Johnson Frustrated Over Council Flip-Flops

One At-Large Councillor is voicing a growing frustration with the number of decisions that have been reversed recently. Rebecca Johnson says city lawmakers have flip-flopped on issues such as The Botanical Conservatory and Municipal Golf Course because council is bowing to the slightest bit of pressure from the public. Johnson says the current council doesn't legislate as well compared to the previous two council's she's been a part of.

Trio Of SIJHL Players Selected To Camp

Hockey Canada, in partnership with the Canadian Junior Hockey League, announced Tuesday the 60 players that will attend the Canada West selection camp in preparation for the 2012 World Junior A Challenge. Among the 60 players chosen to take part in the four-day selection camp, which goes Oct. 28-31 in Calgary are three from the Superior International Junior League in defenceman Jon Carlson of the Fort Frances Lakers along with Lakers forward Colton Spicer and Dylan Mascarin, a forward with the Thunder Bay North Stars. The 17 year-old Spicer currently leads his club in offensive production as the Fort Frances product has 16 points in 11 games including eight goals. He is also tied for fifth in SIJHL scoring. Carlson, 18, another hometown player on the Lakers roster, is riding a five-game point streak and has nine points in 11 outings overall. Mascarin is averaging over a point-per-game for the North Stars so far this season. The 17 year-old has 11 points in nine games on three goals and eight assists.

English Rules In Thunder Bay

English is the top first language for residents of Thunder Bay. Brigitte Chavez of Statistics Canada says the latest census data shows 86 per cent of the population has English as the mother tongue and French is way back at 2 and a half per cent. The top mother tongues in the city after English and French are; Italian, Finnish, Polish, Ukrainian and German and for the first time Spanish has made it into the top ten languages spoken in Thunder Bay.

Cliffs Working On EA

Cliffs Natural Resources is in the early stages of working on it's environmental assessment for the Ring of Fire project.  Spokesperson Jason Aagenes says they're collecting public input on their project for both the Federal and Provincial Governments.  The mining company hopes to submit their completed assessment to the Provincial and Federal Government in 2013.  The mining company is holding open house at the Airlane Hotel tonight.

Dave Douglas Jewellers Closing

Thunder Bay is losing a long time jewellery store.  Dave Douglas Jewellers is closing it's doors once the all merchandise is sold.  Douglas says he's not going to try to sell his business; he just wants to retire. The store in one form or another has been around since 1908.  Douglas bought the store in 1973 from George H. Burke Jewellers.

Hospital Expanding With New Building

Thunder Bay's Hospital continues to grow.  CEO Andree Robichaud say they're building a new health services centre that will house several of their programs like Cardiac care.  A ground breaking ceremony was held Wednesday at 1040 Oliver Road.

Children's Centre Cutting Staff

Thunder Bay's Children Centre is merging two group homes. That means 4 full time staff are being reduced to part time, and 12 part time employees are being laid off. Executive Director Tom Walters says the move is due to a lack of demand for their service.

Adam Leon Awaits Fate

It's a case one city lawyer calls double jeopardy. A former Confederation College aviation student is hoping a Thunder Bay judge will agree that he's already paid his dues. Adam Leon is charged with theft in connection with an incident in April of 2009 that caused an international sensation after a Cessna was taken from the college flight school and flown into the United States. In court this morning his lawyer Neil McCartney argued that Leon has already been punished in the U.S. with jail time and that should count in Canada. The judge in the cause will be handing down a ruling on December 5th.

New Walmart To Open Friday

The city's new Walmart is set to open this Friday.  The County Fair Mall location will open to the public at 8 am sharp.  The store will be home to 105 employees.  The Arthur Street Walmart is expected to open in November.

Vehicle Destroyed In Fire

Thunder Bay Fire and Rescue Service say they will look more closely at a vehicle fire from this morning. Crews were called to the 500 block of 11th Avenue at 8:45 a.m. to find a suburban fully engulfed in flames. District Chief Richard Morden says no one was in the vicinity of the fire and no one was hurt.

Taxpayers Want To Voice Concerns To City

A group of concerned taxpayers plan to voice their concerns to City Council.  Around 60 people attended a public meeting last night calling on the City to hold a vote on the location of the proposed Multiplex.  Chair Ray Smith says they'll be bringing the results of local media polls and feedback from the meeting to council.  Smith says many people are opposed to the downtown waterfront location because of the cost.

No Twinkle For Stars At Home

The Thunder Bay North Stars have some work to do in order to catch up with the league's elite. The two-time defending S.I.J.H.L. champion Minnesota Wilderness scored two powerplay goals and skated to a 5-1 win over the Thunder Bay North Stars at the Gardens last night. The win improves Minnesota's first place record to 12-2, while the second place North Stars dropped to 8-4 on the season.

TSB Still Looking Into Plane Crash

Still more questions than answers surrounding the fatal plane crash in Pickle Lake last week.  Members of the Transportation Safety Board have worked tirelessly to remove the wreckage from a densely wooded area.  Spokesperson Peter Hildenbrand explains where they are in the investigation stage.  He said a full draft report on the crash probably won't be available for four to five months.  Three men from Quebec died in the crash.

Cancer Society Looks At Program Efficiencies

The Canadian Cancer Society is looking at ways to find efficiencies in it's volunteer program at Ontario Cancer Centres. Society spokesperson Barb Spencer says that include the Regional Cancer Centre in Thunder Bay. Just under 100 volunteers help out at the centre doing various duties to help comfort those who come for cancer treatment. Spencer says the goal is to make the most efficient use of donor dollars that are used to run the program. Spencer says when the changes are made in the future they won't remove volunteers from the hospital or impact patient support. She says discussions with cancer centre officials are ongoing.

NAPS Recruiting

Part of this week's Career and Job Expo at Lakehead University is showcasing a new recruitment campaign by the Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service. Spokesperson Sergeant Jackie George says they are interested in anyone who is 19 years of age or older and wants a challenging but rewarding career in law enforcement. The official launch of the "Faces Behind The Flash" campaign begins at 11:00 a.m. in the ATAC building at L.U.

Hope In The City

Cancer survivors and their supporters are invited to Thunder Bay's Hope in the City Thursday November first.  This year will be filled with prizes and shopping opportunities for all women who attend.  Fundraising Coordinator Kyle VanRavensway says the biggest prize will be a trip for 2 to New York City.  All women of Thunder Bay are welcome to attend the event.

Mining Ready Wraps Up Wednesday

The Nishnawbe Aski Development Fund is hosting a mining ready summit. The 2 day event comes to a close Wednesday at the Valhalla Inn and Spokesperson Brian Davey says they want to bring all mining stakeholders together. Over 300 aboriginal, industry and government delegates are attending.

LU Researchers Share 1.3 Million

Over 1.3 million dollars is being shared by three Lakehead University researchers.  Dr. Rui Wang is one of the LU researchers to receive the cash from the Canadian Health Research Institute.  Wang says they'll use the money to continue their work on dementia, HPV and blood vessel inflammation.

MP Calls Vets Treatment Deplorable

 The Auditor General's report says war veterans in the country still don't get the information they need to get back into civilian life or the benefits they're entitled to. Thunder Bay MP John Rafferty calls it deplorable and says it should be a concern here because of the closure of the Veterans Affairs office.

Police Officers Undergo Training

Two Thunder Bay Police officers are going to undergo training after a Police Services Hearing found them guilty of unlawful use of authority.   Detective William Wowchuk will also have 8 hours of pay docked while Detective Constable Brad Bernst is going to receive a reprimand. The lawyer for the two officers is filing an appeal with the Ontario Police Commission.

Pickle Lake Transmission Line

An environmental assessment is in progress for a new transmission line to Pickle Lake.  The two-phase project was presented last night at an open house in Dryden.  Phase one would provide the required power for First Nations communities who currently are serviced by diesel generation.  Committee member of the Corridor Energy Group Richard Habinski says diesel comes with quite the price.  Habinski says they are working with the provincial government to access funding for the project.

Police Service Business Plan

Thunder Bay Police are working on implementing a 3 year business plan.  In the first year, the force has started to provide online reporting for citizens.  More training in crime prevention has been provided to officers as well.  An update on the police service's progress was provided to the board this morning.

McKinnon To Sit On Police Board

The Police Services Board will have a new member.  Councillor Brian McKinnon was appointed at Monday night's City Council meeting.  McKinnon's term on the Police Board will expire in November 2014.

Spay & Neuter Program Continues

City council is going to continue it's spay & neuter program for cats and dogs but with a few changes.  Council decided to lower the adoption fee for young animals because they are too young to be spayed or neutered at the time of their adoption.  The City will also allow the adoption fee to be reduced when the number of cats or dogs in the Animal Shelter is at or near capacity.

Sir John A MacDonald Up For Debate

Representatives with Nordmin Engineering are pleading their case to turn the old Sir John A MacDonald School into an office building.  President Chris Dougherty  told council last night that the project received very little complaints from the neighbourhood.  Council is asking for a traffic study before they allow the school to be transformed into an office.

Kitty Kare In Running For Cash

Thunder Bay's Kitty Kare is competing for Aviva Community Fund’s million dollar challenge.  They want to build a Cat Sanctuary that would spare cats from being put down.  To vote for Kitty Kare click here.  The group's idea number is ACF13537.

Resolute Forest Products Layoffs

Resolute Forest Products says 345 employees will be impacted when it takes production down at its kraft and paper mills in Fort Frances later this month.  Both mills will be temporarily halted for two weeks beginning October 28th.  Resolute cites market conditions as the main reason.  The company says the halting of a contract for pulp with Boise's mill in International Falls is also seen as having an impact.

Rafferty On Omnibus Bill

New Democrats won't be supporting the massive federal budget bill introduced last week.  Thunder Bay-Rainy River's John Rafferty says the Harper government is once again contradicting itself by introducing a bill that includes changes to several act that should be dealt separately.  Rafferty expects limited debate on the bill as the Conservatives push for implementation as quickly as possible.

T.Bay Business Gets Provincial Cash

Two Thunder Bay businesses are on the receiving end of funding from the Northern Ontario Heritae Fund Corporation.  Aviation InterTec Services is getting 98-thousand dollars towards upgrading their computer software.  NWO Golf Development & Fitting Centre will use 25-thousand dollars.

Multi Plex Plebescite Meeting

A group of concerned taxpayers want to see the location of the proposed Multiplex brought to a vote.  Chair Ray Smith says it's only right for the City to allow its tax base a vote in the decision making process.  A public meeting on the multiplex will be held at the Waverly Resource Library tonight from 7 until 9.

LU Career Fair Expo

Lakehead University will be holding a Career and Job Expo this week from 10 until 3.  The workshops will provide a excellent opportunity for students to explore career choices.  Career Employment Specialist Christina Buzzi says there will be chances to meet industry professionals and employers.  Companies taking part include the hospital, and the OPP.

House Explosion Treated As "Suspicious"

Police say they are treating last weeks explosion on St. Claire Avenue as suspicious. The Police are working hand in hand with the Ontario Fire Marshal's office on the case. Meantime the 57 year old victim of that blast is now in Toronto being treated for serious injuries. Police say the probe is expected to take some time to complete.

Detectives To Face Their Punishment

Two Thunder Bay Police Detectives will find out their punishment Tuesday at a Police Services Act Hearing set for 12:30 p.m. at police headquarters  An adjudicator who found Detective William Wowchuck and Detective Constable Brad Bernst guilty of Unlawful Use of Authority in connection with a drug arrest last year, has had time to ponder his decision regarding punishment. Both sides recently argued their case regarding an internal reprimand and the adjudicator is set to make an announcement later today. Neither Wowchuck or Bernst will face criminal charges in connection with the incident.

Liberal Convention In Three Months

The Ontario Liberal party is holding its leadership convention January 25th. That's only three months away....something that Thunder Bay MPP Bill Mauro admits is kind of fast, because it will leave candidates with little time to go out and drum up support. Natural Resources Minister Michael Gravelle calls it a very short time frame that will favour candidates with a higher profile.

Thunderwolves Round-up

Modest success for the Lakehead University Thunderwolves on the road this weekend. The hockey team split a pair of games losing to Waterloo on Friday and beating Laurier on Saturday. They host Western next weekend. The men's basketball team went 2-1 at a tournament in Saskatchewan, as did the women's team in a tournament in Winnipeg. Meanwhile the women's volleyball team dropped to 0-3 to start the year with three straight losses.

Inspectors Back On St. Claire Avenue

There is still no cause to report for the house explosion on St. Claire Avenue on Thursday morning which sent one man to hospital. Yesterday, fire inspectors made the property safe to inspect and Brian Fisher of the Ontario Fire Marshal's Office says it's still too early to determine why the blast occurred. Fisher says it may take some time before they come up with a cause.

Lindstrom Gets 10 years

A Thunder Bay man is going to prison for 10 years after being convicted in  the 2009 death of Richard Quimet.   Eric Lindstrom received his sentence in a city courtroom today.  Lindstrom is the last of the two men charged in connection to the incident to be sentenced to prison.   Earlier in the process Chistopher Gregorchuk was given a 10 year term for his part in the slaying.   Court was told that Quimet was beaten to death  and his body was taken to a remote area up highway 527 and burned.

City Looks At Sir John A

The City is looking at the vacant Sir John A MacDonald site at it's meeting Monday night.  Staff is asking council to turn down a request to turn the school into a technical office.

LU Athletics Weigh In On Multi Plex

Lakehead University Athletics is interested in becoming an anchor tenant in the new proposed event centre that the city is considering building.  The 57-hundred seat venue has certainly peaked the interest of Athletic director Tom Warden. Warden says talks between the city and Lakehead University would need to happen but he sees it as a chance for the university and Thunder Bay to host future national events.

Gichigami Express Coming To Grand Marais

Organizers with a new 3 day dog sled race in the States are hoping Thunder Bay residents will cross the border to watch.  Beth Drost is the Coordinator of the Gichigami Express that will take place in Grand Portage on January 6th.  Drost explains the history behind the name.  Drost says Grand Marais and Grand Portage have a long history of mushers.

Be A Fan Day Thursday

Local law enforcement will be sporting red shoe laces in support of the local chapter of the Special Olympics.  Constable Julie Tilbury says you can help support local athletes as well by buying a pair of red shoe laces from a variety of area stores.  A flag raising ceremony at City Hall will be held on "Be A Fan Day" which is Thursday.

Hobbs On Police Board Replacement

There's at least several City Councillors interested in replacing Mayor Keith Hobbs on the Police Service Board.  Hobbs says council will consider who is the best person for the job.  One of the names being tossed around informally includes Councillor Brian McKinnon.

Local Comic Reaches 150th

"Welcome To Hereafter" is the title of an on-line comic book publication by a Thunder Bay man.  The comic is about to celebrate a milestone. It's 150th edition will be published Monday.  Creator Bry Kotyk says he hopes to see more local artists dive in.  Click here to visit Welcome to Hereafter. 

Court Street Closed Sunday

Drivers beware of sections of Court Street Sunday.  A stretch of roadway between River and Elgin Streets and Harrington Avenue will be off limits while crews install a new watermain connection.  Work starts at 8 Sunday and will continue until work is complete.

Liberal MP Tries To Save ELA

The vice-chair of Fisheries and Oceans is fighting to keep Northwestern Ontario's Experimental Lakes Area open.  Liberal MP Lawrence MacAulay has put a motion through the House of Commons to keep the ELA open.  He says the closing costs outweigh the annual operating cost.  The government is facing public and political pressure to continue funding the ELA.

International Blues Fest

The Thunder Bay Blues Society is bringing the funk to the city Friday and Saturday night.  An International Blues Challenge is taking place tonight which will see competitors vie for a trip to Memphis. Vice President Murray Armstrong says it's a wonderful opportunity for local artists.  The event is taking place at the Apollo.

Military Training At East Dog Lake

Training will be taking place in East Dog Lake area this weekend for the Lake Superior Scottish Regiment.  The soldiers will be practicing land & water training.  Captain George Romic says there will be blank ammunition fired while troops cross the river.  Romic adds, don't be surprised if you see military vehicles travelling in the Dog Lake area.

Warden Avoids Scherban Talk

The fallout continues for Lakehead University's hockey program as they continue to answer questions as to why Head Coach Joel Scherban was fired yesterday.  Speculation has players refusing to play for Scherban despite getting off to a 3-and-1 start.  Athletic Director Tom Warden has named Mike Busniuk as Interim Head as the team plays on the road tonight in Waterloo.  Warden won't comment on the firing but does hold Scherban in the highest regard.  Jeremy Adduono and Colin Zulianello have also stepped in to help Busniuk as Assistant Coaches.

Inflation Rate Goes Down

The cost of living in Thunder Bay has gone down. The inflation rate went from  0.3 percent in August to negative point one in September.  Meanwhile, Canada's inflation rate last month stayed the same.

Strat Plan For TBRI

The research arm of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre is out with its four year strategic plan.   CEO Michael Wood says the top priority is to focus on advances in medical imaging like MRIs, X-Rays and PET scans.