Ring of Fire development to cost big bucks

How much will it cost Cliffs Natural Resources to develop a mine in the Ring of Fire?  Well according to the company's 2012 Capital investment plan it will be over 2 billion dollars.  The company estimates mine development to come in around 150 million dollars, 800 million for a concentrating plant and 1.8 billion for a processing plant.  The company is in a pre-feasibility stage of development and doesn't anticipate any capital investment until 2014.

James Street bridge closed for repairs

The northbound lane of the James Street Swing Bridge is closed for the rest of the day.  Thunder Bay Police say a collision caused some damage to the bridge and CP is on scene conducting repairs.  Officers say the repairs will last for at least the rest of the day and maybe into tomorrow.

Accountability on Wall Street is rising

A Thunder Bay born Investment Banker on a quest to bring transparency to Wall Street is encouraged with some signs of progress.  Keith McCullough says up until recently a lot of deals on Wall Street were done behind closed doors and without transparency.  McCullough says yesterday's arrest of 4 high profile investors on Wall Street points towards increased accountability.

Cancer Prevelancy rates are on the rise

The rate of people living with Cancer is on the rise in Canada and it is no different here.  Cancer Centre Vice President Michael Power says Northwestern Ontario is in the same boat.  He says the good news is people are living longer with cancer, but the bad news is cancer rates are also rising.

Angus steps aside

Iain Angus says 5 years is enough. He's decided not to seek re-election as chair of the District Social Services Administration Board, but will continue to sit as a board member.   Angus says he's overseen a number of changes while he was chair.  He says his proudest accomplishment is overseeing the establishment of a new strategic plan for social housing. The new chair is Bob Katajamaki. 

HIV program good to go

The District Health Unit's anonymous HIV testing program is operating for another year. Spokesperson Maureen Twig says the budget is a modest 57 thousand dollars, unchanged from last year.  Twig says the board's approval is essentially a rubber stamp.

Former Greenstone Mayor passes away

Former Mayor of Greenstone Michael Power has passed away.  Power was a champion for Northwestern Ontario and was a main stay in the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association.  Funeral arrangements are still pending.

Dewar visiting Thunder Bay

NDP Leadership hopeful Paul Dewar is in the City Friday.  MP Bruce Hyer says Dewar is one of the candidates he likes for the top NDP job.  Dewar is at Lakehead University at 12:30 and at Ruby Moon at 4.

Hyer on MP pensions underfunded

The C-D Howe Institute says the pension plan for members of Parliament and Senators is underfunded to the tune of one-billion dollars.  MP Bruce Hyer says that doesn't surprise him.  The C-D Howe report says the MP pension plan has no assets set aside to pay for those future benefits.

Winter road money rolled out

The Provincial Government is spending 4.7-million dollars on the winter road network in the Far North this year.  Minister of Northern Development and Mines Rick Bartolucci says over 3-thousand kilometres of road will connect 29-First Nation communities.  Individuals and businesses will be able to use the roads until the Spring thaw, usually in mid-March.

UNESCO bid for forest near Kenora

A vast wilderness area northwest of Kenora is a step closer to becoming a UNESCO World Site.  The application was sent off to Paris yesterday.  Gord Jones is the project manager and says this a significant area.  The Pikangikum First Nation and the Whitefeather Forest Management Corporation are two of the partners involved in the process to have the wilderness area designated a UNESCO World Site.

OPP cracking down on highway safety

Provincial Police across Northwestern Ontario are set to increase enforcement on local Highways.  OPP have investigated 1-fatal collision and 1-pedestrian fatality in the Region since January 1st.  17-people have tragically lost their lives in crashes Province-wide compared to 8-during the same period in 2011.

Rafferty thinks Pension call could be a ploy

John Rafferty thinks there could be more to a call from the Canadian Taxpayers Federation for MP's to scrap their pension plans.  The Federation says MP's should drop their lucrative plans and switch to the same plan the government is suggesting Canadians to adopt.  Rafferty says he thinks this could be a ploy to hand Conservative MP's huge payouts.

Plan Nord opens eyes

Iain Angus calls it a worthwhile exercise. The city councillor helped to organize a presentation on how well advanced Northern Quebec's economic planning is thanks to a program called Plan Nord. He says it shows they are farther ahead in the planning process than we are in Northern Ontario.   Angus says the lessons learned at the presentation will be discussed by local leaders to see what can be implemented here.

Police want drivers to slow down

Thunder Bay Police had to deal with a couple of collisions today and it led to a call for drivers to slow down.  Traffic Sergeant Glenn Porter says its disappointing how many people fail to take conditions into account, considering winter conditions happen from November to April every year.  Porter says there is no such thing as an accident, only collisions and almost always human error is to blame.

Murder trial moves along

A city murder trial continues to hear witnesses for the prosecution. On Tuesday court heard from Michael Kelly's former employer, Harold Kamphern.  He told the jury that he hired Kelly in 2000 to catch leeches in the Anders Lake area about 20 kilometres from where Judie Thibault's body was eventually found.  Also on the stand was an OPP officer who was investigating the murder.  Detective Sergeant. Jane Conway testified that when she told Kelly that Thibault's body was found, he showed little or no reaction and that during the exchange he appeared to be distracted by a TV program. 

National curling spotlight in T.Bay

Canada will be watching Thunder Bay when the Fort William Curling Club hosts the National Wheelchair Curling Championships in March.  Ten teams from across Canada will compete for nine days.  Chair Dave Kawahara says they've come a long way since they first started to make the rink accessible in 2006.  The sporting event is expected to bring in revenue and tourism to the community.

Fibre experts testify at trial

More forensic evidence at the Michael Kelly murder trial.  Morning testimony on Tuesday focused on the carpet that Judie Thibault's body was found wrapped in in 2004.   The prosecution presented two forensic experts to try to draw a link between that carpet and other similar carpet samples taken from a home Thibault rented and a government building on May St.   The only conclusion by the experts was that it could have been from the same sources, but it wasn't a certainty.  Kelly is charged with First Degree Murder in Thibault's death.

SIU investigating shooting

A man is in hospital with self inflicted injuries after he barricaded himself in his truck with a gun. Tuesday, OPP were called to the Dorion cutoff to help talk him out of the vehicle when the man shot himself.  Police administered first aid and called for an ambulance.  Sergeant Shelley Garr says the Special Investigations Unit has taken over the investigation.

Residents attend Open House

Another step in the City's Official Planning process is underway. An Open House was held at the West Thunder Community Centre on Tuesday. Councillor Iain Angus says it's important to allow the public a say because the Official Plan should reflect the citizen's wishes. A steady stream of people came by and it appeared to be well attended by a cross section of groups including the Friends of Big Thunder, the Field Naturalists and a neighbourhood community group.