Shoppers Drug Mart Calls A Scam

A northwestern Ontario Shoppers Drug Mart manager says another scam is targeting their customers in the market. Cory Pyykka  says someone is calling peopel saying they have won a trip on behalf of Shoppers, and then asks for financial information.  Pyykka says this is completely fake and that the company is not calling anyone and would never ask for financial info. Pyykka says they have been receiving a number of calls from customers.

Fire Season Remains Quiet

An unusually quiet summer for forest firefighters with the Ministry of Natural Resources. August has been especially quiet as cool and wet weather has overcome the area. There are now only 17-active fires in the region. Sioux Lookout has 8-fires currently burning, while Red Lake and Kenora each have one each.

Horizon Refutes Opposition Claims

The war of words continues in the Big Thunder wind farm dispute.   The group opposed to Horizon Wind's plans to build wind turbines on the Nor'Wester Escarpment says the company is cutting down trees and building a road on that property.  Horizon's Kathleen MacKenzie says they are conducting soil testing on the site and it requires equipment to be brought in and some tree trimming or clearing has taken place. MacKenzie  refutes an opposition claim the company is building a road saying there are known trails on the property.

Suspect Surrenders

The Thunder Bay man who was wanted on a Canada wide warrant in a sexual assault investigation is now back in police custody.   Police spokesperson Chris Adams  says that 62 year old Arthur Lyons gave himself up peacefully to police yesterday.  He is facing sex related charges after an investigation police say involved a child victim.  

Ron Bottos Dead At 71

A long time local radio and TV personality has passed away.  Ron Bottos, who hosted the "Reach for the Top" show, was 71.  He died Saturday at St. Joseph's Hospice.  Bottos was also a musician who played in the band StoneRidge and also hosted the annual Cystic Fibrosis Telethon.   Funeral arrangements are pending.  

City To Save Lyceum Theatre Building

The city is going to save the Lyceum Theatre building.  The structure,on Cumberland Street, has been deemed to be sound by engineers and will be saved from the wrecking ball.  The city could end up paying for the repairs if the current owner doesn't comply with the work orders.  The property has outstanding taxes, which could lead to the city taking it over and then selling the 103-year old building.

Pet Limit Proposal Nixed

City councillor Aldo Ruberto is not getting his wish.   His plan to get the ball rolling on limiting the number of pets a person can own was torpedoed by his fellow councillors,  even after his plea for support.  Ruberto says he has spoken with health and city officials who liked the plan.  Mayor Keith Hobbs mocked the idea asking if the city would start limiting the number of children a family could have.   He called it waste of time.

Homeless Housing Initiative Supported

City lawmakers are backing a so called "housing first" program to help get more homeless people off the street.   The plan makes  giving the homeless a place to stay the first priority before getting a job.   Council's support gives the coordinators of city's Drug Strategy the extra leverage when it comes to get money from other levels of government.

Councillors Give Support To Smoking Ban

City council is on its way to giving some legal muscle to the regional hospital's plan to ban smoking on its property. Councillors have asked City Hall staff to make the necessary by-law changes to make it happen.  Development Services Manager Mark Smith told councillors  it could happen by next month. The hospital will have the total smoking ban in place at the end of September.

Truck Stop Gets New Life

The old Pass Lake Truck stop on the Trans Canada Highway in Shuniah Township is getting some new life.  Reeve Maria Harding confirms it will be converted to a Shell-Flying J Truck Stop, hopefully by the end of the year. Harding calls it a good thing.  The business  has sat vacant for about a year and a half.

Payne Sentenced To 90 Days

A Thunder Bay man is going to jail after being sentenced for possessing child pornography.  Forty six year old Michael Payne has been sentenced to 90 days in jail and one year probation   In court Monday it was revealed there were almost 18 hundred images on a computer that police seized at the time of his arrest.

More Building Permits For July

 City Hall is reporting a number of new building permits issued in July.  They include a new office and retail space on  Waterloo Street between Cumming Street and the Tim Horton's.   Officials say there will be three buildings on the site but it's not known what businesses they will be including. Work is already underway.  The Fort William Clinic has also received a permit for its new clinic on Golf Links Road.

The Mystery Remains...Who Killed Shannon Hogan?

If police have any leads in their latest murder investigation they remain tight lipped about it.   For now the death of 30 year old Shannon Hogan remains unsolved almost one month after she was found early in the morning, seriously injured behind a Lake Street house.   Police have not released the cause of her death.   It's the second murder of 2013.

Library Out With Strat Plan

The public library is out with its strategic plan for the next three years.   Chief Librarian John Pateman says it's now available online and they are hoping for your input.  He says they are setting up a community action panel which will get the public's views on the plan's objectives.   While not mentioning a new central library by name, Pateman did say that the plan's directions for innovation and change  could provide for some "interesting developments in the future."   You can view the document at this LINK

NAN Chiefs Meeting This Week

The 49 chiefs of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation are meeting this week in Kasabonika Lake.   They're holding their annual conference.   Topics to be discussed this year include treaties, justice, education and policing.

Wright To Oversee FedNor

Mark Wright

The transition from MP to Minister of State continues for Kenora's Greg Rickford.
Rickford has been busy being briefed on his new duties as Minister of Science and Technology and Minister responsible for FedNor. Rickford says that includes the hiring of new staff including Thunder Bay's Mark Wright who will oversee Fednor

More ELA Alarm Bells

The transfer of the Experimental Lakes Area east of Vermillion Bay continues to hit road blocks. The government had plans to keep research uninterrupted this year while it handed the area to private hands. Peter Kirby is with the group Save ELA and says that the delay has halted research at the facility. Kirby also says the science team that ran the ELA is moving onto other jobs and might not be able to come back.

Girls Get Dirty To Fight Cancer

An overwhelming response to a weekend charity event has organizers already planning next year's Dirty Girl Mud Run.   It was held in Oliver-Paipoonge to raise money for the local Canadian Cancer Society.   The first time event collected 200 thousand dollars with the help of 750 participants.

Tournament Raises Big $

Officials at the George Jeffery Children's Centre are still basking in the glow of a successful golf tournament. The second Patrick Sharp Tourney raked in an impressive 115 thousand dollars for the organization. 

One Dead In Canoe Accident

One man is dead following a canoe accident on Lake Superior at Pukaskwa National Park. The OPP say two men were canoeing on Saturday when their canoe capsized, resulting in one man drowning. Officials say the other man managed to swim safely to shore.

Another Quiet Day For The MNR

The forest fire hazard in the Northwest Region remains low to moderate.   The Ministry of Natural Resources says there were no new fires reported today but that they were checking into a report of one in the Elsie Lake area.  There are 22 active fires in the region and 20 of those are being monitored. The MNR says the forest fire situation remains relatively quiet.

Hobbs Happy With Economic Prediction

Thunder Bay's mayor is happy about the summer report from the Conference Board of Canada. The non profit research group says our city is expected to show a 1 per cent growth this year. Keith Hobbs says it jives with another report from the organization this year which said we were one of the fastest growing cities in Canada. Hobbs believes there's potential to show even stronger growth than what the Conference Board has predicted.

Swimming Advisory Lifted

It's safe to swim at Chippewa Park again.   Earlier this week the Health Unit issued a swimming advisory for the Sandy and Main Beaches because of high E-coli bacteria levels.  However after several tests, officials have now lifted that advisory.

RCMP Reopening NWO Cold Case

The RCMP’s historical case unit will conduct a search of the Sakimay First Nation in Saskatchewan looking for remains or evidence in the death of a Kenora area man who vanished 10 years ago. About 25 people, including RCMP officers, civilian employees of the force and volunteers, are combing through a wooded area on the reserve. Robin Cocks, who was in his mid-30s, vanished in 2003 but his skull was found in the area on April 13, 2012. Cocks was born Robin Timothy Jamieson and was originally from the Dalles First Nation, before being adopted. He was believed to be hitchhiking to Vancouver when he vanished.

Ruberto Asking Pet Limits

Councillor Aldo Ruberto wants to limit the number of pets people can have in their homes. Ruberto says as it stands now you can have as many pets as you want and in some cases it's causing big problems, such as the hoarding of animals. Ruberto is asking his fellow councillors to support his proposal to get city staff working on a new pet by-law

Police Update Transport Mishap

A 58 year old transport truck driver from Quebec is injured as the result of yesterdays highway rollover on the Trans Canada near Marathon. Police say the man was hauling a load of wood chips when his rig hit a rock cut. They say they have not completed their investigation into the incident.

City Jobless Rate Drops

Only a slight drop for the unemployment rate in Thunder Bay. Statistics Canada says the jobless rate in the city last month was an even 6 per cent...compared to 6.1 per cent in June. That's still more than one per cent better that the national unemployment rate of 7.2 per cent. 

Resale Housing Market Offsets New Starts

More new houses and apartments are being build in Thunder Bay this year that last. Warren Philp of Canada Mortgage and Housing says that there has been a 30 per cent increase in the total number of new projects so far this year compared to last, but that isn't enough to fill the void because of a tight resale market.  So far this year there has been a 5 per cent drop in the number of single family home starts compared to last year.

Still A Slow Fire Season

The Ministry of Natural Ressources is reporting one new forest fire in the Northwest Region. Nipigon District Fire Number 61 was reported as a grass fire on the side of Highway 17 west of Nipigon. FireRangers from Thunder Bay District responded and put the fire out by the afternoon. Red Lake District Fire Number 24 has also been declared out. This was a lightning-caused fire that started July 02 and burned an area of 300 hectares. It was located about 40 kilometres northwest of Red Lake.

Firefighter Injured In Blaze

One firefighter is recovering from minor injuries following a fire at Northwood Park Plaza.  Crews were called to the scene just before 8 o'clock last night with smoke coming from the roof of the building.  Workers had been using torches to melt tar on the roof of the mall earlier in the day.  The firefighter, who fell off a ladder battling the blaze, was treated at hospital and released.   

Hospital Sees No Impact From Blood Shortage

Local hospital officials are refusing to say much about a reported blood donor shortage in Canada.   A spokesperson at the Health Science's Centre says they will not offer any comment except to say they have not been seeing any impact.   The shortage has forced Canadian Blood Service to delve into its reserves.

Renewed Call For Spring Bear Hunt

Bringing back the spring bear hunt would be beneficial for the region according to the Northwestern Ontario Sportsmen's Alliance. Executive Director John Kaplanis's comments follow the bear attack at Sandbar Provincial Park, north of Ignace.  Kaplanis says by bringing back the spring hunt, it would help the bears develop a greater fear of humans and not consider them as food.

Hebert Frustrated With Energy Process

An energy conference in the city this week is concerning to Larry Hebert.  The co-chair of the city's Energy Task force says the gathering to examine Ontario's long term energy plan seemed to focus on the needs of southern Ontario and not our region which will require extra electricity to deal with various mining projects.  Hebert calls this weeks process frustrating.

Inmate Hurt At District Jail

The province is probing an incident at the District Jail on MacDougall Street yesterday afternoon..  Brent Ross of the Ministry of Correctional Services isn't allowed to say much about what happened only to say than an inmate was hurt.   City police say that it  involved a 58 year old inmate who sustained minor injuries after being assaulted by two other prisoners.  Two men, aged 25 and 45 are facing charges.

ROF Training Cash Announced

The federal government is kicking in almost 6 million dollars to help train Aboriginals for work in the Ring of Fire mining development.  Minister of State Greg Rickford made the announcement in Thunder Bay today.  He says the project will run in cooperation with Confederation College and Noront Resources

Process Begins For East West Tie Line

The process is now underway for the construction of a new transmission line to provide electricity between northwestern and southern Ontario.  The Ontario Energy Board's Vanda Wall says a company has been chosen to begin the initial design, the environmental assessment and land acquisition. She says this stage of the so called East-West Tie Line can last up to 18 months.

Manufacturer Still Eyeing NWO

B.C. based Aspenware still has plans for expansion but the exact location isn't known. President Terry Bigby says the wooden cutlery manufacturer still has its eye on northwestern Ontario.  He says the key is getting a steady supply of wood fibre.  Aspenware recently signed an agreement with a Kenora area First Nation for harvesting operations in the Whiskey Jack Forest.

RFDA Needs Food

The local organization that distributes food to area food banks is in need of donations.   Volker Kromm of the Regional Food Distribution Association says they are looking for the basics. He says that includes pasta, canned goods and peanut butter. Kromm says they are "scrounging around the rest of the province" to try to get at least a truck load of food to ease the shortage.  He adds summer is the time when food bank stocks are normally low.

CEDC Praised For CEO Selection

Charla Robinson

The president of the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce is giving props to the board of the Economic Development Corporation.  Charla Robinson says the choice of Doug Murray as the new CEO of the city organization is a a great one for Thunder Bay.  She says the Chamber has worked with Murray in the past and calls it a great fit.   Board Chair Paul Inksetter says Murray beat out  about 65 other candidates for the position, many from as far away as China and Australia. Murray will be handling a yearly budget of 1 million dollars towards the goal of attracting more industry and jobs to the city.

Swimming Advisory At Chippewa

A swimming advisory is back on at Chippewa Park.   The Health Unit says that there are high bacteria levels at both the Main and Sandy Beaches and that you swim at your own risk.

MV Thunder Bay On The Job

The MV Thunder Bay is officially on the job.   Canada Steamship Lines has unveiled its newest ship named after our city.  It was given a special maiden voyage celebration  in Port Colborne today.  However,  there are no immediate plans for the new vessel to visit our port.  It's currently travelling from Escanaba, Michigan where it loaded up with iron ore pellets which are being delivered to the Port of Quebec for shipment overseas.

Bacteria Outbreak Over

A three week bacterial outbreak at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre is over.   It  involved C-difficile  a mainly hospital born super bug which has been associated with the overuse of antibiotics.  Officials say no new cases have developed on 3A, the centre of the outbreak.

Police Tout First Possible Meth Seizure

Police say they have two men in custody following the latest drug bust.  Officers seized about 5 thousand dollars worth of cocaine, marijuana and what's believed to be the first seizure of methamphetamine in the city.  Also seized was a loaded 22 caliber handgun and 19 thousand dollars in cash.   The busts centred around homes on Strand Avenue and Piccadilly Street.

Brown Cool With Osisko Decision

The Mayor of Atikokan isn't panicking over Osisko's plans to delay a gold mining project near the community. Dennis Brown says the Hammond Reef project would have meant new jobs, but stresses there's still plenty of other economic activity in Atikokan including the Rentech and Resolute mills.. Brown says Osisko still has a presence in the town and hopes their project can proceed when gold prices get better.

Lyceum Building Causing City Headaches

The city is facing a decision on what to do with the derelict Lyceum building on Cumberland Street.   City Manager Tim Commisso says the ever elusive owner needs to fix it up or else it may have to be demolished.   He says the problems include a leaking roof and the accumulation of water.  Commisso says a decision on the structure could come in less than a month.

Doug Murray Heads The CEDC

The new CEO of the city's Economic Development Corporation is Doug Murray.  He comes from the private sector as a manager in the pulp and paper industry.   Murray hopes to use his skills to bring new industry and jobs to Thunder Bay and to diversify the local economy and points to the ever expanding health care industry   Murray officially takes over on Monday

City Man Recounts Bear Attack

Thunder Bay's Trevor Miller will never look at bears the same.  It follows an attack this week in Sandbar Provincial Park near Ignace. Miller tells our newsroom that it was a harrowing experience that seemed like it would never end as the whole ordeal lasted about 2 hours as he tried to dodge the bear by going in the water.  He says at one point he smacked the bear on the nose with a stick as it swam towards him,  but that only stopped the stalking for a short period as the bear regrouped itself.   Miller says it all ended when his dog went after the bear and was killed in the process.

Police Arrest Robbery Suspect

A 28-year old Thunder Bay man is being held in custody following his arrest for the armed robbery of the Simpson Street Mac's Store on August 2nd.  Police made the arrest yesterday without incident on East Victoria Avenue.  The man entered the store armed with a syringe and escaped with a small amount of money. His court date has yet to be determined.  No one was injured during the incident.  

Murray Visiting NWO

Ontario's transportation minister is visiting Northwestern Ontario this week.   Glen Murray will be in Murillo this morning. The minister will consult with Northern and rural municipal leaders on the new 100 million dollars in provincial funding for infrastructure in their communities.  He will be in Kenora tomorrow.

Minor Injuries In Expressway Mishap

There were no injuries following a three-vehicle collision on the Thunder Bay Expressway and Balsam Street late yesterday morning.  The accident involved a car and two tractor trailer units.  The driver of the car, a 27-year old Calgary woman has been charged with a lane change violation.