Classic Tournament Gets Sponsors

The Thunder Bay's PGA Canada Classic is taking shape with two new sponsors being announced. Executive Director Scott Smith says the Valhalla Inn has come on board to help with this summer's event as a sponsor and as the tournament's official hotel.  The Chamber of Commerce has also come on board as a sponsor pledging 12-thousand dollars.

Passenger Volumes Increased

Thunder Bay's Airport is reporting higher passenger volumes in 2013.  President Scott McFadden says last year over 779-thousand passengers flew in and out of the City. McFadden attributes the 2.4 percent increase to the arrival of United Airlines and new flights offered by Wasaya.

HWY 17 Open

Highway 17 at Breezy point road East of Ignace is now open to both lanes of traffic.  It was closed for part of today due to multiple motor vehicle collisions. No injuries have been reported.

HWY 61 Open

Highway 61 just South of Riverdale Road is now open to traffic after it was closed following an accident this morning. A 71 year old man was sent to the hospital with serious injuries after the driver of a Toyota Corolla slid into him.  OPP Constable Diana Cole says it's a situation of wrong place at the wrong time. The driver of the vehicle wasn't injured and the vehicle sustained extensive damage.  The investigation is continuing.

Airport Premium Parking

Thunder Bay's Airport is introducing a new long term parking system.  It includes spaces in the short term parking area for the price of 20 bucks a day. President Scott McFadden says the most recent expansion of the parking lot increased the number of spaces available to the door.

LU Gets Cash

Lakehead University is getting 132 thousand dollars from the Canada Foundation for Innovation. The money will be used to purchase equipment that researchers will use to take waste from the forest industry and create environmentally friendly chemicals for mine rehabilitation.

ATU Negotiations On Today

Talks are scheduled today and tomorrow with the Amalgamated Transit Union and the City.  President Sheila Kivisto says she's optimistic a deal can be reached.   If an agreement isn't reached by January 20th the local transit workers will be in a legal strike position.

Health Unit Board New Chair

There's a new Chair and Vice Chair at the Board of Health. Norm Gale is heading up the Health Unit's board and Joe Virdiramo will act as his second. The board elections took place on Wednesday.

Highway Safety Site Launched

The OPP's new Highway Safety Education Committee is launching a Safe Winter Driving Campaign. The group was formed last year and is launching a website courtesy of funding from the Ministry of Transportation.  Sgt. Dave Bel says they've identified road user safety issues. The MTO funding also allowed the group to develop a safe winter driving strategy for the region which they'll promote through the new website.

Sexting Leads To Child Porn Charges

A sixteen year old Kenora boy is charged with distributing child pornography after what police say was a case of sexting.   They say it follows the discovery of sexually explicit photographs of a 17-year-old girl on an electronic device.  They say the pic had been distributed by a youth.  

Cause Of Garage Fire "Undetermined"

There's nothing to indicate what may have started a  garage fire at 19 Empress Avenue this morning.   Fire inspector Kevin Anderson says about all he can say for certain is that the fire started on the outside of the structure  and the cause will remain a mystery and will go in the books as undetermined.   No one was hurt in the blaze and the garage was heavily damaged.

Witnesses Sought In Hit & Run

Police are searching for the driver of a pick up truck they say was involved in a hit and run accident early Sunday morning at around 3 o'clock.  Sgt. Glenn Porter says the pick up rammed into the back of a car that was stopped for a red light on Memorial Avenue at the Harbour Expressway.   They say the driver of the pick up truck left the scene without checking on the condition of anyone in the car.  Police want your assistance in identifying who the driver of the pick up was.

Kidnapping Suspect Makes Court Appearance

The man arrested in Dryden for allegedly kidnapping his two sons will have his case heard in Alberta. 29-year-old Illhami Butin  was stopped Monday afternoon by Provincial Police on a Canada-wide warrant. The man was wanted for abducting his 3-year-old and 4-year-old sons in Edmonton and attempting to bring them to Toronto. Butin made a brief court appearance this morning and was told that Edmonton Police would be coming to pick him up. He will remain in Dryden custody for a maximum of six days as he may be out earlier depending on when the transfer will be completed.

Committee Meeting In T.Bay

A provincial government committee is meeting in Thunder Bay today to discuss the needs of children and adults living with mental illnesses and intellectual disabilities. The group has been touring Ontario talking to stakeholders about how the Province can better coordinate the delivery of developmental programs and services across many provincial ministries.

NOSM Hosting International Conference

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine is hosting an international recruitment conference tomorrow. Dean Dr. Roger Strasser says northern European countries are coming to Thunder Bay to learn from Canada's strategies to attract health care professionals to under-serviced areas. Strasser says later in the afternoon they'll listen to the delegates from Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Scotland and Northern Ireland on what they're doing to attract Doctors.

Chamber Talks With Finance Minister

The Chamber of Commerce was just one of many local groups that were recently given 3 minutes to talk with the Finance Minister about the upcoming Ontario budget. President Charla Robinson says they tried to jam as much information and concerns into those fleeting moments. A pre-budget consultation hearing for the broader public will be held next Tuesday at the Valhalla Inn.

OPP Nab Alleged Kidnapper

A Toronto man who police say kidnapped his 3 year old and 4 year old sons from Alberta has been arrested in Dryden. The Edmonton Police Service alerted OPP and the man was spotted driving through Dryden around 4 o'clock Tuesday afternoon. Police arrested 29 year old Ilhami Butin. He faces 2 counts of child abduction, 2 counts of kidnapping and 1 count of uttering threats. He remains in custody and is due in Dryden court today. The two young boys were unharmed.

Lawsuit Filed

Keystone Air Service and the estate of the dead pilot are both named in a lawsuit filed by the lone survivor of a plane crash in northwestern Ontario. Three passengers and the pilot were killed when the plane crashed at North Spirit Lake in January, 2012. Brian Shead survived the crash and he has now just filed the lawsuit in Winnipeg court. The lawsuit is seeking unspecified damages for pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life.

Giving It Another Go

Another attempt is going to be made to have a vast area spanning the border of Ontario and Manitoba declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. Ontario and Manitoba want to have an area of boreal forest recognized by the United Nations. Last year the World Heritage Committee deferred its decision and now the Manitoba government says its re-working its application. The deadline is February 1st, but if they can't make that they will have to wait until 2016.

Chamber Launching New Site

The Chamber of Commerce website is getting a face lift. The organization is launching a new site tonight at www.tbchamber.ca. The site boasts better navigation and a responsive layout on all devices including cell phones and tablets.