NOSA offers to help council deal with deer

The Northwestern Ontario Sportsmen's Alliance is offering its support to council in finding a solution to the city's deer population.  Executive Director John Kaplanis says one option would be to use bow hunters within city limits.  Kaplanis says he thinks the reason for an increase in deer numbers, is the fact the city is in prime deer habitat where there is no hunting. 

Forest fire concerns ease

The forest fire situation in Northwestern Ontario is not as bad because of this week's cooler weather. Carin Glassford of the Ministry of Natural Resources says the intensity has eased and it's the first day since June 10th that there hasn't been a new fire started in the northwest.  There are currently 108 fires

Condolences for Norway from Thunder Bay

Thunder Bay residents are now able to express their sympathies to the people of Norway following this week's double tragedies. Deputy City Clerk Sheelagh Hendrick says a book of condolences is open to sign at City Hall between 8:30 am until 4:30 pm  each weekday.   The book will be available until Friday of next week and then be forwarded to the Norwegian Embassy.

City will not be a transportation hub

Don't expect Thunder Bay to play any role now that forest fire evacuees are starting to be sent home.  The province's Deputy Minister of Community Safety Ian Davidson says unlike a week ago, our city won't be directly involved in moving people because the plan is to fly people directly home instead of having stopovers.

Another heat wave coming our way

Its back to beach weather heading towards the long weekend.  Our Meteorologist Bill Laidlaw says it'll be nothing but sunshine and highs near 30 right through the long weekend.  Laidlaw says the humidity won't be as high as it was last week, which will make the heat a little less intense.

Murder charge laid in Poplar Hill death

Police say a 19 year old Poplar Hill First Nations resident is facing a charge in connection with a death in the community north of Red Lake on the weekend.  They say Curtis Moose is charged with Second Degree Murder after 20 year old Aaron Strang of Poplar Hill was found on the road with serious injuries and later pronounced dead.

Evacuated residents set to return

Nearly 400 people from two First Nations communities are being allowed to return home in Northwestern Ontario. The all-clear has been given for residents to return to the Sandy Lake and Fort Hope First Nations. It follows news this week that about 150 people from another Mishkeegogamang First Nation decided on their own to return home. There are still about three-thousand evacuees waiting for the smoke to clear so they can return home, as crews battle more than 100 fires in the region.

OPP prepare for weekend blitz

The OPP will be out in force his long weekend to enforce traffic laws. Sgt. Shelley Garr of the Thunder Bay OPP say they are trying to prevent serious accidents on the highway by going after the so called "big 4" causes of collisions;  aggressive driving, impaired driving, seat belts and distracted drivers.  Also police will be making sure drivers slow down when passing emergency vehicles on the shoulder of a road.

Potential phone scam warning

A listener to our radio station is concerned that some local residents could be taken in by a possible phone scam. He says that a person called him several times saying she was from the Microsoft computer maintenance department and claimed their computer was getting error messages from him. Police here say they haven't received any complaints and Microsoft's website says they never make unsolicited calls to help fix your computer

Beckwick appointed acting tourism boss

The city has its interim Tourism Manager to take over while Paul Pepe is handling the waterfront project.   Lisa Beckwick is moving from her position at Human Resources to run the tourism portfolio in an acting capacity.

LU prof weighs in on American debt crisis

Lakehead University economics professor Livio Di Matteo is disturbed a country like the United States is on the brink of a debt default. Di Matteo calls it irresponsible and doesn't believe the worst case scenario will happen. He thinks that instead of defaulting the government will shut down and programs will be suspended until the politicians work out a deal. Di Matteo is confident a solution will take place, it's only a matter of when

Police still looking for missing teen

Its been almost a month and there is still no sign of a 14 year old missing teen.  Kelsey Loon was last heard from on Canada Day and was reporting missing by her Guardian June 29.  Police Spokesperson Chris Adams says officers believe she is staying with friends in Thunder Bay.

Thayer gushes over city donation

There's high fives all around at Thunder Bay's RegenMed after city council's decision to award the company half a million dollars. CEO Bob Thayer says it proves the city is behind the company's efforts to develop a human bone and tissue bank.  Thayer says the money is going towards developing freeze dried tissue

Rafferty surprised by Layton revelation

Thunder Bay M-P John Rafferty is expecting to see Jack Layton back in the helm as strong as ever. Rafferty says he was surprised by the news that Layton was stepping down temporarily to be treated for cancer.  Rafferty says the NDP Caucus will meet Wednesday to discuss the appointment of an interim leader.

Out of province firefighters "recycled"

Some 116-forest fires continue to burn across Northwestern Ontario. Ministry of Natural Resources Information Officer Carin Glassford says they are starting to see some new blood come in to assist weary firefighters. 600-fires have been reported this season, with over 560-thousand hectares of land consumed. That's the third highest on record since 1917.

Evacuees not returning too soon

The Province isn't going to jump the gun and allow First Nation residents to return home.  Over 34-hundred evacuees are staying in 13-communities. Ian Davidson is the Deputy Minister of Community Safety and he says patience is the key right now. Davidson adds that the Government wants to ensure affected communities are fully stocked with food, water and other items before they start sending residents home.

Thunder Bay Agricultural Research Centre gets funding

Agriculture in Northwestern Ontario is getting a big boost from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund.  MPP Bill Mauro says 621 thousand dollars in funding will go towards research in fertilizer.  Mauro says while agriculture isn't a huge industry in the region, it is becoming more important with the increase in demand for locally grown food.

Catholic Board names new superintendent

The Catholic School Board's new Superintendent of Education is coming back home.  Maria Vasanelli is originally from Thunder Bay and attended Lakehead University.  She is going to return to the city after years of holding down various high level education positions within the Ontario Catholic school system in Southern Ontario.   Vasanelli is replacing Joan Powell who is now the Director of Education

City donates $ to RegenMed

The city is getting itself into the business of regenerative medicine.   Councillors have agreed to donate half a million dollars towards RegenMed to help it become a human tissue bank for transplant operations.   As well councillors have formally given approval to last week's decision to build  stylized light sculptures at Port Arthur's Landing as part of the waterfront development project.

City to probe deer problem

City councillors are supporting Linda Rydholm's request to have the city investigate ways of solving the deer problem in Thunder Bay.  She says the time has come to do something about it and hopes as many organizations as possible are consulted so that all options can be debated

Emergency officials now wait

It's a waiting game now for officials in charge of moving forest fire evacuees through the city. Organizer Greg Hankkio says they are just waiting for instructions from the province on how we will handle returning evacuees. Officials will be meeting Tuesday to discuss the issue.

PA Stadium reaches semi final

The quest to make Port Arthur Stadium the best ballpark in Canada is at the next stage. Local Baseball Association President Larry Hebert says an online poll has pushed Thunder Bay into the semi final round of voting. Voting in the semi's begins August 8th

Subdivision plans cause objections

There's opposition to a proposed subdivision on Tuscany Drive. The developer is asking the city to approve a mix of single and multi family units. The residents in the area object to the possibility of rental houses. The developer will not say if the multi family dwellings would consist of condos or townhouses. City councillors have postponed a decision on approving the plan until the developer can come back with details.

Accident knocks out power

Power for about 400 Thunder Bay Hydro customers in the Dawson Heights section of the city should be back on by 5 o'clock. The outage was the result of traffic accident when a vehicle hit a hydro pole on Dawson Road at around 1:45 pm. At the height of the blackout about 16 hundred customers were without electricity.

Jack Layton has new cancer

Jack Layton has been diagnosed with a new cancer, and is taking a leave of absence as leader of the federal N-D-P.  Thunder Bay NDP MP Bruce Hyer says the news isn't a huge surprise to him saying he noticed recently that Layton's voice was weak and that he was struggling.    Hyer doesn't think the party's effectiveness will be hurt while Layton is away

Death in Poplar Hill FN

OPP are investigating the death of a man on the Poplar Hill First Nation north of Red Lake.  Police say a man with serious injuries was found on a road in the community Friday night.  Police say 20 year old Aaron Strang of Poplar Hill was pronounced dead shortly after.  No one is charged

MNR dealing with 114 wildfires

The Ministry of Natural Resources says the 114-active fires burning in Northwestern Ontario have consumed over half a million hectares of land.   That's the same size of the Province of Prince Edward Island. Information Officer Owen Vaughan says another fire of note is Sioux Lookout 70 which is 4 and a half times the size of Thunder Bay.   He says over 2-thousand personnel are battling the wildfires.

Robertson back in court next month

A Thunder Bay man who is charged in the death of his 61 year old wife remains in custody.    63 year old John Robertson will be back in court August 17th on the charge of 2nd degree murder after his lawyer George Joseph receives a psychiatric report.    Robertson surrendered to police back in April after the body of Elaine Robertson was discovered in the couple's Oliver Road Apartment.

Man in wheelchair hit by Taxi

A man in a wheelchair suffered serious injuries after being hit by a taxi.  The incident happened late Saturday night, on Memorial Avenue when he was trying to cross the street.  Police are investigating and the 54 year old man has been airlifted to Winnipeg.

Forest fire update

Fire crews are doing all they can to keep fires in North Western Ontario under control. Fire crews are in communities where fire is close in proximity and they have installed sprinkler and other protection systems to protect properties in those communities. On Friday the last planned evacuation was completed with a total of 3,591 northern residents evacuated to other communities for temporary accommodation.

Wheelchair collision

Thunder Bay police are investigating a collision involving a person in a wheelchair and a taxi cab. The collision occurred late Saturday night on Memorial avenue. Its reported that a man was trying to cross the street in his wheelchair when he was hit by a taxi driver. The man has been taken to Thunder Bay hospital with serious injuries.

Police pursuit ends on foot

City police made short work of a pursuit that occurred Friday night. It's reported that Police pursued a man driving impaired in Thunder Bay's South side. Once the driver entered a residential area the pursuit was called off for safety reasons. Police later found the man parked on the corner of Simpson and Dease street. When confronted the man fled the scene and police continued the pursuit by foot. The man was caught and taken into police custody.

New fires detected

Despite some rain and cloud coverage over North Western Ontario 13 new fires have been detected. Current planned evacuations are completed for first nation communities experiencing severe smoke issues in the far North. By Friday 3,400 Northern residents have been evacuated to other communities for temporary accommodation. Ontarians who want to help with the evacuation effort are encouraged to contact the Canadian Red Cross.

More explosives found in Thunder Bay

Another Thunder Bay resident found explosives on their property. A Thunder Bay explosives unit officer was called to the 500 block of Belrose Road Friday evening after a caller located blasting caps on their property while tearing down a shed. The area was blocked off to traffic for a short period of time. Thunder Bay police are reminding the public to contact emergency services if they find any explosives on their property.

"Thunder Bay's Katrina"

Talk about baptism by fire, Mayor Keith Hobbs has experienced his first city emergency since being elected as he oversaw the city process forest fire evacuees. Hobbs says it was a quick learn for everyone adding this was Thunder Bay's Katrina and they learned a lot going through the exercise. Hobbs says the city is not out of the woods yet since the forest fires can flare up at anytime

Hay complains of operational problems

Fire Chief John Hay is confident Premier McGuinty has the message that there were flaws in processing forest fire evacuees in Thunder Bay. Hay says there weren't enough planes to fly evacuees out once they got here. At the moment the operations in Thunder Bay are at a standstill until more evacuees arrive.

McGuinty says lessons learned in Thunder Bay

Premier Dalton McGuinty calls them lessons learned. Thunder Bay officials have complained to the Premier about problems handling forest fire evacuees this week saying there weren't enough planes to fly them out.  McGuinty says he received some great advice from local officials which the government will incorporate and take into account.  McGuinty reaffirmed that his government will not call a State of Emergency as the result of forest fires in the northwest.

City buildings up for heritage designation

Nine city buildings are on the list for heritage designation. Deputy City Clerk Sheelagh Hendrick says if approved by council it'll be harder to have the buildings demolished.
Buildings on the list are:
· 8 Cumberland Street South known locally as the former Atkinson’s Jewelers;
· 27 Cumberland Street South known locally as the former Bank of Montreal/ Prospector Steak House;
· 2-18 Court Street South known locally as the Ruttan Block;
· 808 Ridgeway Street East known locally as St. Paul’s Anglican Church;
· 1918 Yonge Street known locally as the Paterson Building/TBT Engineering Ltd.;
· Iron Ore Dock located at 490 Maureen Street;
· 96 High Street North known locally as the former Hillcrest High School;
· 621 Selkirk Street South known locally as St. Patrick High School; and
· 146 Court Street North known locally as the McVicar Manor

Still no word on airport damage costs

The price tag on the damage done at the Airport during Wednesday's storm is still unknown.  President Scott McFadden says a complete assessment has to be completed before estimates are known.  McFadden says right now workers are making the terminal building weather tight.

Rydholm has deer concerns

City Councillor Linda Rydholm believes there are too many deer in the city and that's causing problems, especially in her Neebing Ward. She wants to ask city administration to look into solutions on how to possibly reduce the population. Rydholm says the deer contribute to property damage and have become a road hazard

McGuinty to meet with evacuees in T.Bay

The Premier will be in Thunder Bay this afternoon to meet with fire officials.  Dalton McGuinty is first flying into Dryden at 9 central time and will spend some time talking with evacuees.

Inflation rate drops in June

Thunder Bay's Inflation rate saw a big drop last month.  Our rate went from 4.3 percent in May to 3.7 percent last month.  That follows the national and provincial trends which dropped to 3.1 and 3.6 percent respectively.

Gas prices shooting up again

Be prepared to pay for more when you fill up your vehicle next.  According to the website www.gasbuddy.com stations in Thunder Bay are now selling regular at just under a buck 37 a litre.

Airport winds gusts were 115 kph

A meteorologist says it's unlikely that a tornado may have touched down on the Thunder Bay Airport Wednesday night. However Environment Canada's Marie-Ev Giguere says they can't rule it out either.  She says so far they have not seen any pictures or damage to prove that it was a twister. However,  Giguere says wind gusts at the airport that evening were 115 kilometres per hour

Victim of accident identified

Police now know the name of the pedestrian who was killed after being hit by an SUV on Central Avenue Wednesday. He is 66 year old Peter Paul Perkovich of Thunder Bay. Police spokesperson Chris Adams says police were able to identify him through some old fashion police work when they matched some keys found on the man to a vehicle in the area.

Jeffrey tours fire zone

The Provinces's Minister of Natural Resources is getting a first hand look at how the forest fires in Northwestern Ontario are being handled.  Linda Jeffrey says she has flown over Red Lake 85 and has spoken with the organizers on the ground.  Jefferey says she will not declare a State of Emergency saying it wouldn't accomplishment anything more than what is taking place now

City continues to receive evacuees

About 800 more forest fire evacuees are expected to pass through Thunder Bay today on their way to other host communities in the North.   That's in addition to the thousand that passed through on Wednesday.  The Confederation College hangar at the airport is being used to house the evacuees while they wait in the city.

Herman accepts apology, drops legal action

Bob Herman says his legal issues with the Mayor are over now that Keith Hobbs has made a public apology over remarks Hobbs made in March. Herman says he served his libel notice on the Mayor to protect the integrity of the Chief's office. He says it's unfortunate it took 3 months to get done but says it's in the best interests of the community to put the issue behind. Herman says all he wanted was to get an apology.

Jury roll issue still haunts inquest

Three days are set aside in the City for a hearing prior to the Reggie Bushie Inquest.   An inquiry lawyer is planning to call a total of 5 witnesses to discuss the issue of First Nations representation on jury rolls in the Thunder Bay District.   The inquest will examine the circumstances surrounding the death of the 15 year old with a hope that recommendations will be made on preventing similar deaths of First Nations students who attend school in the City far from their homes.  The jury roll issue has so far prevented inquest from going ahead.

Storm damages airport

No one was injured after last night's storm ripped a portion of the roof off the Thunder Bay Airport Terminal building.  Metal sheeting flew off the building and damaged over a dozen cars in the parking lot.  It is business as usual today and so far there are no delays due to the damage.  The storm also knocked out power for over 6 thousand customers in the South of the city but crews have managed to restore power to all but around 400 customers.  Thunder Bay Hydro officials say it could be until later this afternoon before some areas are back online.