TBSO volunteer honoured

A long time volunteer with the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra is getting the province's highest honour. Catherine Colquhoun is one of 27 appointees to the Order of Ontario.  Colquhoun says she is delighted to be recognized and adds it acknowledges the importance of volunteering in a community.  Colquhoun has been with the symphony for 50 years helping with it's founding and development

DSSAB steps up security

There will be beefed up security at two city apartment blocks run by social housing. Melissa Harrison of the District Social Services Administration Board says it's because of the amount of police calls to the two locations. She says it amounts to 150 thousand dollars a year to pay for the services of security guards at Andras Court and Limbrick Place. Harrison says the board turned down the more expensive option of having a paid police presence.

Inflation drops in Thunder Bay

Inflation in Thunder Bay is showing signs of easing.  Last month the rate droped to 2 per cent from just over 2 and a half per cent in November.  Across Canada government figures show the rate fell to 2.3 per cent in December

All in a night's work for fire crews

City fire crews were busy last night at a couple of incidents. Platoon Chief Dave Long says during the supper hour they were called to Keefer Terminal. It was a medical call that involved using a aerial ladder to get a crew member from a ship. As well Long says they had to race to a chimney fire on Melbourne Road around 9:30.  No one was injured.

Police search for robbery suspect

City police are looking for a woman who robbed a southside convenience store last night.   They say she walked in at around 8:30 and reached over and grabbed money from the till and ran off.   Police were seen with their K-9 unit in the James and Redwood area but they didn't find anyone.  The owner of the store was taken to the hospital after being assaulted in the incident.

Ring of Fire development to cost big bucks

How much will it cost Cliffs Natural Resources to develop a mine in the Ring of Fire?  Well according to the company's 2012 Capital investment plan it will be over 2 billion dollars.  The company estimates mine development to come in around 150 million dollars, 800 million for a concentrating plant and 1.8 billion for a processing plant.  The company is in a pre-feasibility stage of development and doesn't anticipate any capital investment until 2014.

James Street bridge closed for repairs

The northbound lane of the James Street Swing Bridge is closed for the rest of the day.  Thunder Bay Police say a collision caused some damage to the bridge and CP is on scene conducting repairs.  Officers say the repairs will last for at least the rest of the day and maybe into tomorrow.

Accountability on Wall Street is rising

A Thunder Bay born Investment Banker on a quest to bring transparency to Wall Street is encouraged with some signs of progress.  Keith McCullough says up until recently a lot of deals on Wall Street were done behind closed doors and without transparency.  McCullough says yesterday's arrest of 4 high profile investors on Wall Street points towards increased accountability.

Cancer Prevelancy rates are on the rise

The rate of people living with Cancer is on the rise in Canada and it is no different here.  Cancer Centre Vice President Michael Power says Northwestern Ontario is in the same boat.  He says the good news is people are living longer with cancer, but the bad news is cancer rates are also rising.

Angus steps aside

Iain Angus says 5 years is enough. He's decided not to seek re-election as chair of the District Social Services Administration Board, but will continue to sit as a board member.   Angus says he's overseen a number of changes while he was chair.  He says his proudest accomplishment is overseeing the establishment of a new strategic plan for social housing. The new chair is Bob Katajamaki. 

HIV program good to go

The District Health Unit's anonymous HIV testing program is operating for another year. Spokesperson Maureen Twig says the budget is a modest 57 thousand dollars, unchanged from last year.  Twig says the board's approval is essentially a rubber stamp.

Former Greenstone Mayor passes away

Former Mayor of Greenstone Michael Power has passed away.  Power was a champion for Northwestern Ontario and was a main stay in the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association.  Funeral arrangements are still pending.

Dewar visiting Thunder Bay

NDP Leadership hopeful Paul Dewar is in the City Friday.  MP Bruce Hyer says Dewar is one of the candidates he likes for the top NDP job.  Dewar is at Lakehead University at 12:30 and at Ruby Moon at 4.

Hyer on MP pensions underfunded

The C-D Howe Institute says the pension plan for members of Parliament and Senators is underfunded to the tune of one-billion dollars.  MP Bruce Hyer says that doesn't surprise him.  The C-D Howe report says the MP pension plan has no assets set aside to pay for those future benefits.

Winter road money rolled out

The Provincial Government is spending 4.7-million dollars on the winter road network in the Far North this year.  Minister of Northern Development and Mines Rick Bartolucci says over 3-thousand kilometres of road will connect 29-First Nation communities.  Individuals and businesses will be able to use the roads until the Spring thaw, usually in mid-March.

UNESCO bid for forest near Kenora

A vast wilderness area northwest of Kenora is a step closer to becoming a UNESCO World Site.  The application was sent off to Paris yesterday.  Gord Jones is the project manager and says this a significant area.  The Pikangikum First Nation and the Whitefeather Forest Management Corporation are two of the partners involved in the process to have the wilderness area designated a UNESCO World Site.

OPP cracking down on highway safety

Provincial Police across Northwestern Ontario are set to increase enforcement on local Highways.  OPP have investigated 1-fatal collision and 1-pedestrian fatality in the Region since January 1st.  17-people have tragically lost their lives in crashes Province-wide compared to 8-during the same period in 2011.

Rafferty thinks Pension call could be a ploy

John Rafferty thinks there could be more to a call from the Canadian Taxpayers Federation for MP's to scrap their pension plans.  The Federation says MP's should drop their lucrative plans and switch to the same plan the government is suggesting Canadians to adopt.  Rafferty says he thinks this could be a ploy to hand Conservative MP's huge payouts.

Plan Nord opens eyes

Iain Angus calls it a worthwhile exercise. The city councillor helped to organize a presentation on how well advanced Northern Quebec's economic planning is thanks to a program called Plan Nord. He says it shows they are farther ahead in the planning process than we are in Northern Ontario.   Angus says the lessons learned at the presentation will be discussed by local leaders to see what can be implemented here.

Police want drivers to slow down

Thunder Bay Police had to deal with a couple of collisions today and it led to a call for drivers to slow down.  Traffic Sergeant Glenn Porter says its disappointing how many people fail to take conditions into account, considering winter conditions happen from November to April every year.  Porter says there is no such thing as an accident, only collisions and almost always human error is to blame.

Murder trial moves along

A city murder trial continues to hear witnesses for the prosecution. On Tuesday court heard from Michael Kelly's former employer, Harold Kamphern.  He told the jury that he hired Kelly in 2000 to catch leeches in the Anders Lake area about 20 kilometres from where Judie Thibault's body was eventually found.  Also on the stand was an OPP officer who was investigating the murder.  Detective Sergeant. Jane Conway testified that when she told Kelly that Thibault's body was found, he showed little or no reaction and that during the exchange he appeared to be distracted by a TV program. 

National curling spotlight in T.Bay

Canada will be watching Thunder Bay when the Fort William Curling Club hosts the National Wheelchair Curling Championships in March.  Ten teams from across Canada will compete for nine days.  Chair Dave Kawahara says they've come a long way since they first started to make the rink accessible in 2006.  The sporting event is expected to bring in revenue and tourism to the community.

Fibre experts testify at trial

More forensic evidence at the Michael Kelly murder trial.  Morning testimony on Tuesday focused on the carpet that Judie Thibault's body was found wrapped in in 2004.   The prosecution presented two forensic experts to try to draw a link between that carpet and other similar carpet samples taken from a home Thibault rented and a government building on May St.   The only conclusion by the experts was that it could have been from the same sources, but it wasn't a certainty.  Kelly is charged with First Degree Murder in Thibault's death.

SIU investigating shooting

A man is in hospital with self inflicted injuries after he barricaded himself in his truck with a gun. Tuesday, OPP were called to the Dorion cutoff to help talk him out of the vehicle when the man shot himself.  Police administered first aid and called for an ambulance.  Sergeant Shelley Garr says the Special Investigations Unit has taken over the investigation.

Residents attend Open House

Another step in the City's Official Planning process is underway. An Open House was held at the West Thunder Community Centre on Tuesday. Councillor Iain Angus says it's important to allow the public a say because the Official Plan should reflect the citizen's wishes. A steady stream of people came by and it appeared to be well attended by a cross section of groups including the Friends of Big Thunder, the Field Naturalists and a neighbourhood community group.

Former School is now a condominium

The former Fort William Collegiate Institute is now a condo building.  Habib Architects has started selling the first phase of units in the 99 unit building of what is now called the Heritage Suites Condominiums.  People should be able to move in at the end of this year.

Its costs more to eat healthy in the North

Its more expensive to eat here than it is in Southern Ontario.  That's according to a study done by the District Health Unit.  Nutritionist Catherine Schwartz Mendez says the annual nutritious food basket survey shows its costs about 60 dollars more a month to eat healthy in the North.

Lakehead tops in application increase

Lakehead University is number one when it comes to the increase in student applications.  The school is seeing a jump of 12.6 percent in applications this year which is way above the provincial average of 2.4. 

More police testimony at trial

The Michael Kelly First Degree Murder trial is continuing in a Thunder Bay courtroom.  On the stand for much of Tuesday was Bill Wowchuk a Detective Constable with the city police who was investigating the disappearance and death of Judie Thibault.  During cross examination Wowchuk testified that prior to 2007 there was a wiretap put on Kelly while Kelly was in New Brunswick.  Wowchuk added that when he handed the case to the OPP, there was still no evidence linking Kelly to Thibault's death

Big bashes raise big $

A local charity is 41 thousand dollars richer thanks to the money raised by two local Christmas homecoming parties. John deBakker says he and Stewart Kennedy enjoyed putting on the event.  The proceeds are going to Our Kids Count.

More video evidence in court

The Michael Kelly murder trail is close to the halfway mark now. Tuesday, court saw a video of a 40 minute interview police did with Kelly on December 4, 2000. It was part of the ongoing probe into the disappearance of Judie Thibault. The Jury was told that at the time, Kelly was considered a "person of interest". Kelly is heard saying the police "keep asking the same questions over and over again". Kelly is charged in Thibault's death last decade.

Habitat does it for the 22nd time

Another Thunder Bay family is benefiting from a new Habitat for Humanity home. Rutland Williams was able to take ownership because local residents sold out Habitat's fundraising raffle last year, a deed Williams doesn't take for granted. He says he's happy to be in his new home which is located on Johnson Avenue.

Hobbs on dropping weight

If your struggling with exercise and diet you can take solice that our own Mayor is in the same boat.  Keith Hobbs is embarking on a weight loss challenge similar to Toronto's Mayor Rob Ford. Hobbs wants to drop 15 pounds which will bring him to his goal weight of 210 pounds.

Police running out of space for evidence

City Police are running out of room for their over 27-thousand pieces of evidence.  Chief JP Levesque says they may have to find another space to hold evidence.  Levesque says if they're forced to find more storage room the cost will come out of this year's budget.

Wolf spotted in South Neebing

City Police are looking into a wolf spotting in South Neebing over the weekend. Chief JP Levesque says it all started with a photo that was sent to City Councillor Linda Rydholm. Levesque says they'll be looking into how they handle predators in City limits.

Deer issue won't go away

The topic of hunting deer within city limits is being brought up again.  Henry Wojack is calling on the Police to provide stats on how many motor vehicle accidents involve deer and whether speed played a role.  Wojack also suggested to the Police Service Board this morning a possible solution would be to lower the speed limit in city limits.

Police Budget increases

The Federal Government's decision to increase unemployment insurance and the Canada Pension Plan is having an impact on Thunder Bay Police. The 2012 police services budget will cost another point three percent. City Council still needs to approve the police budget.

Council moves ahead with Parks and Recreation Master Plan

The city's recreation facilities could soon be seeing some changes.  Council approved the Parks and Recreation Master Plan at Monday night's meeting.  Councillor Andrew Foulds says there is still a lot of work to be done on the plan and revisions, but he is excited about it.  Foulds says Recreation Hubs especially are great because they would convert our recreation facilities to multi-use facilities that would be better for families.  Foulds says its still a long way off from implementation.

Council changes procedures on questioning

City Councillors will soon have only one round of 3 questions after deputations at council meetings.  Council approved the motion from the coordinating committee last night that is aimed at shortening discussions.  City Clerk John Hannam says council can still add other rounds of questioning at any time.

EMS could be expanding locations

Council has voted in favour of the Emergency Services Shared Facility Strategy. The plan will see EMS expand from 3 satellite facilities to 5. Chief Norm Gale says the plan would increase the response time and provide significant improvements on services. Gale says EMS will now have to come back with a study that will take a closer look at the locations for some of the proposed satellite facilities. 

Hockey Northwestern Ontario trying to open breakfast club

Hockey Northwestern Ontario is hoping to develop a Hockey Breakfast for kids in the city. Spokesperson Pat Sutherby asked council to donate an hour and a half of free ice time once a week. Sutherby says the kids would get instruction and then provide a nutritional breakfast. Council hopes to have a report complete in 3 weeks. 

Possible WestJet expansion great news for Confed College

WestJet developing a regional jet service could mean a big opportunity for Confederation College students.  Dean of Aviation Joe Vieira says it will benefit both pilots and mechanics by increasing the jobs pool.

Fire scene is the Hodder Ave. Motel

The owner of the building which was the scene of a fatal fire in Current River wants to set the record straight. Michael Grona says contrary to the Fire Marshal's Office, the building was never a garage converted into apartments, but has always been the Hodder Ave. Motel. He says the units are rented out by the week and by the month. He says the victim had lived in the motel for about five years. The cause remains under investigation by the Ontario Fire Marshal

Testimony resumes in murder trial

The First Degree Murder trial of Michael Kelly is back on in a Thunder Bay courtroom. The second week of testimony kicked off with an hour and a half video of an interview Kelly gave to police in November of 2000 just 3 days after he reported his common law wife Judie Thibault missing. Also on the stand was Detective Constable Don Hurd who followed up on the missing person investigation with interviews of friends and family. He also followed up on several reported sightings of Thibault by the public, one of them in Nipigon, but testified nothing came of them. Kelly is charged in Thibault's death last decade.

Keep an eye on your wallets

Police are asking shoppers to keep an eye on their purses after 3 reports of missing wallets came in over the weekend.  Constable Julie Tilbury says in two of the incidents wallets were stolen at Chapters book store.  A third incident involved credit cards being used to purchase items from three separate stores in the Intercity area.

Investigators at fatal fire scene

A post mortem exam is being conducted today on the man who died in a Hodder Avenue apartment fire.  On Saturday, fire crews pulled the man from the fire and tried to revive him.  Investigator Richard Derstroff of the Ontario Fire Marshal's Office says they will get inside of the building once the autopsy is complete and the cause of death is known. 

Terrace Bay Pulp up for sale

Buchanan is looking to sell it's Terrace Bay Pulp mill. Mayor Mike King says he wasn't surprised by the announcement and is hopeful they'll find a buyer. The company announced three months of downtime just before Christmas and has recently decided to look for a buyer.

Fatal Accident near Dryden

OPP confirm that a pedestrian was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer Saturday afternoon near Oxdrift. The identity of the victim, believed to be a teen male, is being held at this time.  The Trans-Canada highway was closed for about six hours while police investigated the incident.

Fatal fire in Current River

One man is dead after a fire on the city's north end. Thunder Bay Fire Rescue responded to a fire at an apartment on Hodder Avenue last night and found a man trapped inside the building. The identity of the man has not been released and the cause of the fire is unknown.