Highway 17 Closed Near Kenora

Highway 17 is closed in Kenora due to a jackknifed transport.  OPP say the removal process has been slowed because of white out conditions.

Counselling Centre Increases Support For Women

The Thunder Bay Counselling Centre is announcing a new branch of services dedicated to women who use the centre. Executive Director Nancy Chamberlain says the Counselling Centre for Women will see improvements to services already offered. That includes the centre's outreach program that reaches out to women in their homes.

GS Meeting Arranged

The Minister of Energy is arranging a technical meeting around the Thunder Bay Generating Station's Fuel. It comes after the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association met with Bob Chiarelli in Toronto. City Councillor Iain Angus says the meeting will be between the Common Voice Northwest Energy Task Force and the Ontario Power Generation.   NOMA is hoping the meeting will result in the Provincial Government changing it's mind on how much fuel supply the Thunder Bay station will need.  No date has been set for the meeting.

City Man Pleads Guilty To Killing Police Dog

A 27 year old Thunder Bay man is facing time in jail after pleading guilty to killing an Edmonton police dog.   A spokesperson for the prosecutor's office in Alberta says that Paul Vukmanich also pleaded guilty to charges of possession of a dangerous weapon and stolen property as well as running away from police..   Both the prosecution and the defence are calling for a jail of sentence of 26 months.   Vukmanich will be back in court on Friday.

OFAH Worried About Spring Bear Hunt

The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters is worried that opponents of the Spring Bear Hunt will try to convince the provincial government to cancel a pilot project this year.  The government has proposed a modified spring hunt in eight wildlife areas in northern Ontario this spring.  Yesterday, former Price Is Right host Bob Barker called the hunt "barbaric" claiming cubs are starved to death after their mothers are lured from their den. The OFAH is asking northerners to log onto the Environmental bill of rights and register their support for the hunt.

Watermain Break Near High Street

Motorists and pedestrians on the north side are being advised to avoid the intersection of High and Queen Street this morning as City crews deal with yet another watermain break.  City spokesperson Gerald Luty says the rupture occurred before 6 o'clock this morning and the rushing water has led to extremely icy roads and sidewalks in that area.   High Street is closed off at the intersection of Oliver Road.

T.Bay Man Charged In Dryden

A Thunder Bay man is facing charges from Dryden police following an incident Sunday morning.  Police say a Dryden resident woke up to find someone in their home.  24-year old Aaron Harper of Thunder Bay faces three charges of breaching conditions of an undertaking and forcible entry.

Northern Ontario Team Heading To Brier

Jeff Currie's rink is playing in the Canadian Brier in Kamloops B.C. this weekend.  The Fort William Curling Club hosted a send-off party for the Northern Ontario Curling Team last night. Currie says playing in the Brier has been a long time coming.  The tournament is running from March 1st to 9th.

Another NWO Olympian Coming Home

Eric Radford is coming home!  The Olympic silver medallist is set to arrive at the Red Lake Airport at 12:50 Thursday afternoon.  Debra Geary is Radford's former figure skating coach and says they have a number of events planned over the course of two days.  Speeches at the social are planned for 9 o'clock.

Distracted Driving Fines Going Up

Provincial Police in northwestern Ontario say distracted driving isn't acceptable and a new fine imposed by the province should make that perfectly clear.  Talking on your phone, looking at your computer screen or even grabbing a bite to eat while behind the wheel will soon cost you 280-dollars.  Sergeant Shelly Garr says that's up from 155-dollars.  The fines will not apply to GPS screens.

Irwin Is Back

Thunder Bay's Haley Irwin is being welcomed home by 100 of her fans. She arrived back from the Sochi Olympics Tuesday night.  Irwin says it's great to see so much local support waiting for her at the airport. Irwin says she wants to play in the next winter Olympics and will start training again soon.

Julius Remembers Norman LaVoie

Norman LaVoie is being remembered this week as the person who brought sports at Lakehead University to the forefront.   LaVoie, who used to head up the Kinesiology Department at LU, died on the weekend, he was 71.  Former women's basketball coach Stu Julius says LaVoie's death is affecting a lot of people having touched the lives of everyone from students to athletes.   Julius called LaVoie, a big man on a small campus.

Crews Digging Out Fire Hydrants

City crews are out on area streets trying to uncover buried fire hydrants after the recent heavy snowfall. Deputy Fire Chief Greg Hankkio says access to hydrants are vital for fire fighting operations. For those residents or businesses that have hydrants on their property they are asked to help out by removing the snow from them.

Parade Of Lights Doles Out The Cash

On the charity beat, four local organizations are reaping the benefits from the annual Parade of Lights.  The Therapeutic Riding Association, the George Jeffery Children's Centre and the Thunder Bay branches of Autism Ontario and Special Olympics Ontario are splitting the nearly 20 thousand dollars raised in last years parade.  

Counterfeit Items Concern RCMP

The RCMP are warning residents to be careful when buying what they believe to be legally registered products but then turn out to be counterfeit.  Thunder Bay Sgt. Normand Roy says the situation has already come to light here in the city where some counterfeit hockey and football jerseys were seized.     Roy says the bogus items range from T-shirts to extension cords which could post a risk to safety.

More Snow Clearing Improvements Coming

Transportation Minister Glen Murray continues to fight off criticism that snow clearing on northern highways is below standard.  In the legislature Murray said northern municipal leaders he has spoken to are happy with the 50 snowplows that have been added to the fleet and that more changes will be coming next season to improve highway snow clearing.  Murray says municipal leaders tell him winter road maintenance in the north is now "remarkable".

Snow On Roofs A "Concern"

It's a winter to remember for some homeowners.  Many have huge amounts of snow on the roofs of their houses which is cause for concern according to Ron Rost of Triad Roofing.   His advice is to use common sense and examine how much snow has accumulated and to act before a possible collapse.   Rost says the problem is more serious in some parts of the city.  He says his company has been answering up to 20 calls a day for snow removal services.  

Police Investigate Break Ins

Thunder Bay police are investigating two break ins to local businesses. Officers responded to an alarm call from The Wellness Centre in the 400 block of South Vickers at 1 am Tuesday morning, and then responded to a second alarm call shortly after 3 am at a dry cleaning business in the 400 block of South Syndicate. No suspects were present when officers arrived to both scenes, and nothing was taken.

Missing Man Found Safe

The Thunder Bay Police Service is pleased to report that Paul Groulx has been safely located.  The 28-year old man had been reported missing over the weekend.  Police would like to thank the media and public who helped in the investigation.  

Bingo Hall Approved

City Council is giving the go ahead to a proposed bingo hall, lounge and gaming centre on Memorial Avenue. Planning Consultant Don Manahan told council that the hall will need less parking spaces than the former Roxy's Bar that once operated on the site. There were some concerns from neighbouring businesses about parking and a meeting will be held to resolve them.