Mauro Named To Municipal Affairs

A surprise out of Queens Park.   Bill Mauro is the new provincial minister for municipal affairs and housing.  He was named to the post by Premier Kathleen Wynne as part of a wider cabinet shuffle triggered by the resignation of Linda Jeffrey from municipal affairs.   Mauro says the appointment was a surprise to him but he is excited to take on the challenge and that he knows he has a steep learning curve.

Man Pleads Guilty To Child Luring

A 27 year old Thunder Bay man is pleading guilty to charges stemming from a police sting operation last month.   Matthew Lovering was charged with child luring and failing to comply with a court order after undercover detectives responded to an on-line ad on Kijiji.   The ad asked for young boys between the ages of 6 and 13 to model for photographs.    An original charge of Invitation to Sexual Touching was dropped by the Crown.    He is back in court on May 6th.   According to the prosecution, Lovering faces a mandatory minimum 1 year in jail for the offences.

Mask Making Nurses

Lakehead University's nursing students are learning about caring for others by making masks. Students partnered up recently and poured plaster on each others faces to create masks. It helped the students since they had to trust their partner to cover their mouth and nose for a brief moment.

Gambee Back To Court In May

The former chair of the Christmas Cheer fund is coming back to court May 13th on charges that Linda Gambee defrauded the fund of about 22 thousand dollars.  In court,  her lawyer Gil Labine said he still needs to receive some of the paperwork on what he calls a complex matter. He also alluded to his client's mental health.   Gambee herself did not appear in court.

Physiotherapy Money Handed Out

The Provincial Government is providing 588-thousand dollars to two new publicly funded physiotherapy clinics in Thunder Bay.  Closing the Gap Healthcare Group and the Fairway Physiotherapy and Sports Injury Clinic will share the cash.  The money will provide expanded access to physiotherapy services for 472 individuals this year and more than 1,400 people in 2014/15.

Youth Center Project Fails

The Youth Centre partnership between the City and the Indian Friendship Center is being scrapped.  The project won't move forward because they were unable to secure capital funding before the purchase deadline of March 14th. Administration will report back on April 7 to seek further direction from Council to explore other options related to developing City Youth Centre.

Minister Visiting T.Bay

The provincial Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Employment Eric Hoskins is in Thunder Bay today.  He's speaking at the Da Vinci about the government's plan to help create jobs and grow the economy.

Hobbs Makes 90k Last Year

There was a close focus on the city's current financial situation at council last night, the same day it came out that Mayor Keith Hobbs made 90-thousand dollars last year.  Councillor Ken Boshcoff says its something the public may take note of.  The next highest paid member of council is Joe Virdiramo at a little over 44-thousand dollars.

Council Supports Taxi Change

A move that would see the regulation of the city's taxi's switched from the police to by-law is receiving support from city council.  Mayor Keith Hobbs says police officers should be focused elsewhere. Council is expected to hear further details on the issue in the fall.

City's Debt To Reach 184 Million

The city's debt will reach 184-million dollars this year. This comes after the city approved its debt management strategy at council last night. The strategy includes borrowing a little over 8-million dollars for phase two of the Golf Links-Junot Corridor and a 10-million dollar loan to Tbaytel.

Snow Budget Over

Council is looking at all options to keep costs under control following consecutive extreme winters. Due to the weather the 2014 winter budget has been completely spent. The city will review all hiring and look to put an end to all corporate spending including travel considered non-essential.

TBRRI Maps Out Direction

The Thunder Bay Regional Research Institute is mapping out the direction they are taking to councillors. Gary Polanski is Chair of the Board of Governor's and says research efforts are getting noticed. Currently the hospital has over thirty physician researchers.

LU President Gives State Of The University

Lakehead University President Brian Stevenson says that the school is among the best in Canada. Stevenson made his state of the university address to council Monday night and says the school continues to adapt to changing times. He adds that the university has reached 22.5-million dollars in research grants.

Load Restrictions Coming

The Ministry of Transportation’s Provincial Reduced Load Regulations are expected to come into effect shortly. Heavy load restrictions will apply within City limits beginning Wednesday morning.  The Reduced Load Restrictions also apply to all streets within the City with some exemptions.

Raise The Rent Today

VIP's are coming together to call friends and family to Raise the Rent. It's the annual fundraiser in support of the city's homeless shelter. Several VIP's from the community will come together and attempt to raise their goal of a thousand dollars. The yearly fundraising goal of the shelter house is approximately 500 thousand dollars.

Poll Pondered For Events Centre

The city is pondering the possibility of hiring a polling firm to get feedback from the public on the proposed events centre.  City Manager Tim Commisso says  the idea has been talked about behind the scenes.  He say it would be a community attitudes survey done over the phone by Ipsos-Reid.   Commisso says it's far from a done deal.  He says the idea is still in the planning stages and will be brought back to council in the near future.

Staals Sponsor PGA Tournament

The Staal brothers, Eric, Jordan, Jared and Marc, are adding their names to the world of golf.   The Staal Foundation is the title sponsor for the PGA tour's Thunder Bay Golf Classic in July.   Executive Director Scott Smith says it's a 300 thousand dollar commitment for three years.  Smith calls the sponsorship  the most exciting thing that could have happened to the tournament.   The tour stop takes place July 14th until the 20th at the Whitewater Golf Course.

Young Couple Die In Collision

A Thunder Bay couple, who were about to be married, are the victims of this weekend's fatal traffic accident on the Thunder Bay Expressway.   Police say that the two were in a PT Cruiser at around 3 am on Saturday when a pick up truck struck several guard rails and veered across the highway striking their vehicle.  They say that 28 year old Daniel Brooks was pronounced dead at the scene while his fiancee Michelle Parker was pronounced dead at the hospital.   It was her 28th birthday.    The driver of the pick up sustained injuries that are considered minor.   So far there have been no charges laid, but police say that the investigation is not finished.

Nurses Resume Negotiations With Employer

The Ontario Nurses Association and Thunder Bay District Public Health Unit Nurses are going back to the bargaining table. The 58 Public Health Nurses are the lowest paid in Ontario, and are without a contract for more than a year. The bargaining talks resume after breaking down during their last meeting on February 3rd. The Ministry of Labour has appointed a conciliation officer to help the two sides reach an agreement.

Rickford Vows To Stay Focused On ROF

The newly appointed Minister of Natural Resources says the Ring of Fire remains a high priority for the Federal Government.  Greg Rickford says the dialogue between the Feds and the Ontario government continues.  Rickford already had the Ring of Fire portfolio before the cabinet shake-up, but the new appointment will give him better control of the massive mining project in northern Ontario.

Taxi Issue At Council Tonight

The Police Services Board is officially asking City Council to take back the job of policing taxis.  Board Chair Joe Virdiramo says if Council takes back the responsibility it will free up officers time and allow them to get back to keeping the public safe.  A report on the history of the taxi by-law is being delivered to Council tonight.

PETA Calls Bear Hunt Bloody Massacre

The animal activist group PETA is rallying their troops against the upcoming return of the spring bear hunt. They're asking for people to write the Premier and MNR Minister to cancel the bear hunt. PETA representative Ashley Byrne says the spring hunt won't help with bear populations or human bear conflicts. PETA feels Ontario should enforce strict wildlife feeding prohibitions and provide residents with more information about how to better coexist peacefully with their wild neighbors.

NDP Labour Critic Touring Bombardier

Ontario NDP Labour Critic Taras Natyshak is calling on the Provincial government to bring in Canadian content requirements on provincially funded transit vehicle purchases. The call comes after a tour today of the local Bombardier plant. It also comes ahead of a private members bill on Thursday that will ask for 60 per cent Canadian content requirement for transit vehicle purchases.

First Nation Mining Conference Underway

Fort William First Nations is holding their second annual Mining and Economic Development Conference. This years conference, themed "investing in our people", will encourage First Nations people to build relationships with entrepreneurs, government officials, contractors, and suppliers to increase awareness of training and job opportunities in the region. The event starts today and runs until Wednesday.

Hillcrest Park To Get Vendors

The city is looking for vendors to set up on Hillcrest Park during this summer's Canada Day celebrations. Parks Manager Paul Fayrick says its a first for the area.  Fayrick says there would be a small payment made by vendors.

Draft Plan Being Reviewed

City Council is going to review it's draft official plan tonight.  Spokesperson Leslie McEachern says the living document is being updated to reflect changes in the way the City will be handled over the coming year. Staff are looking for approval and direction from Council.

Respect Award Tonight

Police Constable Larry Baxter is the recipient of the City of Thunder Bay's 2014 Respect Award. Baxter works with the Aboriginal Liaison Unit and serves as the Cultural Diversity Officer.  The respect award is awarded to people who recognize the importance of human dignity.

Youth Corp Receives Funding

The Police Services Board is giving over 2 thousand dollars to its Youth Corp. They'll be using the money to help provide their regular activities. Spokesperson Jerry Roos says they welcome the cash and notes they'll be looking at ways of getting more money to buy winter clothing for cadets. The youth corp money was approved at a board meeting last week.

Possible Changes To Workers Comp Claims

The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board is putting forth some changes to who is eligible for workers comp. Karl Crevar is the founding President of the Ontario Network of Injured Workers Group and spoke at the Lakehead Labour Centre late last week. Crevar says one of the changes includes the board looking into pre-existing conditions when employees make a claim.

Invasive Species Bill Being Introduced

A bill is being introduced by the Ontario government that would support the detection and rapid response towards invasive species. Minister Of Natural Resources David Orazietti says the legislation would address many threats in particular the mountain pine beetle. Invasive plants alone are responsible for over 7-billion dollars in funding from the country's agriculture and forest industries.

Onion Lake Survey

Mining Company Benton Resources plans to conduct some work on its Onion Lake property. President Steven Stairs says they think there's sizeable platinum, copper and nickel deposits in the area. They will survey the land and set up a small drill program. The property is 30-kilometre's north of Thunder Bay.

High Rates For Flesh Eating Disease

Northwestern Ontario has the dubious distinction of having the highest rates per capita in the province for flesh eating disease. Thunder Bay District Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams says most of the population shouldn't worry about contracting the disease. Williams says it is commonly found among homeless populations suffering from alcoholism and taking part in intravenous drug use. Dr. Williams says the trend has been constant since 2006.

Cruiser Involved In Accident

The Traffic Unit with the Thunder Bay Police are investigating a collision between one of their cruisers and another vehicle. It happened around 9:30 Friday evening while the cruiser was responding to a robbery at a Mac's Milk on South Syndicate. Both vehicles involved suffered extensive damage and two people received minor injuries. Meanwhile police are looking for a woman they believe was involved in the store robbery. The store clerk noticed some unpaid items in the woman's pocket on her way out of the store, she then claimed to have a weapon and fled. She is described as a Native American woman in her mid-twenties, around 5'7 with a thin build and dark hair. Anyone with information is urged to contact crime stoppers.