Sexting Leads To Child Porn Charges

A sixteen year old Kenora boy is charged with distributing child pornography after what police say was a case of sexting.   They say it follows the discovery of sexually explicit photographs of a 17-year-old girl on an electronic device.  They say the pic had been distributed by a youth.  

Cause Of Garage Fire "Undetermined"

There's nothing to indicate what may have started a  garage fire at 19 Empress Avenue this morning.   Fire inspector Kevin Anderson says about all he can say for certain is that the fire started on the outside of the structure  and the cause will remain a mystery and will go in the books as undetermined.   No one was hurt in the blaze and the garage was heavily damaged.

Witnesses Sought In Hit & Run

Police are searching for the driver of a pick up truck they say was involved in a hit and run accident early Sunday morning at around 3 o'clock.  Sgt. Glenn Porter says the pick up rammed into the back of a car that was stopped for a red light on Memorial Avenue at the Harbour Expressway.   They say the driver of the pick up truck left the scene without checking on the condition of anyone in the car.  Police want your assistance in identifying who the driver of the pick up was.

Kidnapping Suspect Makes Court Appearance

The man arrested in Dryden for allegedly kidnapping his two sons will have his case heard in Alberta. 29-year-old Illhami Butin  was stopped Monday afternoon by Provincial Police on a Canada-wide warrant. The man was wanted for abducting his 3-year-old and 4-year-old sons in Edmonton and attempting to bring them to Toronto. Butin made a brief court appearance this morning and was told that Edmonton Police would be coming to pick him up. He will remain in Dryden custody for a maximum of six days as he may be out earlier depending on when the transfer will be completed.

Committee Meeting In T.Bay

A provincial government committee is meeting in Thunder Bay today to discuss the needs of children and adults living with mental illnesses and intellectual disabilities. The group has been touring Ontario talking to stakeholders about how the Province can better coordinate the delivery of developmental programs and services across many provincial ministries.

NOSM Hosting International Conference

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine is hosting an international recruitment conference tomorrow. Dean Dr. Roger Strasser says northern European countries are coming to Thunder Bay to learn from Canada's strategies to attract health care professionals to under-serviced areas. Strasser says later in the afternoon they'll listen to the delegates from Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Scotland and Northern Ireland on what they're doing to attract Doctors.

Chamber Talks With Finance Minister

The Chamber of Commerce was just one of many local groups that were recently given 3 minutes to talk with the Finance Minister about the upcoming Ontario budget. President Charla Robinson says they tried to jam as much information and concerns into those fleeting moments. A pre-budget consultation hearing for the broader public will be held next Tuesday at the Valhalla Inn.

OPP Nab Alleged Kidnapper

A Toronto man who police say kidnapped his 3 year old and 4 year old sons from Alberta has been arrested in Dryden. The Edmonton Police Service alerted OPP and the man was spotted driving through Dryden around 4 o'clock Tuesday afternoon. Police arrested 29 year old Ilhami Butin. He faces 2 counts of child abduction, 2 counts of kidnapping and 1 count of uttering threats. He remains in custody and is due in Dryden court today. The two young boys were unharmed.

Lawsuit Filed

Keystone Air Service and the estate of the dead pilot are both named in a lawsuit filed by the lone survivor of a plane crash in northwestern Ontario. Three passengers and the pilot were killed when the plane crashed at North Spirit Lake in January, 2012. Brian Shead survived the crash and he has now just filed the lawsuit in Winnipeg court. The lawsuit is seeking unspecified damages for pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life.

Giving It Another Go

Another attempt is going to be made to have a vast area spanning the border of Ontario and Manitoba declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. Ontario and Manitoba want to have an area of boreal forest recognized by the United Nations. Last year the World Heritage Committee deferred its decision and now the Manitoba government says its re-working its application. The deadline is February 1st, but if they can't make that they will have to wait until 2016.

Chamber Launching New Site

The Chamber of Commerce website is getting a face lift. The organization is launching a new site tonight at www.tbchamber.ca. The site boasts better navigation and a responsive layout on all devices including cell phones and tablets.

NAN Likes Court Decision

The Nishnawbe Aski Nation is pleased the Superior Court has ordered the Federal Government to release documents relating to abuse at a residential school in Fort Albany. Survivors of that school have called for the documents since they first found out they existed in 2003. The Superior Court's decision came down in December of last year.

Two Byelections Called

There will be two byelections in Ontario next month.   Premier Kathleen Wynne announced today that voters in the southern Ontario ridings of Niagara Falls and Thornhill will go to the polls on February 13th.   The byelections will fill vacancies created in the provincial legislature.

Overnight Blaze

City fire crews battled a garage fire on Empress Avenue near the corner of Red River Road.  A second alarm was called in around 4:45 this morning and it took firefighters close to a half an hour to bring the blaze under control.  A total of five units were on the scene.  Two cars were inside the garage, but was there no damage to any other buildings in the area and there were no injuries.