Friday, May 17, 2013

LRCA On The Watch

The Lakehead Region Conservation Authority is on alert.   Chair Bill Bartley says with a lot of rain predicted over the weekend there is the possibility that some isolated flooding could occur. Bartley says the Authority will be monitoring the situation all weekend.

Very Rainy Long Weekend In Store

Get ready for a potential soaking this long weekend.  Environment Canada's Geoff Coulson says it's not far fetched to say we could get up to 100 millimetres of rain when all is said and done on Monday.   He says however, that for now the heavier amounts of rain are more likely to our west in places like Dryden and Fort Frances.  Coulson says most of the rain is expected to fall Sunday night into Monday.

Yesno Calls Elijah Harper A Role Model

Elijah Harper
Nishnawbe Aski Nation  Grand Chief Harvey Yesno  calls Elijah Harper  a friend, a confidant who was an inspiration and his role model.  Harper died this morning at the age of 64.  He became a symbol of power for Canadian aboriginals when he scuttled the Meech Lake constitutional accord.

Strong Support For Class Action Suit


There's huge support for an 800 million dollar class action lawsuit against pharmaceutical giant Apotex which originated with a Thunder Bay lawyer. Sandy Zaitzeff started the action after the company recalled the birth control pill Alysena.   Zaitzeff says 3 women in northwestern Ontario are part of the action which is on behalf of all women who took the pill and could now be  facing an unwanted pregnancy or be fearing an unwanted pregnancy.

FWHP Continues To Promote In Grand Marais

The Fort William Historical Park continues to promote themselves in Grand Marais.  That's despite a contract with the Canada Gateway Centre expiring.  Spokesperson Marty Mascarin says they hope to get their heritage items back soon.  Mascarin says they already have an existing presence in the community and are looking for new ways to continue to promote the park.

Parks Open For The Season


The May long weekend means provincial parks will be opening for the first time this season. Bruce Van Staalduinen (Stall-Din-in) from Ontario Parks says you can get great information on campsites from their website. Van Staalduinen says the majority of parks in northern Ontario will be open as of tomorrow.

Movie Nights In The Park Returns

Movie Nights in the Park is back for another year. Organizer of the city event Sophie Best says they'll be putting up their movie selections for future shows on Facebook. Tonight's movie selection at Prince Arthur's Landing is E.T. and show time is just after sunset once it's dark around 9:30.

Firefighters Arbitration Begins


Thunder Bay firefighters are  one step closer to getting a new contract, but the head of the union is reluctant to talk  about it.    Dennis Brescacin is going into today's arbitration hearing knowing that it has the potential for controversy.     City firefighters haven't had a new contract since the end of 2010,  which brings with it talk of retroactive pay.  Brescacin says the issue is so sensitive he will not comment on it.    

Students Get Social Media Warning

A Canadian Social Media guru is taking his message to elementary school children this morning.  Chris Vollum is speaking to students at Kakabeka Falls Public School about how to safely use Facebook, Twitter and other Internet social sites.  Vollum says he also plans to alert the students to recent events in the news regarding the use of Facebook.

The Future Of Garbage Collection

The city is  about to look at the way it collects your garbage.   Roads Division manager Brad Adams says its part of developing a detailed plan to handle solid waste which may even include changing the way it's collected from your home. An open house is planned next month at the Italian Cultural Centre to get your feedback.