Teachers don't want to loose sick days

Sick days appear to be at the centre of negotiations between the Province and the Ontario Teachers Association.  The Head of the Lakehead Elementary Teachers Association Ellen Chambers says the province is trying to undo 20 years of collective bargaining by limiting teachers to 6 sick days a year.  Currently teachers can bank 200 sick days and then get them paid out.

Gliddy to stand trial in May

The dates are now set for another murder trial in Thunder Bay.  Two weeks have been set aside for the trial of 29 year old Thea Gliddy. She is the woman who is charged with second degree murder in the May 2010 death of 39 year old Randy Cromarty. His body was found in a room at old Inntowner Hotel, which doesn't exist anymore. Police say he was the victim of a serious assault. Giddy's jury trial will take place May 14th until the 25th.

Northern Committee passes

The goal of creating a new committee for Northern issues at Queen's Park has passed its first hurdle.  The motion received all-party support Thursday night in the Ontario Legislature.  Kenora-Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell says she proudly supports the bill saying communities in this region have wanted such a committee for years.  She hopes that the Standing Committee on Northern Issues can be created fairly soon to deal with concerns of local residents.

Angus talks economic development

Local residents are being asked what they think about a proposed regional economic development agency for Northwestern Ontario. Iain Angus was in Dryden recently to talk about the new initiative. Angus says this won't be just another level of bureaucracy. Angus says they want some feedback on the kind of board the new agency should have and who should sit on the board.

Job bank shut down

No word on when the federal government's job bank will return on-line.  The site was shut down because of what Human Resources Development Canada called a serious security issues limited to a few federal employee accounts.  Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP John Rafferty says it comes amidst jobs cuts at Service Canada.  Rafferty says the site being impacts both employers posting jobs and employees looking for work.

Fatal explosion investigation complete

The Ministry of Labour has completed its investigation into the fatal explosion at Terrace Bay Pulp; but the process has yet to be complete.  Ministry spokesperson Matt Blajer says the incident is still under review and that's all he can say.  In October of last year, a Terrace Bay Pulp worker was killed when a blow tank exploded.

Dryden fraud leads to charges

Dryden Police have charged a 34-year-old woman following a lengthy fraud and theft investigation.  Police say they received complaints from the Dryden Ski Club and the Shaw Walleye Masters back in December that one of their volunteers defrauded them out of a substantial amount of money.  Walleye Masters Committee Spokesperson Joe Barron says they are disappointed but are staying focused.  Dryden Police say Allyson Dunham faces 2-counts each of theft over 5-thousand dollars, fraud over 5-thousand dollars and criminal breach of trust.

Contract extension in Dryden

A good day for unionized staff at Community Living Dryden and Sioux Lookout.  The Communications, Energy and Paper workers Union says its 90-members have voted 100-percent in favour of extending their contracts by 29-months.  Spokesperson Stephen Boon says the relationship between the two sides has been relatively good, so the members agreed to forgo all aspects of the bargaining process and simply duplicate the previous negotiated wage increases from the last contract.  Staff will see a 4.75-percent increase over the course of the deal, which is now set to expire in September 2014.

NAPS arrest someone for fire

Nishnawbe-Aski Police have arrested a 13-year-old boy for allegedly starting a large fire at the Sandy Lake First Nation elementary school.  The February 19th fire caused extensive damage to Thomas Fiddler Memorial School.  Police arrested the young teen on Wednesday.  The boy has been charged with break and enter as well as arson.  He has been released on conditions and is due in Court on April 17th.  The school will be closed for the remainder of the school year due to the damage it sustained.

Mac's Mart robbed

Thunder Bay Police are looking for a suspect in an early morning robbery of the James Street Mac's Mart.  A man made off with a small amount of cash and cigarettes.  Police describe him as six feet tall with an average build.  He was wearing a white jacket with red on the shoulder.  The suspect's face was covered with black cloth.  Anyone with information is asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers.

Gun range still on the drawing board

A new gun range in the city is still far from being a reality. City administration is to bring back a report on a request by the local Fish and Game Association. City Councillor Paul Pugh says he has his own concerns about the proposed gun range in the Government Road area. He's received phone calls from people worried about having a gun range in their neighbour and even possible health concerns. Pugh calls them serious issues that will have to be addressed. The Association is asking the city for over 600 thousand dollars to put towards the project.

Blues Festival line-up announced

The acts for the annual Thunder Bay Blues Festival are now confirmed.   Organizer Trevor Hurtig says it's going to be one of the best line-ups yet.  He says it includes the 2012 Grammy Award winning Tedeschi Trucks Band, .38 Special, Jonny Lang and Sass Jordan. Hurtig says tickets go on sale on Saturday morning at 9:30. The festival takes place the weekend of July 6th.

Tony Clement is coming to town

A Federal Cabinet Minister is making a stop in Thunder Bay.  Minister Responsible for Fednor Tony Clement will arriving in the City Monday Morning.  Members of his staff say he will be making a few announcements, including some through Fednor. 

Elections Canada stays tight lipped

Elections Canada says it will not comment on news that its investigators will be in the city next week as part of the so called robocalls scandal.  Reports indicate that they will be questioning staffers at a Thunder Bay call centre operated by Responsive Marketing Group which was hired by the Conservatives during the last federal election.  There are accusations that automated phone calls went out to Liberal supporters in various ridings announcing what,  in some cases were,  phony polling locations.

Fire Marshal looking into fatal Kenora fire

The Ontario Fire Marshal's Office is in Kenora looking into a fatal fire.  The Blaze happened at a house early yesterday morning and fire crews located a 56 year old man inside the residence.  James Rutherford has been identified as the deceased.

Premier would be open to events centre request

Premier Dalton McGuinty isn't closing the door to possible future funding for an events centre in Thunder Bay. Speaking in the city today McGuinty said his government will be open to any request and has a responsibility to give it careful consideration.  McGuinty says even in tough times the government plans to continue with infrastructure funding.  On other topics the premier said the government wants to continue to work with First Nations communities over Oxycontin withdrawal.  On the subject of a proposed two year wage freeze for the province's teachers, he hopes they will give it consideration at the bargaining table for the sake of saving jobs. 

Hobbs in Toronto

Mayor Keith Hobbs is in Toronto today talking with the Toronto Transit Commission's Karen Stintz.  Thunder Bay's Mayor plans to tell the TTC Chair thank you for listening to the City's concerns over the Bombardier light rail vehicle contract with Toronto.  He's also taking part in an International mining conference with Mining Services Manager John Mason.

Red Cross needs more volunteers

The Red Cross is expanding in Thunder Bay and Shuniah. 14 people were recently trained to work in emergency situations in the two communities and Spokesperson Rob Kilgour says more people are needed in Thunder Bay. There are over 20 volunteers and at least 80 are needed to deal with the volume of calls the Red Cross receives. Kilgour points to the recent fires in Shuniah township as to why there is a great need for the Red Cross and it's volunteers.

City and Fort William ready themselves for Ring of Fire

The City and Fort William First Nation are teaming up to create an action plan on how to take advantage of the Ring of Fire.  The plan encompasses the community's need for more industrial land, better infrastructure, and a workforce for future mining projects. Councillor Joe Virdiramo is defending their joint meeting with cabinet ministers at the Good Roads Conference saying money will eventually flow.  Virdiramo feels they had the Cabinet Ministers' ears and funding will eventually come to help with the Ring of Fire project.

Calls for CAO's firing

Thunder Bay's Rick Potter is in the hot seat. As the CAO of the province's air ambulance service, ORNGE, Potter has reportedly admitted he lied about his university credentials. Progressive Conservative critic Frank Klees says it's clear Potter must be fired.  Klees also says it was a mistake for Thunder Bay's Pat Lang to be appointed to the board at ORNGE since she has a past connection to Potter when she was Confederation College President and he was head of the College's Aviation Centre.