Driver Succumbs To Injuries

The 64 year old Alberta man involved in a single vehicle accident this afternoon has died in Thunder Bay hospital.  He lost control of his vehicle just before 2 o'clock Wednesday afternoon hitting a rock cut on the opposite side of the road.  Highway 11/17 near Sistonen's Corners was closed for over 2 hours on Wednesday.

Solar Hydro Projects Complete

Thunder Bay Hydro's rooftop solar panel project is officially complete. The last of six City building's started collecting solar energy on Tuesday and officials held a ribbon cutting Wednesday.  Hydro President Rob Mace says the solar panels do provide some energy.  Panels have been installed on the roofs of the Port Arthur Arena, Tbaytel Work Centre, Mountdale Maintenance Garage, Thunder Bay Transit, Victoriaville Parkade and Superior North EMS building.

Habitat Program Reaches 25 Year Milestone

Major Rob Kerr 

The Salvation Army is happy they've been able to help offer housing to 34 people living with disabilities.  A 25th anniversary celebration was held on Wednesday at the Habitat Program's Pearl Street Apartment Building.  Major Rob Kerr says he's in awe of the longevity of the program.  Kerr adds if the program didn't exist the building's 34 residents might be homeless. The Social Services Board provides the funding for the program and Thunder Bay Housing owns the building.

Camp Quality Fundraiser Wednesday Night

There's a charity event for Camp Quality taking place at the CLE Coliseum Wednesday night.  Organizer Clara Butikofer says local participants will be peddling away on stationary bikes as part of the event.  13 teams are registered and over 100 people will be attending Wednesday's event. Ceremonies begin at 5:45....the fundraising goal is 18 thousand dollars.

Longlac Man Keno Winner

Longlac resident Andre Boulanger is 125-thousand dollars richer after playing in Ontario's Daily Keno draw. The retiree plans to save some of his winnings, but also spoil his daughter and grandson.

20 Ounces Of Cocaine Seized

City police are reporting the seizure of over 50-thousand dollars worth of Cocaine.  Over the Thanksgiving long weekend, police searched a West Arthur Street hotel and charged two men with possessing and trafficking cocaine. Staff Sergeant Murray Brown says they seized over 20 ounces of cocaine and just over six thousand dollars in cash.  35 year old Berkley Blake from Thunder Bay and a 38 year old Brampton man are facing the charges.

Education Minister Unveils Youth Job Strategy

The Provincial Government is touting its new Youth Jobs Strategy. Education Minister Liz Sandals toured Sir Winston Churchill High School today and unveiled the strategy. Sandals says they're spending over 200 million dollars will go towards creating four new funds that will help young people find work, build job skills and start their own business. Sandals is also holding a discussion today in the City with school board officials, students and other education representatives about the needs of students in Ontario.

Shelter House Kicks Off Raffle

Shelter House is kicking off it's largest fundraising raffle in the history of the organization. Executive Director Patty Hajdu says they've seen a jump in demand for their services and don't have enough money to offset the increased need.  First prize is 30-thousand dollars in cash, followed by 10-thousand, and 5-thousand dollars for third place. The draw will be made on Christmas Eve with early bird draws taking place in November. City Councillors Larry Hebert, Iain Angus and Paul Pugh bought the first three tickets for the raffle at an event this morning.

Conservatory Reopens

After being shut down over the long weekend, the Centennial Botanical Conservatory is set to reopen today.  Last Friday, City officials closed the 47-year old building after a couple of roof vents had broken over a walkway.  The Conservatory was closed last winter after glass panels came crashing down, which led the City to install protective safety netting from the ceiling.  The facility opens its doors this afternoon at one o'clock.    

OPP Nab Naughty Drivers

OPP say they laid a number of charges over the Thanksgiving long weekend.  244 tickets were handed out for speeding, another 34 for seat belt infractions, there were four distracted drivers charged and only 1 impaired driver arrested.

Group Talks Minimum Wage Today

Poverty Free Thunder Bay wants to hear your stories about living on Ontario's minimum wage.  Chair Terri Carter says they want to hear about the hardships people making minimum wage face.  To share your story stop by the Village Green in the Victoriaville Mall from 11 until 1.  Stories shared with Poverty Free Thunder Bay will then be passed on to members of the Provincial Government.

Airport Holding Training Exercise

Thunder Bay's Airport is undergoing an emergency training exercise today.  President Scott McFadden says it will involve Wasaya Airways, Fire, Police, EMS, and Nav Canada.  McFadden says the training exercise will take part in the Southwest corner of the airport.

Hunter Found Dead Near Rainy River

OPP say the death of a hunter in the Rainy River area isn't suspicious.  Police say the American man was found on Monday, 30 km north of the junction of Highway 11 and Highway 611.  A post mortem is being conducted at the Kenora Hospital.

Status Cards Are Welcome

Thunder Bay's Chamber of Commerce is re-launching a program that they hope will make Aboriginal customers feel more welcome at area businesses.  President Charla Robinson says they're handing out decals to businesses that tell their customers that "Status Cards are Welcome".A recent study by Thunder Bay Ventures says the Aboriginal workforce contributes over 300 million dollars to the local economy.

Late Painting For Bike Lanes

The city is being criticized by some for painting new bike lanes in October, which is considered late in the season.   Active Transportation Coordinator Adam Krupper says the company doing the job was delayed in getting started.  He says they had a backlog of jobs to complete before they could get working on the bike lanes.   Krupper says it would not have been practical to wait until the spring to get the painting done, nor would it save any money.

Holiday Train Here Dec. 1st

The Canadian Pacific Holiday Train will be stopping in Thunder Bay once again.   The food bank fundraiser will stop in the city Sunday December the first at 8:45 in the evening at the Syndicate Avenue train station.  This years entertainment includes  Melanie Doane and Crystal Shawanda

Go Purple Day Wednesday

Expect to see a lot of purple Wednesday for the first "Go Purple for Prevention Day".  The Thunder Bay Childrens Aid Society is using the day to raise awareness surrounding child abuse.  People are encouraged to take photos of themselves dressed in purple and post it to the Step Up Campaign's Facebook page.

Police Board Interested In Changing Beat Program

Some members of the Police Services Board would like to see the beat officers walking area neighbourhoods patrol later into the evenings. Board Chair Joe Virdiramo says the program has been successful from 9 to 5 but they would like to see if the hours of the shifts could be altered.  Virdiramo says they'll continue to look for efficiencies that will allow them to offer the program later into the evening.  The cost to expand the program to another six officers would cost around a million dollars something Virdiramo says they can't afford at the moment.

12 Hour Shifts Start In January

Some members of the City Police Service are going to a 12 hour shift schedule starting in January.  Chief JP Levesque says uniform, communications and records employees will be adding an extra two hours to their work day.  Levesque says the move should save them some money through fewer overtime shifts.  Two staff sergeants and four sergeants will be moved into a variety of positions including the gang unit, criminal investigations branch and the school resource section.  The new twelve hour shift will be tried out for a year.

Hyer Pondering Pipeline Support

Thunder Bay MP Bruce Hyer says he may be changing his support for the proposed East-West pipeline.   The independent member says it's because he thinks the project may be drifting away what he believed was the intended purpose of the pipeline. He was hoping the pipeline would mean we would use more Canadian oil in our homes and gas tanks, but says it looks like the majority of the oil may be shipped offshore. Hyer says he will only support the pipeline if it helps the country toward energy self sufficiency.

Trail Permits For Sale

A sign winter is just around the corner.  Ontario snowmobilers can get a huge break if they purchase a trail permit now.  The Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Club is offering permits at 180-dollars if purchased before November 1st and on-line through the Federation's website.  The regular price is 260-dollars.

MP's Hope For NWO Help In Throne Speech

The Harper government unveils its parliamentary agenda on Wednesday with the Speech From the Throne.  Thunder Bay MP Bruce Hyer  is hoping that the special needs of northwestern Ontario are addressed like   job creation,  the economy and providing stimulus for our major industries.  However Hyer says he doesn't expect to be impressed by the speech.   Meantime, MP John Rafferty hopes the speech will include a promise to restore the 23 million dollars taken from FedNor so more industry can be developed here.

Officer Singlehandedly Nabs Reckless Driver

A Thunder Bay Police officer attempted to stop a vehicle in the 300 block of Hartvicksen Street early this morning. The vehicle drove away before it crashed onto a lawn where it became stuck, and the lone officer was able to arrest the driver who was attempting to drive away. The officer suffered injuries to his arm and was taken to hospital where he was treated and released.

Robbery Suspect In Custody

A 20 year old man is in custody after a robbery at the  North Cumberland Street Shell gas bar.   Police say that a man walked into the station at around 5 o'clock on Sunday afternoon armed with a knife and got away with an undisclosed amount of cash. They say that a suspect was arrested a short time later.  No one was injured.

Bus Talks Still In Limbo

No new talks are planned to try to end the labour dispute between bus drivers and Thunder Bay Transit.   Transit union spokesperson Sheila Kivisto says neither side is making the first move by calling up the conciliator and requesting a meeting.  Conciliated talks broke off October 2nd.   The bus drivers haven't had a new contract for 15 months.

Ear Falls Sawmill Re-Opening

Senior VP of Forestry for EACOM Timber says it's the right time to reopen the Ear Falls Sawmill. Brian Nicks says the U.S housing recovery and positive financial forecasts make the decision a little easier. The opening is expected to come next spring.

Rock Climbing in Thunder Bay

The Thunder Bay region will be featured in an upcoming edition of Gripped, a rock climbing magazine. Editor Brandon Pullan is the editor and says the region is great for climbers because of uncommon rock types, ease of access and low risk winter climbing. The feature will focus on locations around the region including some spots right here in the city. It will run in February and April.

No Say in First Nations Education Act

A Northern Ontario Chief says the Federal Government is using first nations as lab rats. Anishinabek Nation Grand Chief Patrick Madahbee says they have played no role in the First Nations Education Act, which is expected to be presented in the new fall session. Madahbee is asking for the government's patience as they develop their own strategy which will include more parental guidance.

Funding for Attawapiskat

The Attawapiskat community is the major beneficiary of federal funding. Forty-five thousand dollars will go to the community for participating in the environmental assessment of the proposed Victor Diamond Mine extension project. A total nearing ninety-thousand dollars is being distributed amongst four northern First Nations including MiningWatch Canada and the Wildlands League.

Borg Sets Goals For New Post

Dilico Anishinabek Family Care Executive Director Darcia Borg is now head of the agency. Borg plans on setting new goals for the organization while helping families and communities. She brings with her over twenty years of experience.

Thanksgiving For The Needy

There will be a free Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow afternoon at 545 Cumberland street, courtesy of the Salvation Army and Thunder Bay firefighters. Rob Kerr is the event spokesperson and says he is impressed with how tightly knit the community is. Over three-hundred people are expected to show up tomorrow. Dinner will be served between noon and three.

Conservatory Closed Again

The embattled  Thunder Bay Botanical Conservatory is shut down once again because of falling glass.  The city says that late Friday  they discovered that a malfunction of a roof vent resulted in several glass panels to break. They say that caused shards of glass to fall into the safety netting inside the Tropical House viewing area.  The cause of the problem isn't known and no one is hurt.   The city expects the conservatory to open again next week.

Injured Bear Reported To MNR

The Ministry of Natural Resources appears to be confirming a report from a listener that there may be an injured bear in the John Street Road area.  Spokesperson  Michelle Nowak says the report came earlier in the week but their officials didn't respond because no request came from the police.   The listener claimed it was an aggressive bear and that it had only three legs, but Nowak couldn't confirm that. No injuries have been reported.

OPP Say Little About Kenora Incident

Police are saying very little about an incident in Kenora that resulted in a man being taken to The Lake Of The Woods Hospital  in critical condition.  They say the incident occurred in the area of Villeneuve Road in the City of Kenora on Thursday.

NWO Author To Visit Hometown

It will be a special homecoming for Vanessa Ricci-Thode. The young writer returns to Ignace Saturday to unveil her first published book. She says the response to 'Dragon Whisperer' has been positive. She says the book is getting good reviews from those who normally don't read fantasy. Ricci-Thode was at Chapters book store this afternoon for a book signing

Mill Deal In Fort Frances

Resolute Forest Products and Unifor have agreed to keep workers on site at the Fort Frances plant for a little longer. Local and National Unifor President Stephen Boon says they have agreed to extend a July agreement, allowing the number 7 paper machine to run up until December 15th. The original agreement was expected to conclude next week. Boon says after a number of meetings, they decided on the extension due to additional paper orders. The workers have been working on the machine since July.

More Mail For Thunder Bay Plant

There's more mail from the region coming to the Canada Post sorting station in Thunder Bay.  Spokesperson John Caines says the new system, called de-twinning,  is less than a month old and sees mail posted from area communities like Kenora, Dryden and Fort Frances sent to our city for sorting and distribution.  Caines says the move is being made to help make the system more efficient.

Expect Border Lineups

Expect some lineups this weekend at border crossings across northwestern Ontario. Border officials are anticipating heavy traffic due to the Thanksgiving long weekend and those looking to head up to do some hunting. If you have to travel through any of the area's points of entry, try doing so at no-peak times. You can check border wait times on both the Canadian Border Services and U.S. Customs and Protection websites.

Jobless Rate Up

The unemployment rate in Thunder Bay for the month of September stands at 6.4 per cent.   According to Statistics Canada that's an increase from the August rate of 6.1 per cent.  Across Canada the rate dropped slightly to 6.9 per cent as fewer young people searched for work.

OPP Launch Operation Impact

Expect to see a few more OPP cruisers on area roads this long weekend. Police are taking part in Operation Impact, a campaign that will crackdown on impaired, distracted, and aggressive driving as well as seatbelt compliance. Provincial Police say the big four driving behaviours are responsible for more than 200 deaths on Ontario roads so far this year.

Ear Falls Mayor Elated

The Mayor of the northwestern Ontario township of Ear Falls is excited that EACOM Timber will be starting up the idled sawmill in the community. Kevin Kahoot says this is welcome news for everyone who lives there. Kahoot says when the Mill was running 5-years ago, it helped local businesses, recreational programs and service clubs. The scheduled start-up date is next Spring.

Police Meeting In Thunder Bay

Police Services Boards from across Northwestern Ontario are discussing the costs of having OPP service their communities.  Speaking in Thunder Bay, OPP Deputy Commissioner Vince Hawkes says they'll be introducing a new costing model.  Hawkes says the model should help even out the costs for small northern communities.

Cancer Society Likes Tan Ban

A new Ontario law is prohibiting those under 18-years-old from using tanning beds is a long time coming. That message coming from the Canadian Cancer Society Northwest Branch.  Manager Maria Cabral says it's always been on the forefront for them.  Cabral says the next step is prevention and education on the dangers of tanning beds.

Court Fines Local Man

The Canada Revenue Agency says a Thunder Bay man is guilty of 18 counts of failing to file personal and corporate income tax returns. Pasquale Stilla was fined 54 thousand dollars on Tuesday in the Ontario Court of Justice.

City Trumpets Insurance Report On Flood

The City is playing up an insurance report that says they have no liability or responsibility for any property losses as the result of last year's massive May 28th flood.  S-C-S Insurance Adjusters added that the city acted appropriately during what the report calls an unprecedented storm. The city sent out letter saying it wasn't their fault to almost 2-thousand property owners who were impacted by the flood.

City Left Out of Regulator's Orders

The city is off the hook for June's gas leak on Red River Road that caused the evacuation of homes in the Mariday Park area.  City spokesperson Leif Andersen says the province's safety regulator ordered Union Gas and a contractor to change the way they mark where underground gas lines are located,  effectively  giving the city a pass.   Andersen says city officials were always confident they did everything according to the book on that day.

Jury Committee Meets In T.Bay

Irwin Glasberg

A Provincial Committee continues to work on implementing a set of recommendations aimed at getting more aboriginal  representation on jury rolls.  They met in Thunder Bay on Thursday. Co-Chair Assistant Deputy Attorney General Irwin Glasberg says they spoke with a remote First Nation woman who told them she received a letter for jury duty but she ignored it.  Co-Chair and Nishnawbe Aski Nation Deputy Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler says they heard of some cases where entire communities have been left out of jury duty.

Commissioner Blasts MNR Budget Cuts

Ontario's environmental commissioner is critical of the provincial government's and what it calls a transformation of the Ministry of Natural  Resources. Gord Miller accuses the Liberal government of deliberately dismantling environmental protection. In his annual report, Miller says changes to the MNR "cast doubt on the ministry's ability to properly manage and protect Ontario's natural environment." Miller says budget cuts and regulatory changes have reduced the Ministry's effectiveness.

Airport Fees Going Up

Starting in the new year prices at the Thunder Bay airport are going up for aircraft that use the terminal   Manager Scott McFadden says that includes aircraft landing and parking fees.  McFadden can't say if the higher costs will be passed on to travellers or not.   McFadden says the increase will be three per cent across the board and is mainly to keep up with inflation.

Tim Horton's Gets Through Security

 Air travellers waiting in the Thunder Bay airport's departure lounge will soon get to have a coffee and a snack while waiting to board their flight.  Manager Scott McFadden says Tim Horton's is putting in a new coffee shop which he hopes will be up and running in the next week or so.  McFadden says security issues had to be settled before the company was given permission to set up shop.

New Cancer Fundraising Goal Set

Thunder Bay's Hospital is looking to raise just under 6 million dollars for their four year cancer plan.  The Exceptional Cancer Care campaign's goal is to raise money for research and state of the art equipment. Spokesperson Joanne Lacourciere says they're nearly half way there with 3 million dollars raised already. The Fort William Rotary Club is pledging 500-thousand dollars through their house lottery over the next five years.