Fire Hits City Duplex

No one is injured following a fire on the city's north side early Saturday afternoon.   It happened in a duplex at 178 Shipley.  Chen Chekki lives in the unit adjacent to it and called the fire service after he heard the smoke alarm go off.  No one was home at the time of the fire.    The cause isn't known and fire damage is heaviest in a back bedroom.

Woman Dead After House Fire

A 66 year old woman is dead in Lyon Township, west of Nipigon. The death was the result of a house fire which  was reported to the OPP at 9:04 p.m. The victim is not being identified until her family is notified.  The coroners office is investigating the cause.

Dryden Finances Update

An update on City of Dryden finances has been provided. The City is posting a 99-thousand dollar deficit in Municipal operations for the 6 months ending June 30th. Waterworks operations are reporting a 361-thousand dollar surplus.

New Dryden Sewage Plant

Construction of the new Dryden Sewage Treatment Plant is nearing completion. Manager of Public Works Blake Poole says they expect to start testing in late August. Poole stresses that the project is on budget this year. He adds that some minor work continues and the next step is getting power to the plant.

Charity Rider Leaves Town

A University of Victoria cyclist on a charity ride is back on the road after spending a couple of days in the city.  Anas Cheema  was here to help draw attention to SOS Children's Villages  an international child charity, providing long- term care for orphans and children.

Striking Workers Get Support

The blame games continues in the Dilico Anishnabek Family Care workers strike. Today members of CUPE joined the striking workers on the picket line in Thunder Bay to sound an alarm bell about what they say are the impacts of provincial underfunding of child welfare. No talks are scheduled in the dispute which began June 8th.

Dryden Hit By Storm

The clean up begins in some areas in the Dryden area following a wicked early morning storm. Hydro One is reporting 7-different power outages in the area with snapped power lines. Nearly 14-hundred customers were impacted.  The area was hit with lightning , heavy rain and severe wind with  several reports of trees snapped in half and tossed around property and roads. There have been reports of twisters but Environment Canada hasn't confirmed any of the reports as of yet.

Inflation Up In Thunder Bay

The inflation rate in Thunder Bay is now above one per cent.  Statistics Canada says the rate in the city for the month of June was 1.2 per cent.  That's almost a full per cent over May's rate.    Nationally the rate  was also at 1.2 per cent mainly due to higher gas and car prices.

Minor Injuries In Cyclist Mishap

Only minor injuries to report in connection with a morning traffic mishap involving a cyclist.  Police say a  boy on the bike came in collision with a car at the intersection of Pearl and Algoma just before 9 o'clock this morning.   They say he was taken to hospital as a precaution.

OPP Detachment To Open

The community of Armstrong is getting a visit today from the OPP's top cop. Commissioner Chris Lewis is going to help open the new OPP Detachment there.

Fort Bust Nets Drugs/Guns

A  39 year old Fort Frances man faces several charges following an investigation by several agencies including OPP, Health Canada, Kenora-Rainy River Districts Child and Family Services and the Town of Fort Frances.  A police search of a home on the 11-hundred block of Kings Highway last Friday led to the discovery of by several types of drugs include morphine, oxycocet, fentanyl, methadone, cannabis resin and several marihuana plants.  Police also seized 12 firearms.

Celebration Voting Starts Today

The  northwestern Ontario communities of Dryden and Fort Frances are about to enter a friendly rivalry which has some financial benefits in the end.   Both are asking for your votes in the Kraft Celebration Tour starting at noon today.   Whichever city wins they will get money from Kraft for a local project. You can vote for your favourite community here kraftcelebrationtour.ca

No New Cases Of C-Diff

Officials at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre appear to have some control over the c-difficile bacteria outbreak.  They say the superbug has now been reduced to only one section of the hospital, 3A and no new cases have developed. 

Iacobucci Fully Immersed In ROF

Frank Iacobucci is fully immersed in his role as the province's chief negotiator for the Ring of Fire mining project.   Just before leaving on a trip from Thunder Bay to visit  area First Nations communities he spoke of how he's been getting himself up to speed on the complex issues he must face.  He says he feels a sense of excitement and challenge about what lies ahead.  Iacobucci says he will be meeting with First Nations negotiator Bob Rae in the coming days

More Forest Fires In Red Lake District

The Red Lake area continues to get hit with forest fires. The Ministry of Natural Resources is reporting one in the district, as well as in Kenora and Nipigon. However, these fires are considered small and pose no problems at this time. The fire hazard is high in the Red Lake and Sioux Lookout areas, while it remains low to moderate in the Dryden area.

Man Charged In Dog Deaths

A 50 year old Murillo man is now charged after last weeks incident which killed two dogs on Poleline Road.   The man is charged with failing to remain after a 17 year old girl told police that someone in a truck struck and killed her two labs while she was walking them.

Dryden Woman Convicted Of Fraud

A Dryden woman has been convicted on 2-counts of fraud from the Shaw Walleye Masters and the Ski Hill. Allyson Dunham has received a conditional sentence order of 2-years, less a day. The sentence results in house arrest, a curfew and other strict conditions. Dunham was charged last March with 2-counts each of theft over $5,000, fraud over $5,000 and criminal breach of trust. Dunham sat on the executive committees of both the Shaw Walleye Masters and the Ski Hill.

New Partnership For Aspenware

Aspenware is back with a presence in northwestern Ontario. Members of the Wabauskang First Nation will soon start harvesting poplar trees and creating veneers for the B.C. based company.  The operation is being carried out in the Whiskey Jack Forest and Makoose Wood Innovations Owner Doug Riffel is also heavily involved in the project. Aspenware President Terry Bigsby says it's a win-win situation for everyone involved and could become a blueprint for future partnerships. Bigsby says this is only the beginning and notes he's already in talks for a similar venture with Grassy Narrows and Lac La Croix. Aspenware produces single-use biodegradable wooden cutlery and at one time was thinking about setting up shop in the Dryden area.

Arrest Made In NWO Death

An arrest has been made in the death of 38-year-old Christopher Lee Jack in Onigaming First Nation, near Nestor Falls. Provincial Police and Treaty Three Police have charged 24-year-old Micheline Nicole Chiefson of Naicatchewenin First Nation with second degree murder. She's in custody. The cause of death isn't being released at this time. Police were called to an apartment last week and found Jack dead inside the residence.

Mining Conference Shifts To Kenora

A mining conference that was once held in Dryden is taking place in Kenora this year.The Ministry of Northern Development and Mines puts on an Exploration Information Session each year, which focuses on activity taking place in the Kenora District. It's taking place July 24th and 25th and will feature a site visit to the Coventry Resources Site near Cameron Lake.