Driver Charged For Failing To Yield

A 71-year old Thunder Bay man is being charged by OPP for failing to yield to traffic. The charge comes following a two vehicle accident Sunday afternoon at the intersection of Chippewa Road and Highway 61. A Ford truck turning on to the highway collided with a Honda headed north. No injuries were reported but the two vehicles were badly damaged.

Snowmobiler Recovering After Collision

A 33 year old man is recovering in hospital after a  snowmobile accident in Shuniah Township.  Police say the man lost control of his sled on the Hydro Line approximately 4 km west of West Loon Road, and it fell down a ten foot ravine.  They say the incident happened Saturday afternoon just before 2 o'clock.  The man sustained injuries that are not considered life threatening.

Missing Woman Found Safe

A Winnipeg woman is back safe are being stranding in the wilderness for several hours in the Dryden area. OPP says the 40-year-old was among a group snowmobilers that had left to attend a cabin Friday in Redvers township when her snow machine got stuck and become separated from the others. A search involving the OPP's Emergency Response Team helped find the woman who was taken to hospital for treatment and released.

Housing Starts Slow In 2014

It appears that it was just too cold and snowy in February for anyone to build a new house. Government figures from Canada Mortgage and Housing show that there were no new housing starts in the city last month.   With just two starts the month before there have been only 2 housing starts in Thunder Bay since the beginning of the year.  

Government Building Open Again

Back to normal at the provincial government building on James Street.  Water service to the building has been restored for today after a rather hectic several days last week.   A water main break late Tuesday afternoon gave crews some troubles and stopped government business for three days.

McArthur Makes The Move

There is a familiar face taking on the role of town Chief Administrator in Schreiber today. Don McArthur is has stepped down as Mayor to fill the vacancy, a position he says he looks forward to taking on.   The opening was made available when former Clerk John Hall left the position for a job in Terrace Bay.

Grim Anniversary Today

It was one of the most infamous crashes in Canadian history and its being recognized today in Dryden.  Twenty five years ago today Air Ontario flight 1363 went down just after trying to take off from the Dryden Airport, killing 24-people including several from Thunder Bay and the north shore of Lake Superior. Fire Chief Ken Kurz was on call that day and says it reinforced the importance of emergency preparedness.  The end result was an inquiry which lead to the conclusion that ice on the wings was the cause of the tragic crash.   The memorial in Dryden has been cleared of snow so people can pay tribute.

March Break Is On

It's March break for elementary and high school students in the city.  It appears to be an ideal start as well with mild temperatures forecast for today and seasonable temperatures for most of the week.   Ski hill operators are expecting big business because of our heavy snowfall this season.  

Councillors To Get Updates

At City Hall tonight councillors will be asked approve almost 3 million dollars towards improvements to the Whalen Building on Cumberland Street.   The money will be coming from the provincial and federal governments.   Also tonight councillors will get an update on the managed alcohol program.  A well there will be an update on a proposed site for a new war memorial.

Elk Adapt To Harsh Winter

The harsh winter conditions aren't expected to affect the elk population in northwestern Ontario. Elk were released into the Cameron Lake area southeast of Kenora about 15 years ago. Murray English is the co-chair of the Elk Restoration Committee and says the animals are pretty well adapted to surviving deep snow. English says the elk population ranges between 40 to 50 animals, but they do see more calves every
year.

Hospital Facing Operating Deficit

The Thunder Bay Hospital is staring at an operating deficit this year. Laura Kokocinski is CEO of the Northwestern Local Health Integration Network and says there are a few contributing factors. One of which is the hospitals current gridlock situation. That is partly caused by the high number of patients requiring services outside of the hospital but not receiving them. There is also a need for long term care space. Kokocinski says they have been in talks with the hospital and the province.

Bridge Upgrades Outside Of Balmertown

The province is creating ten new jobs while upgrading a bridge near the community of Balmertown. The Nungesser River Bridge just north of Highway 125 will have its timber decking replaced with concrete panels. Work will begin this spring and is expected to wrap up by the fall.

Women In Politics: Inspiring Change

Elected women from a variety of Canadian Municipalities will be at the Valhalla Inn today for a women's in politics discussion. City Councillors Rebecca Johnson and Linda Rydholm will also be there. Today's session is designed to inspire more women to get involved in politics.

Local Family Honour In Louisiana

A Thunder Bay family are now honourary citizens of Thibidaux, Louisiana.   Andrea Weiss says it was to recognize them for billeting two of their baseball players while  they played with the Border Cats.   For two years the Weiss's hosted Philip Lyons and Tyler Duplantis and they were invited to the community for a visit.  She says out of the blue they were given the citizenry recognition.

Ice Cover Nearly Unprecidented

An environmental scientist from Michigan says the Great Lakes haven't been this frozen over since 1994.  George Leshkavich of the Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab says, while it's nothing to be concerned about there will be both positive and negative affects to the ice cover adding,  the situation is likely going to affect shipping on the Great Lakes when the locks open on March 25th and may also mean a cooler summer.

No Concerns Expressed From Horizon

It's business as usual for Horizon Wind and its plans to build the Big Thunder Wind Park.   Spokesperson Kathleen MacKenzie says that a judicial review filed by the Fort William First Nation against two government ministries has no direct effect on the company or its wind turbine project. While not publicly expressing any concern,  MacKenzie says company officials don't believe the review will affect any ministry actions against their application.

City Jobless Rate Up

The latest figures from Stats Canada says the unemployment rate in the country  for the month of February stood steady at 7 per cent.  Thunder Bay's jobless rate for last month stood at 5.8 per cent up from 5.7 per cent.  

Remember The Time

It's a sure sign spring is coming. Daylight Savings Time begins on Sunday. It means you will have to push your clock ahead an hour when you go to bed Saturday night. Cell phones, laptops, computers will automatically update. However, don't forget to change your oven, microwave, automatic timer light or car clocks.  The Thunder Bay Fire Service also encourages you to change the batteries in your smoke alarm.

Government Building Still Closed

For the third day in a row the provincial government building on James Street is closed. There was a water main break earlier this week that has caused problems for crews. As result the building remains closed and government business will have to wait until Monday at the earliest. 

New Trial Date To Be Set For Vantroba

A new trial date is going to be set for a city man who is charged in connection with a dog attack on a child in Tarbutt Park in 2012.   Frank Vantroba appeared in court yesterday to answer to why he didn't show up for his trial this week.  He told the court that it was because he was confused about the starting date.   The process will start again March 26th when Vantroba's new court date will be determined.