Hobb's says streetcar deal could be saved

Mayor Keith Hobbs says there's hope for Thunder Bay's Bombardier plant. Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has said he wants to tear up a streetcar deal with the company. Ford favours subway cars instead. Hobbs says he has heard through sources the plan could be modified to include a mix of streetcars and subway vehicles.  Hobbs adds he still hopes to meet with Ford next month.

Arson likely the cause of south side blaze

Fire investigators are saying vandals may be responsible for a Tuesday morning fire on North Syndicate Avenue. Terry Hanchar says it looks like the blaze at the Christian Fellowship Centre could have been deliberately set based on one account.  He says a neighbour says  he has seen kids hanging around there in the past.   A big storage facility was heavily damaged in the blaze

Patient Transfer's studied

Superior North Emergency Medical Services is welcoming an Ontario Ombudsman study. The probe will look at non-emergency patient transfers and whether they need to be regulated. Gale says he hopes in the future another patient issue is addressed. The EMS head wants the Ombudsman to look into the high demand on the EMS for patient transfers. The Ombudsman launched the investigation after receiving 30 complaints about private companies that transfer non-critical patients.

Housing starts continue to rise

Thunder Bay's housing market continues to break records.  Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation Analyst Warren Philp says 2010 was a good year.  In 2010 the city saw 204 new housing starts, which breaks the record first set in 1994.  In December, 13 single detached starts were reported.

Facebook video brawl solved

The parents of the brawling teen girls involved in a facebook video will be in charge of disciplining their kids.  Thunder Bay Police Spokesperson Chris Adams says they've wrapped up the investigation into the Sunday night fight behind Silver City.   Adams says it's not unusual for police to let the parents deal with the situation.

Red Nose goal is New Year's Eve

Operation Red Nose hopes to extend it's operations for the next holiday season. Chair Ken Boshcoff  wants the program to run on New Year's Eve. However, he says the problem is recruiting volunteers who are willing to drive home drunk party goers. Boshcoff says it would take over 100 volunteers to work on that evening, which is the number of helpers they had for the whole program this year. Organizers hope to attract volunteers from community groups

Bruce Montague released from jail

Former Dryden Gunsmith Bruce Montague is out of jail and has returned home.  Montague is embroiled in a fight over the Federal long gun registry.  His wife, Donna says they'll be facing a civil forefeiture trial over the May long weekend.  Bruce was released from jail this afternoon after spending four months in the district facility in Thunder Bay.

Hyer holding prebudget meetings

The upcoming Federal Budget will be the main topic for Bruce Hyer as he tours his riding. The Thunder Bay Superior North MP will be making stops in a number of communities and says he looks forward to hearing from residents.  Hyer will be hosting a meeting in Thunder Bay Thursday night at the Waverly Library starting at 7 o'clock.

Fire and Rescue deal suspicious

A Suspicious Fire kept Thunder Bay Fire and Rescue busy this morning.  Platoon Chief Scott Brown says the blaze broke out just after 2 o'clock at the Thunder Bay Christian Fellowship on Syndicate. The fire was in an outdoor storage building. Brown says it was a stubborn fire. Officials say the cause is suspicious and are investigating.

Facebook video leads to assault investigation

Thunder Bay Police are investigating a possible assault after a video of the incident was posted to Facebook. The video, which has now been removed from the site, shows one girl getting beaten by a number of other girls behind Silver City. The video appeared on Facebook yesterday morning.

2011 and beyond: A Strat Plan

The City of Thunder Bay is looking to the future.  Councillors listened to a report on the strategic planning process at a meeting Monday night.  The City is currently reviewing issues for the Strategic Plan and later in the month goals will be set. Spokesperson Karen Lewis says they hope to have a citizen survey out before the Strat Plan is complete. Many councillors want the survey to be done sooner rather than later.  Lewis says they could look at moving the survey up to late February or March rather than May. Public feedback on the draft plan will be held in the Spring.

Coaster inquest set

A coroner's inquest will be held February 7th in Thunder Bay into the death of Christopher Coaster.   The 29 year old died in August of 2008 while in custody at the Thunder Bay District Jail.   It's expected to last five days and hear from about 12 witnesses.

Violence against aboriginal women to be discussed

Thunder Bay's Community Health Centre will be taking part in a meeting on violence against aboriginal women. The Status of Women committee will be in Thunder Bay this Friday, and Chair Dr. Hedy Fry says they want to speak to aboriginal communities. Fry says she wants to see what they tell her about the root causes and the nature of violence being inflicted on first nation women. Fry says any solutions that come from this cross-Canada tour will be created for aboriginals by aboriginals.

Provincial Funding for North Shore Communities

A number of North Shore communities are receving funds from the Provincial Government.  Over 315 thousand dollars is being dolled out to eight projects in the region.  Terrace Bay will be using its share to install a slow sand filtration system.

Police publish robbery pics

Thunder Bay police are releasing surveillance photos of a robbery last week.  They are hoping to keep the case in the public eye by publishing the images of a masked and seemingly armed man.  He is seen entering the Northern Lights Credit Union Friday afternoon.  He got away with an undisclosed amount of money.

Watermain break causes road closure

A watermain break at the corner of Algoma and Dufferin is now fixed.   City crews worked on the problem after it was reported Sunday night.   A number of residents in the area were without water while it was repaired.   It also forced the closure of Algoma between Dufferin and Bay for a number of hours.

Inquest postponed

An inquest into the death of a 27 year old man is being postponed.  Bruce Moonias died on December 11th, 2006 at the Thuner Bay hospital after being involved with the Nishnawbe Aski Police and OPP.  The inquest was to take place on January 17th, but has yet to rescheduled.

Frank Pullia returns to City Hall tonight

Former City Councillor Frank Pullia is making a return to council chambers. Pullia is presenting a report tonight on the city's strategic planning process. Tonight's council meeting is solely dedicated to the strategic planning process. Pullia's presentation is part of his Lakehead University MBA Group Study.

Cancer Centre needs more $

Millions of dollars will be going into the Regional Cancer Centre over the next 4 years. It's to help the facility comply with Ontario Cancer Care's strategic plan.  Thunder Bay CEO Michael Power says the funding will require an extra 15 million dollars  for new equipment to fight cancer.

Brentwood Mall broken into

Thunder Bay police are still looking for someone or some people who broke into two stores in the Brentwood Mall.   Officer say just before 4 o'clock yesterday morning officers discovered two glass doors smashed open.  Police haven't made any arrests at this time.