LU puts money towards lobbying

The NDP have revealed that Lakehead University is one of nine colleges and Universities to pay for a lobbyist.  Lakehead put 33 thousand dollars towards lobbying efforts.  The provincial government is planning to table a bill that would stop taxpayer dollars from flowing into the pockets of lobbyists.

Annual Food Drive does it's job

The numbers are in.  The weekend Food Drive by the Regional Food Distribution Association collected 12 tons of  food.   That's 1 ton more than last year.   Along with that,  16 thousand dollars in cash was collected.  It will all be put towards stocking the shelves of the food banks in Thunder Bay and the rest of Northwestern Ontario.

Shag trouble in "the Bay"

City couples remain on pins and needles as to whether it'll be worth holding a Shag anymore.   The local liquor inspector has served notice that prizes aren't allowed to be raffled off at the pre-marriage fund raisers that are as unique to Thunder Bay as Persians.  However, City Police spokesperson Chris Adams says there's no formal plan to enforce the law and will likely be handled on a complaint driven basis.

Shchepanik pulls out of race

A former city councillor who was trying to make a comeback in Neebing Ward is pulling out of the municipal election.  Gary Shchepanik says he was elected to a position with the Power Workers Union which won't allow him to do a councillors job properly.   Because Shchepanik made the decision after the deadline, his name will still appear on the ballot. 

Transit union sets strike deadline

Talks are continuing between the City and the amalgamated transit union; however the union has set a strike date for midnight October 12th.  Union Spokesperson Charlie Brown says they will continue to bargain throughout the Thanksgiving long weekend.  135 employees could be on strike if an agreement isn't reached by next Wednesday morning.

Operation Red Nose Part 2

Volunteers are need to help with Operation Red Nose this Christmas season.  The program allows drunk party-goers to phone for a ride home. Local organizer Karen Wood says help is needed in all areas, from driving and escorting to answering phones and dispatching.  It's the second year for the program in the city.

Ambassadors of safety

It's fire prevention week and the Thunder Bay Fire Service is targeting children.  Fire Chief John Hay says they find kids are the best ambassadors for fire safety.  The Fire Service hosted a group of students from St. Elizabeth School for the kick-off

Police make minor drug bust

The Combined Forces Organized Crime Unit has taken more drugs off the street.  Officers searched a house on the 300 block of Simpson street Friday and found 220 grams of marijuana and other drugs as well as just over a thousand dollars in cash.  The drugs have a street value of just under 22 hundred dollars.  Six people were arrested and face a number of charges and will appear in court in December. 

CAA Worst Road List

For the first time ever, two Northwestern Ontario Roads have made the list in the Canadian Automobile Association Ontario Worst Roads campaign.  Pelican Falls Road in Sioux Lookout has been selected as the Worst Road in all of Ontario.  Onion Lake Road in Thunder Bay was voted-in as the 9th worst.  CAA Spokesperson Kory Kennedy says the final list is encouraging for local residents.  Kennedy points out that 90% of the roads that make the Top 20 Province-wide, have either been repaired or are slated to be repaired.

NW LHIN new faces

An Ear Falls resident has been appointed to the Northwest Local Health Integration Network Board of Directors. Dennis Gushulak will sit on the Board for 3-years. The retired teacher and vice-principal has sat as Board Chair of the Red Lake Hospital and is a member of the Ontario Hospital Association.

Accident claims life

A 33 year old Toronto man is dead after a fatal collision on Highway 17 near Lett township. Nipigon OPP say the driver of an eastbound tractor trailer unit lost control causing the vehicle to leave the roadway and enter the North ditch of the highway. Police continue to investigate the cause of the collision.

Police deal with early morning B&E

Thunder Bay police arrested one man after an apparent early morning Break and enter.  Officers responded after an alarm was set off just after 2 o'clock this morning on Red River. A 22 year old man was arrested and will be in court later today.

Waterfront development work awarded

The city has awarded the contract to take away the dirty soil at the site of the proposed hotel and condos on the waterfront. LTL contracting came in the lowest at just over 1 million 137 thousand dollars. The total cost for remediation is within the approved 47.5 million dollar waterfront budget.

Norwester Protection group protests

The Norwester Escarpment Protection group picketed in front of City Hall Monday night.  Around 20 people rallied before the start of council's weekly meeting.  The group is concerned about the information being provided by Dillon consulting.  Spokesperson Irene Bond says they wanted to see more information in the report and calls it a waste of money. Administration will bring more recommendations to council on Tuesday on their wind farm options.

Report provided, no decision made

City council will take just over a week to mull over a report provided by Dillon Consulting about the proposed wind farm.  Council is expected to make a decision on the wind farm at a special council meeting on Tuesday, October 12th, and ratify it at its last meeting before the municipal election.  Consultant Mario Buszynski says they only had just over a week to carry out their review on Horizon's viewshed analysis.  Dillon Consulting reviewed Horizon Wind's layouts and viewsheds and ensured that the information they provided was accurate.

Random acts of poetry week

It's Random Acts of Poetry week here in the City of Thunder Bay. The group stopped by city hall last night to tell them about this year's event. Songs, poetry, and other forms of art will be taking place across the city. You'll know a random act of poetry performance by the people in their orange construction jumpsuits. It's the sixth year for the event that is sponsored by the Definitely Superior Art Gallery.

Transit talks back on

The amalgamated transit union and the city are back at the bargaining table tomorrow. They'll meet at the Whitefox Inn at 10 on Tuesday. Union boss Charlie Brown says they're prepared to bargain all this week. Brown adds there won't be any strike action as long as talks continue to progress.

Terrace Bay Pulp is back!

It's a monumental day in Terrace Bay. The community's main employer is back in business. Terrace Bay Pulp is making pulp again putting 300 people back to work. It came after it's parent company, Buchanan Forest Products of Thunder Bay, managed to bring it out of creditor protection. The provincial government kicked in a 25 million dollar loan to help refinance the start up

Research ca$h for LU

Lakehead University officials are pumped about their latest research grants. These grants total over 700 thousand dollars. The money is being shared by various LU faculty members and graduate students. It is funded by your federal taxes through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

City compiles historical council info

More of Thunder Bay's history can be found on the Internet. This time it's on the City of Thunder Bay website. City Archivist Matt Szybalski  says it's a listing of past mayors and councils. He says the need was there.  He explains that a lot of people, especially students, were asking for the information and there wasn't any one place this basic information was easily available.  You can see the site by following this link