City Playing Host To Conference

Thunder Bay is playing host to the 2014 Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities annual general meeting.  250 delegates from across North America will be taking part.  Thunder Bay will welcome delegates in June of 2014.

Bail Safety Program Funding Out In March

Thunder Bay's Police Chief wants the Provincial Government to extend funding for the "Bail Safety" program.  Funding runs out at the end of March and means there will no longer be a Constable in charge of alerting victims of domestic abuse when their attacker is being let out of jail.  JP Levesque says they'll be lobbying the Province to keep funding the project.  Levesque says the program is critical since they investigate over 3-thousand domestic violence incidents a year.

Local ETFO Strike Wednesday

Elementary Teachers in the Lakehead Public School Board are on strike Wednesday.  Over 500 teachers will be rallying at 5 local schools and at the offices of MPPs Bill Mauro and Michael Gravelle at Mini Queen's Park.  Local ETFO President Ellen Chambers says this strike is aimed directly at the Education Minister.  Strike locations include Algonquin Avenue School, Edgewater, Sir Winston Churchill, Vance Chapman and Westmount.

Hyer Makes Statement Wednesday

Thunder Bay Superior North MP Bruce Hyer is going to bring up Bill C-45 in the House of Commons Wednesday.  On Monday, First Nation residents across Canada rallied to spread awareness on how the bill will affect their treaty rights.  Hyer says he understands why First Nation communities are upset and notes they are in good company since the Prime Minister has failed to consult most groups that are impacted by the Federal Government's legislation.

More Money For Flood Relief Fund

Thunder Bay's Fire Fighters are proudly presenting the Disaster Relief Committee with over 15-thousand dollars. The money was generated from the "Rock the Fire House" event held in November. With the matching Provincial Government funds it raises the donation to over 47-thousand dollars.

Politics And Nuclear Waste

The politics of nuclear waste is not lost on the Nuclear Waste Management Organization as it searches for a host community for a disposal site for used radioactive fuel bundles . Spokesperson Mike Krizanc says recent public hearings held by MP Bruce Hyer on the subject are of interest to them and they'd like to speak with him to find out what he learned. Eight northwestern Ontario communities are now in the midst of learning about the project so they can decided whether they want the disposal site built in their town.

Hospital New VP Of Medical & Academic Affairs

Thunder Bay's Hospital has a new Executive Vice President of Medical and Academic Affairs. Dr. Stewart Kennedy was recently appointed to the position and will start his new role on January 2nd.

Kennedy is responsible for clinical programs and services. Kennedy is replacing Dr. Gordon Porter who will be taking on the role of Chief of Staff.

Striking NWO Teachers Rally In Dryden

Lights will remain off in elementary schools operated by the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board today.A one day strike is taking place today by members of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario.  Local Union president, Ann Saltel says their members will be gathering in Dryden today for a mass rally.The one day strike is against Bill 115, which imposes contracts on the teachers, and is supposed to take away their right to strike. 

Police Budget Lowered

The Police Services Board is approving a decrease in it's 2013 budget.  At Tuesday's meeting, members voted to cut around a 100-thousand dollars from the fiscal document.  Chief JP Levesque says after the board passed the budget in November they went back and looked for more savings. City Council will look at the police budget in the New Year.

New Courthouse Brings Extra Police Costs

The new consolidated court house is expected to open in September of next year. With the grand opening comes extra costs for the local police force. They'll have to hire 4 new full time employees to work the metal detector x-ray and the security system. Members of the Police Service Board are hoping the Provincial Government will step up and provide funding for the new positions.

Upbeat Climate For Hiring: Survey

Thunder Bay area employers expect an upbeat hiring climate for the first quarter of 2013, according to the latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey. The survey reveals that 13 per cent of employers plan to hire between January to March, while 13 per cent anticipate cutbacks. Another 70 per cent of employers plan to maintain their current staffing levels while three per cent of employers are unsure.