McDonald's fire appears accidental

It appears arson is being ruled out as the cause of a McDonalds Restaurant fire in the city. The blaze started in a garbage bin at the Memorial Avenue location on Monday afternoon. Fire inspectors say that there is no indication that the fire was deliberatly set. The exact cause remains a mystery though

Terrace Bay Pulp set to re-open within weeks

A date has now been set for the re-opening of Terrace Bay Pulp. Thunder Bay's Buchanan Forest Products owns the facility and company lawyer Yves Fricot says the latest court decision means the plant can open August 16th.

Outbreak hits seniors home

There's a sickness outbreak at a north side seniors home. The Health Unit says that only the Primrose Wing at Roseview Manor is affected. Admissions, transfrers and discharges have been cancelled until further notice.

NDP health critic takes our temperature

The NDP are criss-crossing the country getting information on health care. Halifax MP Megan Leslie says as the party health critic she is trying to find out ways to change the system, and getting advice from people in Thunder Bay.  On Tuesday,  Leslie spent time with seniors and aboriginals.

Famous WW II bomber visits city

A Lancaster bomber from World War Two is in Thunder Bay this week. The public will be allowed to see it at the Confederation College School of Aviation from noon until 5 Wednesday . Pilot Leon Evans says the aircraft always creates a buzz where ever it goes.  He says it's because it's the only Lancaster left in the world that is still flying.  Evans says the plane is an important part of this country's war history.

Vets on hand to view the Lancaster

One of the many veterans on hand to greet the Lancaster when it arrived in Thunder Bay was 92 year old Jack Lourie. He says he flew 30 bombing missions over Germany in the Lancaster in 1944. Lourie calls the plane very reliable and a joy to fly.

We could see a light show in the sky today

Thunderstorms could cause a delay for tonight's Team Canada game against Panama tonight. Environment Canada's Geoff Coulson says right now intense Thunderstorm activity is passes south of town but it could move north. Coulson says if they do develop into severe storms they will bring heavy rain and potential damaging winds. On the positive side Coulson says by the weekend we should be back to the sunshine and warm temperatures.

There won't be a strike at Superstore

Employees of the Thunder Bay Real Canadian Superstore voted to accept a new 5 year contract with Westfair Foods.  The union representing the workers says 98 percent of employees voted in favour of the new deal.  The contract covers over 300 full time and part time employees.

Another break in at a house were people were sleeping

Four teens have been arrested by the Thunder Bay police after breaking into a house this morning. Officers say the group broke into a house on the 500 block of Piccadilly Ave and were scared off when the home owner woke up. 3 boys and a girl were arrested with the help of the K-9 Unit and will appear in court today.

Morning News Recap

There was three games at the World Junior Baseball Championships yesterday.  The US pounded Chinese Taipei 10-0 after seven innings to improve to 3 and 0 at the tournament.  Italy downed France 14-8 and Korea just got past the Czech Republic 4-0.  Korea was coming off a tough loss against Canada on Sunday.  Tonight Canada battles Panama at Port Arthur Stadium.

In the Northwoods League the Border Cats fell to St Cloud  6-0.  The Cats are in St. Cloud again tonight for the second of a three game sereis.

Wind farm saga plods along

The city of Thunder Bay is taking the next step in the Horizon Wind Farm project.  Following yet another post midnight meeting, councillors have approved a submission to Horizon Wind on the proposed turbines for the Nor' Wester Mountains.  The submission is part of the provinces evironmental process. There are several areas that are being questioned, from input by the Fort William First Nations to the affects on the Loch Lomond ski area.   Development Services Manager Mark Smith says Horizon's proposal is incomplete in those areas and more.

More wind farm debate at City Hall

A new consultant hired by opponents of the Horizon Wind Farm, is critical of a draft environmental document by developers of the wind turbines.  In a sometimes rambling presentation to councillors,  Michael McLeod said there are gaps in the draft report and the documents are incomplete on a number of issues.  Councillor Rebecca Johnson says what she heard from McLeod and his assistant was  nothing new

Councillors struggle with street name

A short stretch of road at Prince Arthur's Landing is getting a new name. Five hundred metres of it will be called Sleeping Giant Parkway. After two hours of debate, city councillors turned down administration's recommendation that a large section of roadway in Marina Park be changed to Sleeping Giant Parkway. It also recommended that as much roadway as possible on the Thunder Bay waterfront be given that name. Meantime local Navy representatives are hoping for some recognition for navy veterans. HMCS Griffon Lieutenant-Commander John Bell says if a street can't be named, then there should be some way to honour navy vets at the new look waterfront.

Eye in the Street program could see future expansion

There could be some expansion of the Eye in the Street program, but just not now. Charles Campbell runs the program for the city and says that the latest report to councillors did not recommend any changes. He says that's because the current construction taking place on the city's south side is putting any possible expansion on hold until work is complete. Campbell says he will be back before councillors in the near future with another report with recommendations on that issue.

Councillors hear the latest $ update

City councillors are now up to date on the latest financial figures. The Treasurers report was present Monday evening. The biggest question on the minds of some councillors was why the District Social Services Board and the District Health Unit were subjected to a new accounting policy and weren't included in the statements. The statements also indicate that the total value of everything the city owns, including TBayTel and the Public Library, is 865 million dollars

City recognizes young man

Michael Robinson is the latest recipient of the city's Exceptional Achievement Award. Robinson was selected as the youth representative for Ontario at the G/8G/20 summit.

Fire at Memorial McDonald's

Fire firefighters were called to a blaze at the Memorial Avenue McDonald's at around 3:15 Monday afternoon. A fire official says the blaze started in the rear garbage bin and spread to the building itself causing some damage to the roof area. There is no cause or injuries to report

Baseball ticket sales soar

The World Junior Baseball Championship in Thunder Bay is a hit. Organizer Jeff Halverson says the first 3 days generated 15 thousand in ticket sales and, depending on how well team Canada does, it could reach 40 to 60 thousand.  Halverson credits Media Sponsors like Northwoods Broadcasting for the success.

Korea bounces back to blank Czech's

The Korean team at the World Baseball Championship is back in the win column.   They bounced back from yesterdays loss to Canada at Port Arthur Stadium with a 4-0 victory over the Czech Republic.

Top Japanese diplomat visits Thunder Bay

The Deputy Consul-General for Japan is in Thunder Bay for a short visit this week. Nobuaki Yamamoto says as part of his stay he's visiting with Lakehead University President Fred Gilbert to strenghten his country's ties with the institution. He says he'd like to promote contacts and cultural promotions between LU and universities in Japan. He started his visit by watching a young baseball team from Gifu Japan play a local team

Superior Youth Fest set to entertain

Just call it Summer in the Parks for teens. The city is putting on it's 4th Superior Youth Festival at Marina Park this week. Organizer Jean Paul DeRoover says the free outdoor concerts feature young contemporary artists. He says it's designed to create something strictly for youth that relates to them. The concerts take place Thursday night starting at 6. Pictured: Webster Death and Grimmace the Butler are just one of the acts taking part in the Youth Festival.

Program to train aboriginal railway conductors

The federal government will cover the tuition and living expenses of aboriginal students who are training to become railway conductors. The announcement was made in Winnipeg by the Assembly of First Nations and the Railway Association of Canada. The funding is part of a two-year, 75 (m) million-dollar program to train First Nations people at centres in Thunder Bay, Winnipeg and Vancouver.  Seven project participants will be recruited as signals and communications maintainers, and up to 30 participants will be  recruited for track workforce positions.

OPP probe arson in Neebing Township

A 45 year old Thunder Bay woman is facing Arson and Assault charges after a fire in Neebing Township on the weekend. OPP say they were called to a building blaze on Jarvis Bay Road. The woman has been released from custody as the investigation continues. Police also say there were two collisions on the highway involving moose but no serious injuries.

Morning Sports Recap

Team Canada beat the best at the World Junior Baseball Championships. The Juniors beat two time defending champion Korea 5-4 Sunday. Philip Diedrick smashed a Grand Slam in the top of the first to put Canada ahead and says it was his biggest hit of his career.  Canada scored the winning run in the top of the fifth off a wild pitch from Korean Pitcher Yoo Chang Sik.  Next Up for Canada is Panama Tuesday at 7:00 at Port Arthur Stadium.  In other World Junior Baseball action.  The US hammered Italy 10-0 in 7 innings, Chinese Taipei beat Australia 13-11, Cuba crushed the Czech Republic 16-1, Venzuala downed France 8-2 and the Netherlands got past Panama 5-2.

In the Northwoods League the Border Cats came up just short of the Duluth Huskies 4-3.  The Cats are right back at it tonight in St Cloud as they kick off a three game series with the River Bats. 

World Juniors roundup

Yesterday, Canada lost 3-0 to Cuba in a tight match. The US won 4-2 against Australia. Chinese Taipei dominated France winning 11-1. Italy won 6-5 against Venezuela in eleven innings. The Czech Republic came back from an early deficit against Panama, but still lost 7-5. South Korea won a lopsided victory against the Netherlands 10-0.

Canada loses against Cuba 3-0

There was nothing on the scoreboard for either side until the top of the eighth when Cuba's Andy Ibanez batted in two runs. Cuba went on to edge out Canada 3-0. Both sides were strong defensively, giving up few hits throughout the game. Tom Robson pitched a solid six innings for Canada before he was relieved by Evan Grills. Cuba's Omar Luis pitched all nine innings and struck out 10 batters.

Italy wins against Venezuela

Italy beat Venezuela 6-5 yesterday. Venezuela started strong, scoring two runs in the first inning. The game quickly turned into a stalemate with either side refusing to budge. Italy eventually got the runs needed to send the game into extra innings and won in the eleventh. Italy faces the US today. Coach Gianguido Poma is looking forward to the game against the strong American team. "I know they're better than us, but you start from zero to zero and we just want to play a good game," said Poma.

Reason for Venezuela's delay still unknown

Ian Young of the IBAF says the organization isn't yet clear on the reason for Team Venezuela's late arrival to the World Junior Baseball Championship. Some Venezuelan players were arriving directly from the airport minutes before their game against Italy yesterday. The IBAF is investigating the issue and will make a statement once more is known.

Venezuela back in

Team Venezuela is on the ground in Thunder Bay, and back in the World Junior Baseball Championship. They will play Italy today at Baseball Central with a 4:00 start time.

Team Canada starts strong

Brandon Dailey's three run homer in the second inning got Canada off to a great start against the Netherlands. Team Canada went on to win the game 9-2 last night. Cuba beat Panama 10-0 yesterday morning. There will be games going all day at the two tournament locations. Canada and Cuba meet up tonight at Port Arthur Stadium.

Thunder Bay welcomes the world

The eleven teams that make up the World Junior Baseball Championship marched onto the field at Port
Arthur Stadium as part of the opening ceremonies Friday night.   The loudest cheers were, of course, for Team Canada who played the Netherlands immediately following the formalities.

Man robbed infront of his house

A 23 year old man was robbed outside his home on Sherrington Drive yesterday.  The victim was going to his car when he was confronted by a man and woman who had allegedly broken into his vehicle.  Police believe the man hit the victim and then fled the scene.

Tory nomination now a two person race

Richard Longtin is trying to inject a bit of youth into the local Conservative Party. He is seeking the federal Tory nomination for Thunder Bay Superior North. The 26 year old Longtin says he wants to help the riding grow.  The only other contender at this time is Richard Harvey. No date has been set for the nomination.

Fort Frances area mill workers vote for strike action

Unionized workers at the Ainsworth OSB Mill in Barwick have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action to back contract demands. The strike vote came after the 130 members of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers union voted 97 per cent against the company's latest offer. CEP National Rep Steven Boon says the union will continue work towards a deal before the mid-August strike deadline. Boon says many of the outstanding issues centre around non-monetary things such as contract language, contracting out, seniority and scheduling changes.

MNR Blitz catches illegal activity

The Minstry of Natural Resources laid 98-charges and issued 321-warnings during a recent 7-day enforcement blitz across Northwestern Ontario.  Conservation officers checked nearly 23-hundred anglers.  Charges were issued for fishing without a licence, over-limit of walleye, trespassing, illegally transporting fish, importing live baitfish, obstructing an officer and camping on crown land without a permit.  Several liquor related violations and not having appropriate safety equipment were also reported.

NDP MP John Rafferty weighs in on census

Another politician is weighing in on the Federal Government's decision to scrap the mandated long-form census. NDP MP John Rafferty says the Harper government has made a mistake and should shelve their hair brained census reform plan. Meanwhile, Kenora MP Greg Rickford defends the decision saying the mandatory census is an invasion of people's privacy.

MNR Fire Update

Despite significant rainfall, a good sized forest fire sparked in the Sioux Lookout District.  A 300-hectare blaze is burning just northeast of Sachogo Lake First Nation.  Aircraft will monitor the fire today to determine the next course of action.  There are 14-fires burning in Northwestern Ontario, none of which are considered serious.

Let's play ball!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The World Junior Baseball Championship is underway in Thunder Bay.   Cuba and Panama started things off this morning at Port Arthur Stadium after a short rain delay.   Opening ceremonies take place tonight at 6:15 followed by Canada and the Netherlands.   

Team Italy finding plenty of support

Team Italy is feeling right at home in Thunder Bay. Its Junior Baseball team received quite the welcome at the Airport when they arrived Wednesday. Coach Gianguido Poma says a large group of people met them at the airport with flags and signs. He says the extra support will give his players a big boost. Italy plays its first game Sunday against the US. They will be taking the field tomorrow morning and fans will get a chance to interact with the team.

Thunder Bay Hydro Power Outage

Around 600 businesses and homes were without power this morning. Thunder Bay Hydro had a key piece of equipment break at around 7 this morning on Park Avenue. The power outage was from the Casino to Waverly road.

Venezuela not coming to World Junior Baseball Championships

The World Junior Baseball Championships kick off today and it'll start down one team. Organizers announced yesterday Venezuela will not attending the tournament. Warren Philp says teams scheduled to face Venezuela will show up and practice and interact with fans. International Baseball Federation officials say it appears Visa and Passport problems are the reason Venezuela is a no show. In Accordance with IBAF rules teams scheduled to face the team will automatically earn a 9-0 win.

Shelter House still needs food

Once again Shelter House needs your help. Officials with the homeless facility say there's still a need for food donations. They say priority items remain canned and dry goods. Shelter House normally experiences a lull in donations during the summer months.

Bear frees itself from plastic trap

Thunder Bay's Rob Paterson is relieved it's over. Paterson helped to bring the publics attention to the plight of the bear with the plastic jug on his head on Lambert Island. The Ministry of Natural Resources is confirming that a jug found floating in Lake Superior, near the island, Wednesday night by canoeists, was indeed the one the bear was wearing. His fate is not known. Paterson says that the bruins plight attracted international attention with the BBC picking up the story.

Shad kids say goodbye

Another Shad Valley program at Lakehead University has come and gone. Students from across Canada are leaving after spending the last month in the program. Anika Smithson says she's going back to Orangeville a changed person. She says it opened her eyes to new ideas and taught her how much stress she's able to cope with. Smithson adds it gave her an idea of which direction she wants to take in university. This years program attracted 65 students

Mauro hasn't given up hope for Big Thunder Ski area

The Ministry of Tourism has rejected six proposals to reopen the Big Thunder National Ski Training Centre.  Thunder Bay – Atikokan MPP Bill Mauro says it all comes down to one thing and that's money.  In the end none of the people behind the proposals had enough money to run and operate the Big Thunder ski area. Mauro says he hasn't given up the fight yet, and notes he has one last proposal left that he hopes will be accepted.

New consolidated court house update

The Attorney General paid a visit to Thunder Bay today. Chris Bentley says he doesn't have any firm times as to when the construction contract will be announced for the new consolidated court house. Currently, demolition work is being completed to clear the area for the new building which will house both the Ontario Court of Justice and the Superior Court of Justice. The new court house will be located between Brodie and Archibald streets, south of Miles Street.

Ring of Fire Co-ordinator position still not filled

There's not much known about the provincial government's "Ring of Fire" co-ordinator position.  Minister of Northern Development Michael Gravelle says the candidate selected for the position could be announced sometime in the fall.  Gravelle adds they're not sure where that job will be based.  The Minister says it could be in Toronto, Thunder Bay or both.

Bentley visits Thunder Bay

Northern Ontario residents who want to train for a new job can say thanks to the McGuinty Government. A partnership program between the government, training facilities, and business was announced in Thunder Bay today. Aboriginal Affairs Minister Chris Bentley says the money will help train people for resource based jobs. Bentley adds its a 45 million dollar three year project.

City closes park bridge

The Trowbridge Falls pedestrian bridge is closed. The city is making the move because of safety concerns. Parks Manager Paul Fayrick says they hope to have it fixed before next summer. The closure will mostly affect hikers and cross country skiiers.