Robbery suspects remain in custody

Two Thunder Bay residents are due back in court next week in connection with a weekend armed robbery. Police say a man and a woman entered the Syndicate Avenue Mac's Store on Sunday morning armed with a knife. They ran off with some cash. The suspects were later caught and appeared in court Tuesday.   The 32 year old man and 27 year old woman were remanded in custody.

Woman opts for jury trial in fraud case

A Thunder Bay woman is asking for trial by judge and jury in connection with a fraud case involving the Port Arthur Polish Alliance Branch #19.   The lawyer for Krystyna Dolasinski says a preliminary hearing has been scheduled for October.  Christopher Watkins says the hearing will help build his defence by continuing to explore the strength of the prosecution's case and concerns that centre around the strength of that case.  Alliance officials say they found about 100 thousand dollars was missing from their accounts over a two year period.  In court on Tuesday,  Assistant Crown Attorney Gil Maille said that charges of Breach of Trust and Misappropriation of Money were withdrawn.  He says however,  she still faces charges of  Fraud and Theft over 5 thousand dollars and Falsifying Documents

OPP long weekend activity

Not much activity on the long weekend for Thunder Bay OPP. Police did pull over one vehicle in the area of Highway 61 and Arthur Street this morning. When speaking with the driver, the officers noticed the 37 year old man was showing signs of impairment. He's charged with impaired operation of a motor vehicle and driving over 80 milograms; that's twice the legal limit. Police also issued 3-3 days licence suspensions over the May long weekend.

Leon's furniture protest

Thunder Bay's skilled labourers are protesting in front of the Leon's building. Glen Drews is the head of the electrical construction workers for the region and says they're dissapointed they didn't use local workers. Drews adds Leon's shouldn't expect locals to buy their furniture since they didn't employ anyone locally. Leon's Furniture store is presently being built down from Walmart on Fort William Road.

King's stereo building demolished

Demolition work is complete on the King's Stereo Building. Clean up has commenced and is expected to take several weeks. M Hashy and Sons Contracting Owner Michael Hashy hopes to have Syndicate and Miles Street open by this afternoon. The materials of the demolished building are being hauled to the City landfill.

Kenyan tops the 10 Mile

The winner of the 100th running of the 10 Mile Road Race is Gilbert Kiptoo of Kenya. While he didn't set the course record of 47 minutes he did have an impressive time of 49:51. In second place was Eric Hartmark of Duluth, Minnesota with a time of 49:57. For the first time this year there was a prize for the top finishers. Kiptoo walked away with 1 thousand dollars, Hartmark took 500 dollars. The fastest woman was Leslie Semler of Duluth who ran the course in 1:02:30. This was her first trip to compete in the Thunder Bay event and says she was extremely pleased with her time. There was a record field this year with over 1 thousand runners who registered. Organizer Mark Smith says he's pleased that the race is growing in popular support within the community.

PM comes to Dryden with big bucks

The Domtar mill in Dryden is getting some extensive work done to it.  The 22.7 million dollars worth of improvements were announced by Prime Minister Stephen Harper on a visit to the community on Saturday.  It will allow the mill to produce it's own  renewable energy and reduce the amount of power it buys from more expensive sources.   Prior to the announcement Harper spent time at the Dryden Air Show which starred Canada's own aerobatic air team the Snowbirds.

Make way for the courthouse!

The old King's Stereo building on Syndicate Avenue is being demolished so a new courthouse can be built.  Crews began the process Saturday morning and expect to have the job completed by Victoria Day

Court hearing for Terrace Bay Pulp next week

The legal manoeuvering continues to get Terrace Bay Pulp back in operation. The mill is owned by Thunder Bay's Buchanan Forest Products and has been under court protection from creditors. Now the company lawyer, Yves Fricot, says they will be back in Ontario Superior Court May 26th.   He says at that time they will ask the court to set a date in June in which creditors can vote on the company proposal.  Fricot says if the creditor vote succeeds then Terrace Bay Pulp can exit court protection and is the key piece that will start the mill back into operations.

Fitter faster further

There's a new walking group in the city. The City of Thunder Bay's Older Adult Unit is hosting the "fitter faster further" walking club for women age 55 to 70. Organizer Nancy Angus says it's a great way to meet new walking buddies. Walking will take place ever Monday and Wednesday at 10 am at Thunder Bay's two McDonald's restaurants. The premier walk will take place Wednesday May 26th.

Marina Boat Launch closed to the public

Boaters in Thunder Bay have to take a detour if they want to launch their vessels.   The City of Thunder Bay says the the launch facilities and the parking lot at Marina Park are closed to the general public during the construction.  Only those who have paid to have their boats docked at the marina this year will have access to the launch.   Alternate launch sites in the area include:   The Current River Launch, the LRCA launches at Silver Harbour and Little Trout Bay Conservation Areas, the Nipigon Marina and the Red Rock Marina.

KI First Nation Creepy Creature

Big Trout Lake First Nation is receiving world wide attention for an unusual find.  A strange creature washed up on the shore of a creek recently.  Photos of the furry, bald-faced animal were posted on the official website of the Big Trout Lake community.  According to the website, two local nurses were hiking near the creek when they noticed their dog sniffing something in the water.  The dog pulled the 30-centimetre-long dead creature from the water and the two women snapped some photos of it.  Internet reports from around the world are speculating as to what it is, with some even linking it to the Ogopogo and the Lochness Monster.

PM in Dryden

The Prime Minister is paying another visit to Northwestern Ontario. Stephen Harper will make an announcement at the Domtar Mill in Dryden on Saturday. Harper will be joined by Kenora MP Greg Rickford at the opening ceremony of the Snowbirds Air Show.

Construction season underway for habitat

Habitat for Humanity Thunder Bay has kicked off its 2010 construction season.  A ground breaking ceremony was held this morning for two houses being built on Mary Street East.  President Dianne Mitchell says families who will live in the houses must complete 500 volunteer hours.  Habitat is also renovating an existing house for a third family in the City.

We could see some rain this weekend

We could see some rain this long weekend but at least it'll be nice and hot. Environment Canada's Geoff Coulson says there could be some light shower activity Sunday and possible Monday but the temperatures will remain above normal with highs above 20 degrees. Coulson says the above average temperature should last well into next week as well.

Police out in full force for long weekend

OPP are gearing up for a very busy weekend. Spokesperson Diana Cole says officers will be out in full force looking for speeders, aggressive drivers and impaired drivers on all highways and even on the water. City Police are also going to be out this weekend although traffic Sergeant Glen Porter says the May Long is usually rather quiet in the city with most people heading out of town.

Fundraiser nets record amount

The 18th annual Great Billboard Rescue has raised a record amount of money for the United Way. 30 teams spent time on scissor lifts Thursday calling for donations. The result was almost 130 thousand dollars in pledges That's the highest ever raised in the 18 years of the event.

Ontario's top doc is wrong: Freitag

An opponent of the proposed Nor' Wester Mountains wind farm disagrees with the provinces Chief Medical Officer of Health. Margot Freitag says Ontarios top doctor is wrong when she concludes there are no adverse health effects from wind turbines. Freitag says Dr. Arlene King is only saying what the premier wants her to say. She says her group knew Dr. King would come out with that exact finding and that it's a political and not a health agenda Freitag says other studies clearly show wind turbines do cause health problems.

Gravelle touts rebate

You can bank on a northern Ontario energy rebate if you're deemed low or middle income.  The McGuinty Government passed the rebate legislation on Thursday.  Minister of Northern Development Michael Gravelle says the legislation is here to stay.  Single Northerners could see up to 130 dollars, while families and single parents will get up to 200 dollars.

Rafferty critical of EI office closures

Service Canada has announced plans to close several Employment Insurance Claim processing sites in Northern Ontario. The sites deemed for closure by 2014 include Thunder Bay, Kenora, Sault Ste. Marie, North Bay and Timmins. Thunder Bay MP John Rafferty isn't happy with the cuts.   He says at a time when EI filings are at or near record levels the Harper government is closing up shop in some of the hardest hit communities.  Rafferty says it's beyond poor judgement.  The move is meant to centralize services bringing the number of offices in the province down from 24 to 6.

Government passes energy rebate legislation

The provincial government has the passed legislation having to do with the Northern Ontario energy credit.  Government Spokesperson Alicia Johnston says low and middle income residents will receive an application form in the mail this August.  Single Northerners could see up to 130 dollars, while families and single parents will get up to 200 dollars.

Beady slams boreal agreement

Grand Chief Stan Beardy is angy again. This time the leader of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation is upset the recent Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement was written without input from NAN. It's a deal reached between forest products companies and environmentalists in Canada to protect the Boreal Forest. Beardy says it treats his nation like a stakeholder rather than a government. He says his people have never given up the treaty right they have been given to govern themselves. Beardy says NAN will continue to take all legal means to make sure their rights are protected

Forest fire hazard high

The forest fire hazard is currently listed as high to extreme in parts of Northwestern Ontario.  Ministry of Natural Resources Information Officer Debbie McLean says despite the hot dry weather; there won't be a restricted fire zone.  To date fire crews have responded to 206 fires.  In 2009 crews were called out to 109 fires.  McLean notes they would like people use propane cookers for their shore lunches instead of fire.

City politicians do their funding homework

Preparations are underway by city politicians to bring key issues to the attention of senior government leaders over the summer. Councillor Joe Virdiramo heads the city committee that is preparing a list of priorities for the Ontario Municipal Association meeting in August. He says if the city doesn't raise the bar on certain issues then the government won't provide the money we need to deal with the critical problems that face the city. Virdiramo says the top priority for funding will be the detox beds that the police chief has been asking for. Other issues include the Northern Growth Plan, the Endangered Species Act and highway safety.

Get it on-your life jacket that is

Before you head out on the water, "get it on".  The Ontario Provincial Police, Ministry of Natural Resources and Thunder Bay Health Unit are behind a new campaign geared at fishermen who do not wear life jackets.  Outdoor Writer Gord Ellis says there's no excuse for not putting on a personal floatation device.  Ellis notes that fishermen spend lots of money on the latest equipment, that it seems silly to be concerned about a 200 dollar pfd.  Last year two people in Northwestern Ontario drowned in area lakes.

Local athletes give students a thrill

The kids at Nor' wester View School are a little fitter today. They got a chance to meet some local athletes Thursday as part of a day to promote physical activity. Star curler Krista McCarville was there to teach students about the sport and promote it a little. She was hoping to increase enrollment in the Little Rock and Junior curling programs at the school.    Olympic gold medalist Haley Irwin was also there.   She loves to see how excited the kids are to see the gold medal and to hold it.  Irwin also gave props to the local schools for helping students follow the Vancouver games.

Careless drivers get caught by City police

Not paying attention cost a few Thunder Bay drivers some money yesterday. City police were cracking down on people running the new four-way stop at the intersection of Donald and Brodie Streets by city hall. Yesterday officers handed out 15 tickets for various offences and in one case a driver was caught running the stop sign while taking on his cell phone. 

Couchiching chief stands firm

There is no backing down for Chief Chuck McPherson of the Couchiching First Nation. Plans are in place for the band members to set up a toll booth tomorrow on the Trans Canada Highway that runs through the community near Fort Frances. Chief McPherson says he's taking a lot of heat for his position, but says it's a matter of principle.   He insisists the band has not received fair compensation from the federal government for building the highway through the reserve.  McPherson says he is prepared to go to jail for his stand.

Car found in Neebing River

Thunder Bay Police are investigating after a vehicle was discovered in the Neeing River behind the Delaney Arena. It was originally called into the fire department as a water rescue, but when crews arrived no one was found in the car. Police say the vehicle was reported stolen last night.

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.