NDP Set To Choose Local Rep

The NDP will choose a representative for the Thunder Bay-Atikokan riding this weekend. Running for election are Mary Kozorys who has run provincially in the past and former Schreiber Mayor Madge Richardson. Riding Association President Robin Rickards says both would make strong leaders. Elections will take place in Atikokan Saturday between 1-3pm and at the same time Sunday, in Thunder Bay at the Lakehead Labour Centre.

Resolute FP Chosen For Talks

With contract talks set to begin next month, Resolute Forest Products has been selected by Unifor as the company that will lead the negotiations in the forestry sector this year. The contract that is hammered out with the lead company normally sets the pattern for negotiations with other firms in the industry.  Union President Jerry Dias tells our newsroom that northwestern Ontario issues will play prominently in the talks especially the machine shutdowns in Fort Frances

Police Seek Truck Driver

Thunder Bay police are looking for the driver of a red pick up truck following a traffic mishap on the city's north side.   They say the man's truck collided with an SUV at Clarkson and Windsor Streets on Thursday afternoon.  Police say that while the driver stopped,  he didn't leave his name or other contact information so police could file a proper report.

Students Take Part In Environmental Talks

Brad Doff

Around 130 students from Lakehead University, Confederation College and Churchill High School are taking the opportunity today to share their environmental concerns with one another and members of city council. The Future Visionaries Session is running from 10-3pm at the Community Auditorium. Acting Sustainability Coordinator Brad Doff says it's important for the city's youth to have the chance to speak with councillors and Mayor Keith Hobbs. There will be an open house this evening from 4:30-7:00 at the auditorium where the draft Earthcare Sustainability Plan 2014-2020 will be presented.

Fedeli Looks For Answers

Ontario Conservatives are using the Freedom of Information Act to find out how much winter road maintenance contractors have been fined. The province says three companies working in northwestern Ontario have been penalized. Tory Finance Critic Vic Fedeli says he's not opposed to private contractors doing the work, but standards have to be met.  Fedeli says they want to find out if the contractors are facing significant fines, or just a slap on the wrist.

City Jobless Rate Drops

Some positive news on the jobless front.   Statistics Canada says Thunder Bay's jobless rate for January fell to 5.7 per cent from 5.8 in December.   Nationally, the unemployment rate dropped in December to 7.0 percent.  That's down from 7.2 percent the month previous.   Stats Can says over 29 thousand new jobs were created last month, many of those fulltime.

Police Probe Westfort Robbery

Thunder Bay Police searching for a male suspect following a robbery last night at the Movie Network on Brown Street.  The man entered the Westfort location just before 9 o'clock and demanded money with a verbal threat.  The thief, who was not armed with a weapon, got away with an undisclosed amount of cash.  The investigation continues and the suspect is known to Police.

Lost Skiers Found

Two women are safe after they found themselves lost while cross-country skiing in Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park Tuesday evening around 7pm. The two called police when they couldn't find their way back to the parking lot. OPP North West immediately sent out their emergency response team and quickly found the women. The two were unharmed.

Pedestrian Hit On Highway 11/17

A man is fortunate to be alive after he was hit while walking along Highway 11/17 between Balsam Street and Red River Road Tuesday evening. Constable Diana Cole says police received two calls of a man dressed in black walking along the highway. There were no charges laid but OPP are reminding the public that pedestrians are not allowed to walk along the highway between Vibert Road and Birch Beach road.

Truck Driver Identified

Nipigon in OPP believe they have identified the driver involved in a near head on collision between two tractor-trailers on Highway 11 in Greenstone early January. The incident was caught on video and quickly went viral. There was no collision but one of the drivers was forced to swerve into several guard posts. A thirty-one year old Milton man has charges pending.

Radford-Duhamel In Second Place

At the Sochi games, northwestern Ontario's Eric Radford and partner Meaghan Duhamel put together a strong performance in the Team Pairs figure skating event today but it wasn't enough to beat the Russians. Radford and Duhamel finished in second place in the short program with a 73.10, 10-points behind the world champs. That was good enough to earn Team Canada 9-points. Canada now sits in second spot, two points behind the Russians. The top 5 teams advance to the long program.

Bisson Blasts Murray

The NDP's provincial transport critic is blasting the transportation minister for his recent comments on the maintenance of northern roads.  Gilles Bisson says it's not good enough for Glen Murray to apologize for poor winter road maintenance,  and that the government should take back the duties of patrolling and dispatching of trucks.   Bisson  believes that the Liberals are making the overtures because of an impending election.

Pugh Running For Re-Election

McKellar Ward Councillor Paul Pugh is running for re-election in this Fall's municipal election. Pugh says it took some careful consideration when deciding to run again. Pugh adds that he decided to run again in part because of his involvement in the city's poverty reduction strategy. He adds that his ward is still feeling the affects of the 2012 flood.

Hyer Responds To NDP Visit

Thunder Bay MP Bruce Hyer is happy to see the NDP take the time to tour regional communities involved in the development of the Ring of Fire today. Hyer says that having MP's from across Canada in the region should create more attention in Parliament for the Northwest. Hyer also sees it as a move that could see the issues of small communities across the country highlighted.

Overcrowding Solution Still Escapes Officials

With reports of record overcrowding at the Regional Hospital,  MPP Bill Mauro says finding a solution isn't proving to be easy.   Mauro says he's been working with the health minister and her staff on a regular basis to try to get some answers but he can't make any funding promises at this time.  Mauro says the key is replacing the 60 long term care beds which were taken away from the city recently.

Radl Back In The Race

Once again retired police officer John Radl will be running as a candidate in Westfort.  He lost to Joe Virdiramo in the municipal election in 2010.    Radl says he's not happy with how easily councillors spend taxpayers money and if elected he promises to advocate for the handicapped.  Radl lost to Joe Virdiramo in the municipal election in 2010

Budget Meeting Recap

The City is looking to raise the daily parking rate fees for 2014.  The Parking Authority's budget includes an increase from just over four dollars to an even five. It's felt that the jump in the daily fee will provide an added 5-thousand dollars in annual revenue from the Waterfront Parkade and an extra 7 thousand dollars at the Victoriaville Parkade. Meanwhile, the City is looking to replace the boiler and relocate the hot tubs and sauna at the Canada Games Complex. The renos are slated to cost 500-thousand dollars. Councillor Joe Virdiramo wants staff to consider finding savings in creating a unisex sauna. Gerry Broere said they will look into savings and come back with information. The repairs are scheduled for 2016 under the enhanced infrastructure fund.

Budget Cut

High fives around the City Council table.  The jubilation came after council voted to reduce the budget by 80-thousand dollars.  Councillor Rebecca Johnson says she's thrilled even though it's a drop in a bucket. The money was cut from staff's request to hire a consultant to look into whether the City should implement new charges related to new developments in the City.

CEDC Budget Request Stays The Same

A review of the 2014 City budget continues.  Wednesday night Council reviewed the outside boards it helps fund including the Community Economic Development Commission.  CEO Doug Murray says they are asking for the same amount of money as they did last year.  The CEDC's budget sits at just over 1.1 million dollars.

T.Bay Makes Adult Toy Sale List

Thunder Bay is on a list of the top cities in Canada that purchase adult toys, novelties and lingerie.  The Lakehead ranks 19th out of 25 cities.

Toronto based PinkCherry Adult Toys ranked the communities based on which ones ordered the most amount of times per capita. Co-owner Daniel Freedman says he's not surprised Thunder Bay made the list since most people are staying indoors during the cold winter months and that's indicative of a top purchasing city. Victoria, B.C., Grande Prairie, Alberta and Fredricton, New Brunswick are the top three cities.

Candidate For Current River

There's a candidate in place for the Current River riding in the Municipal election. Andy Wolff registered to run in the upcoming October election.  There's been no word if incumbent councillor Andrew Foulds will run.

77 Cases Of Debit Card Fraud

So far 77 debit card fraud cases are being investigated by City Police. Where the cards were compromised is still not known.  Police believe that a rigged electronic banking machine was installed somewhere in the City sometime in the past year. The illegal withdrawals were made somewhere in New York.

Foundations Merge

A big merger of two charitable organizations in the city.   The Thunder Bay Community Foundation is taking in the Justice Ronald B. Lester Memorial Youth Foundation.   Bonnie Moore of the T-B-C-F says it will make the youth charity stronger.  She says both groups will combine their assets.   Moore says the Lester family felt it was time to give up direct control to the Community Foundation.

Provincial Review Of Local Health Authorities

Provincial hearings held in Thunder Bay reviewing the Local Health Integration Networks are now complete. Nearly a dozen presentations were made throughout the morning at the Valhalla Inn to the provincial government's Standing Committee on Social Policy. Some of the presentations included the LHIN itself, the Ontario Native Women's Association and the Thunder Bay Health Coalition.

LU Launches New Student Initiative

Students at Lakehead University will now get to have their extra curricular achievements at the school actually count for something.  The institution is joining a growing trend in the country by having those accomplishments officially included in the students  Academic Transcript.

Another City Mac's Robbery

Thunder Bay police are looking for a man who robbed the Mac's Convenience Store on Waterloo Street at around 6:30 this morning.  They say he was brandishing an axe, but that no one was hurt.   They say he ran away with a small amount of money.

Gardens Talk Not Over Yet

The future of the Fort William Gardens will soon be in the hands of city councillors.   After a set of public hearings on the facility, Consultant Conrad Boychuk says he is prepared to make his recommendations at the March 3rd council meeting.  Boychuk says one of this proposals
will be to keep the Gardens standing so it can be a multi use public facility.   He says the cost of tearing the facility down is about 3 million dollars and that could only go higher because of the expected pollution clean up of the grounds.

Bed Bugs To Be Sprayed Wednesday

The Social Services Board is going to start spraying for bed bugs at their Spence Court housing complex Wednesday.  CAO Bill Bradica says so far 5 units are confirmed to have the pests but adds it might be more as inspections continue. Bradica adds they've had meetings with the tenants association and received a positive response from them.

Public Comments On Budget

The head of Poverty Free Thunder Bay is just one of several community groups who spoke to City Council about the 2014 budget.  Chair Terri Carter says low income families are worried about the two percent increase in child care fees. Carter also expressed concern over the fate of the Royal Edward Arms and the lack of affordable housing in the City. Other organizations to speak at Tuesday night's meeting included Friends of the Thunder Bay Conservatory, the Urban Aboriginal Strategy and the Heath Park Pool supporters.

Budget Review Gets Underway

City Councillor Rebecca Johnson wants to cut the 2014 budget by almost a million dollars.  Johnson says she's combed through the fiscal document and there are a number of areas that could be trimmed including child care and the meals on wheels program.   Meanwhile, Councillor Andrew Foulds is commenting on the budget's increases to waste water and water rates.  The fiscal document lays out a six percent increase for those two rates that will come into effect on April 1st.  Foulds says he understands people are concerned about the increases but notes they have to be done to ensure water quality and safety.  Council will continue to review the budget at another public meeting Wednesday night.

Urban Legend Denied

A blanket denial by the developer of the new waterfront condo's and hotel.   Gisele MacDonald of the Resolve Group says there is absolutely no truth to an urban legend making the rounds that the hotel will not be built until the proposed north side events centre is a done deal. She says neither the completion of hotel or the condos are tied to another other project adding that 3 million dollars has already been sunk into the hotel development.

Cab Companies Address Concerns

It appears city officials and taxi company owners in Thunder Bay have many of the same concerns.   Councillor Brian McKinnon is heading up the committee looking to make changes to the taxi by-law,  and says a meeting between the two sides today was very productive with  both sides appearing to be on "the same page".   Under the new plan,  the Police Services Board will hand the regulation of taxis to the city.  McKinnon says don't expect cab fares to go down as a result of the change unless the companies can get some of their major concerns addressed,  like eliminating the red tape for hiring new drivers.

North Side Fire Cause "Undetermined"

A  city fire investigator says that Monday's inferno at 230 Fitzgerald Street will go into the books as undetermined.   The blaze totally destroyed the 2 storey house, which was vacant at the time.   Inspector Bob Vander Ploeg says that the damage is too severe and that it would be too dangerous for inspectors to examine properly. No one was hurt in the fire.

UAS Asking For City Funding

Among the many presentations being made at tonight's budget meeting at city hall will be one by the Urban Aboriginal Strategy.  Spokesperson Frances Wesley says organizers will ask for funding so they can continue the efforts, she believes, are making a difference in the community.  According to their website, the UAS helps to meet the needs facing Aboriginal people living in the city.   Wesley says they will be requesting 75 thousand dollars.

Hyer Gets Critic Role

A new responsibility for Thunder Bay MP Bruce Hyer.   He is now the Green Party's critic for democratic reform.  Party leader Elizabeth May cites Hyer's  personal commitment to promoting transparency and accountability in our democratic institutions as a reason for the appointment.

PSWs In Dryden Have Deal

A tentative contract has been reached between Unifor's personal support workers and Revera Home Health in Dryden. The deal impacts 35-employees. Unifor National Representative Stephen Boon says the new deal contains improvements along with increased mileage pay and annual wage increases retroactive to last June. Details won't be released until workers review the full document and vote on it later next week.

Paintings At Centre Of Lawsuit

Two famous Canadians are going to court claiming they bought fake Norval Morrisseau paintings from a Toronto art dealer.   Lawyer Jonathan Sommer represents musicians Kevin Hearn of the Barenaked Ladies and John McDermott and  who plans to prove the paintings were not done by the famous Northwestern Ontario First Nations artist.   The lawyer for the art dealer Brian Shiller says the claims are false and the paintings are authentic.  None of the allegations have been proven in court.

Terry Fox Artifacts Requested

City staff are looking into relocating a number of Terry Fox artifacts to Thunder Bay. Councillor Ken Boshcoff introduced the idea to the floor last night. Staff will contact the family and see if they have any items they want to show in an exhibit. A report will also come back to Council with a price tag on how much relocating the memorabilia will cost.

Council Hears Waste Plan

The consultants behind the City's proposed waste strategy plan feel residents want to see a different approach to garbage and recycling.  Stantec Spokesperson Cathy Smith says residents are for a clear plastic garbage bag program. Smith says they also received positive feedback on doing away with recycling bags and moving towards a recycle box. Council will vote on the plan at a future meeting in the spring.