United Way looking to raise money with a run

The Women's United Run, Stroll or Roll and Walk a Mile in her shoes fundraising events are back on May 12th. Spokesperson Beverly Lannon says it will be a busy day. The events are to protest violence against women and to get women physically active.

The wait is over.....almost.

The city's transfer of waterfront land to a private developer is now signed, sealed and delivered.   It paves the way for a condominium and hotel project.  Developer Giselle MacDonald says they have more work to do before the hotelier can be announced and says that should be announced in June.  Meantime the city's Waterfront Development Committee chair Councillor Mark Bentz says that it's an important day for all the people in the city the project has touched because it shows their work has meant something.

Landfill use on the rise

As the weather warms up, expect longer lines at the city's landfill. Roads Division Manager Brad Adams says going to the landfill in the morning could reduce traffic. Being prepared and organizing your loads at home could also help to avoid lineups.

Police make arrests in Project Dolphin

The alleged ring leader behind a major drug trafficking operation in Thunder Bay is behind bars.  As part of what police are calling Project Dolphin officials announced the arrest of 38 year old John Tsekouras and are charging him with several drug related offences.  Officers also took 4 others into custody yesterday.  Project Dolphin was started in 2010 and has so far netted over 2.1 million dollars worth of drugs and 500 thousand dollars worth of cash and property. Officers also say this organization had ties to organized crime in Western Canada and Montreal including the Hells Angels.

No serious injuries in school bus mishap

Thunder Bay Police are investigating a school bus accident at the intersection of Court and McDougall. The bus and a pick up truck collided at around 8 o'clock this morning. The students in the bus were from three different schools in the area. Police say that the 56 year old woman bus driver and a 13 year old girl received minor injuries. A 17 year old boy, who police say was driving the pick up, has been charged with disobeying a stop sign.

Demolition begins on Sister Margaret Smith building

The first bricks of the St. Joseph hospital construction project are being removed today. President Tracey Buckler says residents will see some demolition action.The demolition of the Sister Margaret Smith building will take several months.

Former Olympian keeping Fox dream alive

A Niagara Falls man wants to complete Terry Fox's dream. Former Olympic Boxer Mike Strange is running from Thunder Bay to the west coast to complete Fox's Marathon of Hope. Strange began his knock-out cancer tour after being welcomed to the city by Mayor Keith Hobbs this morning. 

Ambassador to visit Churchill High

Canadian Ambassador for Jordan and Iraq, Mark Gwozdecky will be speaking to students at Sir Winston Churchill high school today. Gwozdecky was born and raised in Thunder Bay and will be talking about Canada's free trade agreement with Jordan.

Cases of Dementia on the rise

Cases of Dementia are set to rise in the coming decades in Canada and right around the World. Spokesperson Ryan Sigurdson of the Alzheimer Society in Thunder Bay believes the aging population is the cause of these predictions.  The World Health Organization believes the amount of people living with dementia will double to 65 million people by 2030.

Immigration office set to close in May

Thunder Bay's Public Service Alliance Union says the local immigration office on Archibald will be closing its doors next month.  It closes to the public on May 31st.  The reason for the closure is the Federal Government's decision to centralize all immigration services in Canada.  Our immigration support will come out of Toronto.

Events centre seating reduced

There doesn't appear to be much that can change the minds of people on where they would like to see a new events centre located.   The latest open house hosted by city consultants hasn't made a difference to many of  the hundreds  who attended at the Da Vinci Centre Wednesday.   Meantime,  the consultants have tweaked some of their design details including the proposed size from 65 hundred seats to 57 hundred and that only Innova Park and the north downtown will be seriously considered as arena locations

Fight to save Plasma Centre not over

Ontario's Public Services Employee Union is vowing to take the fight to save Thunder Bay's plasma centre to Ottawa.  President Smokey Thomas says the Feds run the Canadian Blood Services and they need to give proper cause for this closure.  Thomas says he doesn't see how it makes sense to close this facility when we are buying plasma from the States.  He will be looking for support from the opposition parties in the House of Commons to bring this matter before the Prime Minister.

L.U. reaches out to future students

Lakehead University and the Public School Board are now part of a program which is designed to give students, who face barriers, a shot at going to L-U.  The Achievement Program was launched at Sherbrooke School.  Qualified students will be able to earn money towards tuition fees.

Robbery at Gas Bar in Fort Frances

Ontario Provincial Police are looking for a suspect in an armed robbery in Fort Frances. Police say someone held up the Safeway Gas Bar around 10:30 Tuesday night. OPP say a man entered the store pointing a handgun and demanded money from the teller. The suspect received an undisclosed amount of cash and he fled the store. He was wearing a white hooded jacket, blue jeans and white running shoes. Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers or Fort Frances OPP.

Change the World Youth Challenge

High schools around Thunder Bay are joining together and holding a 3 week long Volunteer challenge for their students. Assistant Project coordinator Kristen Bohonis hopes students will be inspired to volunteer.The Challenge starts today and ends May 6th.

CRIBE makes announcement in Dryden

The Centre for Research and Innovation in the Bio-Economy is calling it its biggest project yet.  The organization announced yesterday 6-million dollars in funding to launch a 14-million dollar plan for the Dryden Domtar Pulp Mill to convert wood waste to fuel.  Chief Executive Officer Lorne Morrow says Dryden is on the cutting edge of this new technology in the forestry sector.  Minister of Natural Resources Michael Gravelle says the project aims to develop a unique, cost-effective system that if successful, will increase operational efficiencies and a create a fossil fuel alternative for transportation fuels.

Bike lanes to top meeting agenda

New Bike lanes are being planned for a few Thunder Bay locations and residents can have their say at a Current River ward meeting tonight. Active transportation coordinator Adam Krupper says streets in that area will get a bulk of the new bike lanes this year.  The meeting is at 7 tonight at the North End Rec Centre.

Avis decries centre closures

The Mayor of Fort Frances is trying to arrange a meeting with Ontario's Tourism Minister to talk about the pending closure of the region's tourist information centres. Roy Avis understands the government's need to save money, but wants to know if there's other options to keep the centers open. A resolution calling for the centres in Fort Frances, Kenora and Rainy River to remain open will also be discussed at the upcoming meeting of area Mayors in Kenora.

Event Centre open house round 2

Residents have another chance to learn more about the proposed Events Centre.  The consulting team behind the facility is hosting its second Open House Wednesday afternoon and will present a more in depth business plan for each of the 3 locations.  Lead Consultant Conrad Boychuk says the economic impact study is starting to come together but still needs to look at a lot of different components.  The meeting gets underway at 3 o'clock at the DaVinci Centre and will have 2 presentations from the consultants at 4 and again at 7.

Police arrest 2 during bust

Two people are behind bars after a drug bust last week.  Police seized about 28 hundred dollars worth of cocaine and also took in about 40 thousand dollars worth of assests from the pair last Thursday.  A 32 year old woman and a 48 year old man are facing several charges each.