Thunder Bay Hosts Evacuees

Mayor Hobbs signs emergency
declaration

Thunder Bay is hosting about 150 evacuees from the Kashechewan First Nation on the James Bay coast.   The community declared a state of emergency due to spring flooding along the Albany River.   Those who were flown out are considered the most vulnerable, that is, the elderly and the young.  It's not known how long their stay will take.

Thunder Bay Hosts Evacuees

Mayor Hobbs signs emergency
declaration

Thunder Bay is hosting about 150 evacuees from the Kashechewan First Nation on the James Bay coast.   The community declared a state of emergency due to spring flooding along the Albany River.   Those who were flown out are considered the most vulnerable, that is, the elderly and the young.  It's not known how long their stay will take.

Memorial planned for former mayor

The city is giving you the chance to pay your respects to Dusty Miller. The former mayor died last week at the age of 82. City Clerk John Hannam says there will be a public memorial service Friday afternoon at the Community Auditorium.  He calls it a unique opportunity to honour someone who has given quite a bit to the city.  The doors to the auditorium will open at 1:15 and the service starts at 2 o'clock

Former mayor dies

Former Thunder Bay Mayor Dusty Miller is dead. She died on Tuesday after a lenghtly illness. She was the first woman to become the mayor of the city when she was elected for one term in 1978. She was also a councillor for two terms, the first just prior to her election as mayor and the second in 1985. She was noted as a huge supporter of arts and culture. The funeral arrangements are pending.  Dusty Miller, dead at the age of 82.

Tuchenhagen will not seek re-election

There's no turning back for Councillor Robert Tuchenhagen. He has decided not to run for another term as McKellar Ward representative. Tuchenhagen says he's had enough of the antics of some of his fellow councillors who he says help to drag meetings on much too long. He says multi million dollar decisions are being made at 1 and 2 o'clock in the morning which isn't right. Tuchenhagen will try to bring about changes to help shorten meetings as one of his last acts as councillor

Free waste week coming up

If there was any time to get rid of that junk in your house and yard its from May 2-9. The city is allowing you to use the Mapleward Road waste facility for free for those 7 days . Spokesperson Jason Sherband says it's become very popular. He says the facility averages about 900 vehicles a day. Sherband recommends going early in the morning to avoid the long lines. Meantime police will be monitoring vehicles going to the landfill to make sure all loads are properly covered

Rydholm seeking another council term

Linda Rydholm doesn't believe her work on city council is finished. The Neebing Ward councillor says she will be seeking another term in the October municipal election. She sites the Big Thunder Wind Farm as one of the issues she wants to tackle, saying the complexities of the project have to be resolved.  She is the second registered candidate in that ward, the other is former councillor Gary Shchepanik.

Tuchenhagen ponders his political future

McKellar Ward residents may not see Robert Tuchenhagens' name on the election ballot in October. The city councillor is seriously considering not running for another term. He says he's not happy with the current council.   He thinks it's time for the community to have an opportunity to vote for new people who won't be preoccupied with their re-election bids and be able to get some substantive work done.  Tuchenhagen plans to make an official announcement in the coming weeks.

River Terrace residents concerned

Controversy appears to be brewing over a planned expansion of the River Terrace subdivision near the Health Sciences Centre. Councillor Larry Hebert says residents have concerns about losing some trees as their buffer zone against noise. Residents will ask councillors Monday to turn down the developers request.

Neebing fire nomads back at James Street

It's back to the James Street Fire Station for Neebing station fire crews. They had to be relocated to the MNR fire base until mould problems at the Neebing station could be fixed. Deputy fire chief Greg Hankkio says they have now moved back to James Street until the mould issue is fixed. Hankkio says under a best case scenerio, they could be back their home base by the end of this month. The Neebing fire house has been closed since February 10th. Pictured: James St. Fire Station

Online voting decision in April

The decision on internet voting could be weeks away.  Friday is the deadline for companies who want to submit proposals to change the way we vote during city elections. City Clerk John Hannam says that includes a new ballot counting machine and a proposal for remote voting which could mean voting on the internet, by phone or by mail.  He says those proposals will be evaluated and on April 26th he  will report back to council on possible recommendations.  The idea is to increase voter turnout.

Proposal for smaller council shot down

Councillor Larry Heberts' proposal for a smaller council is dead in the water...at least for now. Councillors voted down his idea to reduce the size of council from 12 members to 8. But Hebert says all is not lost. He says councillors suggested that the idea be brought up after the new council is elected.  He says in that way a citizens committee can be formed to look how council is elected.  Hebert is satisfied that he drew attention to the issue.

Smaller City Council proposed

Larry Hebert is at it again. The City Councillor wants to have the size of council reduced. Hebert would like to see the number of members trimmed from 12 to 8.   He was already voted down once before when he proposed having all councillors elected at large.   He believes having a smaller council would help keep costs under control noting that other similar sized cities have fewer councillors.  Herbert wants his proposal put on the ballot in this falls municipal election.

Online voting up for discussion at City Hall

The possibility of online voting in the upcoming municipal election gets a look at city hall Monday night. It's one of the ideas being floated by administration to help increase voter turnout. While Councillor Iain Angus says he welcomes breaking down voting barriers, he still has questions.  Also Monday councillors will be asked to consider putting a question on the ballot to reduce the size of City Council and  the Aboriginal Liaison  will present her annual report to council

Fire Chief issues thin ice caution

An ice warning from the Thunder Bay Fire and Rescue Service. Chief John Hay says the alert is coming earlier than normal. He says you should stay off the ice on all the rivers, streams and lakes adding, water on top of the ice and waterflow underneath has caused considerable erosion.   Hay says there have been no close calls so far