Ignatieff NWO tour a no go

Tragedy in the Liberal family has resulted in the cancellation of a scheduled trip of Michael Ignatieff to Dryden and Kenora. Mario Lague, Ignatieff's top aid, died Thursday when his motorcycle struck an SUV. Kenora Liberal Candidate Roger Valley says despite the cancelled trip, Ignatieff remains committed to this area. The Grit leader was scheduled to arrive in Dryden Saturday night.

Terrace Bay Pulp slight delay

Terrace Bay Pulp is going to start up before the end of the month.  It's a slight delay since 400 employees were expected to start back on the job on Monday.  United Steelworkers Union Spokesperson Herb Daniher says their plan is not off track.  Equipment needed for the start up is arriving at the mill this week.

NAPS graduates cops

The Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service is welcoming 6-new Graduates. The constables were sworn in at a ceremony in Thunder Bay Friday. The new recruits will be stationed in Moose Cree First Nation, Fort Severn, Sachigo Lake First Nation, Attawapiskat and Fort Albany.

Hudak wants to get rid of LHINS

Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak is making a number of election style promises.  Hudak says if elected premier he will scrap the local health integration networks.  The Ontario PC Leader was in Thunder Bay on Thursday.  Hudak says the decision making progress is taking place at Queen's Park and McGuinty is using the LHINS as a shield.

NAN wants far north act scrapped

Nishnawbe Aski Nation communities could put up blockades and protest in the far north. Grand Chief Stan Beardy says that's what will happen if the McGuinty Government pushes the Far North Act through. Beardy says they do not like the proposed legislation and want the Liberal government to scrap it altogether. NAN communities are concerned about how the act lays out jurisdiction of land.

Worst Roads Campaign back for another year

CAA is looking for nominations for its annual worst roads campaign. Spokesperson Kory Kennedy says its a very successful and popular program, with over 90 percent of the roads nominated since 2003 being repaired or are slated to be repaired. You can cast your vote by visiting the CAA website.

Forest firefighting crews return home

The first of 41 Ministry of Natural Resources personnel working in Saskatchewan are expected back home later today.  Forest Fire fighting crews and support staff from Northwestern Ontario have ended their deployment.  A second group from Northeastern Ontario will be sent home Friday.  The MNR still has 288 personnel helping with the fire fight in British Columbia.

Wanted man may be in the area

City Police believe that a man wanted in Southern Ontario may be in the Thunder Bay area. Spokesperson Chris Adams says 22 year old Troy Moulton is wanted in connection with an attempted murder in Brampton.  Adams says if you see Moulton you should not try to apprehend him, but call police immediately.  Police say Moulton may be driving a Grey 2000 Chevy Impala.

Minister of Natural Resources visits Tbay

Minister of Natural Resources Linda Jeffrey is defending her governments far north act.  Jeffery paid a visit to Thunder Bay on Thursday and spoke with the Nishinawbe Aski Nation.  Jeffrey says she had a good discussion with NAN and they hope to come up with a document that both the government, business and first nations are comfortable with.  NAN is holding a news conference about the issue on Friday.

Hudak promises to scrap Far North Act

Ontario's Opposition leader says if he's elected, say good-bye to the Far North Act. Tim Hudak is promising to scrap the controversial legislation if it's passed. Hudak says the act does nothing for job creation.  He says if the act would have been passed years ago we would never have heard of the the Ring of Fire or the Victor Mine.  He says Dalton McGuinty basically wants to turn the far north into a park and kiss all those opportunities good-bye.  Hudak says the bill has been rammed through the Legislature without consultation.  Pictured:  Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce President Harold Wilson speaks at news conference as Conservative leader Tim Hudak looks on.  Meanwhile, Minister of Natural Resources Linda Jeffrey disagrees with Hudak and notes she's willing to alter the act to accomodate first nations and northern businesses.  Jeffrey was in Thunder Bay on Thursday.

Aviation camp comes to close

Confederation College is hosting a group of aboriginal high school students interested in learning about flight. Aviation Dean Joe Vieria says they hope to inspire students to become pilots. There's a lack of first nations people in the skilled labour force. 26 local first nations youth took part in the week long camp. Wasaya Airways, Local First Nation Councils, and the Kenney Family Foundation help fund the week long flight camp.

Local dogs flying high at Canadian Dog Agility Nationals

A pair of Thunder Bay dogs had a successful showing at the Canadian Nationals for Dog Agility. The event happened in Calgary last weekend and Jessica Dubinsky says her and dog Jersey had a very solid showing winning 2nd once and 13th. Nancy Laser also of Thunder Bay and her dog placed 2nd twice, 4th once and also had a 5th place finish.

Michael Ignatieff is not coming to Thunder Bay

Michael Ignatieff's magical mystery tour is giving Thunder Bay a miss. The Liberal leader is making three stops in the Northwest during his cross country bus tour, Kenora Saturday, Dryden Sunday and Kapuskasing Monday. Ignatieff had originally planned to visit Thunder Bay Sunday.

Tim Hudak is coming to Thunder Bay

The Leader of the provincial opposition will be in Thunder Bay today to talk with the Chamber of commerce. Tim Hudak will be talking about the Far North Act. He's expected to meet with the Chamber's board of directors just after noon.

Judge reserves decision in conflict case

A Thunder Bay city councillor must wait before a judge rules on allegations that he was in a conflict of interest. Justice Douglas Shaw of the Superior Court of Justice has reserved his decision in a case that involves city councillor Robert Tuchenhagen. Tuchenhagen is being accused by city businessman Gilles Mondoux of a conflict of interest in connection with the purchase of a building on Hardisty Street

Online gambling could lead to addiction

Provincially regulated online gambling isn't sitting well with the Sister Margaret Smith Gambling addiction center.  Spokesperson Amber Trochimchuk is worried young people will be attracted to online gambling. Trochimchuk says online gambling will also make gambling available to Northwestern Ontario's remote communities.

Pot bust in Neebing Township

Another marijuana growing operation is out of business in the Thunder Bay area. Police say they executed a search warrant at a property located on Minnisto Road in Neebing Township on Tuesday. There were 265 pot plants seized that they say had a street value of over a quarter million dollars. 4 people are charged and will be in court in October.

LU gets research funding from the province

Lakehead University will be upgrading its research equipment in the water protection field. The upgrades are being paid for by the provincial government thanks to almost 172 thousand dollars in funding. Researcher Doctor Peter Lee says the upgrades are long overdue and will allow the university to keep up with industry standards.  The research is intended to help protect our waterways.

American Man turned away from border

An Ilinois man is speaking out after being denied entry into Canada at the Fort Frances border crossing last month. 55-year-old Paul Pepper was part of a bus tour headed for a fishing lodge near Dryden and was questioned about a criminal report dating back to 1972. Pepper claims charges laid were eventually dismissed, but was denied entry and forced to walk back to International Falls. Pepper has written to a variety of government agencies and the Canada Border Service Agency, but so far has not received any response.

Maple Leaf recalls Garlic Sausage

There's another food recall in Northwestern Ontario.  Maple Leaf Foods is recalling its Country Morning Garlic Sausage Ring and Olympic Fine Meats Ukrainian Garlic Sausage.  The company recalled the sausages because they have milk in them and it wasn't listed on the package.  The sausages were sold in Kenora and Thunder Bay.

Newmarket man dinged for hunting offences

A Toronto area man's bank account is 68 hundred dollars lighter. A judge in Thunder Bay has fined him for illegal hunting offences from last year. It was for firing his gun carelessly, transporting more grouse that he was allowed to and having another person's moose game seal. Conservation officers orginally charged the man after a road check near Schreiber last October.

Heart and Stroke gives money

Atikokan and Thunder Bay will share just over 8-thousand dollars from the Heart and Stroke Foundation.  Thunder Bay Heart and Stroke Spokesperson Wendy Savoy says the money will go towards advocating against childhood obesity.  Savoy says statisics show that this generation of kids likely won't outlive their parents.  The Northwestern Ontario Women's Centre received 5 thousand dollars and the Atikokan Youth Initiatives group will be using over 3 thousand dollars.

Accident sents one person to hospital

One person is recovering from an injury following a traffic accident at Highway 61 and Arthur Street this morning. OPP say that the mishap which occured just before 11 o'clock just after it began to rain. Police say that a vehicle was being towed. At the stoplight the victim went out to check on the tow when a third vehicle collided into the rear and pinned him. The extent of the person's injuries aren't known but are not considered life threatening.

Minor injuries in mishap

There are only minor injuries to report after a multi-vehicle accident during the noon hour on Fort William Road at Central Avenue.    Fire and Ambulance personnel attended along with police.  It caused some minor traffic issues for about an hour.  

Morning fire at LU

Lakehead University got a scare this morning, after smoke filled the Braun Building. Thunder Bay Fire and Rescue had to deal with a student experiment gone awry in a science lab, according to District Chief David Grant. He says that some chemicals caught on fire and ignited nearby egg cartons and the room was evacuated. There was plenty of smoke from the incident, otherwise damage is minor, with no injuries to report

Ring of Fire conference killed

Marten Falls First Nation has called off it's Ring of Fire emerging business conference. Companies were told they would have to pay for a meeting with the first nation. 5 thousand dollars gets a meeting with the first nation and 350 dollars would allow interested companies to participate in the opening presentations. Chief Eli Moonias says he doesn't like the way the fees for the conference were being portrayed. Moonias says they have no plans to reschedule the conference and if companies want to meet with them they can schedule a flight into their community.

The Thunder Bay Art Gallery has a new curator

The Thunder Bay Art Gallery has a new curator. Nadia Kurd has taken over the post and made it through her first day on the job Monday. The 31 year old has a bachelor degree in fine arts from the University of Ottawa and a Masters from York University.  Kurd says Thunder Bay is a beautiful community and is enjoying her time here.

Housing starts continue to stay strong in Thunder Bay

Thunder Bay is having a solid year for housing starts. So far this year there has been 101 starts, during the same time last year there was 85 starts. The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation's Warren Philp says July did see a small dip in numbers with 28 single starts last month compared to 2009 which saw 37 starts. Philp says so far this year there has been a total housing start increase of just under 20 percent.

Potts apologizes to Privacy Commissioner

A senior administrator at the Health Sciences Centre is saying sorry to the Privacy Commissioner. Scott Potts says there was no intention on the hospital's part to not tell Ann Cavoukian about the private health records that were found blowing around on a city street last week.   He says if it was the expectation of her office to have been contacted about the situation earlier the hospital apologizes for that.    While there is no legal requirement to tell the Privacy Commissioner, Cavoukian was upset she had to learn about the story through media reports

Police say robberies are similar

City police are wondering whether the same person is responsible for two robberies at the Apple Community Credit Union on North Cumberland Street. The second robbery happened on Friday afternoon, the first on April 29th. Both getaway vehicles were similar in description, a silver or grey minivan, and the robberies took place by one person on a Friday at about the same time of day. Top: surveillance photo from August 6th robbery. Bottom: surveillance photo from April 29th.

Privacy Commissioner to probe health records fiasco

Ontario's Privacy Commissioner has her sights set on the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. Ann Cavoukian has launched a formal investigation into how private health records were found littering the street around the old Port Arthur General Hospital. Covoukian tells our newsroom it's unacceptable.
Covoukian is also upset that her office discovered the matter through media reports. Commission spokesperson Bob Spence says the decision to start the investigation came after gathering some preliminary information from the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. He says the probe will collect evidence to find out what happened, how it happened and the steps needed to make sure it doesn't happen again. Spence can't say how long the investigation may last.

NAN likes Aboriginal Affairs pick

The Nishinawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief has confidence in the new Aboriginal Affairs Minister.  British Columbia MP John Duncan now heads the portfolio.  Stan Beardy says he looks forward to working with him and notes they had a good working relationship with former minister Chuck Strahl.  Duncan was the parliamentary assistant to Strahl.

Hyer on cabinet shuffle

Thunder Bay Superior North MP Bruce Hyer is pleased the Prime Minister removed John Baird from the Transport Ministry. Hyer says Baird didn't really solve any transportation issues and notes Chuck Strahl might do a better job. He would like to see the new minister help bring back passenger rail service to the Northwest. Hyer will be meeting with Strahl in the near future. Baird adds back bencher John Duncan is the sixth minister of Aboriginal Affairs in the last six years.

Credit Union contest awards thousand dollar RESP

The Northern Credit Union wants to know what the region's future looks like.  The credit union is holding a calendar contest where kids and high school students compete for RESP's.  Thunder Bay Manager Susan Olnyk says the winners will receive a thousand dollar RESP, and the runner ups a 500 dollar RESP contribution.  Submissions can be made up to September 22nd.

Peregrine Falcon population rebounds

Nature enthusiasts are encouraged to keep an eye out for peregrine falcons in the Thunder Bay area.
The once engangered species is making a comeback in the Northwestern Ontario.  MNR Spokesperson Lisa Nyman says they want to hear from anyone who spots the birds.  New nest sites were found in the Thunder Bay area.

Dragster deal sealed in Thunder Bay

People driving on the Harbour Expressway near Memorial were treated to the sight of a top fuel dragster this morning. Jim Fersch of Alberta came to Thunder Bay to meet a Quebec man halfway to buy the racer. He says he purchased it over the internet and arranged to meet the seller here to complete the transaction. Fersch says the 945 horsepower vehicle is worth 35 thousand dollars used and about 60 thousand new.

Car hits house in the south side of town

A house in the 100 block of south court street had it's front steps driven into. City police responded to the call at 4pm yesterday afternoon and have charged a 51 year old with impaired driving. The car left the road smashed through a fence and hedge before hitting the front stairs of the house. The driver and the passenger recieved only minor injuries and were released.

Camp Quality helping kids with cancer

Northwestern Ontario's Camp Quality is up and running again this summer on East Loon Lake.  Spokesperson Jeanna Faykes says they're glad they can offer this camp to kids who are living with cancer.  Faykes says they want to thank their volunteers and people who make the camp possible.

Mac's Mart robbery

There's been another Mac's Mart robbery. According to Thunder Bay Police, a man wearing a disguise and carrying a weapon took cash and other items from the Mac's Mart on Simpson street around midnight last night. No one was hurt. The man was described as over six feet all and between 200 and 220 pounds. He was wearing black jogging pants,a red shirt and had a yellow hood around his face.

Short handed Chill fall to Timbers in championship match 4-2

After a phenomenal season—winning a total of 12 games— the Thunder Bay Chill fell to the Portland Under-23 Timbers in last nights championship match 4-2. The Chill were forced to play a man down when Rafa Heck earned a red card after a foul in the 16th minute. The Timbers didn't hesitate to seize the opportunity; scoring the first goal of the game in the 29th minute. Oliveira Araujo answered for the Chill, scoring Thunder Bay's lone goal before the end of the first half. The two teams hit the field in the second half with a tie game. With the exception of a close call for Thunder Bay on a free kick, the Timbers controlled the field for the remainder of the game putting 3 more up on the board.

Cats have claws, beat Stingers 7-2

It could have been called the Tanner Nivens show last night. Nivens had 4 RBI, a home run and a wild dive for a fly ball in the fifth. Nivens had some help from pitcher Garret Yount who worked through seven innings; one of his longest starts of the season. Yount got out of a bases loaded situation with 2 consecutive strikeouts in the seventh before being relieved in the eighth.

Credit union robbed

Thunder Bay Police are saying a man robbed the Apple Community Credit Union on North Cumberland Street yesterday afternoon. A tall man dressed in a grey sweatshirt, a black mask and a tilly hat pointed a gun at staff and demanded cash. The suspect then left the scene in a minivan that has been described as either grey or silver with an undisclosed amount money.

Chill advance to final

The Thunder Bay Chill won their semifinal match against the Baton Rouge Capitals 2-1 last night in Portland. The game was scoreless until Baton Rouge got on the board 75 minutes into the game.  The Chill responded by scoring twice in quick succession for the win. The Chill will face the Timbers for the Premier Development League final tonight.

Cats fall to Stingers 5-3

Despite some aggressive play yesterday, the Cats couldn't hold on to an early lead over the division leading Wilmar Stingers. As the regular season winds down the game was important for both teams: Wilmar wanted to maintain their lead and Thunder Bay needs wins desperately to have a shot at the playoffs. The two teams face off again tonight at Port Arthur Stadium.

Health Sciences Centre feeling the heat

Officials at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre are scrambling for answers. It's because some patient's pharmancy papers from the old Port Arthur General Hospital have been found around the site of the building which is now being demolished. Hospital officials are trying to determine how the papers were disposed of and why the confidential health records were exposed to public view

The "Iceman" among 6 new Hall of Fame inductees

There will be 6 new inductees into the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame.  World curling champ "The Iceman" Al Hackner, BMXer Jay Miron, hockey star Greg Johnson and free style skiier and two time Olympian Dave Walker will be inducted in the athlete category.    Being inducted as builders are hockey coach George Gwozdecky Jr. and baseballer Fred Bragnalo.   The Hall of Fame induction dinner takes place Saturday, September 25th at the Valhalla Inn.

Gravelle talks forest tenure reform

Minister of Forestry Michael Gravelle is defending his government's forest tenure reform plan.  The plan suggests putting wood allocation into the hands of local management forestry corporations. Gravelle says he understands that many stakeholders have voiced their concerns over the idea. He vows they will use input from stakeholders in making final decisions. Gravelle adds a new forest tenure system won't be in place for another 3 to 5 years.

Reviewing Ontario's Workplace safety

A report on improving work place safety is set to be released in December.  Tony Dean is the Chair of the government appointed review panel and says they received input from Thunder Bay and across the province.  Dean says they want to beef up training for new employees and will report back to the Minister of Labour this fall.

OPP comment on being forced out of Pikangikum

Members of the community of Pikangikum forced 11 OPP officers out of the town on June 30th. An investigation is ongoing and not much more is known about the incident. Superintendent Ron Van Straalen says many people in Pikangikum rely on the OPP. Van Straalen says they have a good relationship with the community and notes the community is not necessarily upset with the police.