Missing Teen

Thunder Bay police are asking for your help in trying to find a missing 16 year old girl.  They say that Ellie Stokes was last seen leaving her Mother's home located on Thunder Bay's north side, Saturday October 26 around 7 in the evening.  She is described as caucasian, 5 feet-2 inches and with dark hair.  

Mines Minister Gravelle Is Optimistic

The province is looking at creating a development corporation that will be used in the Ring of Fire project. The corporation would include all parties involved in the Ring of Fire and aims at addressing issues that may arise during development. Mines Minister Michael Gravelle is optimistic that the Federal Government will agree, and states that the move should clear any issues surrounding finances and infrastructure.

Cliffs Welcomes ROF Plan

The biggest player in the Ring of Fire mining project is welcoming a plan by the province to set up a development corporation to deal with the giant venture.   In a prepared statement, Jennifer Mihalcin of Cliffs Natural Resources said the news is encouraging.  She says the company looks forward to working with all parties to advance the project.  The mining giant has threatened to pull out of the project if there is no government infrastructure support.

Premier Requests ROF $

Premier Kathleen Wynne figures what's good for other parts of Canada should be good enough for northern Ontario.  Wynne is pleading with the Harper government for money to develop the Ring of Fire mining project.   She says it requires 2 and a quarter billion dollars for infrastructure development including a new road.   Wynne points out the feds have come through for other big projects in Alberta, B.C. and Labrador.

New General Manager For The TBSO

The Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra has a new General Manager. Shannon Whidden brings with him over fifteen years of experience. He most recently served as Orchestra Manager for the National Arts Centre.

No Frills Opening November 15th

Thunder Bay's new No Frills grocery store on Edward Street will be opening a week from today.   The company says the grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony will take place at 7:45 in the morning.  The second No Frills location on Dawson Road in the County Fair Plaza is going to open on November 29th.  

Housing Starts Down For October

 On the economic front, the city looks to be keeping pace with last year for the number of new houses being built.  Canada Mortgage and Housing says that from January to October of this year there were 300 housing starts which compares almost equally to last year at the same time.   October was still a rough month for total housing starts though.  This year there were 21 starts compared to over 100 last year.

Forestry Bill Over One Hurdle

A bill that will help the forestry industry and Northern Ontario has passed second reading. Bill 13, also known as the  Ontario Forestry Industry Revitalization Act, was brought forward by Nippissing MPP Vic Fedeli. Fedli says this is a huge step towards providing a much needed boost to the Northern Ontario economy, however he notes more work still lies ahead. The bill will focus on amending the Ontario Building Code to allow mid-rise wood frame construction up to six-storeys, instead of the current 4.

Jobless Rate Down

The latest government statistics show that unemployment in Thunder Bay dropped slightly from September to October.   The jobless rate in the city last month was 6.3 per cent a drop of point 1 per cent. Nationally the rate remained unchanged at 6.9 per cent.

Strongmen Flex Muscles And Raise 4K

On the charity beat, the local Big Brothers and Big Sisters organization is getting a boost thanks to a recent strongman competition.  Participants raised 4 thousand dollars for the group which was presented at a ceremony this morning.  

NAN Wants Right to Control Own Education

The Nishnawbe Aski Nation is calling for the right to control their own education on NAN territory. More than two-hundred delegates met this past week at the Chiefs Summit on Education in Thunder Bay. Grand Chief Harvey Yesno says it's important to have control over their education system to give youth a sense of identity. Yesno says communities must work together, and that it is his role to engage other Grand Chiefs across the country.

CEDC Happy To See New Businesses Open

The Community Economic Development Commission is pleased a new company is setting up shop in Thunder Bay.  Timeless Shoe Repair held it's grand opening on Thursday and Development Officer Stacia Kean says more people should follow suit and start their own business.  Kean says since April she's seen 7 new businesses open up.

CN Keeping Bridge Closed Awhile

The James Street bridge is going to remain closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic until at least next week.   Lindsay Fedchyshyn of CN Rail says it's still up to the experts to decide when or if it should open.  The bridge caught fire last week and so far only trains are being allowed to cross.

Twitter on the New York Stock Exchange

Twitter is now a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange. Share prices were expected to open at twenty-six dollars, a figure that has jumped to forty-five dollars. Mark Piovesana is Senior Wealth-Advisor at Thunder Bay's ScotiaMcLeod and says the excitement surrounding the announcement is similar to when Facebook went public.

Highway 17 Open

Highway 17 is now open to one lane between Vermillion Bay and Kenora.  14 transports were involved in an early morning crash causing the closure of the roadway for most of the morning.  Police closed the highway just before 2 o'clock this morning.

Grain Elevators Re-Open

A grain elevator has reopened and is seeing service for the first time in three years.  Richardson International bought the elevator from Viterra this past summer.  Gerry Heinrichs is the company's Thunder Bay manager and says there is still some work to be done.  The elevator loaded its first ship this past Tuesday.

Workshop On City Development

A workshop is being held in the City tonight to discuss an upcoming review from the Provincial Government into how cities plan and fund their development.  Ontario is going to review its land use planning system and the Development Charges Act.  The review is meant to ensure municipal planning decisions support livable communities, attract jobs and encourage economic growth.  A regional workshop on planning and development charges is being held tonight starting at 6 pm at Thunder Bay's Airlane Hotel from 6 until 9:30.

Taxi Group Meets For The First Time

A Police Services Board committee that's looking at the future of taxi service in the City is fresh off its first meeting.  The group is considering allowing more licenses and having the City's by-law office govern the taxi service rather than the police.  City Councillor Brian McKinnon says no decisions have been made and notes it's a lengthy process. The group will meet again in a months time.

South Side Stabbing

A 22-year old man is in hospital with serious injuries following a stabbing on the south side last night.  City Police say at around 8:20 Wednesday evening the man was stabbed in the lower back by a large hunting knife in the 200 block of South May Street.  Investigators are looking for a lone male in connection with the incident.  The suspect is known to Police.  

Healing Circle Planned

An Aboriginal healing circle is planned by the Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board this week.  It's to help three Fort William First Nation students at Pope John Paul the Second school.   Education director Joan Powell says it's to allow them to overcome their concerns after a staffer made a  reportedly offensive remark.   She says two trained facilitators will lead the circle, one of them is Aboriginal.   The principal and staff member from the school will also be present. The healing circle takes place Friday at the board office.