College Program Gets Accredited

Confederation College's Medical Laboratory Assistant program is receiving two year accreditation from the Canadian Medical Association.  The accreditation shows that the program has met national educational standards.

Inquest Into Lee Antoniak's Death

The Ontario Coroner's Office is conducting an inquest into the death of 31 year old Lee Antoniak.  Antoniak died in April 2012 as a result of injuries received during the course of his employment at a construction site in the City. The hearing will take place on December 18th.

Update On James Street Bridge

More investigative work continues at the charred James Street Bridge.  The Ontario Fire Marshal is expected to conduct more testing on the bridge throughout the day, trying to find the cause of the Tuesday night's fire.  Over 80 planks of burned wood have already been removed with more coming.  Security is also very tight with a perimeter being staffed while officials continue their probe.

LU Teepee In Tatters

City police are investigating a case of vandalism at Lakehead University.  They say someone used a sharp object to rip some slits into a  teepee on university grounds.  LU has designated that grounds as a ceremonial lodge site.  The area includes a sacred fire pit, a sweat lodge and it is used by students and members of the community for Aboriginal ceremonies. Police don't know when the incident took place.

Baseball Bid One Step Closer

Officials of the Thunder Bay International Baseball Association are pumped after a bid to host a major junior baseball tournament took another step forward. Spokesperson Warren Philp says  Baseball Canada has agreed to take our bid to the International Baseball Federation and he thinks our chances are good especially because of our success in hosting the World Junior's in 2010. The Federation is expected to make a decision early in the new year on who will host the 2015 under 18 Baseball World Cup.

Bridge Fire Brings Out Racists

The ugly face of racism appears to have reared its head as a result of the James Street bridge fire. Both Facebook and Twitter were abuzz on Tuesday night when the bridge caught ablaze.  A local blogger who lives on the Fort William First Nation says that some of the Tweets he saw on Twitter that night cross the line as being offensive.  He called it a Ku Klux Klan parade and was concerned that some of the rants came from young people in the city.  Mayor Keith Hobbs condemns the racist diatribe and says he even encountered a racist comment on his own Facebook account.  The original blog post can be read here.

LU Starts New Program

 Lakehead University is expanding its programming in Central Ontario.  The Thunder Bay school is teaming up with Georgian College to develop a four year degree in electrical engineering.  The program will be available in the fall of 2015.

Leaf & Yard Waste Collection Starts Friday

Curbside collection of leaf and yard waste starts tomorrow.  The collections will take place on your regular recycling day, between November 1st and November 14th.  Each bag has a weight limit of 40 pounds.

New Businesses Open

There's some new life in the Park Avenue and Cumberland area.  A new business called "The Gym" on Park Avenue is one of three new businesses in the area including High Tide Tattoo Parlor and Connect the Dots. Empty buildings were renovated in the area and the new businesses made their homes in them.

67 Year Old Charged In Collision

A 67 year old Atikokan resident is facing charges after a two vehicle collision at the intersection of the Harbour Expressway and Highway 11/17.  The incident on Tuesday saw extensive damage to both vehicles.The driver is charged with failing to stop at a red light.

Local Man Sentenced For Tax Evasion

A Thunder Bay engineer and director of Norall Group Contracting is paying the price for tax evasion. The Canada Revenue Agency says Carl Gustafson was sentenced recently in the Ontario Court of Justice to a fine of over 84-thousand dollars and given a 9 month conditional sentence. He plead guilty to one count of income tax evasion and has two years to the pay the fine.

E-Bike Driver Charged

OPP are charging a 31 year old with drinking and driving an E-Bike. On Tuesday, police saw two men on the bike not wearing helmets so they decided to pull them over at the intersection of Red River Road and Highway 11/17. The officer noticed when speaking with the driver that there was the smell of alcohol in the air. The local man was arrested and charged with two drinking and driving related charges.

Heart Of The Continent Partnership

A new tourist idea is being discussed for our region, and both sides of the border would be part of the plan. A group called the Heart of the Continent Partnership, wants to create a new travel destination by connecting the dots between International Falls and Duluth in Minnesota and Fort Frances and Thunder Bay. The group is on the verge of raising 200-thousand dollars that would fund the project.

Safety Tips For Halloween

Every year at Halloween, The OPP and City Police makes a conscience effort to promote trick or treat safety to children. And, while young people need to be cautious tonight....drivers need to be mindful of the holiday as well.  Being visible and travelling in groups will also help to make this a safe Halloween.

Treaty Three Police Hire Consultant

Work continues to protect the Treaty 3 Police Service. The board of directors has decided to seek a consultant who will look at the long term sustainability of the force. Board Chair Eli Mandamin says one of the consultants responsibilities will be helping to search for new police chief. Earlier this year the police service laid off a number of officers, slashed benefits, and issued 45 day lay-off notices due to a lack of funding.