nurses.  Called "Value The Invaluable" asks you to look differently at nurses and value them much like the way we do  our pro athletes.  The ads can be seen on several bus shelters in the city.

Treatment Plant Overwhelmed By Storm: Consultant

 

A consultants report into the May 28th flood concludes that the Atlantic Avenue water treatment facility was overwhelmed with the amount of rainwater that came through the facility. It says the pumping system wasn't designed to deal with the flooding event and resulted in a systematic failure in the plant. The result was the flooding of hundreds of basements in the city most of which were in the East End where the treatment plant is located. The report recommends almost one and a half million dollars in upgrades in order to prevent such an occurrence in the future.

City Has Its 5th Murder

Thunder Bay Police are currently investigating a homicide which occurred at just after 3:00 o'clock yesterday afternoon on the 200 block of McIntyre Street. Police responded to a 911 call about an injured man who had been attacked. The victim , 48 year old  Martin Achneepineskum,  died because of his injuries at the Thunder Bay Regional Hospital a short time later. 32 year old Jeffrey Kakegamic has been arrested and charged with 2nd degree murder. 

Crime Of The Week

Anyone with information about who may be responsible for this crime, is asked to call Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477.