Three People Sent To Hospital In Crash

Thunder Bay Police are looking for anyone who may have witnessed the two vehicle collision at the intersection of Fort William Road and Central Avenue.  Traffic Sgt. Glenn Porter says they want to hear from you if you saw the crash between a green Mercury and a white Oldsmobile.  The accident sent a woman to hospital with serious injuries and the passenger of the other car with very serious injuries.  The fire department had to use the jaws of life on one of the vehicles.

Kitchen Fire On Valley Street

A kitchen fire at a Valley Street Apartment complex is now under investigation. Firefighters were called to the 100 block just before midnight last night. A fire caused heavy fire and smoke damage to one apartment but officials say the fire was quickly put out. None of the other apartments were affected and the fire department says no one was hurt.

Request Not Demand

Councillor Iain Angus

City Council is taking the phrase "you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar" to heart.  They've requested a meeting with the CEO of the Ontario Power Authority over its decision to close the Mission Island Power Plant.  Councillor Joe Virdiramo's original resolution demanded a meeting with the OPA, but that didn't sit well with Councillor Rebecca Johnson.  In the end they decided to change the resolution's wording to request.  City Council is vowing to work with the Provincial Government to ensure the local power plant is converted to natural gas instead of being mothballed.

Six First Nation Men Launch Sex Assault Lawsuit

A lawsuit is being launched by six men from the Lac La Croix First Nation for alleged sexual abuse while they were boys by a priest who lived and worked on the reserve in the 1960's. The men are seeking unspecified financial damages from the federal government, a Catholic diocese in Thunder Bay, a Winnipeg-based Roman Catholic order, as well as the priest who died almost 20 years ago. None of the allegations have been proven in court.

EMS Staffing Levels Being Considered

City Council is spending just over 44 thousand dollars to return EMS service levels for North Shore Communities back to 2008 staffing levels.  Chief Norm Gale told council at it's meeting last night that the City's share could be halved if the provincial government kicks in some money.  The area communities are responsible for kicking in just over 11 thousand dollars.

Peace Poll Up For Discussions

The Fort William Rotary Club wants to place a peace pole in Marina Park's Spirit Garden.  If Council decides to go through with receiving the gift from the organization, staff will need to create a policy dealing with the City accepting tokens.  Rotary would like to see an annual peace gathering held around the pole.

Playground Named After Suzan Labine

Gil Labine

City Council is renaming the new children's playground at Junot Park after the late Suzan Labine.  Her family spoke to council in September asking for the name change.  Council approved the memorial naming at it's meeting Monday night.  Suzan Labine was a member of the Lakehead School Board and St. Joseph's Care Group.

Winter Rinks Up For Discussion

The City is considering offering it's winter rinks longer.  Staff are asking members of council to increase supervision at all outdoor rinks from 5 to 7 days a week.  15 of 26 board free pond rinks could be eliminated as away to redeploy the staff to other rinks for increased supervision.  Sites that could be cut include Victoria Parkette, Thornloe Park, Humber, Lambton, Kingway Lillie, Holly, Fraserdale and Chaplain. The move will allow more use of the rink as well as the washroom and change facilities.

Bravery Award Handed Out At Council

Thunder Bay Mayor Keith Hobbs presented Jeffrey Neekan Sr. with the Medal of Bravery from the Governor General of Canada.  Neekan received the award for his actions in rescuing a 13 year old boy from a burning house, in Mishkeegogamang, Ontario.

Crime Prevention Awards

The second annual Crime Prevention Awards were held Monday night.  Several local residents were honored for their involvement in community programs that help curb crime.  Crime Prevention Coordinator Amy Siciliano says it's nice to promote some of the good things that are happening in the community.  Sharon Johnson won the Community Hero Award for her work with the Full Moon Memory Walk.   The Northern Woman’s Bookstore won the business award.

Two Vehicle Accident At Fort William & Central

Thunder Bay Police are on the scene of an accident involving two cars at the intersection of Fort William Road and Central Avenue.  Police say the call came in just after 5:40 Monday evening.  A man was trapped inside one of the vehicles and had to be removed by the Fire Department.  The investigation is continuing.

DSSAB Ideas In Report

The District Social Services Board is excited some of their ideas are being used in a provincial review of the social assistance system. The local board suggested Ontario works be replaced by an integrated program that provides individual services and that the Province give First Nations and Municipalities responsibility of the social assistance program.

Chamber Wants Conversion To Continue

The president of the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce agrees that the Mission Island generating station not be allowed to shut down. Harold Wilson says the decision to put the plant's conversion to natural gas on hold is a huge letdown.  He says they were looking forward to the conversion taking place, not just for current energy needs in the region, but the future needs as well. Wilson hopes there's a chance for the Chamber to give its side on the issue.

Gravelle On Power Plant

The Minister of Natural Resources is pledging his efforts to help change the mind of the Ontario Power Authority.  Michael Gravelle says he was shocked to hear the news about the possible mothballing of the Mission Island Power Plant.  The plant was set to be converted to natural gas but that move has been suspended.

More Course Sharing

Confederation College is continuing to partner with other colleges in the province to share courses. Three more colleges were added to the list Monday in Timmins, Sudbury and Peterborough. President Jim Madder says it will give more students a chance to take programs and not leave their home communties. Madder says Confederation College is bringing its mining program to the table for this agreement.

Woman Missing

Thunder Bay Police are requesting assistance from the public to locate a missing person.42 year old Pauline Jean Kireto was last seen at 9:00 a.m. on October 15th. Pauline is described as 5-foot-1 and has a medium build. She was last seen in the vicinity of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Center wearing a blue jacket. Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Pauline Kireto is asked to call Thunder Bay Police or Crime Stoppers.

Minister Won't Commit To A Deadline

Chris Bentley says he would like to see an answer on the conversion of the Mission Island generating station to natural gas sooner rather that later. When pressed our newsroom the Energy Minister would not say if the Ontario Power Authority has been given a deadline to give him the answers he wants.     The Authority says it can save the province 400 million dollars by mothballing the coal fired plant and getting our region's energy from other sources.

Man Arrested In Cat Killing

Police responded to a south May Street address just before 5:00 a.m. on Saturday to investigate a report of a cat being killed. When officers arrived they observed a male covered in blood and a small black cat that had it's throat cut. Witnesses to the killing had immediately called police and cooperated with the investigation. Police say alcohol was a factor in this incident. A 35 year old man was arrested and charged with Killing an Animal.

SIU Investigate Balmertown Standoff

Provincial Police in Balmertown say an weekend standoff is now over and the end result is tragic. Police were notified about a man who had barricaded himself inside a home at 8:00 o'clock yesterday morning. Despite numerous attempts to contact the man, police were unsuccessful and a tactical unit had to enter the premises just before 5:00 o'clock this morning, only to find a man already dead.  Constable Dave Lamme says police are still looking into the matter. O.P.P. say no foul play is suspected.  The province’s Special Investigations Unit has been notified and has invoked its mandate.

University Hockey Results

In University Hockey action, The Lakehead Thunderwolves defeated the Carleton Ravens 5-4 Saturday afternoon.

The City Searching For Answers

City officials say they're going to do what they can get get to the bottom of it. They want to know why Ontario Power Generation is suspending the conversion of the Mission Island power plant to natural gas. Councillor Joe Virdiramo says they are hoping to talk face to face with Energy Minister Chris Bentley. An emergency meeting was held at City Hall today to discuss the issue.

Motel Death In The Fort Suspicious

The death of a man in Fort Frances is being treated as suspicious. Provincial Police responded to a 911 call this morning from the Mid-Town Motel, where a man was found dead in one of the rooms. OPP are working under the direction of Detective Peter Loree of the Criminal Investigation Branch. The name of the dead man is not being released until family members are notified.

"Salties" Making A Comeback

The Port of Thunder Bay may be seeing the early benefits now that the Wheat Board grain monopoly has ended. Port Authority CEO Tim Heney says more ocean going ships, or salties, are coming to our port to load up with grain. He's hoping it's a trend.  Heney says so far this year, more ocean going vessels have visited the port then all of last year.

Mauro Attacks OPA Thinking

MPP Bill Mauro says he shares in the anger of community leaders over the decision to suspend the conversion of the Mission Island coal powered generating station. Mauro disagrees with the Ontario Power Authority claim that the region has a surplus of power and for suggesting the conversion to natural gas may not happen.  Mauro says he will do his best to make sure the conversion takes place as scheduled.

NOMA Fuming Over OPG Decision

Municipal leaders in Thunder Bay are outraged over the decision to suspend the natural gas conversion of the Ontario Power Generation coal plant on Mission Island. Ron Nelson, the president of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association, says he is so livid he can hardly contain himself. The association says the decision will put mining growth at risk in Northwestern Ontario.

Quebec Strike Could Affect Local Plant

Workers at a Quebec company that supplies the local Bombardier plant with parts for its Toronto subway cars, is on strike. Dominic Pasqualino is the union spokesperson for the workers at Bombardier and says if the strike drags on too long, it would have an affect at the local plant after they run out of metal sidewalls and roofs. Pasqualino says the local workers have enough supplies to last at least two weeks then there's the risk of a layoff.

Anti War Activist Leaves

Francis Thatcher

An American anti war activist is on his way home to Minneapolis after being fined 5 thousand dollars in Thunder Bay yesterday. Joe Callahan pled guilty to trying to sneak a Salvadoran couple into Canada at the Pigeon River Border Crossing. His lawyer Francis Thatcher says Callahan left this morning after being processed by border officials.  Callahan avoided jail time after the judge noted he already spend time behind bars.

Pedestrian Hit By School Bus

A young woman is now out of hospital after being struck by a school bus while walking this morning. Police were called to the intersection of Arthur Street and Parkdale Boulevard just after 7:30 a.m. The woman was apparently trying to cross while a school bus was turning left off of Arthur Street. A 64 year man, driving the bus has been charged with failing to yield for a pedestrian. The driver and the kids on the bus were not hurt but the woman had to be taken to hospital by ambulance with minor injuries.

Unemployment Rate Drops In October

Thunder Bay's unemployment rate is seeing another positive step in the right direction. The unemployment rate fell to 6.1 percent last month, dropping frm 6.3 percent in September. Meanwhile, the national unemployment rate remained unchanged at 7.4 percent with the creation of only 1,800 jobs across the country.

Firefighter Calendar Helps Juvenile Arthritis

The brand new firefighters calendar comes out Saturday. A launch party will be held starting at 4:00 o'clock at Reid's Countrywide Furniture where you can purchase the calendar for $15 with proceeds helping to fight juvenile arthritis. Arthritis Society spokesperson Shelley Graham says the disease can affect children as young as 18 months old and proceeds will help those in northwestern Ontario. Graham says the calendars sell for $15 or two for $25. A gift certificate is also available if you make a purchase at Reid's Saturday afternoon.

Firefighters Headed Back To Canada Malting Fire

City firefighters are heading back to Canada Malting on Maureen Street this morning. Additional fire crews have been sent to that location to help with a pellet fire that has been smouldering since Tuesday morning. The fire has never been declared out and firefighters are reporting a flare up in a bin that contains about tweny feet of pellet product. Crews have been monitoring the fire since Tuesday while workers tried to empty the bin but so far have been unsuccessful.

Lakehead U Ranks 2nd In MacLean's Survey

Lakehead University is ranked 2nd out of five universities in Ontario according to MacLean's magazine, which is out with its annual report card. Lakehead is 1st in Library Holdings Per Student, 2nd in in the province in the following categories: Student/Faculty Ratio, in Student and Faculty Awards, in Social Sciences & Humanities Grants, in Total Research Dollars, in Library Expenses and Acquisitions and in Operating Budget. L.U. did drop by one to 12th overall in Canada among 19 universities surveyed.

Thunderwolves Prepare For Busy Weekend

The Lakehead University men's hockey team is on the road this weekend and will play a pair of games against the Carleton Ravens tonight and tomorrow. The women's volleyball team is here at home against the McMaster Maurauders. Both teams are looking for their first win of the season. The first serve is set for 7:00 o'clock tonight and tomorrow at the Thunderdome. The women's basketball team is on the road for a pair of exhibition games against Bemidji State University. The women are 4-and-4 so far in pre-season play.

Converstion Suspended

Ontario Power Generation is suspending the conversion of its coal powered generation station on Mission Island to natural gas. OPG spokesperson Ted Gruetzner says its because they aren't sure if the Ontario Power Authority wants to continue in the original direction. Gruetzner can't say how long the conversion process will be on hold.

No Secrets Here

A long time Thunder Bay city councillor and former mayor, says his colleagues don't spend anymore time meeting in secret than they have to. Many city councils in the province have come under criticism for holding too many closed door meetings but Ken Boshcoff says that's not the case here. Boshcoff says past councils may not have been able to get away with some of their closed door meetings had they been following today's rules.

Almost 600 Claims To Process

Now the real work begins for the city's disaster relief team. Program manager Kari Chiapetta says they've received about 600 claims from those affected by the May 28th storm, and now she'll be going over them with a fine toothed comb Chiapetta doesn't foresee the process taking longer than three months.

Great Pumpkin Compost Collection

The Great Pumpkin Compost Collection is announcing it's return from November 1st to 12th. EcoSuperior invites you to bring your old pumpkins to one of the three composting sites. Spokesperson Jason Sherband says the pumpkins go through an eco-friendly process once they are disposed.

Firm Contributes Big To Youth Centre

A Thunder Bay based company is taking the leading role in helping to open a new youth centre in Victoriaville Mall. Centre organizer Pierre Mapeso says without the Wasaya Group there might not be a pilot project because the company has covered the centre's 18 month lease contributed to purchasing furniture items.  The youth centre is expected to open next month.   City taxdollars are also contributing to the centre to the tune of 120 thousand dollars.

New Mining Act Now The Law

Ontario's phase two Mining Act changes officially go into effect today. Minister of Northern Development and Mines, Rick Bartolucci tells our newsroom, the biggest changes will be to the communication level between First Nation communities, mining companies and the government. Bartolucci says the government has brought a 100 year old piece of legislation into the 21st century. The Nishnawbe Aski Nation declined our request for an interview on the Mining Act.

Wawa Still Recovering

Wawa will likely continue its State of Emergency until at least tomorrow.  Mayor Linda Nowicky says 68 members of a nearby First Nation community have started to head home and all of them should leave Wawa by the end of today.  Nowicky also says travellers can expect delays as they approach on the Trans-Canada. Nowicky says the Trans-Canada should be full re-paved by tomorrow.

Mayor Shaves It Off For Movember

November is here as so is the move to create awareness of prostate cancer in men. This morning the Mayor and several others publicly had their faces shaved at City Hall for Movember. Local organizer Phil Junnila says it's all in the name of awareness. Junnila says every year Movember becomes more popular in Thunder Bay.

Shed Destroyed By Overnight Fire

Thunder Bay Firefighters are treating a shed fire as suspicious. Crews responded to the 3-hundred block of Talbot Street just after 2:00 o'clock this morning to find a shed fully engulfed by fire. It was completely destroyed. No injuries are reported. Meanwhile crews continue to monitor a pellet fire in a bin at Canada Malting that started on Tuesday. Crews there continue to put out remnants of the fire while trying to empty the bin.

Pair Of Locals Cleared In Italian Mafia Case

A couple of Thunder Bay men are relieved now that a magistrate in Italy has essentially cleared them of being a part of the Mafia. Lawyer Chris Watkins, who represents Vito and Rocco Minella, says there is only one word that can describe it...vindication. Watkins says the courts found there was no evidence against them to proceed.

NAPS Makes Liquor Raids At Airport

Three people are charged with keeping liquor for sale without a licence or permit after Nishnawbe-Aski Police made a couple raids at the Kashchewan airport this week. NAPS intercepted two large shipments on October 26th and 29th, seizing a total of 124 liquor bottles worth nearly $25,000 on the street. All three people arrested are to appear in court in January.

Open House Next Week For Proposed Bridge

The city is giving you a chance to have a say on the new bridge for Trowbridge Falls Park.  There's an open house taking place Monday at the club house at Chapples Golf Course starting at 5 o'clock with a presentation at 7.   The city's Werner Schwar says the consultant will present a recommendation on the type of bridge they have designed along with a series of possible locations in the park. 

Curtain Falls On Forest Fire Season

The Forest Fire Season is over in northwestern Ontario.  Deb Maclean of the Ministry of Natural Resources says it was fairly busy, but not as busy as last year.  She says there were about 660 fires this year compared to over 900 last year.  The amount of hectares burned hit 97 thousand this year , much lower than the more than 600 thousand in 2011. 

Operation Red Nose Needs Volunteers

The holiday season is coming up and Operation Red Nose is back.  Spokesperson Stephanie Bateman  is hopeful for a solid turn out for volunteers.  The Operation Red Nose season did well last year but can always use a few more hands.  Everyone is encouraged to contact St. John Ambulance if you are willing to participate.

Gold Project Into Public Meeting Stage

Lots of public feedback at this week's meetings regarding the Goliath Gold Project near Wabigoon. One of the biggest concerns was the number of jobs the mine would create when it expects to open in early 2015. Vice President Norm Bush says they are expecting to see a big jump creating a thousand direct and indirect jobs.  Bush says right now they are in the development stage of the mine, but they are already looking into finding qualified people for a number of positions that will open up.

Woman Sentenced In Theft Case

A Thunder Bay woman is going to jail for 90 days after being convicted in a theft case that involved money taken from the Port Arthur Polish Alliance Hall. Her lawyer Chris Watkins says that 49 year old Krystyna Dolasinski will get to go to work and serve her sentence at the same time. Watkins calls it fair and balanced.

Police Launch New Survey

Thunder Bay Police want to hear from you. Spokesperson Chris Adams says they've just released their latest online citizen survey. Adams says the survey helps them understand what safety and policing issues are important to the community. To link to the survey click on the link provided and click on the survey button. www.thunderbaypolice.ca

Missing Boy Found

The search is over for a missing 14 year old boy. City police had been looking for Keenan Mattinas after he was last seen at his Limbrick Street home on October 12th. Police and family members were able to find the boy just after 6:00 o'clock last night.