Police probing East End attack

Police are asking for your help in finding the person responsible for an attack on a woman Wednesday morning in the East End. They say the woman told them she was walking on McKenzie near Robertson around 10:30 when she was approached by a man driving a silver car. She refused to get in and was later attacked from behind, but managed to escape. The man is described as about 5' 9" with dark hair and a dark complexion. The vehicle was a shiny silver mid-sized 4 door passenger car

Provincial parks open for season

Provincial Parks in Ontario will be full of activity this May long weekend.  It's the opening weekend for camping, and an alcohol ban is in place at most of the provincial sites in the region.  Parks Spokesperson Barb Rees says there are a number of other rules in place.  The alcohol ban is in place at Blue Lake, Rushing River, Sleeping Giant, Aero Lake and Silver Falls until May 24th.

MNR gets new fire truck

The Ministry of Natural Resources is getting a brand new forest fire engine. Thunder Bay Fire Management Headquarters will house one of two new machines. Spokesperson Bob Gardam says it was built in Kakebeka Falls by Holland Enterprises. The machine holds a thousand gallons of water.

Local company buys state of the art chopper

A local aircraft company has a new chopper in it's fleet. Kelner Helicopter has purchased the French built A-Star from Eurocopter Canada. President Frank Kelner says the purchase is part of a long term plan to expand his fleet of aircraft.   Kelner says the cost of the A-Star is about 3 million dollars. He says they're already leasing one of the choppers and plan to buy two more. The company leases aircraft to governments and mineral exploration companies.

Plant it and they will come

The Salvation Army's garden program is underway. It's called the Field of Greens and is a project run by the Port Arthur Rotary Club. Major Mervyn Halvorsen says the food grown in the garden is put to good use. It will be fed to the residents at the Booth Centre and served through the soup van and the Food Bank. The garden is located at the Salvation Army property on Cumberland Street.

Soap boxer's set to race for charity

The 7th annual Soap Box Derby is set for June 5th. Organizers hope to raise 30 thousand dollars for the George Jeffery Children's Centre. Participating this year will be Nancy Rissanen and her 8 year old sonTyler. She says the centre has worked wonders for Tyler. He's been going there since he was 5 weeks old and he has been receiving physio and occupational therapy and is able to function as any normal child. The money raised will go toward building a playground at the Brock Street location.

Earthroots still not happy

More still needs to be done to protect Northern Ontario's boreal forest.  The enivronmental group Earthroots doesn't feel the forest companies pledge to halt logging in 29 million hecatres of forest is enough.  Spokesperson David Sone says it's not time to take it easy on the forest companies.  Meanwhile, Abitibi Bowater says the deal to halt logging will have a huge impact on its ability to access fibre in the region.

Teachers learn to teach green

A group of Thunder Bay teachers are a bit wiser about green learning today. They are part of a local workshop that is teaching them to merge environmental content into the school curriculum. Overseeing it all is Christy Radbourne of the Ministry of Education who says its a work in progress. She says they're hoping to get the teachers to eventually expand the concept into the entire curriculum and make it more meaningful for them and their schools. About 40 educators are taking part in the two day workshop.

Industry doesn't like government plans

There doesn't seem to be much support for the provincial government's new forest tenure system. A public consultation session was held last night in Thunder Bay, and many forestry stakeholders voiced their concerns about the process. Ontario Forest Industry Association President Jamie Lim says the government isn't listening to the industry. The government is proposing an open bidding process for wood fibre, and a new board that would oversee wood supply licences.

Engineering students show off software

A couple of engineering students at Lakehead University have come up with some innovative software. The three programs focus on sharing health records, monitoring patients and teaching. Rachid Benlamri is the head of the Engineering Department at LU.   He says he's proud of the students accomplishments adding, that it shows that even at a small university like Lakehead technological advances can be made that will improve our lives.   The students hope to get some local business people to invest in their programs.

New four way stop at City Hall gets police attention

Keep your eyes open for the new four way stop at intersection of Brodie and Donald street. Thunder Bay police traffic Sergeant Glen Porter says officers are out in full force looking for drivers blowing the stop signs that were installed because of the new bus terminal at city hall. Porter says the fine for blowing a stop sign is 110 dollars and three demerit points.

Water Bomber needed to fight house fire

A water bomber was called in to fight a house fire in Kaministiquia. The house was completely destroyed along with a nearby shed in the blaze that started yesterday afternoon around 3 o'clock on Hill Road. Luckily there were no injuries as the home owner was able to get out of the home safely. Fire crews from the Lappe, East Gorham and the MNR battled the inferno.

More mining activity in the region

A Toronto based mining company is setting up shop near Thunder Bay. Pele Mountain Resources is drilling at its Pigeon River site sixty kilometres west of the city. President Al Shefsky says it's a promising nickle and copper site. The company is currently drilling five holes in search of platinmum, magnetic targets as well as copper and nickle.

Association slams tenure changes

The Ontario Forest Industry Association is critical of the Province's changes to the forest tenure system.  Manager of Forest Policy Scott Jackson says the changes will undermine the government's recent good work.  Jackson says an open auction for wood supply will impact all forestry businesses from big to small.  Jacksons adds the changes will undermine all the previous good work the government has done and jeopardize the future of the industry.

World Hepatitis Day observed

AIDS Thunder Bay is offering an outreach program to people living with Hepatitis C.  Hepatitis Nurse Sara Ticholiz says they will be offering the program in Thunder Bay and across the region through tele health.  The federal government recently provided the funding for a treatment program as well.

New 9-1-1 technology on the way

It will soon be easier for emergency crews to track the location of a 9-1-1 call from a cell phone. Inspector Andy Hay of the city police says they're upgrading the system as we speak, adding it will close a loophole in the technology. He says right now if someone calls 9-1-1 from a cell phone they don't have any way to track their location, but with the upgraded system they will be able to pinpoint the exact location of the phone. Hay expects the new system to be up and running by the summer. The update on the system was presented at Tuesday's Police Services Board meeting.

Fire hits Winslow Road home

No one was hurt in a house fire in O'Connor Township Tuesday afternoon. Conmee Fire Chief Aime  Spencer says his crews were first at the fire scene on Winslow Road.   He says the owner of the house was walking his dog and came home to find smoke coming from the eaves.    He says crews were able to enter the house and put it out.   Spencer says fire damage is confined to the bedroom area, and the cause is not known.

LRCA boss says rain is needed and lots of it

The Lakehead Region Conservation Authority remains on alert as low water levels continue. Chair Bill Bartley says there's no immediate end in site and even the rain we got recently is nowhere near enough to ease the problem. He says a substantial rainfall is needed over a longer period of time. Residents are still being asked to reduce their water consumption by 20 per cent to help ease the situation.

Fire forces evacuation of I-C-R Discoveries

No one is injured after a small lab fire in the Munro Street building that houses Genesis Genomics, among other tenants. The Fire Service's Val LaFontaine says they were called to the I-C-R Discoveries building at around 1 o'clock Tuesday afternoon and put out a small fire. He says they evacuated the building as a precaution. LaFontaine says the lab was unattended at the time of the fire which has been attributed to a chemical reaction.

Chamber Prez wary of tenure changes

Forest Industry groups and business leaders are meeting today to discuss proposed changes to the forest tenure process. Minister of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry Michael Gravelle consulted the public last night on the issue. Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce President Harold Wilson says they're not sure what to make of the changes. The changes mean the big forest companies would have their current licences scrapped and they'd have to start over.

Woman charged in stabbing incident

A 32 year old woman is being charged with aggravated assault after a stabbing on the city's north side. Police say the incident took place at a house on Tamarack Place at around 9:30 Tuesday morning. They say that a 29 year old man was stabbed with a knife in what police say was a domestic dispute. He was taken to the Health Sciences Centre. Police say he will survive his injury.

NAN Deputy Grand Chief on education

More funding is needed for aboriginal education.  Nishinabe Aski Nation Deputy Grand Chief Terry Waboose says he's dissapointed the Federal Government didn't attend their two day conference on the issue.  Waboose adds he'll be passing on their concerns to area members of parliment.  Waboose says they would like to see the Government change the way the post secondary education program is run and how many people are eligable.

Forest Companies stop some logging activity

Canada's top pulp and paper producers are immediately halting logging in 29 million hectares of northern forest.  It's part of a historic agreement with environmental groups announced today in Toronto.  The Forest Products Association of Canada is pledging to uphold the highest environmental standards on 72 million hectares of public land.  In exchange, environmental groups will suspend ``do not buy'' campaigns.

Library costs expected to increase

City councillors will likely be asked to approve added costs for the construction of the new Mary J. L. Black Library. While the original budget of 4.1 million dollars to build the facility isn't expected to change, there are added costs that City Manager Tim Commisso has drawn to the attention of council. He is recommending that the entire parking lot at the proposed site be totally replaced as part of the process along with a complete rebuilding of a nearby children's playground. Commisso says the costs are expected to be about half a million dollars or so. He says he will report back to council by the end of June or early July on where the money will come from

More uses approved for Red River Road building

There will be some added uses for the old Safeway store at the corner of Red River Road at Clarkson Avenue.   Councillors have voted to include the uses of a community clinic and a mini-warehouse.   One of the concerns raised was whether there would be a methadone clinic located at the site.   Mark Smith the General Manager of Development Service says while there is nothing that the city can do to prevent such a clinic from operating, it's his understanding that the applicant has no intention of setting one up.  Pictured:   Officials with Red River Square state their case before councillors.

Forest industry finds an ally in NOMA

The Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association is going to bat for the Ontario forest industry.  It's started an effort to exempt the industry from more red tape under the Endangered Species Act.   NOMA President Anne Krassilowsky says that forest companies are already required to file to identify threatened and endangered species when they prepare a Forest Management Plan.   NOMA has launched an email writing campaign to lobby the government on the issue.

Forest fire season heats up

Be careful with your outdoor fires this May long weekend.
Ministry of Natural Resources Information Officer Mitch Miller is urging the public to take caution when burning outdoors because of the hot dry conditions.
5 forest fires were reported in the Northwest Region over the weekend.

Local health coalition ponders report

The local chapter of the Ontario Health Coalition is still reviewing the finer points of a report on rural and northern hospitals.
The Ontario Health Coalition penned the document that deals with health services.
Thunder Bay Health Coalition Co-Chair Barb Maki says they want to ensure all health services in the region stay intact.
Maki says the local health coalition will keep an eye out for any possible service cuts to emergency departments or other areas of care.

Global Sticks open in July

The manager of Global Sticks is hoping to have the company's Thunder Bay operations up and running by July.  It will make sticks for ice cream bars, corn dogs and paint stirring paddles.  Earl Metcalf says they look forward to hiring up to 100 staff.  Metcalf adds they're in the process of ordering the equipment and building the plant.

Etienne wows 'em at the Gardens

School students in Thunder Bay are still buzzing about a performance Monday by a popular children's entertainer. Steven Langlois, who goes by the stage name Etienne, sang his eduational french songs to about 4 thousand students at the Fort William Gardens. He says the concert was as wonderful as he imagined it to be. Langlois says students respond well to his energy and motivation. There is video on our news website.

OPP arrest impaired drivers

A 35 year old woman is facing impaired charges after being arrested over the weekend. OPP pulled her over on the Expressway Saturday after noticing her driving erratically. Officers say her blood alcohol level was over three times the legal limit and was driving with her 9 year old child. The next day officers arrested a 30 year old man at a RIDE checkpoint for being impaired.

Fire training course on council agenda

At City Hall Monday, councillors get to discuss a fire training program for Confederation College.  If approved the Thunder Bay Fire Service will be partnering with the Ontario Fire Marshal and the Association of Fire Chiefs to establish a fire training course at the college. It would be a one year course modelled after ones offered at 12 colleges in southern Ontario. Also tonight an application is being made to change the zoning for Red River Square at Red River Road and Clarkson. The purpose is for a mini warehouse and community clinic at that location

Bike rodeo teaches safety

The city police Bike Rodeo is all set to go. It takes place Saturday, June 19th at the Community Auditorium parking lot. Organizer, Detective Constable Tammy Reynolds,  says the purpose is to teach kids bike safety and to promote the Kids 'n Cops website.   Registration is limited to 300 participants and  forms are available at kidsncopsca.

Food Buddies inspires students

Students in the Foods and Nutrition class at Superior Collegiate and Vocational Institute are making friends with the elementary students from Vance Chapman School. It's all part of a program called Food Buddies. Family Studies teacher Nancy White is proud of the program. She says the purpose is to educate and inspire the young students about making healthy eating choices. The program was inspired by the reality TV show Food Revolution. Pictured: Foods and Nutrition student Abaigeal Clark watchesVance Chapman students during the Food Buddies program

Program improves early reading skills

The Catholic School Board is pretty pumped about a new program that's helped grades 1 to 3 students with their early reading skills. Board spokesperson Joan Powell says the PALS program was introduced this school year and has gone beyond expectations. She is thrilled at the magnitude of the results and how all students, including those considered "at risk", are succeeding. Powell says that they're expanding the program next year to include math.

Skateboarding safety promoted

The District Health Unit and the Skateboard Coalition are teaming up to promote safety. Marita Campbell of the Health Unit says the campaign will focus on the young people who use the Marina Skate Plaza. She says the Coalition told her that they were concerned that a lot of young people were trying tricks beyond their abilities, not learning the basics first and not wearing appropriate gear. Campbell says the promotion will include posters and a parents guide to safer skateboarding

Neebing fire crews move back to home station

It took over 3 months but the Neebing fire crew is back in their home but for how long that will be is still up in the air. Firefighters were forced out of the station February 10th, after mould was discovered at the facility. Deputy Fire Chief Greg Hankkio says the living quarters and offices were gutted to remove the mould so there is a lot of work needed before crews can move back into the station. For now crews are being housed in an onsite trailer next to the facility. Hankkio says a consultant will be used to see if its worth renovating the station or finding a new permanent home.

Provincial parks are open for business

If you're looking for something to do this weekend why not go camping. Most of the provinces parks are open for business starting this weekend. There will also be an alcohol ban for the next 44 days.

Jared joins Eric in Carolina

Eric Staal will be spending some more time with family and he'll be able to do it in Carolina. The Hurricanes have aquired his younger brother Jared from the Phoenix Coyotes for a 5th round draft pick. Jared was chosen 49th overall in 2008 and has yet to play an NHL game.

Atleo wants leaders to attend Treaty 5 ceremonies

Canada's top native leader says government leaders must attend the upcoming Treaty 5 celebrations in Northwestern Ontario. Speaking in Thunder Bay, Shawn Atleo the Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, says it would show a respect for past actions. He says that's critical because the Crown is the treaty partner and needs to take full responsibility for those errors, but it has yet to happen. So far no government officials have indicated they will be attending the ceremonies.

LRCA upgrades low water warning

We may have received a lot of rain, but the Lakehead Region Conservation Authority says drought conditions in the area are getting worse.  For that reason the organization has upgraded its low water condition warning from Level 1 to Level 2. The LRCA says that means that the overall precipitation hasn't been enough to ease water supply problems especially for those who rely on wells for their drinking water.

Fonteece escapes jail time for wife's suicide

A Waterloo man is not going to jail for his wife's suicide in Thunder Bay. 48 year old Peter Fonteece pleaded guilty to criminal negligence causing death in connection with the incident in a city motel room in February of last year.  The court was told his wife Yanisa took 40 sleeping pills and asked Peter not to interfere.   He then tried numerous times to take his own life but failed.   Fonteece says he's pleased he didn't get anymore time in jail than what he has already served.   He adds he's grateful for the understanding of Madam Justice Helen Pierce.  She called the case unique in Canadian law.  Fonteece will be on probation for a year and must stay in the care of The John Howard Society.

Hundreds turn out for Dunnill funeral

Father Michael Dunnill has said his final farewell. The Thunder Bay Police Service Chaplain was given a full police funeral Thursday complete with an honour guard at St. Paul's Anglican Church. Hundreds of people turned out to pay their last respects to the man who served as Chaplain since 1988. He died on the weekend at the age of 77.

Get ready for some rain

If you're still hoping to see some more rain you're in luck. Environment Canada's Peter Kimble says a low pressure system could drop as much as 20-30 millimetres of rain on the area by tomorrow morning. Kimble says it will cool off tonight, dropping to 3 degrees but will rebound to 20 for the weekend.

Collision closes a portion of the expressway

A portion of the expressway was closed for a few hours this morning after a transport truck collided with an SUV. OPP Constable Diana Cole says it happened at around 7:30 when the SUV crossed the centre line and collided with the truck. The drivers were taken to the hospital with non life threatening injuries. The investigation continues.

Paras steps away from NOSTA

There is one less member on the board for the North of Superior Tourism Assocation. Lori Paras has announced she is resigning from NOSTA. Lately the board has been plagued by infighting among its members over who is legally on the board and who is not. This appears to be the reason Paras has stepped down.

LU and Con College collaborate

Students of a science program at Lakehead University are benefiting from a new agreement with Confederation College. LU President Fred Gilbert says students in the water management program get to use resources at the College. He calls it the future of post secondary education and says for too long most Universities and Colleges have operated in their own world. Gilbert says he'd like to think both insitutions in the city are trend setters. College President Pat Lang says the program creates job opportunities for students in Northwestern Ontario.

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

Local student vies for spot at the G8 and g20

A Thunder Bay student has a chance to become a part of history. Melissa Courte is one of 100 finalists who have the opportunity to be a student rep for their province at the G-8 and G-20 conferences in southern Ontario next month. The LU political science students calls it an honour just to be a finalist. The preliminary gathering of the group takes place this weekend in Ottawa.

Cabbies welcome news of arrest

There is relief among cab drivers in Thunder Bay. News that a suspect has been arrested in connection with a string of taxi cab robberies is welcome news to cabbies. For Dianne Sheparski it's a week she never wants to re-live.   She says everyone was concerned their lives were in danger not knowing what would happen next.  Sheparski says the robberies caused her to have many sleepless nights.

Students stand up against racism

Students at Hammarskjold High School are standing up for racial equality. They organized an anti-racism day. Jesalynn Beebe spearheaded the event because she's sick of racist attitudes saying she has seen so much racism in the school and the community that she felt someone had to stand up and do something about it. As part of the event students stamped painted images of their hands on a large mural.

Councillor lives like a paraplegic for a day

A number of city leaders now know what it's like to live as a paraplegic would. They volunteered to live in a wheelchair for a day. For Councillor Rebecca Johnson it was an eye opener. She has a better handle on what obstacles people in a wheelchair have to face everyday from getting through doors to getting in a taxi. Johnson admits that even some parts of City Hall can be difficult for the disabled.

Host says take stock and stay out of "debt hell"

The host of a reality TV show says many of us are heading for "debt hell". Gail Vaz Ox-lade of Till Debt Do Us Part says since she started the program she has been amazed at how many people aren't aware of how much money they spend or what they're spending it on. She says it's important to take stock of where your finances are going if you're concerned you're going over your head in debt. Vaz Ox-lade was in Thunder Bay to be the featured speaker at a woman's conference on money.