NW LHIN has new blood

The Northwest Local Health Integration Network is getting new blood. Thunder Bay's Reg Jones will sit on the LHINs board of directors. Retired Greenstone OPP officer Dan Levesque has also joined the board.

Easter Weekend forecast

It has the makings of a pretty decent Easter Long Weekend.  Sunny skies, and near normal temperatures are predicted for most of the four day long weekend.  However, Bill Laidlaw says things aren't looking good for Good Friday.  Laidlaw says Easter Monday could be the nicest day of the long weekend, with sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-teens.

Advance Polls open Good Friday

Advance Polls for the Federal Election open Good Friday across the Thunder Bay Rainy River Riding.  There are eleven polling stations in the City, with another three in the Rainy River area.  You can cast your vote in both the Rainy River and Superior North riding's each day from noon until 8 o'clock.

Active transportation discussed

Thunder Bay can become more active all it has to do is invest in infrastructure and promote cycling and walking.  That's the message from Urban Planning Expert Gil Penalosa who was in the City on Thursday.  Penalosa says bike lanes need to be separated by physical boundaries not just painted white lanes on the road.  The City is taking part in an initiative to make itself more walkable.

Hampton on border towns

The NDP's Economic Development Critic is calling on the Province to make border towns more competitive.  Howard Hampton wants the government to reduce the liquor control board's mark up on liquor sold by duty-free stores.  Hampton is calling on the mark up to be dropped from 50 percent to 30.

Developmental Service programs needed

Community Living Fort Frances is calling on the province for more funding to help families access their services.  Executive director Alanna Barr says about 55 people with developmental disabilities are now on a wait list.  Barr says associations across the region are in similar situations.

Poachers convicted

A group of 7 hunters from Southern Ontario have been ordered to pay nearly 46-thousand dollars for 30-offences relating to illegal hunting in the Schreiber area.  6-men and 1-woman pleaded guilty to numerous offences for the poaching of 3-adult moose and a deer. Charges include hunting during the closed season, possessing and abandoning illegally killed animals, unlawfully using another person's licence and obstructing a conservation officer.  One of the men has been banned from hunting for 10-years.

Legal services protocol signed

First Nations youth who get in trouble with the law will take a different route through the legal system.  Nishnawbe-Aski Legal Services  and along with Nishawbe-Aski Police Services  have signed an agreement to refer appropriate cases to more native centred programs.

City police raid high schools

Three school students are facing drug related charges after police raided all the city high schools this week.  Police say a 16 year old boy and 17 year old girl face a charge of possessing marijuana while a 15 year old girl is charged with trafficking marijuana.

Hampton wants more consultation

The McGuinty Government doesn't care about the concerns of Northwestern Ontario.  That's the feeling of NDP Critic Howard Hampton. Hampton says the Liberals showed their true colours by voting down a motion that calls for more consultation in Northern Ontario.  Hampton says the lack of consultation will be an election issue this fall. 

Hudak pushes Tory agenda

Tim Hudak is counting on a promise to eliminate smart metres and the Local Health Integration Networks to get elected the next premier of Ontario.  The Progressive Conservative leader is making a pre-holiday stop in the city to push his agenda for the north.   He calls Hydro Smart Metres nothing more than tax machines and again promises to eliminate the LHIN's which he calls,  regional health bureaucracies and a waste of tax dollars.

Fatal fire on McPherson Street

An elderly woman is dead after a house fire on McPherson Street Thursday morning.  Platoon Chief Val Lafontaine says crews were called to the blaze just before 4 o'clock at 640 McPherson Street.  Lafontaine says firefighters didn't find the body until a secondary search of the house, once the blaze was under control.  A neighbour told our news room, the woman lived alone and kept to herself.  City Police along with Thunder Bay Fire and Rescue and the Ontario Fire Marshall's Office are investigating the cause. 

Layton talks jobs in Thunder Bay

The rest of the Country needs to follow Thunder Bay's lead and elect NDP MPs.  That was the rallying cry of Jack Layton at last night's town hall that drew around 400 people.  Layton answered several questions about the region's economy and says the NDP would create a forestry strategy.  He says they would put their foot down and ensure natural resources are put to work in the area they are harvested from.  Layton says it was the Conservatives blocked the kinds of initiatives that would help the Northwest.

Ignatieff visits Thunder Bay

Another party leader will be visiting the city. Liberal leader Micheal Ignatieff will be making an appearance in Thunder Bay on Monday. Local Liberal officials say the final details of the visit are still being confirmed.

Twinning between Winnipeg and Kenora

If your heading west this summer, don't expect any work to take place this Summer on the twinning of the Trans-Canada Highway west of Kenora. An environmental assessment is still being carried out on the project. Kenora MP Greg Rickford is confident that work can begin before the end of this year. Funding for the 100-million dollar project was announced almost 2-years ago

Flavour Gone NWO

The Flavour Gone campaign to eliminate flavoured tobacco is back in Northwestern Ontario.  Spokesperson Roberta Lappage says they are concerned because big tobacco companies are continuing to produce flavoured products, despite new Legislation passed by the Federal Government.  Lappage says they're looking for support from Members of Parliament and local communities in their continued battle against flavoured tobacco.

Dew Drop Inn Easter dinner

Hungry men, women and children will be able to enjoy a hot meal this Easter weekend.  The St. Andrew's Dew Drop Inn is expecting 300 people for their Easter dinner on Easter Sunday.  Spokesperson Paul Deighton says many families come to the Drop Inn on festive holidays. Turkey, ham and vegetables will be on the menu on Sunday.

Actlabs brings business to Northwest

Actlabs in Dryden will be bringing some business to Thunder Bay.  The lab offers mineral sample preparation and uses 3-crushers and 3-pulverizers.  After sample prep is complete, the samples are shipped to Thunder Bay.

Motorcycle Ride For Dad

The annual fundraiser Motorcycle Ride for Dad is back. This year's fundraising goal is 78 thousand dollars.  Money raised goes towards prostate cancer research. The event will be held on June 18th.  Over 300 motorcycles are expected to take part.

Child Porn seizure in Couchiching

A Couchiching First Nation man has been charged with various child pornography offences following an on-line investigation.  Police searched a home on Tuesday and officers seized 4-computers, an external hard drive, discs and printed material.  OPP say the items contained images of child sexual abuse.