OLG announces latest slots cash

The latest payment to the city of Thunder Bay from the provincial government gambling casino is 572 thousand dollars. The money represents 5 per cent of the slot machine revenue from the facility. It was the cash collected during January, February and March.

Backhoe accident sends man to hospital

One man is injured following an accident involving a backhoe. City police spokesperson Chris Adams says it took place at a private residence on Koivu Road Tuesday around noon and sent a 30 year old man to hospital after the machine rolled on him.   Police, fire and paramedics responded.  While the mans injury is reported as serious it isn't considered life threatening.

Five local nominees in film awards

Thunder Bay is fairing well for the 2010 Northern Ontario Music and Film Awards. Organizer Dennis Landry says 5 of the 24 nominees are from Thunder Bay. He says its no surprise to him because we have an interesting diverse film community. The local nominees are: Dave Clement is up for two awards for his work on the film “The Healing Lens” in the Best Film Editor and Best Cinematography categories. Heather K. Dahlstrom is nominee in the Best Film category for “The Healing Lens”. Two local finalists are nominated in the Best Screenwriter category. Kris Ketonen who collaborated with Lee Chambers on the script “The Sum of Random Chance” and Ryan La Via for his script titled “Psyche”.
Thunder Bay also has a local finalist in a music category. Chris Dorota is nominated in the Best Engineer category for his work on Jean-Paul De Roover’s album “Windows and Doors”. The awards will be handed out May first in Sudbury.

Westgate students form living green ribbon

High school students in the city are promoting organ and tissue donations. At Westgate Collegiate students formed a human green ribbon. Lisa Cashin of the local Kidney Foundation says the campaign in Thunder Bay appears to be working.  She says 38 per cent of the population here has consented to donate their organs at the time of death.    Cashin says while that rate is high for the province, she believes it could be better.

O'Conner woman hurt in ATV accident

One woman is in hospital with undetermined injuries after flipping her ATV. The accident happened yesterday night when the 37 year old was towing a log up a hill. The ATV rolled on top of her and the woman was taken to the Health Sciences Centre by Air Ambulance with non life threatening injuries.

Wind farm location decision now in limbo

Horizon Wind is now in the drivers seat. City councillors have voted to postpone a final decision on a location for the proposed Nor'Western wind farm. It will not come until Horizon releases an environmental assessment report. City Planning Manager Mark Smith doesn't expect the process to drag on. He believes the company will release the report "sooner rather than later". Horizons' Anthony Zwig has said he will make it public in his own time.

Subdivision expansion gets preliminary approval

The River Terrace subdivision extension is one step away from being a done deal. After over 4 and a half hours of discussions councillors approved the plans by Art Lannon to add the 71 lots. It came in spite of the pleas of environmentalists like Christy Radbourne who were concerned about the trees that were to be cut down to make way for the new lots. Radbourne believes councillors had their minds made up prior to the vote.

Council hears River Terrace plans from Art Lannon

The developer of the River Terrace area says he is willing to address residents concerns.   Art Lannon laid out his plan for a proposed expansion of the subdivision.   He says he wants to add 71 lots to what he has right now.   Lannon has an agreement to purchase the 13 and a half hectare property from Lakehead University.  He says that in order to ease the concerns residents have about the loss of trees, he would plant a six metre buffer of trees to make up for what will be lost.

River Terrace residents state their case

The residents of the River Terrace area of the city don't want an expansion of their subdivision .  One by one opponents pleaded with city councillors not to approve the proposal.   As part of the plan, the developer will be removing the trees that separate the area from the Health Sciences Centre.  They think the trees that are removed will do away with the buffer they have against the hospital noise.  In addition Lakehead University students and faculty voiced disapproval since the land in question is in the process of being purchased from the institution.

OPP constable resigns, avoids hearing

There will be no police act hearing for a Nipigon OPP officer. Constable Lynn MacKay was to have had the disciplinary hearing this week in connection with a marijuana seizure in 2007. Sgt. Shelley Garr says MacKay faced a charge of discreditable conduct under the Police Services Act. Garr says the hearing was cancelled on April 16th when MacKay officially resigned from the OPP. MacKay was a 17 year veteran of the force.

Locals take part in the Boston Marathon

Michael Wood of Dryden is the top northwestern Ontario finisher in this years Boston Marathon. Wood is one of at least 18 runners from the northwest who ran in the famous event. Wood ended with a time of 2 hours 45 minutes and 23 seconds. Wood says it was his best time ever.  Jim Keyes is the top Thunder Bay finisher. He clocked in with a time of 2 hours 57 minutes and 33 seconds. Drydens' Christine Smith was the top female finisher from the northwest with a time of  3 hours, 25 minutes and 3 seconds.  Sixteen people from Thunder Bay were entered this year.  Here are the results for the regional competitors:
Men: Michael Wood-2:45:23, Jim Keyes-2:57:33, Scott Douglas-3:07:11, Michael Tassotto-3:05:37, Peter Lovis-3:13:57, Rory Cava-3:25:19, Dan Tipple-3:32:35, Claudio Pietrobelli-3:34:06.  Women:  Christine Smith-3:25:03,  Isabel Pacheco-3:25:30, Betty Annela-3:34:00, Christine Bociurko-3:40:33, Donna Ostrom-3:43:59, Monique Welbourne-3:51:38.

Council chamber access restricted

The public is being restricted on when they can enter the city council chamber before an evening meeting. City spokesperson Sheelagh Hendrick says the doors to the meeting room will be closed between 4:30 and 5:45. She says there isn't any staff available to monitor the room during that time. Hendrick wouldn't say if the decision is related to the wind farm debate last week when opponents occupied the chamber.

No injury in bus incident

A pedestrian isn't hurt after what was originally a report of a person being hit by a city transit bus.   The incident took place this afternoon just before 1pm on Red River Road at Regent Street.   Police, fire and paramedic crews responded but police say the victim did not require treatment.   

Union official delivers hospital closure warning

Major hospital health issues are being discussed in Thunder Bay this week. The Ontario Council of Hospital Unions is meeting for three days. President Michael Hurley says one major topic is the provinces plan to tender some services like knee replacements. He says smaller northern hospitals will be defenseless because of it and could close because they won't be able to compete with bigger hospitals like the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre to deliver services. About 200 delegates are attending the gathering.

Mayors race is getting crowded

The race for Mayor is now a three headed battle. Jeff Irwin has thrown his name into the ring along with incumbent Lynn Peterson and former police association president Keith Hobbs. Irwin says seeing the massive amount of opposition to the proposed Horizon Wind farm led him to run for the position. He says council is clearly failing to listen to the people and a change is needed.

New Tanning Legislation could impact local business

Tanning Salons in Thunder Bay could soon be facing new regulations. A Bill outlawing tanning services for people under 19 years old passed first reading in Queens park last week to protect teens from UV exposure. Owner of Ozone Terry Gallant says he thinks profiling skin types is a safer way to approach tanning instead of age. Gallant says people under the age of 19 make up about 5 percent of his clientele.

Chamber gives out business awards

There are over a dozen business award winners in the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce awards gala at the Valhalla Inn. The winners are:
Members:
Commitment to Quality-Exquisite Gold & Gems, TBayTel
Secondary Entrepreneurial Spirit Award-Marian Harkof
Small Business Excellence Award-Kuch Stephenson Gibson Malo
Large Business Excellence Award-RBC Royal Bank
Not For Profit Excellence Award-Dilico Anishinabek Family Centre
New Business Excellence Award-Porter Airlines Ltd.
Customer Service Award-Quality Market
Looking Good Member-Janzen's Pharmacy
Quality of Life Award-Wardop Engineering Ltd.
Environmental Stewardship Award-City of Thunder Bay Facilities and Fleet Dept.
Non-Members:
Business Excellence Award-Intercity Auto Centre
New Business Excellence Award-JustParts.com
Customer Service Award-Coles Book Shop
Pictured: Kuch, Stephenson, Gibson, Malo receive Small Business Excellence Award sponsored by
Magic 99.9 and the Giant 105.3

               
                          

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.

Supporters of wind farm get together

Support for the proposed Nor'Wester wind farm is beginning to show through. A group of them gathered for a luncheon recently.  One of them was Phil Fralick of Lakehead University.  He says he supports it because climate change is a reality here on earth and we have to start doing things that will start mitigating the problems of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.  About a hundred supporters of the wind farm gathered for a Friday luncheon.

Wind blows down tree on Finlayson St.

High winds are responsible for this downed tree at the rear of 222 Finlayson Street. No one was hurt in the incident. Environment Canada meteorologist Geoff Coulson says wind gusts were measured at the Thunder Bay Airport at 67 kilometres per hour.

Wind farm back before Council

The Big Thunder Wind Park may get some debate at City Hall Monday evening. Councillors could decide not to approve the location of the wind turbines until the Environmental Assessment is released. The CEO of Horizon Wind Anthony Zwig says he's not sure about the process that is taking place, but says his company will continue with its own plans and release the assessment when he feels its appropriate.   Councillors could  also vote to make a location decision May 17th.

House fire keep Thunder Bay Fire and Rescue Busy

The Thunder Bay Fire and Rescue dealt with a two alarm fire on Rona Street. Crews were called just before 11 o'clock for a house fire just off of Hodder. People were in the house but luckily no one was hurt.

Wind snaps a tree on Huron Ave.

No one is injured after high winds snapped a tree on some power lines at 1037 Huron Avenue. The incident took place just after 10 am Friday morning. Fire and hydro crews were at the scene.  The winds are forecast to reach up to 60 km/hr.

Bachelors of Hope fundraiser another success

The 12th annual Bachelors for Hope Auction was another success. Over 63 thousand dollars was raised brining the 12 year total to just under 600 thousand dollars raised for breast cancer research.

Shippam falls short of the North Pole

Thunder Bays' Dale Shippam is safe after quite an adventure near the North Pole. Shippam is a heart transplant patient who tried to ski to the Pole with his doctor Heather Ross. However, wife Peggy Shippam says they came up short. She says a moving arctic ice floe proved too dangerous.   She says eventually a helicopter rescued them from their camp and the high winds and minus 40 degree temperatures.

Federal Saguenay first "saltie" of the season

The Federal Saguenay is the first ocean going ship of the season in the the Port of Thunder Bay this year. It arrived Thursday morning and had a difficult time docking at the Viterra grain elevator. Heavy Fog made visibility very low and the ship ended up brushing a grain storage container causing minimal damage. Before heading out to Belgium, it loaded up with some canary and flax seed.

NAPS graduates nine officers

Nine constables will join the ranks of the Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service at a ceremony on Friday afternoon.  The graduates are:   Hector Vecchio, Gabriella Balog, Shannon Dyck, Mackenzie Schussler, Troy Wlodarek, Mark Lefavre, Dwaine Howe, Bryan Halcro and Jim Andrew.   Constable Halcro is scheduled to deliver the valedictorian address and be presented with the award for Outstanding Achievement.

Med students complete Dryden training

Two Thunder Bay medical students who spent 8 months practising at Dryden Regional Health Centre are saying goodbye. Kristie Skunta and Marlon Hheerty have completed their training . Hheerty says working in a rural community is important. He says unlike a big hospital he will get to see almost everytype of ailment that comes through the door. Both students will be returning to Thunder Bay for fourth-year Medicial studies.

Fog lifts

A blanket of fog affecting parts of Thunder Bay much of Thursday has lifted. Areas next to Lake Superior were heavily affected like Marina Park where the waterfront development project is underway. Environment Canada meteorologist Geoff Coulson says the fog did clear off from the Thunder Bay Airport by mid afternoon with the rest of the city several hours later. Meantime, the fog along the north shore of Lake Superior is causing zero visibility to Marathon, and is expected to linger much longer. Coulson adds we should wake up to a clearer day on Friday.

No panic at local travel agencies

Air traffic into and across much of Europe is grounded today by an ash cloud from a volcano in Iceland. However it's not causing headaches for Thunder Bay travel agents. The manager of My Travel, Katie Zuber, says very few people from here travel to Europe in April, because it's the off season.   Zuber says summer is the peak time for European travel.

College and TBayTel become partners

Confederation College and TBay Tel have signed a partnership, but it has nothing to do with money. TBayTel will provide tech experts to the college as consultants. College President Pat Lang says in exhange TBay Tel utilizes tech students from the institution.  TBayTel CEO Don Campbell says it doesn't give the utility a leg up for any contracts.  Both the College and TBay Tel says the agreement will not inhibit the competitive process

Grass fires keeping Thunder Bay Fire and Rescue busy

Despite this week's light rain there will still be a fire ban in the city this weekend. Deputy Fire Chief Greg Hankkio says the conditions are extremely dry right now and as a result crews have had to deal with 65 grass fires since the beginning of March. Hankkio says a large number of the fires are being started by youth and discarded cigarette butts. Hankkio says until we see significant rain the burning ban will stay in place.

NOACC meets in Sioux Lookout

The Northwestern Ontario Associated Chambers of Commerce are meeting in Sioux Lookout. Chief Operating Officer Harold Wilson says a major issue at the gathering will be a request to the McGuinty government to scrap the Far North Act. Wilson says the act would prevent First Nations from developing half the land in the far north. The featured speaker this year is federal Treasury Board President Stockwell Day. Wilson says its a great opportunity to hear first hand how the federal government can work with the north to address issues here.

Lac des Iles back in operation

It's back to business at the Lac des Iles Mine north of Thunder Bay. North American Palladium says it has restarted production at the mine after it was closed down in 2008 because of low prices for the commodity. However now that prices are a lot higher,  the company says opening the underground mine makes sense. It will operate 7 days a week with 2-12 hour shifts employing 180 people.

LeBlanc still wants Thunder Bay team

Anthony LeBlanc is confident he will have good news for Thunder Bay in a matter of months. LeBlanc is continuing his efforts to have a junior hockey team located in the city. It comes in spite of his company,  Ice Edge Holdings,  losing out in it's bid to snag the Phoenix Coyotes franchise. LeBlanc says getting a hockey team here did not hinge on the Phoenix bid

Cats sign Canadian

More signings for Thunder Bays' boys of summer. The Border Cats have inked three more players for the upcoming Northwoods League season. Joining the Cats are third baseman P-T Kitamura, catcher Brooklyn Foster and pitcher Josh Deeg. Foster is the first Canadian born player to sign with the team this season. He is originally from Langley B-C but has played his baseball at Orange Coast College in San Diego.

Local Poles remain in mourning

Thursday is a national day of mourning in Canada  for the people of Poland. They lost their president in a weekend plane crash. Here in Thunder Bay Bishop Fred Coli will be saying mass for the local Polish community.  He says he'll be there to share in their grief and also to share the hope that the Polish nation and its' people will get through this tragedy to work into the future together.   The mass takes place Thursday at 7 pm at St. Cashmir's Church on McKenzie Street.

Body of missing man found in Nipigon river

A Thunder Bay man is dead after going missing near the Nipigon River Bridge. OPP were notified that the man went fishing Monday and never returned. Members of the Emergency Response Team recovered the man's body yesterday evening. The victim is identified as 63 year old Lawrence Larsen

Hammarskjold students are getting breakfast at school

Students are serving students breakfast at Hammarskjold high school. The school is celebrating the success of its Breakfast club program that provides nutritious breakfasts for students. Guidance Councillor John Storm says the program has been in place for 3 years and has been proven to improve students work in the class room. Storm says he was amazed to learn how many students aren't eating breakfast each morning.

Kenora OPP arrest two after stabbing

Kenora OPP had to deal with a stabbing last night. Two girls were arrested, one for assault with a weapon and other for assault. The Victim was taken to hospital and police are still investigating.

Lawyer tell councillors, rethink wind farm deal

Opponents of the proposed Nor'Wester wind farm can't say they haven't been heard. Over 20 individuals made their case against the location of the 18 wind turbines to City Councillors at a special meeting Tuesday night. Included in that group was lawyer Sam Bachinski who lives near the affected area. He urged councillors to consider finding a way out of the legal agreement with the wind farm developer. City councillors did not make any decisions Tuesday. They will be revisiting the issue at their May 17th meeting

Opponents of wind farm come out in force

Opponents of the proposed Nor'Wester wind farm believe there is power in numbers. They showed up in force for Tuesday nights' special meeting at City Hall on the wind power development. There were so many, the overflow crowd were seated in the foyer of the building and allowed to watch proceedings from the third floor chambers on a wide screen TV set up especially for them.

Horizon presents its' case for wind farm location

Officials with Horizon Wind say they have done their best to meet concerns of residents about the location of the proposed wind farm on the Nor'Wester Mountains. In a presentation to city councillors, project coordinator Nhung Nguyen outlined some of the myths and rumours that have been associated with the project. She also repeated the major concession, to move back the turbines over 1 kilometre from the original location. She added that in the future they "may or may not" see more than the original 18 turbines but that has yet to be determined. President Anthony Zwig also stressed the jobs and economic benefits that the wind farm would bring to the community.

Hyer tours Chalk River nuke plant

Thunder Bay MP Bruce Hyer is back from a first hand look at the disabled Chalk River Nuclear plant. He was there as part of a parliamentary committee tour. Hyer says after his visit he is more determined than ever for hospitals to move away from using nuclear isotopes for medical proceedures. Instead he would prefer to see cyclotrons and linear accelerators used to produce safer isotopes noting our own Cancer Centre in Thunder Bay has applied for funding for that purpose.   Hyer says he'd like to see the Chalk River facility sold to the private sector

Wareham murder trial in October

A 31 year old Thunder Bay man will be facing a jury trial in the fall on a charge of second degree murder. Andre Wareham was charged in January of last year in connection with the death of 29 year old William Atkins. They say he died following a fight in the common area of the Finlayson Street apartment building they both lived in. Assistant crown attorney Elaine Burton says the trial is expected to begin on October 18th and last two weeks.

Fatal Collision claims one life near Manitouwadge

One man is dead after a head on collision near Manitouwadge. Two pick up trucks hit each other yesterday afternoon. 56 year old Eusebio Esarte of Manitouwadge was killed in the collision, while another occupant was taken to the Thunder Bay Regional for further treatment. The third victim was treated and released.

Small morning garage fire keeps Thunder Bay Fire and Rescue busy

Thunder Bay Fire and Rescue are investigating after a garage fire this morning. Crews responded to a call just after 4 o'clock when a fire started inside a garage at 135 Finlayson Street. Officers say no damage to the garage itself was done but some contents were destroyed. The cause of the fire isn't known at this point.

OPP make big drug bust in Pickle Lake

Pickle Lake OPP have arrested two people after recovering a large amount of prescription pills. Officers arrested 42 year old Ida Crane and 25 year old Cheryl Bottle after seizing 24 thousand dollars worth of drugs. Both will appear in court in June.

Councillors nix recycling program for the poor

There will be no special recycling program for low income residents of the city. Councillors have voted down the idea, but not before Councillor Rebecca Johnston aggressively made her point that people on fixed incomes can't afford blue bags. Administration says there would just be too many hurdles to overcome to put such a program in place

Two lanes to remain open during bridge repairs

The repairs to the May Street Bridge will now take longer to complete. City councillors voted to have two lanes open during repairs instead of closing the bridge entirely. It came after a plea from Dairy Queen owner Richard Schutte who said closing the bridge would have had a devistating effect on his business.  He estimated the loss could be as high as 30 per cent.    The change means repairs will take almost all summer to complete instead of only half that time.

TBay Tel dividend to fund Tennis Centre repairs

The TBay Tel dividend is coming through to help the Thunder Bay Tennis Centre at Chapples Park.    City Councillors have voted to dip into the fund and come up with almost 240 thousand dollars to help with the repairs to the centre this year.  Centre president Lori Ruberto came before council to plead for the extra money saying that the tenders for the project came in over a quarter million dollars above the 500 thousand dollars that was budgeted

Wind farm protesters descend on City Hall

The city began hearing concerns of residents in the Nor'Wester Mountain area who are against the proposed wind turbine development.  Prior to the meeting a group of them protested in front of City Hall.

Developer wants city water extension

A Thunder Bay developer wants to have city water piped to a new development he has planned in neighbouring Shuniah Township. He wants to build a luxury gated community that would be located next to the citys' Bare Point water treatment plant. Robert Zanette says he is frustrated because city administration refuses to say yes to his idea. Planning manager Mark Smith says the proposal goes against the citys' Official Plan.

Bombardier eyes more work for TTC

There's the potential for more work for Thunder Bays' Bombardier plant. MPP Bill Mauro says that the company has entered into negotiations with Metrolinx to exercise the option for more TTC streetcars. Mauro says because Bombardier has won the original contract and has the infrastructure, it stands to reason they would have a good chance for success. The Toronto Transit Commission has already ordered 200 streetcars from Bombardier as part of the contract.