Bridge Fire Brings Out Racists

The ugly face of racism appears to have reared its head as a result of the James Street bridge fire. Both Facebook and Twitter were abuzz on Tuesday night when the bridge caught ablaze.  A local blogger who lives on the Fort William First Nation says that some of the Tweets he saw on Twitter that night cross the line as being offensive.  He called it a Ku Klux Klan parade and was concerned that some of the rants came from young people in the city.  Mayor Keith Hobbs condemns the racist diatribe and says he even encountered a racist comment on his own Facebook account.  The original blog post can be read here.

LU Starts New Program

 Lakehead University is expanding its programming in Central Ontario.  The Thunder Bay school is teaming up with Georgian College to develop a four year degree in electrical engineering.  The program will be available in the fall of 2015.

Leaf & Yard Waste Collection Starts Friday

Curbside collection of leaf and yard waste starts tomorrow.  The collections will take place on your regular recycling day, between November 1st and November 14th.  Each bag has a weight limit of 40 pounds.

New Businesses Open

There's some new life in the Park Avenue and Cumberland area.  A new business called "The Gym" on Park Avenue is one of three new businesses in the area including High Tide Tattoo Parlor and Connect the Dots. Empty buildings were renovated in the area and the new businesses made their homes in them.

67 Year Old Charged In Collision

A 67 year old Atikokan resident is facing charges after a two vehicle collision at the intersection of the Harbour Expressway and Highway 11/17.  The incident on Tuesday saw extensive damage to both vehicles.The driver is charged with failing to stop at a red light.

Local Man Sentenced For Tax Evasion

A Thunder Bay engineer and director of Norall Group Contracting is paying the price for tax evasion. The Canada Revenue Agency says Carl Gustafson was sentenced recently in the Ontario Court of Justice to a fine of over 84-thousand dollars and given a 9 month conditional sentence. He plead guilty to one count of income tax evasion and has two years to the pay the fine.

E-Bike Driver Charged

OPP are charging a 31 year old with drinking and driving an E-Bike. On Tuesday, police saw two men on the bike not wearing helmets so they decided to pull them over at the intersection of Red River Road and Highway 11/17. The officer noticed when speaking with the driver that there was the smell of alcohol in the air. The local man was arrested and charged with two drinking and driving related charges.

Heart Of The Continent Partnership

A new tourist idea is being discussed for our region, and both sides of the border would be part of the plan. A group called the Heart of the Continent Partnership, wants to create a new travel destination by connecting the dots between International Falls and Duluth in Minnesota and Fort Frances and Thunder Bay. The group is on the verge of raising 200-thousand dollars that would fund the project.

Safety Tips For Halloween

Every year at Halloween, The OPP and City Police makes a conscience effort to promote trick or treat safety to children. And, while young people need to be cautious tonight....drivers need to be mindful of the holiday as well.  Being visible and travelling in groups will also help to make this a safe Halloween.

Treaty Three Police Hire Consultant

Work continues to protect the Treaty 3 Police Service. The board of directors has decided to seek a consultant who will look at the long term sustainability of the force. Board Chair Eli Mandamin says one of the consultants responsibilities will be helping to search for new police chief. Earlier this year the police service laid off a number of officers, slashed benefits, and issued 45 day lay-off notices due to a lack of funding.

New Changes to the Christmas Parade

This years Christmas parade will have a few new changes. Volker Kromm is co-chair of the event and says that one of the new additions will be a giant Christmas card that will show up at the parades sponsor stores. Kids are encouraged to sign the card with a message for Santa. The parade route is also new, being reversed from years past now beginning at the Real Canadian Superstore parking lot. The parade is November 16th at 10am.

Engineer Pleads Guilty To Tax Evasion

A Thunder Bay engineer and director of Norall Group Contracting is paying the price for tax evasion. The Canada Revenue Agency says Carl Gustafson was sentenced recently in the Ontario Court of Justice to a fine of over 84-thousand dollars and given a 9 month conditional sentence. He plead guilty to one count of income tax evasion and has two years to the pay the fine.

Elevator Company Hopes For Short Bridge Closure

A major grain elevator company is hoping the James Street bridge can open soon.   Darin D'Aleo  of Superior Grain Elevators says Tuesday night's bridge fire could have a severe effect if there is a prolonged closure.  He says it's a busy time of year for them with heavy rail movement until the end of December.   D'Aleo adds officials at the company's corporate headquarters in Winnipeg say down time could only be a couple of days.

A Unique Milestone for the Casino

The Thunder Bay OLG Casino is celebrating a recycling milestone. Partnered with TerraCycle Canada over one-million cigarette butts have been collected and sent from the casino this past year. Tim O'Doherty is the casino's General Manager and says he is proud of their growing environmental reputation. For every pound of filters collected the casino receives a one-dollar donation for a charity of their choice.

A New Way of Voting

The Municipality of Shuniah is taking a new approach to voting for their next municipal election. More than half of the population lives elsewhere for most of the year. The new electronic voting system being put in place will allow these residents to vote without having to be there in person. Reeve Maria Harding says she prefers the traditional voting method but added that she supports the change. As it stands, between twenty and thirty percent of those eligible vote.

Swing Bridge Treated As Crime Scene

CN Rail Police, City Police and Fire Officials are treating last night's blaze at the James Street Swing Bridge as a crime scene.  The fire was called in just after 7 o'clock last night and Charlene Squire lives on the street that runs beside the bridge and says it was an emotional evening.  Meanwhile, City Fire Prevention Office Paul Abernethy says the bridge is badly damaged.  An investigator from the Ontario Fire Marshal's Office is expected to arrive in Thunder Bay tonight and will start investigating the cause tomorrow.

FWFN Chief Calls For A New Bridge

The chief of the Fort William First Nation thinks it's time to replace the James Street bridge . It follows last night's fire on the bridge which has forced its closure for an indefinite amount of time. Georjann Morriseau says there has to be a way to make sure there is a reliable access to her community. Chief Morriseau says that the community is in shock as a result of the blaze and she plans to contact both CN Rail and the city to find out where to go from here. 

Minor Injuries In Crash

City Police are investigating a three-car accident at Memorial Avenue and the Harbour Expressway.  The crash took place at the intersection around 8 o'clock last night.  Three people were taken to hospital with minor injuries.

James Street Bridge Catches Fire

Officials are assessing the damage following a fire on the James Street Swing Bridge last night.   Chief John Hay says firefighters were called to the scene around 7 o'clock and found smoke and flames coming from the structure.  He says it proved to be a very stubborn blaze because of the creosote on the train tracks.  Hay adds it's too early to say what caused the blaze and says the bridge will be closed to vehicle and train traffic until it's deemed safe.

League Meeting To Tackle Area Issues

The staff cutbacks at the local daily newspaper will be on the agenda of this weekend's Thunder Bay Municipal League meeting in the city.   League president Larry Hebert says there's concern about a lack of full time reporters in the city.    Hebert says recently the league supported the continued operation of the radio station in Marathon.   As well the League will be asked to support a bid by MPP Bill Mauro to bring back the spring bear hunt and Hebert promises a hot topic at the meeting will the transportation
of dangerous goods through area communities.