Thunder Bay people honored

Two Thunder Bay residents are being honored by the Canadian Diabetes Assocation. Andrew and Derek Lawrence won the 2010 National Advocacy Leadership award.  The two were honored for their insulin pump campaign with the provincial government.

Hobbs wants in on meetings

Mayor Elect Keith Hobbs is meeting with the City Manager today to discuss the wind farm and other important issues.  Hobbs says he wants to be in on any critical meetings happening before he's sworn in.  He wants to know the city's perspective and thoughts on the wind farm lawsuit.  Hobbs says he and the other new members of council are going to have to live with any decisions made before December 1st.

Poverty Free a reality

As we were the first to report last week, Poverty Free Thunder Bay has been launched in the city. The organization is a political group designed to focus on poverty issues in the city. Organizer Aaron Park says while it will take an activist stand, the coalition has other goals as well.   Park says the goal is to work towards the elimination of poverty in Thunder Bay.  Pictured:  Councillor Rebecca Johnson helps launch Poverty Free Thunder Bay

Boshcoff won't give up federal run

Ken Boshcoff says he will leave his city council seat to run in the federal election when it's called. Boshcoff has been chosen to run for the Liberals in Thunder Bay-Rainy River, but his election to Thunder Bay council this week had put that into question. Boshcoff says his decision should be no surprise to anyone.  He says the 23 thousand people who voted for him knew it was a possibility.  Boshcoff says he wouldn't be the first sitting councillor to jump to federal politics

A local town hall stop for Iggy

Thunder Bay is Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff's latest stop on his cross country tour. He brought his Open Mike Town Hall to Confederation College. He addressed the issue of FedNor by promising to strengthen the regional development agency, which he says has lost it's importance under the Harper government. He says it's part of his strategy to help get Liberal MP's elected from here. Ignatieff's visit included a trip to the Bombardier plant.

Private members bill scrapped

A private member's bill aimed at ensuring mining companies respect environmental and human rights standards abroad was narrowly defeated in the Commons last night.  At final reading, MPs voted 140 to 134 against the Bill, sponsored by Liberal MP John McKay.  Red Lake Mayor Phil Vinet says the Legislation would have crippled the mining industry in Northwestern Ontario.  Had the bill passed, complaints from the public would be examined to determine whether violated social, environmental, health or human rights guidelines.

Healthy Halloween for Diabetic kids

When your handing out candy this Halloween, don't forget that some kids are diabetic. The Canadian Diabetes Association is offering some suggestions on how to keep Halloween healthy. Spokesperson Richard Boon says there are a number of treats you can dole out such as stickers, yo yo's, or halloween themed pencils. Parents can trade with their kids for the candy for a new movie, or a toy.

Attawapiskat gets sporty

Canadian Tire and the Provincial Government are teaming up to build self-esteem in First Nation youth.  A Canadian Tire Jumpstart Youth Wellness Worker will be helping create sports activities for youth in Attawapiskat.  President Dan Thompson says the wellness worker will bring along an activity kit full of items that will help start sports activities.  As part of the program, Olympic Athlete Sami Jo Small will speak to youth in Kashechewan, Attawapiskat and Fort Albany.

New EMS Headquarters completes design stage

The Design for the new Superior North EMS Station has been completed.  The design was created by Thunder Bay's Habib Enterprises and will now go to tender.  Officials say the building will meet the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design to the gold standard.  Construction is set to begin in the spring.

Bentz happy to be back on council

Mark Bentz says he's looking forward to another four years serving as Northwood Councillor. Bentz won back his seat in Monday's election.  However, he admits some scepticism about the waterfront project may have caused a slight backlash against him.  He says the election of Keith Hobbs as mayor isn't a concern for him.  He calls the returning council members a "great group" who will be happy to work with him.

Accident injures one

One person is recovering after being injured in an afternoon traffic accident on the Trans Canada Highway. It took place just west of the Terry Fox Lookout at around 2 o'clock.  A dump truck collided with the rear of a flatbed transport truck. OPP say that the injured man was not seriously hurt. There was a fuel spill as well, after a gas tank split open. Traffic had to be reduced to one lane for a few hours.

Crews respond to fire in West Fort

A person has been sent to the hospital after a fire broke out in West Fort. The cause of the house fire in the 900 block of Crawford Place is not yet known. The blaze originated in a rear bedroom where the man in his fifties was found.

Fort Hope First Nation Update

Police in Fort Hope First Nation say there aren't enough officers to fight high crime.  The Reserve says crimes such as arson are out of control so it has declared a state of emergency.  Sergeant Jackie George says the community needs patrols 24 hours a day, but there just isn't enough funding.  The reserve's chief says people are so afraid of arson, they sleep with a fire extinguisher.

Pepe provides update on tourism zones

It will still be several month's before the new Northern Ontario Tourism Zone is officialy incorporated. Thunder Bay's Paul Pepe is a member of the transition team and says a lot of legal work remains.  Pepe says they have decided to break-up the North zone into 3 sub-region's.  A total of 1.54-million dollars has been allocated for tourism-related initiatives in Northwestern Ontario.

Thunder Bay Hydro still dealing with outages

Most of Thunder Bay has its lights on today but Thunder Bay Hydro is still dealing with a few outages. Spokesperson Eileen Dias says a poll fire knocked out power to around 300 customers in the Balsam and Huron area, but that should be back by this evening. Dias says hopefully the worst is behind us. She says crews will also be working on a number of isolated outages across the city.

Kids deliver critical message

The message of preventing child abuse is being spread across the city by children themselves.  Over 12 hundred grocery bags have been decorated with prevention slogans by local school students.  The grocery bags are being distributed by Quality Market.  Pictured:  Hailey Madigan of Crestview School.

Windy conditions are a nuisance

People may have had a hard time chasing down errant garbage cans and other items that got caught up in the high winds yesterday.  One person had to grab their trampoline after it became airborne and hopped over a fence.  Trampoline made its way over the fence in Parkdale.  Winds yesterday were gusting up to 70 kilometers an hour. 

Local Liberal eager for Federal Leaders visit

Federal Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff is paying a visit to Thunder Bay on Thursday.  Yves Fricot is the Federal Liberal Candidate for Thunder Bay Superior North and says the state of the economy will be just one issue that he will address.  The Liberal Leader will be speaking for an hour and a half at Confederation College.  Ignatieff will also tour the Bombardier facilities in Thunder Bay and hold court with Liberal faithful at Gargolyes in the evening.

Spence acquitted of manslaughter

A man facing manslaughter charges has been acquitted.  23 year old Marvin Spence was facing the charges in connection to the December 2007 death of 44 year old Scott James.  A bouncer at the time, Spence kicked James out of a bar on Simpson street, James died shortly after.  The Judge found insufficient evidence to prove Spence landed the blow that killed James and acquitted him.

Thunder Bay man has messy police stop

Reports out of Timmins say a drunk driver with triple the legal amount of booze in his blood drove the wrong way on a one way street.  When Timmins police pulled him over the Thunder Bay man told the officer he soiled himself.  He was fined over a thousand dollars and is prohibited from operating a motor vehicle for 18 months after pleading guilty on Tuesday.  The man told the police officer he had just moved to town for a job.

Weather impacts bus routes today

City buses will be making a number of detours thanks to the wild weather today.  Many vehicle accidents, drainage issues, and fallen trees have caused the routes to be altered.  There will be delays and stops may be missed on the numbers 9, 11 and 2 routes.

Rafferty on HST warpath

Thunder Bay Rainy River MP John Rafferty is criticizing the Government for not exempting legions from the HST on poppy sales.  Rafferty says its like taking money from veterans.  Legions use the poppies as a way to remember fallen soldiers and as a fundraiser for their local chapters. Rafferty says it robs legions from money, and taxes the public act of showing respect for veterans. A private members bill asking for an exemption is being introduced but if passed won't help until the next Remembrance Day.

Foulds vows to work with Hobbs

Andrew Foulds was one of the 10 councillors to get re-elected in Monday's civic vote. The Current River rep says he's confident he'll be able to work with the new mayor Keith Hobbs and is looking forward to the next four years.   Foulds hopes to continue what he calls,  a relationship of respect with the other councillors

Hobbs still on cloud 9

Keith Hobbs says it still hasn't sunk in yet. He says his first day as mayor-elect has been a whirlwind of news interviews. He says he's already planning to lay the groundwork for his first term.  Hobbs says he's also looking to make some connections within the higher levels of government.

Lines down everywhere

The evidence of today's wind and rain storm is everywhere.  On Balmoral between the Oliver Road and Beverly,  there are several downed power poles. It's forced the closure of that section idefinitely.  At the height of the outage over the noon hour there were 10 thousand Thunder Bay Hydro customers without electricity.

Power outage affects traffic lights

Hydro, Fire and Police crews have been out this afternoon at various intersections in the North Ward.    A power outage has taken grip as the result of the wind and rain storm we're experiencing.   Police have been directing traffic because signal lights are out.

Power outages reported across the City

The wicked weather has caused a number of power outages in the City.  10 thousand Thunder Bay Hydro customers are without power.  Thunder Bay Hydro Spokesperson Eileen Dias says crews are doing the best they can to restore power. Trees have fallen on power lines, and the powers outs are wide spread across the City. 

Great Lakes Cyclone hitting Thunder Bay

Hold on to something heavy today because the Great Lakes Cyclone is paying us a visit. Environment Canada's Geoff Coulson says the very intense system is effecting Thunder Bay.  He says the storm will be strong winds gusting to 70 kilometres an hour and as much as 50 millimetres of rain by tomorrow evening.  Coulson says the temperatures will prevent any snow from hitting the area but Western Manitoba is a different story where Major snowfall warnings are in effect. 

Oliver Paipoonge reelects Klousterhuis

Lucy Klousterhuis earned another term as Oliver Paipoonge's Mayor. Klousterhuis says it was the first election since the two wards merged.  The community elected three new councillors Monday night.
Meanwhile,  the official election results are in in Shuniah.  891 votes meant Maria Harding could keep her job as Mayor.

Johnson finds the new make up of council exciting

Rebecca Johnson was one of 4 Councillor's at large re-elected in last night's election. Johnson says its going to be interesting working with new mayor, Keith Hobbs.  Johnson says it'll definitely be different but having a different view on council is exciting.

Chief says "no comment"

There's lots of reaction to yesterday's election,  but there's at least one person who isn't saying anything.  Police Chief Bob Herman says he won't be commenting on the election results.    Mayor-elect Keith Hobbs has been a vocal opponent of how the Police Service is run.

Peterson proud of accomplishments

Lynn Peterson says she appreciates the time she's spent serving the community as an elected official and that it's been a real honour. The outgoing mayor is proud of the many projects that she has overseen. She says initiatives like the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, the waterfront development and the new courthouse are moving the city forward.  Peterson says while she feels she ran a good campaign, clearly the community wanted some change.  While  she has no immediate plans, Peterson says she will stay involved in the community.

Pugh takes McKellar

Paul Pugh showed a strong win in the McKellar Ward and says he's honoured voters have given him their trust.  During his campaign he found the efforts of community groups  in his ward encouraging and wants the city to do more to work with neighbourhood groups. Pugh says his next step is to do further research into the city's issues as he prepares to take his seat on council.

Hobbs wins mayor's race

Thunder Bay is going to get a new mayor. Keith Hobbs pulled off an upset over incumbent Mayor Lynn Peterson. Around 200 people attended his celebration at the Da Vinci Centre. Hobbs says he's looking forward to working with administration and the rest of council. He notes there shouldn't be any hard feelings from the election campaign. In the At Large Race it's Ken Boshcoff, Larry Hebert, Iain Angus and Aldo Ruberto. Other winners, Trevor Giertuga , Andrew Foulds, Joe Virdiramo, Paul Pugh, Mark Bentz, Brian McKinnon and Linda Rydholm. Complete election results available at this link.

Thunder Bay sees slight increase in voter turnout

It wasn't the highest voter turn out for the City of Thunder Bay. Around 40 percent came out to exercise their right to vote which is two percent more than the last election. Voter turnout in the seventies was around fifty percent. Returning Officer John Hannam says they're not overly disappointed. Hannam says they'll have a better idea of how many people voted on Wednesday when they release the official election results.

At Large Councillor Election Round Up

Most of Thunder Bay's at large councillors will be on the job for another term.  Ian Angus, Larry Hebert, Rebecca Johnson, and Aldo Roberto appear to have won their seats back according to unofficial election results.  Hebert says he's going to work towards making council more transparent.  Meanwhile, Angus he's ready to tackle job creation.  Former Thunder Bay Mayor Ken Boshcoff rounds out the at large council members.   Boshcoff says he's happy to return to municipal politics.  The new council and Mayor will be sworn in December 1st.

Pullia reflects on campaign

Former City Councillor Frank Pullia feels he put up a good fight in the Mayor's race.  Pullia lost his council spot, but notes he doesn't regret his decision to run.  The former at large council member says he could sense people wanted change, and he offered it but Hobbs was a more radical change.  This was Pullia's fourth attempt for Mayor.  Pullia stopped by to congratulate Hobbs last night.

Inntowner coming down

You can officially say good-bye to the Inntowner Hotel.  Starting this week, the city is  tearing it down to put up a parking lot.  Officials say it's part of the plan to revitalize the city's south core. 

EcoSuperior supports plastic bag ban

Plastic bags at grocery stores could be on the way out, if EcoSuperior and an MP from London Ontario get their way. The MP is introducing a private members bill calling for an out right ban on plastic grocery bags. EcoSuperior Executive Director Ellen Mortfield says Thunder Bay people use reusable bags very often and feels we are ready for a ban.  Mortfield says EcoSuperior will be talking to our local MP's to see how they will be voting.

It'll be a rainy start to the week

Get ready for some wet and wild weather. Environment Canada's Geoff Coulson says we are going to get a drenching with as much as 30 millimetres of rain expected to fall tomorrow. Coulson says in addition to the rain its going to be very windy with gusts hitting the 70 kilometre mark.

Dawna Friesen visits our radio station

 Dawna Friesen is back to her roots today.   The new anchor of Global National is in Thunder Bay as part of the network's plan to broadcast the news program from cities across Canada.   She took time this morning to visit our studio and talk about her adventures as a reporter for NBC News and to read a newscast for us.

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NOSM and OPSEU set talk dates

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine strike will continue for the rest of this month at the very least.  OPSEU and NOSM officials won't be heading back to the negotiating table until November 1st.  The two sides haven't met since union members rejected the school's last offer two weeks ago. 

No cause found for fire

The Ontario Fire Marshall has completed the investigation of the West Hotel fire. According to Thunder Bay Fire Rescue, it doesn't look like the investigation was able to uncover the cause of the fire. The site was turned back over to the city yesterday around noon and the next step will likely be demolition.

Family day at the farm for new health care professionals

Around a hundred new health care professionals and medical students along with their families will enjoy a day of activities at Belluz Farm today.

The event is being put on by the Thunder Bay Physician Recruitment & Retention Council.

Thunder Bay Community Relations Coordinator Cheryl Armstrong says it's a good way to show medical professionals what the city has to offer. Armstrong also adds that it gives them a chance to meet one another.

The event is also being sponsored by the Thunder Bay NOSM Group.

Highway improvements

32  highway projects in the region are nearing completion.

Nearly 500 kilometers of highway are being repaved and nine bridges are also being worked on.

Minister of Northern Development Michael Gravelle says that the improvements will lead to safer roads and encourage economic growth.

The province is spending a record $773 million in this years Northern Highways Program.