Hospital Sees No Impact From Blood Shortage

Local hospital officials are refusing to say much about a reported blood donor shortage in Canada.   A spokesperson at the Health Science's Centre says they will not offer any comment except to say they have not been seeing any impact.   The shortage has forced Canadian Blood Service to delve into its reserves.

Renewed Call For Spring Bear Hunt

Bringing back the spring bear hunt would be beneficial for the region according to the Northwestern Ontario Sportsmen's Alliance. Executive Director John Kaplanis's comments follow the bear attack at Sandbar Provincial Park, north of Ignace.  Kaplanis says by bringing back the spring hunt, it would help the bears develop a greater fear of humans and not consider them as food.

Hebert Frustrated With Energy Process

An energy conference in the city this week is concerning to Larry Hebert.  The co-chair of the city's Energy Task force says the gathering to examine Ontario's long term energy plan seemed to focus on the needs of southern Ontario and not our region which will require extra electricity to deal with various mining projects.  Hebert calls this weeks process frustrating.

Inmate Hurt At District Jail

The province is probing an incident at the District Jail on MacDougall Street yesterday afternoon..  Brent Ross of the Ministry of Correctional Services isn't allowed to say much about what happened only to say than an inmate was hurt.   City police say that it  involved a 58 year old inmate who sustained minor injuries after being assaulted by two other prisoners.  Two men, aged 25 and 45 are facing charges.

ROF Training Cash Announced

The federal government is kicking in almost 6 million dollars to help train Aboriginals for work in the Ring of Fire mining development.  Minister of State Greg Rickford made the announcement in Thunder Bay today.  He says the project will run in cooperation with Confederation College and Noront Resources

Process Begins For East West Tie Line

The process is now underway for the construction of a new transmission line to provide electricity between northwestern and southern Ontario.  The Ontario Energy Board's Vanda Wall says a company has been chosen to begin the initial design, the environmental assessment and land acquisition. She says this stage of the so called East-West Tie Line can last up to 18 months.

Manufacturer Still Eyeing NWO

B.C. based Aspenware still has plans for expansion but the exact location isn't known. President Terry Bigby says the wooden cutlery manufacturer still has its eye on northwestern Ontario.  He says the key is getting a steady supply of wood fibre.  Aspenware recently signed an agreement with a Kenora area First Nation for harvesting operations in the Whiskey Jack Forest.

RFDA Needs Food

The local organization that distributes food to area food banks is in need of donations.   Volker Kromm of the Regional Food Distribution Association says they are looking for the basics. He says that includes pasta, canned goods and peanut butter. Kromm says they are "scrounging around the rest of the province" to try to get at least a truck load of food to ease the shortage.  He adds summer is the time when food bank stocks are normally low.

CEDC Praised For CEO Selection

Charla Robinson

The president of the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce is giving props to the board of the Economic Development Corporation.  Charla Robinson says the choice of Doug Murray as the new CEO of the city organization is a a great one for Thunder Bay.  She says the Chamber has worked with Murray in the past and calls it a great fit.   Board Chair Paul Inksetter says Murray beat out  about 65 other candidates for the position, many from as far away as China and Australia. Murray will be handling a yearly budget of 1 million dollars towards the goal of attracting more industry and jobs to the city.

Swimming Advisory At Chippewa

A swimming advisory is back on at Chippewa Park.   The Health Unit says that there are high bacteria levels at both the Main and Sandy Beaches and that you swim at your own risk.

MV Thunder Bay On The Job

The MV Thunder Bay is officially on the job.   Canada Steamship Lines has unveiled its newest ship named after our city.  It was given a special maiden voyage celebration  in Port Colborne today.  However,  there are no immediate plans for the new vessel to visit our port.  It's currently travelling from Escanaba, Michigan where it loaded up with iron ore pellets which are being delivered to the Port of Quebec for shipment overseas.

Bacteria Outbreak Over

A three week bacterial outbreak at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre is over.   It  involved C-difficile  a mainly hospital born super bug which has been associated with the overuse of antibiotics.  Officials say no new cases have developed on 3A, the centre of the outbreak.

Police Tout First Possible Meth Seizure

Police say they have two men in custody following the latest drug bust.  Officers seized about 5 thousand dollars worth of cocaine, marijuana and what's believed to be the first seizure of methamphetamine in the city.  Also seized was a loaded 22 caliber handgun and 19 thousand dollars in cash.   The busts centred around homes on Strand Avenue and Piccadilly Street.

Brown Cool With Osisko Decision

The Mayor of Atikokan isn't panicking over Osisko's plans to delay a gold mining project near the community. Dennis Brown says the Hammond Reef project would have meant new jobs, but stresses there's still plenty of other economic activity in Atikokan including the Rentech and Resolute mills.. Brown says Osisko still has a presence in the town and hopes their project can proceed when gold prices get better.

Lyceum Building Causing City Headaches

The city is facing a decision on what to do with the derelict Lyceum building on Cumberland Street.   City Manager Tim Commisso says the ever elusive owner needs to fix it up or else it may have to be demolished.   He says the problems include a leaking roof and the accumulation of water.  Commisso says a decision on the structure could come in less than a month.

Doug Murray Heads The CEDC

The new CEO of the city's Economic Development Corporation is Doug Murray.  He comes from the private sector as a manager in the pulp and paper industry.   Murray hopes to use his skills to bring new industry and jobs to Thunder Bay and to diversify the local economy and points to the ever expanding health care industry   Murray officially takes over on Monday

City Man Recounts Bear Attack

Thunder Bay's Trevor Miller will never look at bears the same.  It follows an attack this week in Sandbar Provincial Park near Ignace. Miller tells our newsroom that it was a harrowing experience that seemed like it would never end as the whole ordeal lasted about 2 hours as he tried to dodge the bear by going in the water.  He says at one point he smacked the bear on the nose with a stick as it swam towards him,  but that only stopped the stalking for a short period as the bear regrouped itself.   Miller says it all ended when his dog went after the bear and was killed in the process.

Police Arrest Robbery Suspect

A 28-year old Thunder Bay man is being held in custody following his arrest for the armed robbery of the Simpson Street Mac's Store on August 2nd.  Police made the arrest yesterday without incident on East Victoria Avenue.  The man entered the store armed with a syringe and escaped with a small amount of money. His court date has yet to be determined.  No one was injured during the incident.  

Murray Visiting NWO

Ontario's transportation minister is visiting Northwestern Ontario this week.   Glen Murray will be in Murillo this morning. The minister will consult with Northern and rural municipal leaders on the new 100 million dollars in provincial funding for infrastructure in their communities.  He will be in Kenora tomorrow.

Minor Injuries In Expressway Mishap

There were no injuries following a three-vehicle collision on the Thunder Bay Expressway and Balsam Street late yesterday morning.  The accident involved a car and two tractor trailer units.  The driver of the car, a 27-year old Calgary woman has been charged with a lane change violation.