Vincent not guilty

Not guilty is the verdict in a city assault case.  Judge Helen Pierce has dismissed an aggravated assault charge against 27 year old Michael Vincent.  It's in connection with a fight outside a Wesfort bar in 2009 that left another man with a serious head injury.   Judge Pierce said that Vincent was not the aggressor in the case and did not start the fight. 

Drugs seized at airport

Another person is charged with possession of a Controlled Substance following a raid at the Thunder Bay Airport.  The Combined Forces Organized Crime unit charged the 39 year old woman after seizing Oxycodone and Hydro-Morphine pills.  Police believe the drugs were headed to Cat Lake First Nation.

Two kids dead in house fire

Two kids under the age of five are dead after a house fire in Summer Beaver First Nation.  Another child is being treated for injuries.  Nishnawbe Aski Police Sgt. Jackie George says not much information is known at this point.  Officers were called to the house fire late Thursday afternoon. 

Horizon lawsuit awaits judge's ruling

It's now a waiting game. A judge in Toronto will decide which direction the Horizon Wind farm case will be taking. The company wants to sue the city over the changes council made to a contract. City Manager Tim Commisso says the city's position is solid.   He says they want the case to go to arbitration.  If the judge rules against the city the 126 million dollar lawsuit will continue.

Nelson heads NOMA...for now

The Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association has a new interim president today. Ron Nelson has been chosen to lead the lobby organization until April's annual meeting. He's no stranger to the position having held it ten years ago, so he'd like to have it back again. Nelson adds, that he's ready to mobilize the group in this election year to make sure Northwestern Ontario is looked after.   Dave Canfield of Kenora is the interim executive vice-president.

Towns take up police costing with Gov't

Kenora City Council is endorsing a resolution drafted by Fort Frances about the cost of policing. The resolution says the cost of policing has increased dramatically over the past decade, exceeding the cost of living. They want the Provincial Government to cover all the increased costs of the recently negotiated OPP contract. That includes a 5-percent increase for this year.

New technology at Con College

Confederation College is putting the final touches on its new high tech REACH centre. Nursing Professor Barb Morrison says the skills labs for paramedics and other health related fields will have EMS technology.  The EMS technology will allow students to watch themselves performing tasks, and will help grade them.  The REACH centre is expected to be open in the Spring.

RAP at council Monday night

Thunder Bay's Remedial Action Plan Coordinator will be speaking to City Council Monday night.  The group was formed in the 80s and helps clean up sites that are contaminated such as the harbour.   Aaron Nicholson says they'll be pointing out future locations that need help.  Nicholson says they want to introduce the program to the new councillors and Mayor.

EMS contract on council agenda

The contract for the new Emergency Medical Services station has come in at a million dollars under budget. Administration is recommending council award the contract to Tom Jones Construction.  Chief Norm Gale says they're happy the contract came in lower than expected.  The contract came in at 10.6 million dollars.

Mixed emotions about Zellers takeover

Shoppers in Thunder Bay have mixed reaction to this weeks big news that Target is buying Zellers stores in Canada. Our newsroom spoke to a few of them.

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Thunder Bay is a good fit for Target

A Target in Thunder Bay makes a lot of sense, that from Lakehead University Professor Livio Di Matteo. He says Thunder Bay should be an attractive location for the US retailer because it is a fair size city and a hub in the Northwest.  Di Matteo also believes Target would be great for the consumer by providing more competition for Walmart and Superstore.

DSSAB waits for more info on fatal fire

An official with the District Social Services Administration Board says the death of a tenant in one of it's apartments is tragic. The blaze Wednesday night in room 113 at 120 South Cumberland killed one man. Don Tront says they are trying to reach out to any concerned tenants. He says in this case staff made contact with the Tenants Association and offered any assistance to reduce the impact. Tront says he's waiting to get more information about the incident.

NOMA meets Friday

The Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association plans to appoint an Interim President Friday.  NOMA is meeting in the City Friday afternoon.  Atikokan Mayor Dennis Brown is the current acting President and says he would like to keep the job if no one else wants it.

Mills in receivership

Two Northwestern Ontario mills are now in receivership.  Spokesperson Yves Fricot says a Toronto court has put a receiver in charge of Atikokan Forest Products, and Northern Sawmills.  A Bankruptcy Trustee is now in charge of Buchanan Northern Hardwoods and Great West Timber.

Still no bail hearing for Hernandez

The earliest that Christian Hernandez can be free on bail is Monday.  The 25 year old Thunder Bay man's bail hearing is being delayed by a legal issue. The prosecution wants the lawyer for Hernandez, Chris Watkins, taken off the case citing a possible conflict on interest. Justice Joyce Pellettier will make a ruling on that Monday morning. Hernandez is facing a charge of impaired driving causing death. It follows a traffic accident just days before Christmas which killed 45 year old Richard Carmichael.

Forest reform on the way

The provincial government is introducing legislation that would modernize the forest tenure system.  The system would include a pilot project of an organization that would oversee the sale of timber.  Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce President Harold Wilson says he's pleased with the changes.  The other initiative is a new company that would include a number of mills and forestry stakeholders that would manage the forest licence system.  OFIA President Jamie Lim is commending the changes and says Minister Gravelle is going where no other Minister has gone before.

RFDA Chair Steps Down

The Regional Food Distribution Association is saying goodbye to its Chair.  Executive Director Volker Kromm says Larry Brigham is stepping down to deal with his health.  Kromm says he will be missed and no one can rival his passion for the RFDA's programs and services.  Vice Chair Kelly Hicks will be stepping into the role.

Target could be coming to Thunder Bay

Will Thunder Bay soon be the home of Target? That's too early say company officials. The US retailer is purchasing over 200 Zellers stores for 1.83 billion dollars. Spokesperson Amy Riley says the company is really excited about coming to Canada and will now be contacting land owners.  Riley says once that process is complete, the company will begin evaluating possible locations with the goal of opening as many as 150 locations by 2013.

Fatal fire claims one man's life

One man is dead after an apartment fire late last night.  Just before midnight Thunder Bay Fire and rescue responded to the blaze in apartment 113 of 120 South Cumberland street.  Crews quickly dealt with the inferno and discovered the body of the man in the apartment.  Officials believe careless smoking is the cause of the fire and are investigating.

Dryden only regional stop for health panel

A provincial panel examining rural and northern health care is due to stop in Dryden next month. That's the only stop in the region for the panel according to co-chair Rick Johnson. They want to get feedback on a report on the issue.   Johnson says all the information relating to the process can be found online

Hernandez still in custody

An interesting twist to a city court case involving Christian Hernandez. He's the 25 year old charged with impaired driving causing death after 45 year old Richard Carmichael was killed in a traffic accident just days before Christmas.   The prosecution wants Hernandez's lawyer Chris Watkins off the case because of a possible conflict of interest.   Watkins says until that's settled Hernandez's bail hearing can't go ahead.  Madam Justice Pelletier will hear the case at 10 Thursday morning.

NOMA steps up lobbying efforts

Northwestern Ontario's municipal leaders are preparing to step up lobbying efforts in 2011. Dennis Brown is the acting President of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association and he anticipates that they'll get more attention with a provincial election on the way. Brown says NOMA met with several Provincial cabinet ministers last year and that resulted in some positive policy changes for Northwestern Ontario.

Health Care forum scheduled for Dryden

The Provincial Government wants to hear from Northerners about the region's health care system.  A series of roundtable discussions will be held throughout the North, but the closest will be in Dryden.  You can also put your two cents in by logging onto http://www.ontario.ca/ruralnorthernhealth .

New job website launched

Your one stop shop for job information is now online.  The North Superior Workforce Planning Board has launched a labour market information portal.  Project Coordinator Steven Bill says the site offers a job bank and more.  The site can be found at http://www.nwolabourmarketinfo.ca/

City well represented at winter games

6 athletes from Thunder Bay will be heading to Halifax next month for the Canada Winter Games.  The group includes 4 skiers, Jimmy Gunka, Christopher Hamilton and Michael Somppi on the men's team with Erin Tribe competing for the women.  There are also two hockey players, Amanda Makela and Brittany Zubeck.    They were introduced at a flag raising ceremony at City Hall.

Duguid visits Abitibi

Energy Minister Brad Duguid is in Thunder Bay today to tour the Abitibi Bowater paper mill.  Duguid says he's looking forward to seeing his government's Industrial Conservation Initiative in action. Duguid says Abitibi Bowater has been able to save money on their hydro bills by using electricity during off peak hours. The Minister feels the initiatives found in the government's long term energy plan will help the North.

Hobb's says streetcar deal could be saved

Mayor Keith Hobbs says there's hope for Thunder Bay's Bombardier plant. Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has said he wants to tear up a streetcar deal with the company. Ford favours subway cars instead. Hobbs says he has heard through sources the plan could be modified to include a mix of streetcars and subway vehicles.  Hobbs adds he still hopes to meet with Ford next month.

Arson likely the cause of south side blaze

Fire investigators are saying vandals may be responsible for a Tuesday morning fire on North Syndicate Avenue. Terry Hanchar says it looks like the blaze at the Christian Fellowship Centre could have been deliberately set based on one account.  He says a neighbour says  he has seen kids hanging around there in the past.   A big storage facility was heavily damaged in the blaze

Patient Transfer's studied

Superior North Emergency Medical Services is welcoming an Ontario Ombudsman study. The probe will look at non-emergency patient transfers and whether they need to be regulated. Gale says he hopes in the future another patient issue is addressed. The EMS head wants the Ombudsman to look into the high demand on the EMS for patient transfers. The Ombudsman launched the investigation after receiving 30 complaints about private companies that transfer non-critical patients.

Housing starts continue to rise

Thunder Bay's housing market continues to break records.  Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation Analyst Warren Philp says 2010 was a good year.  In 2010 the city saw 204 new housing starts, which breaks the record first set in 1994.  In December, 13 single detached starts were reported.

Facebook video brawl solved

The parents of the brawling teen girls involved in a facebook video will be in charge of disciplining their kids.  Thunder Bay Police Spokesperson Chris Adams says they've wrapped up the investigation into the Sunday night fight behind Silver City.   Adams says it's not unusual for police to let the parents deal with the situation.

Red Nose goal is New Year's Eve

Operation Red Nose hopes to extend it's operations for the next holiday season. Chair Ken Boshcoff  wants the program to run on New Year's Eve. However, he says the problem is recruiting volunteers who are willing to drive home drunk party goers. Boshcoff says it would take over 100 volunteers to work on that evening, which is the number of helpers they had for the whole program this year. Organizers hope to attract volunteers from community groups

Bruce Montague released from jail

Former Dryden Gunsmith Bruce Montague is out of jail and has returned home.  Montague is embroiled in a fight over the Federal long gun registry.  His wife, Donna says they'll be facing a civil forefeiture trial over the May long weekend.  Bruce was released from jail this afternoon after spending four months in the district facility in Thunder Bay.

Hyer holding prebudget meetings

The upcoming Federal Budget will be the main topic for Bruce Hyer as he tours his riding. The Thunder Bay Superior North MP will be making stops in a number of communities and says he looks forward to hearing from residents.  Hyer will be hosting a meeting in Thunder Bay Thursday night at the Waverly Library starting at 7 o'clock.

Fire and Rescue deal suspicious

A Suspicious Fire kept Thunder Bay Fire and Rescue busy this morning.  Platoon Chief Scott Brown says the blaze broke out just after 2 o'clock at the Thunder Bay Christian Fellowship on Syndicate. The fire was in an outdoor storage building. Brown says it was a stubborn fire. Officials say the cause is suspicious and are investigating.

Facebook video leads to assault investigation

Thunder Bay Police are investigating a possible assault after a video of the incident was posted to Facebook. The video, which has now been removed from the site, shows one girl getting beaten by a number of other girls behind Silver City. The video appeared on Facebook yesterday morning.

2011 and beyond: A Strat Plan

The City of Thunder Bay is looking to the future.  Councillors listened to a report on the strategic planning process at a meeting Monday night.  The City is currently reviewing issues for the Strategic Plan and later in the month goals will be set. Spokesperson Karen Lewis says they hope to have a citizen survey out before the Strat Plan is complete. Many councillors want the survey to be done sooner rather than later.  Lewis says they could look at moving the survey up to late February or March rather than May. Public feedback on the draft plan will be held in the Spring.

Coaster inquest set

A coroner's inquest will be held February 7th in Thunder Bay into the death of Christopher Coaster.   The 29 year old died in August of 2008 while in custody at the Thunder Bay District Jail.   It's expected to last five days and hear from about 12 witnesses.

Violence against aboriginal women to be discussed

Thunder Bay's Community Health Centre will be taking part in a meeting on violence against aboriginal women. The Status of Women committee will be in Thunder Bay this Friday, and Chair Dr. Hedy Fry says they want to speak to aboriginal communities. Fry says she wants to see what they tell her about the root causes and the nature of violence being inflicted on first nation women. Fry says any solutions that come from this cross-Canada tour will be created for aboriginals by aboriginals.

Provincial Funding for North Shore Communities

A number of North Shore communities are receving funds from the Provincial Government.  Over 315 thousand dollars is being dolled out to eight projects in the region.  Terrace Bay will be using its share to install a slow sand filtration system.

Police publish robbery pics

Thunder Bay police are releasing surveillance photos of a robbery last week.  They are hoping to keep the case in the public eye by publishing the images of a masked and seemingly armed man.  He is seen entering the Northern Lights Credit Union Friday afternoon.  He got away with an undisclosed amount of money.

Watermain break causes road closure

A watermain break at the corner of Algoma and Dufferin is now fixed.   City crews worked on the problem after it was reported Sunday night.   A number of residents in the area were without water while it was repaired.   It also forced the closure of Algoma between Dufferin and Bay for a number of hours.

Inquest postponed

An inquest into the death of a 27 year old man is being postponed.  Bruce Moonias died on December 11th, 2006 at the Thuner Bay hospital after being involved with the Nishnawbe Aski Police and OPP.  The inquest was to take place on January 17th, but has yet to rescheduled.

Frank Pullia returns to City Hall tonight

Former City Councillor Frank Pullia is making a return to council chambers. Pullia is presenting a report tonight on the city's strategic planning process. Tonight's council meeting is solely dedicated to the strategic planning process. Pullia's presentation is part of his Lakehead University MBA Group Study.

Cancer Centre needs more $

Millions of dollars will be going into the Regional Cancer Centre over the next 4 years. It's to help the facility comply with Ontario Cancer Care's strategic plan.  Thunder Bay CEO Michael Power says the funding will require an extra 15 million dollars  for new equipment to fight cancer.

Brentwood Mall broken into

Thunder Bay police are still looking for someone or some people who broke into two stores in the Brentwood Mall.   Officer say just before 4 o'clock yesterday morning officers discovered two glass doors smashed open.  Police haven't made any arrests at this time.

Gravelle on Wood Allocation Process

Forestry Minister Michael Gravelle says he understands Atikokan Renewable Fuel's disappointment.  The company had hoped to receive it's wood allocation rights already, but instead had to lay off employees because of a lack of wood.  Gravelle says he's working towards getting word out soon.  Gravelle says he met with Forestry officials in Toronto and he hopes to make more wood allocation announcements in the near future.

Credit Union Robbed

The Northern Lights Credit Union on Red River Road was robbed Friday afternoon.  Just after 1:30 a man armed with a gun demanded money from a teller.  He made off with an unknown amount of cash and fled in a tan coloured SUV.  The suspect is described as a six foot tall man with dark hair and facial hair.

Status of Women Committee coming to TBAY

Violence against aboriginal women will be discussed in Sioux Lookout and Thunder Bay this week. The Status of Women committee is traveling across Canada, and B.C. MP Cathy McLeod says they want to hear from community members.  McLeod says they realize that the issue is prevelant across the country and they want to hear about community based solutions.  McLeod says they will be releasing a report with recommendations to the Federal Government in the Spring.