More residents leave Mishkeegogamang

Smoke from Sioux Lookout 35 continues to bear down on the community of Mishkeegogamang forcing the evacuation of more residents.    The forest fire is now reported to be about 10 kilometres away with smoke causing most of the problem.  About 150 residents have been taken to Sioux Lookout with 100 more heading for Ignace.

Hudak cancels visit to T.Bay

Progressive Conservative leader Tim Hudak's  next visit to Thunder Bay is going to have to wait.   For the second time in the last month the party has postponed a planned stop in the city.  He was due here next week to talk to the business community.    Hudak has been operating under a limited schedule since his 3 year old daughter had to enter the Children's Hospital for an undisclosed illness.

Ring of Fire Transportation needs

Cliffs Natural Resources is teaming up with Noront Resources to discuss transportation within the Ring of Fire.  Senior Vice President Bill Boor says its a situation of two heads are better than one. The two companies are sharing research. Cliffs is calling for an all season road and eventually a rail line into the Ring of Fire.  Meanwhile, Boor says they are close to ending a dispute with about a dozen employees who walked off the job a week ago at their Ring of Fire camp.

Worker orders issued after accident

An office supply store and a construction company are under the microscope after an industrial accident on Thunder Bay Airport property this week. Ministry of Labour spokesperson Matt Blajer says an employee was hurt making a delivery. He says the man is suffering with a broken vertebrae, a broken leg and blood in his lungs. Blajer says several work orders have been issued as a result of the incident.

Conference examines Ring of Fire

A big Ring of Fire conference is underway in Thunder Bay.  It's being hosted by the government of Ontario and is designed to understand  the infrastructure that is needed for the chromite mining project to proceed.  Christine Kaszycki is the province's Ring of Fire Coordinator and says it will give her a chance to hear some key concerns as she develops the government's plan for the region.

Smoke leads to evacuation

Smoke from a forest fire is creating an emergency situation at a First Nation community in Northwestern Ontario.  About 80 residents of Mishkeegogamang  have been flown to evacuation centres in Sioux Lookout and more may have to be flown to Ignace or Geraldton.

Thunder Bay's van Koeverden heads west

Dryden has a new City Manager with a Thunder Bay connection. Joe van Koeverden has accepted the position effective July 11th. van Koeverden is currently the Regional Director for Northwestern Ontario at the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing Thunder Bay office.

Wood allocation complete

The Provincial Government is now finished with its wood allocation process with the awarding of wood supplies to companies in Fort Frances and Kenora. Forestry Minister Michael Gravelle admits it has been a bumpy ride because not everyone has been successful, but says the process was fair and transparent.  In total there have been 34 wood supply awards

It's a wonderfully rainy day

Don't expect to see the sun today, it's going to be a wet dreary day.  Our Meteorologist Bill Laidlaw says we can expect as much as 45 mm of rain by tomorrow morning.  Laidlaw says the cooler dreary weather will last for the next couple of days but will clear up for the weekend.

Warrant issued for Alberta man

The OPP have released the name of the flagman who was hit by a car on the highway Monday.  23 year old Jake Dumas is in Thunder Bay Hospital with serious injuries.  Officers have also issued a warrant for 23 year old Edmonton man, Ibrahim Sendagire who is believed to have been driving the car that hit Dumas.  Police are once again telling drivers not to pick up hitchhikers between Marathon and Terrace Bay.

Construction worker hurt at airport

The Ministry of Labour is investigating after an industrial incident near the airport.  Police say yesterday morning just before 9 o'clock a man fell from a second story stair and landed on cement.  He was taken to hospital with what is believed to be serious injuries.

NP program extended another year

The Health Unit's Nurse Practitioner Program is good to go for another year at a cost of over 120 thousand dollars. Health Unit spokesperson Maureen Twig says there is no increase from last year, but she expects that may change.  She says in the past some added funding has come to the program during the budget year. Twig adds it's a program run by one nurse practitioner which has proven its worth.

Gas prices drop for a change

No you are not dreaming,  gas prices in the city have come down by about 8 cents a litre.   The website gasbuddy.com says that many gas stations have dropped the price to a $1.31 a litre.

MP mocks senate reform

The Conservatives have unveiled a Senate reform bill that introduces term limits to the upper chamber and supports provincial elections of senators. Thunder Bay NDP MP Bruce Hyer isn't impressed saying the 9 year term limit only means we have useless senators for 9 years instead of forever. Hyer calls the changes simple tinkering

Meet the new boss...

The District Health Unit is hiring a private doctor to run it's infant hearing program. However, spokeperson Ken Ranta says it's the same audiologist who recently announced he is leaving the Health Unit to run his own private hearing practice. The budget for the program is 25 thousand dollars.

Catholic board approves new budget

The Thunder Bay and District Catholic School Board is looking at a 95 million dollar budget, a 2 and a half per cent increase over last year. Assistant director Tom Mustapic adds, that's the lowest they could go without cutbacks. The highlight of the budget is a major technology change at all the schools worth 1 and a half million dollars.

National Aboriginal Day marked by Police Services Board

The Thunder Bay Police Services Board marked National Aboriginal Day by honouring retired Justice of the Peace Gene Bannon.  Bannon says his position allowed him to work with many great people.  Bannon served for 35 years and plans on working part time for the next few years.  The Board is also about to start a taxi study.  Chair Joe Virdiramo says the study will look at fares, accessibility and the number of taxi licenses. 

Herman honoured at Police Services Board Meeting

Police Chief Bob Herman was honoured during his last official Police Services Board Meeting.  Herman says the last 14 years have been an interesting journey and has mixed emotions about his retirement.  Herman says he's looking forward to the chance to decompress and move away from Policing but will miss working with so many great people. Board Chair Joe Virdiramo says they hope to short list their search for a replacement this week and announce a new Chief before August.

Hit and run driver sought

City police are looking for a hit and run driver from Monday morning at 9:30.   They say that the driver of a pick up truck took off after his vehicle rear-ended a car at Central Avenue and Fort William Road.   The driver of the vehicle that was hit was injured, but not seriously.

Molesti back in the States

Patrick Molesti is back in the US.  The 58 year French National was arrested in Thunder Bay last year for a number of child porn charges and for allegedly trying to buy a 5 year old boy.  He was being held in Toronto and was returned to Atlanta Friday.

Store robbed, two nabbed

Two men are behind bars after a Mac's Mart was robbed.  Police say the two robbed the store on Syndicate Avenue at knife point just after 1:30 this morning and then ran off.  Officers found the two close by and arrested them.  They will appear in court today.

City businessman passes away

A service will be held tomorrow at St. Paul's Anglican Church for Alan Gardiner.   The owner of Everest Funeral Home was 80 years old.    He passed away on Friday.  Gardiner moved to Thunder Bay from Winnipeg in the 1970's which is when he continued with the family business.

NAP seize more north bound drugs

The Nishnawbe Aski Police have made another drug bust.  Officers arrested a 31 year old after they seized over 7 thousand dollars worth of drugs destined for Attawapiskat.  Officers found Methamphetamine pills, Marijuana and Heroin.

Council approves hotel height and parking

City Lawmakers are giving the hotel developers the go ahead to increase the height of the hotel by two metres.  Council approved the changes at Monday night's meeting. They also decided to allow the hotel to have a parking further from the building in Marina Park.

Developers ask for changes to hotel height

You came to us, we didn't come to you.  That was the parting shot from Developer Giselle McDonald to Council at Monday night's meeting.  McDonald was before council to ask for a two metre increase in the height of the hotel.  She told councillors that everything they do is to ensure they fulfill the City's vision of the waterfront hotel.  Council was also asked to designate extra parking for the hotel.

Council hears about condo units

It's a win win situation. That's the feeling of the Condo developer for the Thunder Bay Country Club.  Robert Zanetti says the creation of 80 condo units and a new club house will mean 400 thousand dollars in taxes per year for the City. Council approved changes to the Official Plan to allow the construction on Country Club land.

Researchers at LU get $

It's good news for a group of researchers at Lakehead University as they have received government grants totalling almost 700 thousand dollars.   They represent several programs including business administration and computer science.

Cliffs workers talk blockade

Striking Cliffs Natural Resources employees are threatening a blockade at the company's Ring of Fire site.  About 2 dozen workers walked off the job on Friday.  Spokesperson Jesse Nadon says they were offered a package that would see them get paid less than fast food employees.

Halfway house opens it's doors for more women

Laura Palmer- resident

It's a new era at the John Howard Society's halfway house in Thunder Bay with the addition of a women's wing at it's Syndicate Avenue building.   Executive Director Lisa Leskowski says it's something the board has wanted to address for years.

Police issue hitchhiker warning

OPP are warning drivers not to pick up hitchhikers in the Steel River area near Marathon.    They say that a man is wanted after a vehicle hit a flagman at a Highway 17 road construction site and the driver ran away from the scene abandoning his vehicle.   The condition of the flagman is not known but it's believed he suffered serious injuries.

Research institute eyes global market

Dr. John Rowlands of the Regional Research Institute  is hoping to tap into a market that has sales of about 1 billion dollars annually.   Rowlands hopes to sell his new digital mammography x-ray machine to clinics and hospitals around the world through a new company called X-L-V Diagnostics. 

Explosives are not common in Thunder Bay

Police don't expect to find anymore explosive anytime soon.  Spokesperson Chris Adams says the man appears to be suffering from some sort of mental illness and is being assessed at the hospital.  Adams says its the first time he's ever seen anything like this in Thunder Bay.

RIM is in no big trouble

Canadian technology giant Research in Motion has been getting hammered at the stock market over the last few days but its nothing to worry about according to a former executive.  Anthony Leblanc says a company that posted 700 million dollars in the last quarter is far from going under. Leblanc says the same thing happened to the company in 2002 and look where it has gone since then.  He adds this sort of dip tends to happen in the technology industry.

OPP divers find missing man

OPP divers have recovered the body of a missing boater.  The 80 year old Minnesota man went missing on Lake Superior Thursday near Nipigon.  The body was found by the OPP dive team Saturday.  

Ring of Fire workers Strike

Another week and another strike.  About 2 dozen workers in the Ring of Fire have walked off the job.  The employees of Cliffs Natural Resources say they were offered a package that would see them get less pay than fast food employees and no benefits.

Suspicious fire damages southside house

A suspicious fire has left one person in hospital with smoke inhalation.  Thunder Bay Fire and rescue responded to the fire at 112 Pruden Street at 9:30 last night and found heavy smoke coming from the back of the house.  The fire caused extensive damage to the house and is being investigated.

Explosive situation under control

Police have a dangerous situation under control. A number of homes were evacuated yesterday after Police found explosive devices in a home on Mary Street. Officials say the home is now secure and residents in the area were allowed to go back to their homes.

Police show off million dollar drug seizure

Police in Thunder Bay have about a million dollars worth of drugs in their possession after a major drug seizure.   In all they seized 26 lbs of marijuana, 46 lbs of hash oil and 2 thousand oxy's.   Eight people in total are facing charges.   It ends a 16 month undercover investigation dubbed Project Dolphin. 

Latest round of wood supply announcements

Three Thunder Bay area companies have accepted wood supply offers from the Province.  AbiBow will construct a wood pellet facility in the Fort William First Nation.  The two other companies that were successful are from the Murillo area.

Police looking for missing teen

Thunder Bay Police are looking for a missing teen.  Kelsey Jae Loon has been missing since June 4th.  She's described as 5 foot 4, weighing 125 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.

Girl could be paralyzed after falling from bridge

A girl who fell off the James Street swing bridge is lucky to be alive.  Staff Sergeant Frank Earley says a call came in just before 4:30 this morning saying the girl had fallen into the Kam River.  Earley says when police arrived they found the girl and her friend in the river.  The boy and girl were rescued from the river and taken to hospital where it was determined the girl had no feeling from the waist down.  Earley says the girl stepped through a hole on the bridge that couldn't be seen in the dark.  Calls to CN rail have not been returned.

Employment firm closing shop

About 15 workers are affected by a the decision of Lakehead Employment services to close its operations in the city. Spokesperson Gina Proteau says the company is terminating it's contract with the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.  Clients will now be directed to YES Employment and Northwest Employment Works.  No reason was given for the decision to close.

Fire hazard rising in NWO

There hasn't been a lot of fire activity in northwestern Ontario over the past couple of days, but the MNR is warning of increasing hazards.  The fire hazard is into the high range today right across the region.  Spokesperson Pat Harvey says even though there is some rain in the forecast this weekend, people should use caution when making campfires, or doing any burning.  Because of an increased fire hazard, the MNR says it will not be sending any more fire fighters from this region out to Alberta to battle wildfires there.

Country Club zoning up for debate Monday

Thunder Bay's Country Club is looking to move forward with its new condo units and pro-shop. President Bob Swan will go before council Monday night and ask to have the zoning allow for the new buildings. If council approves the zoning, construction will start in the fall. The Country Club wants to build 80 condo units, a new pro-shop, club house, restaurant and banquet facility.

Con College new program

Confederation College is teaming up with Nipissing University to provide a 3 year business administration program.  The program will give students a chance to earn a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the university in one year.

Robichaud has full dance card this summer

It's going to be a busy summer for the CEO of the Health Sciences Centre.  Andree Robichaud says she'll be making the rounds of the region's 13 hospitals.  Robichaud says she'll start her tour in August and wrap up in the fall.

Local Accountant gets big honour

A big honour for a Thunder Bay Chartered Accountant.  Georgina Daniels was elected to the Council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario.

Shake up will eventually come to Bombardier plant

Thunder Bay's Bombardier plant will see its engineers leave in the future.  The company is creating a centralized research and development branch in Montreal.  Spokesperson Marc Laforge says only a small group of employees will be leaving Thunder Bay but not until current work is finished.  Laforge says there will be no layoffs.

2015 Hospital Strat Plan Unveilled

Thunder Bay's Regional Hospital wants to focus more on aboriginal health.  CEO Andree Robichaud says that's one of the key directions found in the 2015 strategic plan.  Chronic Disease Prevention and Management,  Mental Health and Addictions, and Clinical Services are also addressed in the plan.

Minnesota angler missing on Lake Superior

An air and water search is underway on Lake Superior near Nipigon for a missing 80 year old Minnesota man. OPP Constable Carol Michtics says the angler was reported missing last night after he failed to return from his fishing trip.   Police say they recovered the man's boat at the mouth of the Jackfish River.

Fire Service goes door to door

Fire Services across the region are reminding the public that working smoke alarms are required in cabins, campers and RV's.  Education Officer Reagan Breeze says it could cost you more than 200 dollars if you don't have a working smoke alarm.  Here in Thunder Bay, the Fire Service is going door to door checking for working smoke alarms.