Working with the James Street Bridge

With the James Street Bridge expected to be closed a little while longer for cars and trucks Councillor Joe Vidiramo says drivers must remain patient. The Councillor believes given the bridges history it's worth it to take the extra time needed to ensure the job is done right. Vidiramo also mentioned replacing the bridge as a possibility that should not go overlooked.

Addition to Mission Island

The Lakehead Region Conservation Authority will continue to add to the Mission Island lookout. Donna Blunt is the groups Vice-Chair and spoke at the Thunder Bay District Municipal League this past weekend. Along with increased maintenance and planting, the group will introduce four new interactive panels in the new year.

Pumpkin Compost

Now that Halloween has past doesn't mean you need to throw your Jack-O-Lantern in the garbage. The Great Pumpkin Compost is an environmentally friendly way to dispose of your old pumpkin. Collection bins are placed at the County Fair Mall on Dawson Road, the Lakehead Labour Centre on Fort William and the Westfort Playfield off Neebing Avenue. The bins will be open until November 15th.

Cell Phone Protection Bill Passes

The Provincial Government is supporting cell phone users by passing the new Wireless Services Agreements Act.  The final vote on the legislation was held last week and Thunder Bay Atikokan MPP Bill Mauro says they'll be protecting wireless customers by ensuring contracts be written in plain language with all the basic fees and extra charges clearly spelled out.  Mauro adds the new law will mean fewer surprises for people when they enter into cell phone and wireless service contracts in the Spring of 2014.

FedNor and the Agricultural Showcase

A variety of businesses from northwestern Ontario will be featured at the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto over the next couple of days. Greg Rickford is the minister responsible for FedNor, and says they have sponsored a major exhibit at the showcase. The Northern Ontario Agri-Food Pavilion runs until November 10th. Products like barbeque sauce, salad dressing and wild rice are just some of the things that will be on display at the exhibit.

Council's Back Bill's Bill

Several Municipalities are throwing their support behind Thunder Bay Atikokan MPP Bill Mauro's private members bill calling for the Spring Bear Hunt to be brought back.  Thunder Bay's City Council recently sent a letter of support to the Ministry of Natural Resources backing the bill.  Mauro says it's good to get support from the region and suspects other town councils are following Thunder Bay's suit.  The bill comes up for debate on December 14th.

Call For Unity

The Mayor and the Chief of Fort William First Nation are standing side by side and calling for unity in the wake of racist comments.   In a symbolic show of support the two held a joint news conference holding eagle feathers in Council Chambers. Several racist tweets and facebook messages were posted after the James Street bridge fire.

LU Maclean's Magazine Ranking

Rave reviews for Lakehead University in Thunder Bay.  Maclean’s magazine’s annual University Rankings places Lakehead in second place among Ontario’s primarily undergraduate universities.  When compared to all Canadian universities in this category, Lakehead climbed two spots from last year’s results to rank tenth overall. L-U finished first in social sciences and humanities grants, total research dollars and in library services.

Hep A Case In T.Bay

The Health Unit is investigating a case of Hepatitis A of a Wendy's employee.  The worker at the Red River Road location tested positive and anyone who consumed any food from that restaurant between Oct. 11th to 26th may have been exposed to the virus. People who consumed food from this restaurant during this period should watch for signs of illness and contact their health care provider if they experience any of the following: fever, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, tiredness, nausea, vomiting, dark urine, pale stools or yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice). Symptoms can develop anywhere from 15 to 50 days after exposure to the virus.

UA Changes Flight Time

There's a new departure time coming for flights to Chicago from Thunder Bay.   Airport officials say that starting December 19th the United Airlines flights will depart at 7:20 each morning.  Right now that flight leaves at 6 am.    There is no change to the time the flight from Chicago arrives in Thunder Bay.  It remains at 9:05 pm.

Trains Going Over James Street Bridge

Trains are now going over the James Street bridge following this week's fire. Lindsay Fedchyshyn of CN Rail says the damaged portion of the rail line was fixed by this morning, however vehicle traffic is still not being allowed to cross. Fedchyshyn says the consultant will prepare recommendations on what work needs to be done to the road portion of the bridge.

Golf Links Opening Soon

Golf Links Road should be back open to traffic in two weeks time.   City Engineering Manager Rick Harms says they're on schedule and are putting the finishing touches on the road.  Harms says weather permitting we could see Golf Links open the week of November 18th.

Needle Found In Candy

City Police say a needle was found in Halloween treats Thursday night.   A parent told officers her kids were trick or treating in the Kakabeka Falls Village when they came home and found the needle in their loot.   Police are encouraging parents to make sure all treats are carefully looked at and any questionable pieces should be thrown out.  This incident is being followed up by police to try to determine if it was intentional or accidental.

BB Gun Seized

Police are investigating a weapons incident from Tuesday that saw a 16 year old man sent to hospital.   A group of friends were at the John Kusznier Memorial Park area when a BB gun was fired and hit the youth in the face near his eye.  The weapon used in this incident has been seized by police and the investigation is continuing.

Movember

It's Movember, and local men will be growing their facial hair to raise awareness about Prostate Cancer. Movember Campaign Chair Jon Hendel says there's many ways residents can take part in the fundraising effort.  Last year's local Movember campaign raised almost 30-thousand dollars.For more information visit www.movembertbay.com and www.movember.com.

Fall Feast Away For People To Come Together

The City's 3rd annual Fall Feast is on today at the Lakehead Labour Centre.  The event is meant to bring both First Nation and non aboriginal residents together as a community.  Aboriginal Liaison Officer Ann Magiskan says it's important for the community to work together especially after offensive comments were made on social media sites about the James Street bridge fire.  The event runs until six tonight.

Two Morning Fires

City fire crews are on the scene of a major fire at Frankie and Johnny's Auto Body shop at 830 North Vickers Street.  Fire units arrived at the blaze at 6:40 this morning and a second alarm was called in immediately.  No injuries have been reported and North Vickers Street is closed between Forest Avenue and Northern Avenue.  Meanwhile, there was extensive damage to an upholstery store in the 400 block of North May Street following an early morning fire.  Four pumpers and an aerial platform truck were called to the scene around 3:40 this morning and battled the blaze for close to two hours. Fire investigators will be on the scene today to determine the cause.  There were no injuries.

College Program Gets Accredited

Confederation College's Medical Laboratory Assistant program is receiving two year accreditation from the Canadian Medical Association.  The accreditation shows that the program has met national educational standards.

Inquest Into Lee Antoniak's Death

The Ontario Coroner's Office is conducting an inquest into the death of 31 year old Lee Antoniak.  Antoniak died in April 2012 as a result of injuries received during the course of his employment at a construction site in the City. The hearing will take place on December 18th.

Update On James Street Bridge

More investigative work continues at the charred James Street Bridge.  The Ontario Fire Marshal is expected to conduct more testing on the bridge throughout the day, trying to find the cause of the Tuesday night's fire.  Over 80 planks of burned wood have already been removed with more coming.  Security is also very tight with a perimeter being staffed while officials continue their probe.