Good Year For Airport

Thunder Bay's Airport is reporting record breaking passenger volumes in 2012.  Manager Scott McFadden says last year over 761-thousand passengers flew in and out of the City.  McFadden attributes the 5.8 percent increase in passengers to a number of things like a good winter charter program, and excellent service from Porter, WestJet and Air Canada. McFadden adds Wasaya expanded some of its regional flights and that too helped boost passenger numbers.

ETFO Will Rally At Mini QP

Over 300 elementary school teachers will be rallying at the Provincial Government buildings on James Street tomorrow.  Local Union President Ellen Chambers says the protest is aimed squarely at the Province and that's why they chose to picket Mini Queen's Park and not local schools.  Chambers is disappointed the Province views their one day protest as illegal strike activity.  The ETFO considers the labour action as their democratic right.

Child Porn Charges Laid

Schreiber O.P.P. are charging a 19 year old man with possessing, publishing and distributing child pornography. The charges stem from an incident on January 6th at a Schreiber hotel, when the 16 year old victim was video recorded and that recording was subsequently uploaded to a social media website. The name of the accused is being withheld to protect the identity of the victim. The individual is scheduled to appear in court on April 25th. Police say they've done everything they can to ensure the material has been taken off the internet but are warning anyone that criminal charges can result from anyone viewing sexually explicit images and video of a young person who is under the age of 18.

Robin's Tournament Begins Today

Minor hockey players from around northwestern Ontario are gathering in Thunder Bay this weekend for the annual Robin's Donuts Minor Hockey Tournament. Chair Joe Rizzuto says this tournament has been around for 37 years with Robins Donuts the sponsor for 22.  Round robin play begins today with 146 teams taking part ranging in age from 5 to 18 years old. Championship games will be played on Sunday at various rinks around the city.

Highway 11 Traffic Disruptions

OPP are letting motorists know that there are some traffic disruptions on highway 11 near Long Lake 58 First Nation.  An Idle No More protest is slowing the normal flow on traffic near Longlac.  The OPP has one lane of traffic open and they are allowing vehicles to pass through the demonstration slowly.

Flu Cause Of Illness At St. Joseph's Hospital

Influenza A is the cause of the respiratory outbreak declared last week at St. Joseph's Hospital.  As the Health Unit continues to receive reports of laboratory-confirmed cases of the flu in the community, public health officials advise the public to protect themselves and their families from the flu by getting a flu shot.

Inside Win Cleared...Lottario Prize Claimed

A Thunder Bay man is a quarter million dollars richer thanks to a lottery win.  Darren Smith is finally able to claim his prize after the Ontario Lottery Corporation completed its insider win investigation.  Smith works at an OLG retail location in the city and had to wait until the win was cleared.   

ETFO To Protest Friday

Ontario's elementary teachers's union says their members will stage a one-day political protest on Friday aimed at the Liberal government for imposing two-year contracts.  Local Union President Ellen Chambers says you can expect to see rallies at local schools.  Chambers will be advising her members tomorrow on which schools they'll rally at Friday.  Lakehead Public Schools elementary schools will be closed on Friday, however daycares located in elementary schools will remain open.  Secondary schools will be open for regular classes.

FWFN Chief Reacts To Court Ruling

Fort William First Nation Chief Peter Collins is pleased with the Federal Court's ruling in favour of off-reserve non-status Indians and Metis.  The court ruled Tuesday that they are "Indians" under the Constitution Act and they fall under federal jurisdiction.  Collins says the move will impact many former Fort William residents.  Tuesday's ruling impacts more than 600-thousand Metis and non-status Indians.

Stabbing On George Street Last Night

Thunder Bay Police are looking into a stabbing on George Street that occurred last night just before 7:30.  When officers arrived they located a 31 year old man on the ground outside the Thunder Bay Shelter House who was bleeding from stab wounds.  A 34 year old man was found inside the Shelter House and was also bleeding. Police have charged the 34 year old with aggravated assault and breach of probation.  The 31 year old victim remains in hospital with minor injuries.  Police say the two were known to each other and alcohol was a factor in the incident.

MNR Open House In T.Bay Tomorrow

The Ministry of Natural Resources is hosting an open house tomorrow in Thunder Bay on proposed changes to Lake Superior's Black Bay.   The province is considering removing a Dam on the Black Sturgeon River, which flows into Black Bay as away to allow walleye, sturgeon and coaster brook trout to migrate to their historical spawning areas upstream.  They also are considering installing a new barrier 50 kilometers upstream from the current dam to block the flow of the invasive sea lamprey.  You can review and comment on the dam and barrier proposals tomorrow in Thunder Bay and on January 17th in Nipigon.

Housing Starts On The Rise

The number of single-detached homes being built in Thunder Bay is on the rise.  Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation reports a slight increase in 2012 compared to the year before.  Analyst Warren Philp has the final numbers for December.  Philp notes the average cost to buy a home in Thunder Bay rose significantly by 15 percent last year with an average price of 194-thousand dollars.

Longlac Sexual Assault

A Longlac man is to appear in court today facing a charge of sexual assault.   O.P.P. say they were looking into a report of an overdue woman on Sunday of last week.  Officers located the woman shortly after receiving the call but learned through their investigation that she had allegedly been sexually assaulted that evening while receiving a taxi cab ride in the Longlac area.  Provincial Police are still asking for help from the public for more information.

Timbers Menu Offered Out Of Runway 25

The Vallhalla Inn is moving its Timbers menu to the Runway 25 restaurant starting Thursday.  The early morning fire last week badly damaged the Timbers eatery.  General Manager Mary McLellan says they don't have a date for when Timbers will be able to reopen but notes they're working on bringing the restaurant back into service.

North Star Named Player Of The Month

Thunder Bay North Stars forward Matt Kaarela has been named Sportop performer of the month for December. In six games in the final month of 2012 the 20 year old Thunder Bay native registered points in all of them accumulating 16 in total on nine goals and seven assists. He currently leads all S.I.J.H.L. skaters in tallies with 27 while sitting tied for second in overall points at 43 in just 24 games played.

Ambrose St. Apartment Fire

Investigators are saying the cause of an Ambrose Street apartment fire is accidental but it has left four people displaced. Firefighters were called to the 200 block of Ambrose Street last night at 8 o'clock to battle a fire in a second storey apartment. Officials deemed the apartment unsafe to return to and that heavy damage was sustained. Now four people are being looked after by the Red Cross.

Three Rescued From Stuck Elevator

Three people are in good condition but a little shaken after being stuck in an elevator this afternoon.  It happened at the Elizabeth Court apartments on Madeline Street.  The people were taken out with the help of the Thunder Bay Fire Service.  For Karen Murray it was deja vu. She was in an elevator several years back, that dropped in a free-fall for three floors.   This ordeal, while not quite as harrowing, lasted less than 15 minutes.

Flood Committee Raises 1.2 Million & Counting

Thunder Bay's Disaster Relief Committee is out with its latest fundraising figure.  So far just over 1.2 million dollars has been raised with more money expected to come in before the end of the month.  Chair Wayne Fletcher says it's a far cry from their original goal of 5 million dollars.  Money raised will go towards those people impacted by the May 28th flood with inadequate or no insurance.  A bottle drive is being held on January 26th and all proceeds will go towards the flood fund. 

Changes To Constitution Act

The MP for Kenora says it's too early to comment on a Federal Court ruling in favour of off-reserve Metis and non-status Indians.  The Court has ruled that they are indeed "Indians" under the Constitution Act and they fall under federal jurisdiction.  Greg Rickford offers his reaction.  Rickford says this a lower court decision that Aboriginal Affairs will take time to carefully review.

Omnibus Bill Straw That Broke The Camel's Back

Thunder Bay Rainy River MP John Rafferty is weighing in on the Idle No More movement.  Area First Nations and Aboriginals across the country are protesting the Federal Government's decision to pass the omnibus budget legislation known as Bill C-45.  Rafferty says it's the straw that broke the camel's back.  Rafferty says he has been in talks with Idle No More chapters in his riding.