Thunder Bay in the top 50 best places in Canada to live

Another comparison survey is painting Thunder Bay in a pretty nice light.   Our city is rated 46 out of 190 for the best places to live in Canada by money sense dot c-a.  Mayor Keith Hobbs says despite the relatively high ranking he thinks Thunder Bay deserves to be higher.  We ranked 22 for affordable housing, 39th weather wise with our lowest ranking coming in population growth where we finished 164th out of 190.

Event Centre location debate continues

The debate over the location for the proposed Event Centre in Thunder Bay still rages.  20 years ago the city of Saint John, New Brunswick went through a similar decision when it built their Harbour Centre.  St John's Tourism Manager Ross Jefferson says the city had just redeveloped its waterfront and  chose the downtown location near the new construction. Jefferson says at the time it was a hotly contested decision but has since lead to a revitalization of their downtown with a great deal of economic spin off.  He says parking was an issue but the construction of some parkades and a pedway system helped alleviate the problem.

NDP Leadership Candidate coming to town

Fresh off being endorsed by NDP heavy hitter Charlie Angus, Paul Dewar will be coming to town.  MP Bruce Hyer says Dewar will be in the city next Friday for a couple of meet and greets.

New Brunswick company gets home contract for Atawapiskat

Maple Leaf Homes of Fredericton has been tasked with building 22 homes for the Attawapiskat First Nation. Sales Manager Jacques Roy says their homes are very energy efficient with superinsulation.  The first homes will begin the long trek to the Northern Ontario community Friday and then next week 3-4 homes will leave every day.

Plane makes emergency landing in Geraldton

No one was hurt after a twin engine plane made an emergency landing in Geraldton Wednesday afternoon.  Greenstone Mayor Renald Beaulieu says a Thunder Air plane flying from Attiwapiskat to Thunder Bay had one of its engines die during the flight.  Beaulieu wasn't sure but thinks the passengers are band officials from the troubled First Nation coming to Thunder Bay for a meeting with the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs.

Family Foods is closing

County Fair Family Foods is closing its doors for good.  A company official has confirmed that they will be closing for a number of reasons but will keep their Northwoods Location open.  The company plans on making an official announcement next week. 

McCarville looking to rebound

Krista McCarville is hoping some lineup changes won't have a negative impact on the upcoming season.  McCarville's second Kari Lavoie is pregnant and will be replaced by Liz Kingston mid way through the season.  McCarville says Kingston comes with a lot of experience and will be a solid addition to the team.  McCarville says this year's goal is to make it to the Scotties and earn points towards an Olympic berth in 2014.

Border Cats name new Field Boss

The Thunder Bay Border Cats have a new field manager.  The team has announced Andy Judkins will take over for Mike Steed.  Judkins helped the Rochester Honkers earn the North Division title back in 2010 and is currently an assistant coach at Central Arizona College.

Airport sets new record

Thunder Bay's airport has set a new record.  During the month of August just over 67 thousand people went through the airport which is the highest ever.  Officials believe the airport will see over 700 thousand passengers this year.

Grow op registry get nod from all parties

A Progressive Conservative call for a registry on houses used for grow ops or meth labs is getting a nod of approval from the other parties.  Thunder Bay Superior North Candidate Anthony Leblanc says its a good way to protect home buyers.  Liberal incumbent Michael Gravelle says the plan would enhance current legislation aimed at eliminating grow ops and meth labs and NDP Candidate Steve Mantis say it could be expanded to include all existing problems with the home.

Leading concussion expert coming to town

Brain Injury Services Northwestern Ontario is calling for better record keeping for concussion victims.  Spokesperson Alice Bellavance says right now there is no way to know how many people have suffered concussions in the area and that needs to change. Bellavance says long term effects from concussions are becoming more and more now and keeping records will be vital in moving forward.  Brain Injury Services Northwestern Ontario is partnering with the District Health Unit to host information sessions October 5th with leading concussion expert Doctor Charles Tator.

Bell holding a second public meeting

Bell Canada is listening to Thunder Bay residents after all.  The company is planning on holding another public consultation centre for the proposed John Street Road cell tower site.  A company official says they are looking at lower the site so flashing lights won't be needed. The date of the meeting hasn't been set.

Our economy no longer relies soley on the US

Trade with China is keeping our economy from slipping backwards with our US neighbours.  Thunder Bay Market Expert Keith McCullough says our economy no longer relies on our southern neighbours but is surging ahead thanks to ties to China.  McCullough says our connections with China are helping post better unemployment numbers than the US.

Caribou Coach pressuring the province

A local transportation company is pleading with the provincial government to consider local companies.  Caribou Coach President Sandy Smith says the province is sponsoring Pacific Western to provide services to patients in the Northern Health Transportation Grant program, which could cut out a third of his ridership. 

PA Stadium favourite ball park in Canada?

Port Arthur Stadium is a finalist for the favourite ballpark in Canada.  16 finalists have been chosen by Baseball Canada and people can vote for their parks on the Baseball Canada website over the next few weeks.

Full evacuation called for Mishkeegogaming

The First Nation community of Mishkeegogaming is being completely evacuated.  The community is being overcome with heavy smoke from a forest fire that has moved to within 15 kilometres of the First Nation community.  The MNR says the community isn't threatened at this time but the fire is not under control. 

No AHL team for Thunder Bay...yet

Thunder Bay is out of the running to becoming the new home of the Manitoba Moose, at least for now.  True North Sports and Entertainment is announcing today that St Johns Newfoundland will be the new home of the AHL team for a 3 year trial period.  Officials with True North say after the three years the team will be re-evaluated.

Domtar Fire Update

More details are being released on Wednesday night's fire at the Dryden Domtar Mill.  Domtar Spokesperson Bonny Skene says the fire occurred on the roof of one of the buildings where construction work related to the turbine installation project was taking place earlier in the day.  No one was injured and damage was minimal.  A full investigation is underway.

Health Sciences Centre gets provincial funding

ER wait times are being attacked at the Thunder Bay Health Science Centre.  The Provincial government is providing over 2.2 million dollars for 11 short stay beds and another just over 100 thousand to help shorten wait times in the ER.  The province also announced an additional 800 thousand dollars for the Northwest Community Care Access Centre. 

Pharmacare discussion set for tonight

The Thunder Bay Health Coalition will be hosting a round table discussion about Pharmacare.  Co-Chair Sara Williamson says a panel will discuss the need and the feasibility of a national publicly funded drug plan.  The meeting starts at 7 at the Labour Centre.