Three Dead In T.Bay

Two people are dead after a cliff diving accident in Shuniah near the Silver Harbour boat launch. The body of 32 year old Kevin Spade was found just before noon today, while 26 year old Marlene Fox died from her injuries last night in hospital.  Meantime, OPP divers have found the body of a man they believe to be Jordan Desfosses who went missing after the canoe he was in capsized on Saturday in the Kam River.

New Job Program For First Nations

An employment service for aboriginal job seekers is now up and running.  Dana Bridgeman-Cross says Shooniyaa Job Connect says they offer services to both employers and employees. Bridgeman-Cross says they also help job seekers out with resumes, writing cover letters and with job interviews.  The new initiative has been matching up aboriginal job seekers with employment opportunities for a couple of months now.

Police Confirm Scooter Incident

Thunder Bay Police are confirming the theft of a scooter Friday night at Marina Park.  A 12 year old boy's scooter was stolen and he got hurt after he went up to people he thought were responsible for the crime.  Police Spokesperson Chris Adams says it's rare to see an incident at the Skate Park.

MNR Crews Deal With Fires

There are currently 15 forest fires burning in Northwestern Ontario, however none of them are posing a risk to people or property.  There were 3 new fires reported over the weekend...one each in the Thunder Bay, Dryden and Sioux Lookout districts.  With the chance of storms over the region today, there is a possibility a few lightning-caused fires could occur in areas where little rain has fallen.       

Roots To Harvest Carrying On

A Thunder Bay group is going to keep bringing fresh food to lower income residents despite having five of their bikes stolen.   The incident happened last week at their greenhouse on South Algoma Street.  Roots To Harvest Organizer Erin Beagle says so far the stolen bikes haven't been returned but they have received numerous offers of replacement bikes.  Beagle says they're going to find a way to bring the fresh produce no matter what to their weekly markets at the City's bus terminals.

Road Closure Wednesday

Drivers take note...A portion of Pacific Avenue at Simpson Street is going to be closed on Wednesday.  Thunder Bay Hydro Spokesperson Eileen Dias says it's because crews are working on upgrading the electrical system in the area. The closure will impact traffic travelling east-west between Simpson Street and May Street south of the Neebing River.  The road will be closed from 7 am until 5 pm.

AMO Conference Continues

The annual provincial municipalities conference is underway in Ottawa.   Ron Nelson is the past president of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association and says tomorrow  is when the local delegates will meet with provincial cabinet ministers for one hour.  Nelson says the Northern Growth Plan, Ring of Fire and the Thunder Bay Generating station are on the list of topics for that meeting.

Pet Limit Still Has A Pulse

He refuses to give up.  City councillor Aldo Ruberto says he is hoping to revive his request for a limit on the number of pets you can own. Before he left on his trip to China, Ruberto told our newsroom he has one more chance to make his case because his proposal still requires a final vote to make it official. Ruberto says there's been a lot of support for his idea since it came up at City Hall last week.

Bridal Boutique Closing

After almost 3 decades in business Eva's Bridal Boutique on Algoma is closing.   Owner Eva Tucci say she's retiring.  She says no date has been set for the closure saying she will stay open until stock runs out.  Tucci says it's also possible someone may buy the company from her.

Local Drownings

Police say that a 32 year old man is missing and thought to have drowned in Lake Superior. They say  the incident took place early Saturday evening at Silver Harbour in Shuniah township and that a woman was taken to the Health Sciences Centre but her condition is not known.  Police say the two were cliff diving at the time.  Meantime police are searching the Kam River, also for a 32 year old man after the canoe he and three others were in flipped over at Silver Falls.  The others made it to shore safely, they say the man did not.

AMO Conference Starts Today

The Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association is gearing up for the Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference starting today in Ottawa. Association President Dave Canfield says he's looking at issues affecting communities throughout Northwestern Ontario like infrastructure funding and tourism.  Canfield says another issue is the rising cost of policing.

Film Hopes To Bridge Culture Gap

The city is teaming up with a local filmmaker to produce  four short films about the Aboriginal people of the city and who they are. City Clerk John Hannam says it's to help bridge a cultural gap with First Nations residents.  He says they're looking for financial help from local businesses and organizations to offset the 45 thousand dollar budget.  Hannam says the documentary will be shown to employees in all city departments.

Mike Richards donates 17K

Another huge success at the Mike Richards Charity Golf Tournament in Kenora. A cheque presentation was held where the NHL star donated over 17 thousand dollars to the community foundation. Richards says giving back is a key goal of his no matter how big or small. Richards charity events have raised over 100 thousand dollars overall for the community foundation.

MPP Calls For Hike In Minimum Wage

Kenora-Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell says people can't survive on minimum wage. Demonstrations were held across the province earlier this week, calling on the government to bump it up from $10.25 to 14-dollars per hour.  She says people are finding increasingly challenging to put food on the  table and adds, raising the minimum wage is the best way to combat poverty.

Visitor Safety Not An Issue At FWHP

The head of Fort William Historical Park says there's no danger to visitors even though they haven't found what predator could be responsible for the summertime death of some fort animals. Sergio Buonocore is confident the safety of tourists is not being compromised.  He says the animal deaths took place overnight and are not likely to be repeated during the day.  Over the last two months several sheep and chickens were killed.

Gas Line Leak Stopped Quickly

A gas line leak on the 300 block of Lark Street caused a bit of commotion this afternoon.   It appears that someone hit a gas line while doing some work just before 2 o'clock.  A Fire and Rescue official says there was no real danger but homes in the immediate area of the leak were evacuated as a precaution.

Funding Benefits Six Businesses

The province's northern development fund is granting money to local six businesses.   The six are sharing in over 200 thousand dollars of funding from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund.   Dental Hygiene Smiles of Thunder Bay is receiving 125 thousand dollars of that to help it open a dental clinic.   The rest will be split up among Kuhl  Lighting, The Dog Classroom, Confederation College, Northwestern Ontario Associated Chambers of Commerce and a Chiropractic Clinic.

George Jeffrey Gets Added $

The George Jeffrey Children's Centre is once again on the receiving end of a government cheque.   This time it's almost 140 thousand provincial tax dollars.    MPP Bill Mauro says the money is going to be used to provide children and youth with improved access to treatment services.

Movie Nights Are Back

It's movie night again at Marina Park.  The city is presenting a series of outdoor movies starting tonight at dusk with "Back To The Future 2".   There will be four more weeks of movies shown including a Bay Street Film Festival night where a local flick will be screened.

City Delegation Heads To China

A delegation from Thunder Bay is heading to China as part of the sister cities program.   Councillor Aldo Ruberto says the trip is designed to cement a friendship pact with the city of Jiaozuo  which started when the Chinese delegation came here.   The group includes Ruberto along with City Clerk John Hannam , Development Services Manager Mark Smith and city mining guru John Mason.  They left today and are due back home August 26th.