Saturday, July 27, 2013

Two Car Crash

Only minor injuries to report after a two vehicle collision. The crash happened this morning at the intersection of Victoria and Edward Street. The occupants of the cars were attended to by paramedics at the scene.

Terrorism Prevention Comes To NWO

The fight against terrorism has come to Northwestern Ontario. Rainy River Community College is offering a two-year program that will teach students how to detect and deal with terrorist activities. Coordinator Steve Kovacic says demands for increased security has driven its need. The program is being run in partnership with Itasca Community College in Grand Rapids, Minnesota.

Friday, July 26, 2013

Car Rams House

One man is recovering from facial injuries after his car rammed into a house on the 700 block of James Street this evening.   Police say that the incident took place just before 7 of o'clock and may have been the result of a medical condition.  

Agreement Renewed

It's another five years.   Thunder Bay has renewed its sister cities agreement with Duluth.  Mayor Keith Hobbs calls Duluth a true sister city.   Aldo Ruberto, Chair of  Sister Cities Advisory Committee. says it shows a long-lasting relationship between ourselves and our closest international city.

Murder Tips Coming In

Police say the public is responding to a tip line set up following the last week;s murder in the city.  They say a number of tips have been followed up and it remains active.  Thirty year old Shannon Hogan died after being found with serious injuries in a laneway behind a Lake Street house.  The cause of her death is not being revealed.

Former Investment Dealer Hit With Big Fine

A former city investment dealer is feeling the sting of the law. Pirkko Ramsay must pay a 200 thousand dollar fine after the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada found she misappropriated client funds and failed to cooperate with investigators. The financial violations took place when she worked at the Thunder Bay branch of CIBC Investor Services


Lots Of Rain On The Way

The Thunder Bay area will be wet over the next day or so.  Environment Canada says a broad area of low pressure over Lake Superior is giving much of Northern Ontario persistent showers..which have been heavy at times due to thunderstorms.  A few locations have received over 20 millimetres since yesterday evening.  Rain is expected to begin to taper off tomorrow, but some areas could receive up to an additional 40 millimetres by Saturday morning. 

Things Looking Up For Treaty 3 Police

A major obstacle has been cleared in keeping the Treaty 3 Police Service Open. A new board was elected this week at the service's annual general meeting.  Local Public Service Alliance of Canada rep Judith Monteith-Farrell says the new board is much more open to working with the union. The changes mean the closing of the force has been postponed a year.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Severe Crime Drops In City

Deputy police chief Andy Hay says the latest stats showing a drop in severe crime in 2012 is helping to make us a safer city.  He credits the hard work of  police and community members especially the Crime Prevention Council.   Hay notes however there is a long way go since we still have high murder and domestic assault rates.

New Sports Honour Roll Announced

Two local hockey players and a medal winning paralympic swimmer head this years list of inductees into the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame.   Andrea Cole was the first female from the region to have won a gold medal at the Paralympic Games in Sydney.  Katie Weatherston was the first female from northwestern Ontario and the first athlete from Thunder Bay to win a gold medal for Canada at the Olympic Games in Turin. Tony Hrkac is the only regional hockey player ever to have won the coveted Hobey Baker Award as the outstanding US College hockey player.

Red Lake Wildfire Eases

The Ministry of Natural Resources says a fire in the Red Lake area is now being held. The blaze, 50 km northwest of the community, started on July 3rd and was caused by a lightning strike. It  has burned more than 18-thousand hectares.

Safeway Deal Does't Affect NWO

Empire Company, which owns Sobeys stores in Canada, has struck a deal to sell some of its newly acquired Safeway properties in a sale-leaseback deal with property management company Crombie of Nova Scotia. None of the stores impacted are in northwestern Ontario.

New Gold Close To Goal

In the world of business,  the New Gold mining company says its planned take over of Rainy River Resources is one step closer to reality.  New Gold is giving shareholders of the mining exploration company until August 8th to accept the cash and stock offer .  New Gold says it's just a few percentage points away from its goal of acquiring 90 per cent of Rainy Rainy shares.

More Stanley Cup Info

The time and place are now set for presentation of the Stanley Cup in the city.  It will be at the Fort William Gardens on August 2nd from noon until 2:00.   Patrick Sharp of the NHL Champion Chicago Blackhawks will be on hand to show off the hardware

Dam Work Postponed

The swimming season can continue at Boulevard Lake. The city has decided to postpone work on the Current River Dam. Spokesperson Pat Mauro says they can't find any company to do the 3 million dollars worth of repairs adding the tenders came in higher than what City Hall had budgeted for. As a result of the decision water on Boulevard Lake will not be drained and the beaches will stay open.

Thirteen Year Old Charged In B & E

A 13 year old boy is facing charges after a Dawson Road lottery store was broke into  yesterday.  Cigarettes and bus passes were stolen.  A court appearance is scheduled for today.  

Dryden Losing Another Senior Staffer

The City of Dryden is losing another senior member. George Friesen has announced his resignation as Airport Manager effective September. Friesen says he's worked with some great staff for the past 23-No replacement has been named. Friesen is moving to Alberta to pursue other opportunities. The City is now without a full-time Economic Development Officer, City Manager, Library Manager and Recreation Manager, among other high level positions.

Still No Charges In Fatal Crash

There's still no word on any charges being laid in connection with this week's cycling tragedy near Red Rock.   Two cyclists from Cornwall were killed after being struck by a passing pick up truck on Tuesday afternoon.  They were part of a group of 25 cyclists travelling across the country.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Coke Bust On Hodder Ave.

A 31 year old Thunder Bay man is in custody after police arrested him on drug charges .  The arrest was made on Hodder avenue Tuesday night  when he walked off a Greyhound bus.   Pollice say the man resisted arrest and needed to be taken to the ground to be handcuffed.   Police say they seized 24 thousand dollars worth of what's believed to be cocaine.

Police Identify Accident Victims

Provincial Police continue to investigate the circumstances behind a tragic three vehicle collision in northwestern Ontario. A group of 25-cyclists on a cross country tour were travelling on the Trans-Canada Highway and were passing through the area of Red Rock on Tuesday when 2-of the cyclists were struck by an eastbound truck. The truck then hit two westbound vehicles. The cyclists, 65-year-old Robert Booth and 69-year-old Irene Booth of North Glengarry, near Ottawa, were pronounced dead at the scene. Two residents of Austin, Texas in the eastbound truck were transported to hospital with injuries. Two others in the involved vehicles were also sent to hospital.