Annual Report celebrates students

The Annual Report from Lakehead University is showing off the accomplishments of it's students.  President Brian Stevenson says it's  putting the spotlight where he says it belongs by telling the community the kind of students LU has.  The report shows there were 82 hundred students enrolled at the institution's two campuses last year.   

Stevenson wants to recruit students early

Lakehead University will be focusing on attracting more Aboriginal students. President Brian Stevenson says he's looking at starting the recruitment process early. He says the goal would be to cut the drop out rate by promoting the institution to students in elementary school.

It was a busy weekend for City police

Thunder Bay police are looking for a second suspect after an armed robbery.  Officers responded after the Shell on Arthur Street was robbed last night just after 8 o'clock.  A 22 year was arrested but a second man is still missing and could be armed with a knife.  Police had to deal with another armed robbery of a Mac's Mart, this time the thief was armed with a stick.  The man entered the Mac's Mart on North May street around 2:30 yesterday morning and made off with some cash and cigarettes.  Police also had to deal with a stabbing over the weekend.  A woman stabbed a man during a domestic altercation and is facing assault charges.  The man received minor injuries.

Fire burns through home outside of the city.

No one was hurt in a house fire on the city's outskirts.  Thunder Bay Fire and rescue responded to the blaze just after 7 o'clock yesterday morning and put out the fire that caused extensive damage to the home.  Officials believe the fire was related to the home's fire place.

Double death in Oliver-Paipoonge

A tragedy in the community of Murillo where police are investigating an apparent  murder suicide.  They say that the bodies of a 69 year old man and woman were found in a home on the 4 thousand block of Oliver Road.  The discovery was made when police entered the home at around 1 o'clock Sunday afternoon.   The names of the victims are not being released until relatives are told.   Police say they'll have more details in the coming days.

Curfew vote Monday

Mayor Keith Hobbs idea for a youth curfew to help combat crime will be facing its first test at Monday night’s Council meeting as a motion for a feasibility report is put to a vote.

Hobbs says a curfew could help address social issues by helping to identify kids who would benefit from intervention and that it would need to be enforced with a lot of discretion by police.

The new Mayor feels a curfew would protect young people from being the victims of crime in addition to preventing them from being perpetrators.

Current River Ward Councilor Andrew Foulds isn’t in favour of the curfew and says the statistics he's seen don't point to youth as being a huge source of crime in the city.

Foulds says he believes that there are better ways to address the issues of young people.

If the motion is passed, a report on the curfew would be presented to Council by April 21.

Annual Salvation Army Christmas dinner

The Salvation Army's Annual Christmas Dinner is happening at noon today at the Salvation Army Booth Centre on Cumberland Street North. Major Mervyn Halvorsen says the dinner is for anyone who is feeling lonely or isn't able to put on a dinner of their own. In addition to Christmas dinner, there will be some gifts for kids. Around 300 are expected to attend; dinner is being cooked and served by the staff of the Valhalla Inn.

Hyer consults students

Bruce Hyer is enlisting the help of some unlikely new policy advisors. The Thunder Bay-Superior North MP is asking high school students in his riding to submit ideas for legislation. A panel of judges will pick the best entries in the Create Your Canada contest which will then be introduced in the House of Commons. Hyer says it's important to find creative ways to involve young people in the political process. The contest ends June 25th.

Wharton Road fire

Thunder Bay Fire and Rescue are putting out the remains of a home fire on 160 Wharton Road. District Chief Joe Grzelewski says while there's no danger of the fire spreading, they'll be there for a while. Grzelewski says as far as he knows there were no injuries.

Another Mac's robbery

Police say a man armed with a stick robbed the Mac's Mart on May Street around 2:30 this morning and left with a small amount of money and some cigarettes. The suspect is described as Native Canadian, about six feet tall and wearing a black leather jacket with a picture of a bulldog on the back and red and white stripes on the sleeves. No one was injured in the incident.

Fredrica fire

City firefighters responded to a fire in an apartment on West Fredrica last night. Oil from a deep fryer caught on fire. Firefighters put the out the flames when they arrived . The building had to be aired out because of the smoke. There were no injuries. Thunder Bay Fire and Rescue says it's never a good idea to leave a stove unattended when cooking.

Man stabbed during domestic dispute

Police have a woman in custody after a domestic dispute at a north side apartment block. A man was stabbed with a knife during the incident. His injury is non life threatening. The woman appeared in bail court this morning facing a charge of assault with a weapon.

Injured workers confront Gravelle

Injured workers advocates in Thunder Bay are getting a promise from Michael Gravelle. The group protested in front of the MPP's office demanding better treatment from the Workers Safety and Insurance Board. Gravelle says he hears their plea.  The injured workers want the WSIB to index their benefits to inflation.

New Fire Truck on the way

Thunder Bay Fire Rescue Service is buying a new Pumper Rescue Fire Truck. The five hundred thirty thousand dollar truck is coming from Carl Thibault Fire Trucks. Administration is recommending council approve the purchase at it's Monday night meeting.

OFSC says trails still not open

The Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs is urging snowmobilers to stay off their trails.  The group is reminding the public that most of Northwestern Ontario's trails are not open. Regionals Spokesperson Gail Sayers says travel is not advised.  Sayers recommends snowmobilers get in contact with their local clubs for trail conditions.

Triple Nickel site to be cleaned up

The  site of the former Triple Nickel bar on Simpson Street is going to be cleaned up. Licensing and Enforcement Manager Rob Bourret says they've been asking the owner to clean up the property for almost a year. Administration is recommending council approve the almost 40 thousand dollar contract to Nadin Contracting. The owner of the property will have the cost added to his taxes.

Adoption fees could rise for pets

Thunder Bay's Animal Shelter wants to double it's adoption fees for cats and dogs.  The shelter is asking council to approve the rate increase.  A spokesperson with the shelter says they need to recover the cost of the vet exam and fixing the animal.  The fee increase is expected to bring in 19-thousand dollars in revenue each year.

Safe Community Report Card

Thunder Bay's Safe Communities Committee is being graded by the National Organization.  The group scored around fifty percent on its report card. The city's final score was 27.3 out of 50 which is below the National and Provincial levels.  The local committee had a perfect score under priority settings, and seventy percent under leadership. The group was designated a safe community in 1999.

Fraud strikes not for profit daycare

A fraud scandal at a local daycare.  City police say the former executive director of Footsteps Daycare is facing theft and fraud charges.  An investigation found over 15 thousand dollars was stolen between May 2008 and March of last year.  Police say Sherrel Pucci will be in court December 20th.

Collision closes Trans Canada Highway

A head on collision closed a portion of Highway 11\17 for a few hours overnight.  Two transport trucks collided head on near Raith and then a third transport smashed into the trucks.  There is no word yet on possible injuries.

Dramatic video of Clelia 2 in rough seas

The Clelia ll cruise ship is safe right now, but it had some scary moments when it hit very high waves in the Arctic Ocean north of Great Britian earlier this week.   It's all captured on video

Ready, set....skate

Break out the hockey sticks and figure skates, the city's outdoor rinks are about to open.  Park's Division Manager Paul Fayrick says most will be ready for Sunday. He says this would be one of the earlier starts to the skating season.

Forbes to testify in Ottawa

A Lakehead University sports injury researcher is testifying before the House of Commons.  Susan Forbes will be speaking to the standing committee on Health next Tuesday.  Forbes says she'll be sharing her experience with sports injuries.  Forbes says she's eager to testify on the subject.

Vacancy Rate declines

More people are renting in Thunder Bay.  The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation is reporting the City's vacancy rate decreasing.  Spokesperson Warren Philp says the rate went from 2.3 to 2.2 percent.  Philp describes the renting situation as good for both renters and landlords.

Habitat's future hangs on success of raffle

There's worry on the faces of the local Habitat for Humanity officials.   They are lacking money and land.  CEO Diane Mitchell says they need to sell out the upcoming Cash Raffle so they can buy land to build homes.  She calls it the key and the cornerstone to everything they do.    Officials say it's a make or break year for the organization.

Cold weather draws more homeless to shelter

Thunder Bay's Shelter House is so far keeping on top of the cold weather. Director Cal Rankin says the cold weather is hard on the city's homeless.  Rankin says they have seen an increase in the number of people seeking shelter but they do have a few beds open.  He says if they run out of space they will make arrangements to make sure everyone has a warm place to sleep.

Westjet does good deeds

Westjet is doing a good deed today. The airline is delivering toys to kids at the Thunder Bay Health Science Centre. Each child in the pediatric ward will receive a toy and a stocking stuffer.

Skypower to set up shop in Thunder Bay

A solar energy company is going to build a solar park in Thunder Bay.  The Toronto based company recently secured funds to start an 8.5 megawatt park in the city.  Construction of the park is expected to wrap up in 2011.

Clelia 2 hit by rogue wave

The cruise ship which has visited Thunder Bay a number of times over the last few years was hit with a near tragedy this week.  Reports say that it ran into a rogue wave near the Shetland Islands in the Arctic  north of Great Britain.   The ship was slammed repeatedly by massive waves, when finally a 30-foot wave knocked out one of the ship's engines, disabled the ship's communication system and shattered her windows. There were 88 tourists on board, plus 77 crew.  The ship made it's final stop in Thunder Bay over the summer.

Tuchenhagen banned from running for council

Robert Tuchenhagen has been banned from running for city council for 4 years.  Yesterday a court ruled against the former councillor in a conflict of interest case stemming from the purchase of a building in 2008.   Tuchenhagen chose not to run in the last election and his McKellar ward seat now belongs to Paul Pugh. 

No injuries after a suspicious fire

No one was hurt after a small fire in an abandoned building.  Thunder Bay Fire and Rescue responded to the call of smoke from the building on Grenville Avenue just after 7:30 last night.  Crews quickly put out the small fire and officials say since the building was abandoned the cause is suspicious.

Pugh calls Ford a bully

Thunder Bay City Councillor Paul Pugh is calling Rob Ford a bully.  Pugh feels Toronto's Mayor is trying to influence his council claiming a vote was never held on the original streetcar contract.  Ford believes he has the authority to make the decision to tear up the contract without council's approval.

Kettle drive on track

On the Christmas charity beat...the Salvation Army is 8 thousand dollars ahead of where they were last year in their annual kettle drive. So far they have collected over 52 thousand dollars towards the 130 thousand dollar objective.

Community Foundation doles out dollars

The Thunder Bay Foundation is making it's generosity known again.   The institution's latest grant recipients are getting a total of 87 thousand dollars.   The organization has been a part of the city for almost 40 years.   It operates from the endowments of various citizens past and present.  

Neebing gets help with economic development

Neebing wants to develop new marketing strategies to attract investment and economic development.  The provincial government is providing just over 5-thousand dollars to the community so they can design a marketing strategy.  Thunder Bay Atikokan MPP Bill Mauro announced the funds today.

United Way campaign chugs along

The clock is counting down on the United Way Campaign. With just a few more weeks to go there's about another million dollars to raise to reach the 2.4 million dollar goal. Chair Wayne Fletcher says the larger donations are starting to come in as employee campaigns come to a close. Fletcher says he's confident the goal can be reached.

Housing starts slowed in November

Thunder Bay is having a solid year for housing starts.  There was a slight slowdown in November, but so far this year there have been 191 single family starts.  Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation's Market Analyst Warren Philp says only ten single detached units broke ground last month.  Philp says tighter resale market conditions have meant higher levels of new home construction.

Pugh, Boshcoff sit on committees

Thunder Bay's two new councillors are keeping busy by sitting on a number of community committees. Paul Pugh will take part in the District Social Services Board, Economic Development Commission,anti-racism and Waterfront and Simpson street business improvement boards. Meanwhile, Ken Boshcoff is taking part in many committees, such as the Audit committee, Lakehead Region Conservation Authority, Parking Authority, and the Hydro Recruitment Committee.

Massaro chosen as Public School Board Chair

Long time trustee Deborah Massaro was acclaimed as the Chair for her 4th consecutive term.  Trustee Karen Wilson was appointed as Vice Chair for the second straight term.  Massaro says she honoured to once again lead the board.

Hobbs not meeting with Premier on Wednesday

Members of Thunder Bay City Council won't be travelling to Toronto today to speak with Dalton McGuinty about the Bombardier TTC contract.  Toronto Mayor Rob Ford came out of a meeting with the Premier yesterday saying he still plans to nix the streetcar contract.  Mayor Keith Hobbs says if that's the case they'll have to take more serious action.  Hobbs says they've yet to nail down a meeting with Ford, and notes he would like to invite the Toronto Mayor to tour the Bombardier plant.  Councillor Paul Pugh feels Ford is trying to influence council into thinking it's not a matter that requires their votes.

Meeting delay explained

Citizen and Councillor appointments to community boards delayed Tuesday night's council meeting by almost two hours.  Mayor Keith Hobbs campaigned on the idea of transparent council meetings and says Tuesday night's closed door meeting was warranted.  Hobbs says they needed to approve the citizens and councillors last night because the committees are starting immediately.  Hobbs says he doesn't like to make people wait and wants to see if there's something they can do to improve the flow of the meeting.  3 or more in camera sessions were held during a five hour meeting.

Hagi agreement extended

Thunder Bay City Council continues its relationship with the independent living organization HAGI. HAGI will continue to transport people with disabilities.  The new agreement with the City starts in the New Year and expires at the end of 2013.

EA report approved for Golf Links Road project

Thunder Bay City Council is now up to date on improvements proposed for Golf Links Road.  Council approved the environmental assessment for the 18 million dollar project last night. Councillor Ken Boshcoff notes the route could use less traffic lights since in the past council has said they want to improve traffic travel time.  Project Manager Kathy Bemben says during the environmental assessment some area residents expressed concerns about noise levels from traffic on the improved roadway.

Deputation ends in report

The City of Thunder Bay is asking for more information on local improvement projects for Moore Avenue.  A concerned citizen was against the project and told council that the residents are paying for the work so they should get final say.  Council decided to get administration to provide a report on Moore avenue and the surrounding streets.  The rest of the local improvement projects for 2011 were approved.  Marcinyshyn is upset with the quality of previous work done to the avenue's curbs, sidewalks and gutters.

First council meeting off to a bumpy start

Although Mayor Keith Hobbs spoke out against closed door meetings during the election campaign; Thunder Bay city council's first official meeting was delayed because of a closed session.  The meeting started almost two hours late because of  a meeting behind closed doors.  Councillor Brian McKinnon called the meeting to order around 8:15 and said they didn't want to be behind closed doors but the discussions were needed.  McKinnon says it was necessary and had to be done.

Mascot now has a name...name...name

The name of the mascot for the Ontario Special Winter Olympics is Echo.   Grade 4 Gorham and Ware student Kylii Saarinen won the "name the mascot" contest.  Officials say there were hundreds of entries.  As well games organizers say that two new sponsors came on board with donations of 5 thousand dollars each.   One was the Thunder Bay Foundation, the other was the Keg Spirit Foundation.

Ford still talks tough on nixing streetcars

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford says he's moving ahead with his plan that would eventually see him tear up the streetcar contract with Bombardier.  Ford met Tuesday morning with Premier McGuinty and says he's going ahead with a subway plan for the city, not the streetcars that our Bombardier plant in Thunder Bay would build. The mayor says Toronto city council doesn't have to vote to kill the plan because there was no vote to set it up in the first place.

Operation Red Nose does it's job

Operation Red Nose is proving to be a hit in Thunder Bay in it's sophomore year.   Organizer Karen Wood says so far about 100 rides have been logged by volunteers.   Wood says that's about par with last year. She says in total last year there were almost 290 rides given out.  Eight nights are left  in this years campaign.  Wood says they have over 100 volunteers helping out.

Hupka back as Catholic board chair

The Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board is heading into the next year with Bob Hupka as it's chair. Hupka says the major challenge for the board will be dealing with the reality of fewer students through declining enrollment. Hupka would also like to see improved student scores on provincial tests.  Eleanor Ashe has been elected as board vice-chair. 

Special Olympics hurting for cash

Organizers of the Ontario Special Olympics are concerned. Games Manager Julie Tilbury says some critical funding is needed for an important component of next months games, getting the 270 thousand dollars needed to fly the athletes and coaches here. She says they're trying to secure funding from the McGuinty government.

South side restaurant robbed at knife point

Another armed robbery on the city's south side.  City Police are looking for one man after he robbed the Arthur Street Subway at Knife point just after 10:30 last night.  No one was hurt in the incident.