CMHA report shines light on northern youth problems

Junior and senior high students in the province are showing high rates of physiological distress according to the Center for Addiction and Mental Health.  Author Doctor Robert Mann says about 30 per cent of students indicated feeling anxious, stressed or depressed.  Twenty-four per cent of students surveyed indicated having sought out mental health care over the past year.

Council set to look at traffic on Woodcrest road

City Council is set to receive a study on traffic congestion on Woodcrest road.  Woodcrest School Council wants the city to widen the road in front of the school or add sidewalks.  Co-Chair Shelly Helget says she fears for her daughter's safety when she walks to school.  A road traffic study on Woodcrest road will be presented at tonight's council meeting.

Northern Lights Credit Union goes solar

The Northern Lights Credit Union in Thunder Bay is going to be feeding electricity back into the power grid. A solar panel was installed on the Amber Drive location on Friday, and power generated will be sold to the Ontario Power Authority. Credit Union Spokesperson Brian MacDonald says they could start a similar program at their other regional facilities. The Thunder Bay credit union project is tied into a solar project at the neighbouring Dufresne Furniture store.

Fatal Crash on Highway 17

A Mississauga woman is dead following a 2-vehicle collision on the Trans-Canada Highway west of Dryden.
OPP say a westbound car and an eastbound pickup truck collided yesterday afternoon near the Highway 622 junction.  Both vehicles were sent off the road and struck a rock cut.  The driver of the car, 45-year-old Kaneez Zehra, died as a result of the crash.  The driver of the truck was transported to Dryden Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.  The collision forced the complete closure of the Highway for 5-hours.  The cause is under investigation.

Deer Lake case update

Additional charges have been laid against a 26-year-old Deer Lake First Nation man. Jason Miller was originally charged with attempted murder after 27-year-old Neilson Meekis was injured in an unknown incident at the Deer Lake Nursing Station, North of Sioux Lookout. The July 10th incident also resulted in the death of 27-year-old Joey Crow. OPP have now charged Miller with second degree murder in relation to Crow's death. Police continue to investigate

Lock it up

A recent break and entre has led to Thunder Bay police to remind residents to lock their doors. Earlier this week a man came inside from gardening and found a buglar inside his home. Police say would be thiefs are combing neighbourhoods looking for targets of opportunity, and if see someone acting suspiciously call the police.

Fly Fishing is therapy

Thunder Bay was the launch site of the third annual "Healing on the Albany" for soldiers who have returned from war. Spokesperson Mark Snyder says the program teaches soldiers to fly fish as a form of therapy. Snyder says its proven to help those soldiers who were physically injured and those who suffer from post trumatic stress disorder. 9 Canadian and American soldiers are taking part and will enjoy a week at a lodge in the boreal forest.

City police not surprised by mafia ties

The Mafia is operating in Thunder Bay. A recent investigation and raid in Italy on the Ndrangheta crime organization has uncovered a cell operating in Thunder Bay.  Thunder Bay Inspector Andy Hay says the fact that Thunder Bay is a mafia site is not a surprise. Hay says Thunder Bay isn't immune to organized crime, and they heard about the sect through police sources and the RCMP.  Meanwhile, local RCMP officials have no comment and the National media spokesperson says she hasn't received any word on the local mafia operation.

OPP charge Toronto area man for trafficking

The OPP have identified the man they believe plays a key role in bringing Oxycodone into Thunder Bay to be sold illegally.  Local drug enforcement officers flew to Toronto on Tuesday and with the assistance of officers from that area executed a search warrant at a North York Residence.  Police seized 13 thousand dollars in cash and documentary evidence.  37 year old Jabir Khan is charged with possession of proceeds of crime and trafficking.

Council will decide on temporary transit hub on Monday

Thunder Bay City Council will decide on Monday whether or not to leave the temporary bus terminal at City hall.  Transit Manager Brad Loroff says they've heard the concerns about the site from the public and they plan to address them.   Loroff says they want council to leave the temporary bus shelter at city hall for the next 2 to 3 years.  He says they need the time to complete their service and site review.  Loroff says they've also recomended to council that an extra 160-thousand dollars be added to their budget for security and the operation of the city hall's washrooms after business hours.

Local student gets a scholarship from Tim Horton's

A Thunder Bay student is getting a thousand dollars towards their post secondary education thanks to Tim Horton' s. Alia Wurdemann-Stam received the one thousand dollar scholarship through the Tim Horton's 2009 Scholarship program. The award will be given to Alia next Tuesday.

SIJHL expands south of the border

Good news for the SIJHL. The league is expanding to 6 teams for the upcoming season. President and Commissioner Ron Whitehead says The Duluth Cydesdales and Spooner Wisconsin Wilderness will now be home to two new expansion franchises. Whitehead says the two teams were hoping to be in the league last year but red tape delayed the process.  Whitehead says the schedule for the season will be released later this month.

Thunder Bay man gets jail time

A Thunder Bay man working for the M-N-R has been convicted of child pornography charges. David Laderoute will serve 14 days in jail after pleading guilty to watching Child Porn on his computer at work. Laderoute will also be a listed Sex offender for the next 10 years. The investigation started last April when the MNR learned one of its computers at its Thunder Bay facility accessed Child Porn.

Organized crime in Thunder Bay is runs with the mob

The Mafia is apparently alive in Thunder Bay. A recent string of arrests in Italy targeting the Ndrangheta crime organization tipped off police of a feud between the Toronto chapter and the previously little know Thunder Bay Chapter. The investigation found that mediators from Italy defused the situation before it became violent.

No Stampeders Concert Tonight

The Power is out at Old Fort William. Spokesperson Marty Mascarin says that means David Wilcox and the Stampeders will not be taking the stage.  The fort had planned to move the concert indoors because of the heavy rainfall, but no sooner had they decided to do that the power went out.  Mascarin notes tickets will be refunded, or can be used for any of the remaining shows during the rendezvous.

Power Outages in Thunder Bay

Pockets of Thunder Bay are experiencing power outages thanks to the wicked windy and wet weather we're experiencing.  Thunder Bay Hydro says they're working to restore power and that most of the outages were caused by trees being knocked down onto power lines.

Forest fire hazard rising

The severe weather we are experiencing could have an impact on forest fire hazard across Northwestern Ontario. The Ministry of Natural Resources says significant rain could push the hazard in Dryden, Red Lake, Sioux Lookout, Kenora and Fort Frances to low. However, the hazard in the Thunder Bay District is expected to jump to moderate to high. The MNR is keeping a close eye on Thunderstorm activity. Two new fires were reported yesterday.

Thunder Bay teen sits on provincial panel

A Thunder Bay teen will sit on a special youth advisory panel dealing with provincial government policies. 19 year old Martin Zhang will be travelling to Toronto to take part on July 24th and July 25th. Martin will join 23 other young people from across the province discussing how governments make policy decisions. The final report will be presented to the government in the fall.

Charles Lage rides bike across Canada

Another cross country bike tour has made a stop in Thunder Bay. This time around it's Charles Lage who will raise funds to build a Canadian Centre for Music and Classroom Therapy. The centre if built would use music for the treatment of a wide range of medical issues, particularily autism.
The proposed site for the centre is in the Winnipeg area.

Its going to be a wet day

We won't get any relief from the rain until sometime tonight. Environment Canada's Peter Kimbell says we can expect as much as 25 millimetres today with even more rain further west. Kimbell says there will also be some Thunderstorm activity tonight. The forecast does look much better for the start of the weekend however as Environment Canada is calling for sunshine and highs near 28 for Friday and Saturday.