Larry Brigham stepping down

The Regional Food Distribution Association is saying goodbye to its Chair. Executive Director Volker Kromm says Larry Brigham is stepping down to deal with his health. Kromm says he will be missed and no one can rival his passion for the RFDA's programs and services. Vice Chair Kelly Hicks will be stepping into the role.

Target could be coming to Thunder Bay

Will Thunder Bay soon be the home of Target? That's too early say company officials. The US retailer is purchasing over 200 Zellers stores for 1.83 billion dollars. Spokesperson Amy Riley says the company is really excited about coming to Canada and will now be contacting land owners.  Riley says once that process is complete, the company will begin evaluating possible locations with the goal of opening as many as 150 locations by 2013.

Fatal fire claims one overnight

One man is dead after an apartment fire late last night.  Just before midnight Thunder Bay Fire and rescue responded to the blaze at an apartment in the 100 block of Cumberland street.  Crews quickly dealt with the inferno and discovered the body of the man in the apartment.  Officials believe careless smoking is the cause of the fire and are investigating.

Dryden only regional stop for health panel

A provincial panel examining rural and northern health care is due to stop in Dryden next month. That's the only stop in the region for the panel according to co-chair Rick Johnson. They want to get feedback on a report on the issue. Johnson says all the information relating to the process can be found online

Hernandez still in custody

An interesting twist to a city court case involving Christian Hernandez. He's the 25 year old charged with impaired driving causing death after 45 year old Richard Carmichael was killed in a traffic accident just days before Christmas.   The prosecution wants Hernandez's lawyer Chris Watkins off the case because of a possible conflict of interest.   Watkins says until that's settled Hernandez's bail hearing can't go ahead.  Madam Justice Pelletier will hear the case at 10 Thursday morning.

NOMA steps up lobbying

Northwestern Ontario's municipal leaders are preparing to step up lobbying efforts in 2011.  Dennis Brown is the acting President of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association and he anticipates that they'll get more attention with a provincial election on the way.  Brown says NOMA met with several Provincial cabinet ministers last year and that resulted in some positive policy changes for Northwestern Ontario.

Health Care discussion held in Dryden

The Provincial Government wants to hear from Northerners about the region's health care system. A series of roundtable discussions will be held throughout the North, but the closest will be in Dryden. You can also put your two cents in by logging onto http://www.ontario.ca/ruralnorthernhealth .

New job website launched

Your one stop shop for job information is now online.  The North Superior Workforce Planning Board has launched a labour market information portal.  Project Coordinator Steven Bill says the site offers a job bank and more.  The site can be found at http://www.nwolabourmarketinfo.ca/

City well represented at winter games

6 athletes from Thunder Bay will be heading to Halifax next month for the Canada Winter Games.  The group includes 4 skiers, Jimmy Gunka, Christopher Hamilton and Michael Somppi on the men's team with Erin Tribe competing for the women.  There are also two hockey players, Amanda Makela and Brittany Zubeck.    They were introduced at a flag raising ceremony at City Hall.

Duguid visits Abitibi

Energy Minister Brad Duguid is in Thunder Bay today to tour the Abitibi Bowater paper mill. Duguid says he's looking forward to seeing his government's Industrial Conservation Initiative in action. Duguid says Abitibi Bowater has been able to save money on their hydro bills by using electricity during off peak hours. The Minister feels the initiatives found in the government's long term energy plan will help the North.

Hobbs says streetcar deal could be saved

Mayor Keith Hobbs says there's hope for Thunder Bay's Bombardier plant. Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has said he wants to tear up a streetcar deal with the company. Ford favours subway cars instead. Hobbs says he has heard through sources the plan could be modified to include a mix of streetcars and subway vehicles.  Hobbs adds he still hopes to meet with Ford next month.

Arson likely the cause of South side blaze

Fire investigators are saying vandals may be responsible for a Tuesday morning fire on North Syndicate Avenue. Terry Hanchar says it looks like the blaze at the Christian Fellowship Centre could have been deliberately set based on one account.  He says a neighbour says he has seen kids hanging around there in the past.   A big storage facility was heavily damaged in the blaze.

Patient Transfer's studied

Superior North Emergency Medical Services is welcoming an Ontario Ombudsman study.  The probe will look at non-emergency patient transfers and whether they need to be regulated.  Gale says he hopes in the future another patient issue is addressed.  The EMS head wants the Ombudsman to look into the high demand on the EMS for patient transfers. The Ombudsman launched the investigation after receiving 30 complaints about private companies that transfer non-critical patients.

Housing starts continue to rise

Thunder Bay's housing market continues to break records.  Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation Analyst Warren Philp says 2010 was a good year.  In 2010 the city saw 204 new housing starts, which breaks the record first set in 1994.  In December, 13 single detached starts were reported.

Facebook brawl video solved

The parents of the brawling teen girls involved in a facebook video will be in charge of disciplining their kids.  Thunder Bay Police Spokesperson Chris Adams says they've wrapped up the investigation into the Sunday night fight behind Silver City.   Adams says it's not unusual for police to let the parents deal with the situation.

Red Nose goal is New Year's Eve

Operation Red Nose hopes to extend it's operations for the next holiday season. Chair Ken Boshcoff wants the program to run on New Year's Eve. However, he says the problem is recruiting volunteers who are willing to drive home drunk party goers. Boshcoff says it would take over 100 volunteers to work on that evening, which is the number of helpers they had for the whole program this year. Organizers hope to attract volunteers from community groups

Bruce Montague released from jail

Former Dryden Gunsmith Bruce Montague is out of jail and has returned home.  Montague is embroiled in a fight over the Federal long gun registry.  His wife, Donna says they'll be facing a civil forefeiture trial over the May long weekend.  Bruce was released from jail this afternoon after spending four months in the district facility in Thunder Bay.

Hyer holding prebudget meetings

The upcoming Federal Budget will be the main topic for Bruce Hyer as he tours his riding. The Thunder Bay Superior North MP will be making stops in a number of communities and says he looks forward to hearing from residents. Hyer will be hosting a meeting in Thunder Bay Thursday night at the Waverly Library starting at 7 o'clock.

Fire and Rescue deal with suspicious fire

A Suspicious Fire kept Thunder Bay Fire and Rescue busy this morning.
Platoon Chief Scott Brown says the blaze broke out just after 2 o'clock at the Thunder Bay Christian Fellowship on Syndicate.   The fire was in an outdoor storage building.  Brown says it was a stubborn fire.  Officials say the cause is suspicious and are investigating.

Facebook video leads to assault investigation

Thunder Bay Police are investigating a possible assault after a video of the incident was posted to Facebook.  The video, which has now been removed from the site, shows one girl getting beaten by a number of other girls behind Silver City.  The video appeared on Facebook yesterday morning.

2011 and beyond: A Strat Plan

The City of Thunder Bay is looking to the future.  Councillors listened to a report on the strategic planning process at a meeting Monday night.  The City is currently reviewing issues for the Strategic Plan and later in the month goals will be set. Spokesperson Karen Lewis says they hope to have a citizen survey out before the Strat Plan is complete.  Many councillors want the survey to be done sooner rather than later.  Lewis says they could look at moving the survey up to late February or March rather than May.   Public feedback on the draft plan will be held in the Spring.

Coaster inquest set

A coroner's inquest will be held February 7th in Thunder Bay into the death of Christopher Coaster. The 29 year old died in August of 2008 while in custody at the Thunder Bay District Jail. It's expected to last five days and hear from about 12 witnesses.

Violence against Aboriginal Women to be discussed

Thunder Bay's Community Health Centre will be taking part in a meeting on violence against aboriginal women.  The Status of Women committee will be in Thunder Bay this Friday, and Chair Dr. Hedy Fry says they want to speak to aboriginal communities.  Fry says she wants to see what they tell her about the root causes and the nature of violence being inflicted on first nation women.  Fry says any solutions that come from this cross-Canada tour will be created for aboriginals by aboriginals.

Provincial funds for North Shore communities

A number of North Shore communities are receving funds from the Provincial Government. Over 315 thousand dollars is being dolled out to eight projects in the region. Terrace Bay will be using its share to install a slow sand filtration system.

Police publish robbery pics

Thunder Bay police are releasing surveillance photos of a robbery last week. They are hoping to keep the case in the public eye by publishing the images of a masked and seemingly armed man. He is seen entering the Northern Lights Credit Union Friday afternoon. He got away with an undisclosed amount of money.

Watermain break causes road closure

A watermain break at the corner of Algoma and Dufferin is now fixed.   City crews worked on the problem after it was reported Sunday night.   A number of residents in the area were without water while it was repaired.   It also forced the closure of Algoma between Dufferin and Bay for a number of hours. 

Inquest Postponed

An inquest into the death of a 27 year old man is being postponed. Bruce Moonias died on December 11th, 2006 at the Thuner Bay hospital after being involved with the Nishnawbe Aski Police and OPP. The inquest was to take place on January 17th, but has yet to rescheduled.

Pullia returns to City Hall tonight

Former City Councillor Frank Pullia is making a return to council chambers.  Pullia is presenting a report tonight on the city's strategic planning process.  Tonight's council meeting is solely dedicated to the strategic planning process.  Pullia's presentation is part of his Lakehead University MBA Group Study.

Cancer Centre needs millions more $

Millions of dollars will be going into the Regional Cancer Centre over the next 4 years. It's to help the facility comply with Ontario Cancer Care's strategic plan.  Thunder Bay CEO Michael Power says the funding will require an extra 15 million dollars  for new equipment to fight cancer.

Brentwood Mall broken into

Thunder Bay police are still looking for someone or some people who broke into two stores in the Brentwood Mall.   Officer say just before 4 o'clock yesterday morning officers discovered two glass doors smashed open.  Police haven't made any arrests at this time.

Gravelle on Wood Allocation Process

Forestry Minister Michael Gravelle says he understands Atikokan Renewable Fuel's disappointment.  The company had hoped to receive it's wood allocation rights already, but instead had to lay off employees because of a lack of wood.  Gravelle says he's working towards getting word out soon.  Gravelle says he met with Forestry officials in Toronto and he hopes to make more wood allocation announcements in the near future.

Credit Union Robbed

The Northern Lights Credit Union on Red River Road was robbed Friday afternoon.  Just after 1:30 a man armed with a gun demanded money from a teller.  He made off with an unknown amount of cash and fled in a tan coloured SUV.  The suspect is described as a six foot tall man with dark hair and facial hair.

Status of Women Committee visiting TBAY

Violence against aboriginal women will be discussed in Sioux Lookout and Thunder Bay this week. The Status of Women committee is traveling across Canada, and B.C. MP Cathy McLeod says they want to hear from community members.  McLeod says they realize that the issue is prevelant across the country and they want to hear about community based solutions.  McLeod says they will be releasing a report with recommendations to the Federal Government in the Spring.

No Playing Favourites

Minister of Northern Development Michael Gravelle is clearing the air.  The Thunder Bay Superior North MPP says he's not playing favourites when it comes to the future site of a Ring of Fire processing plant.  Gravelle is reacting to the Mayor's recent comments saying the MPP should heavily promote Thunder Bay.  Keith Hobbs stated recently that Gravelle should push for his riding rather than the entire North.

Two charged with robbery

Two people are facing charges after the Memorial Avenue Shoppers Drug Mart was robbed on January 4th. Police Spokesperson Chris Adams says officers arrested a 24 year old woman last night and a 26 year old man this morning.  A large quantity of pills was seized as well.  The two are charged with a variety of offences including robbery with threats and possession of a controlled substance.  Adams says officers are still investigating the robberies of Jansen's Pharmacy and the Red River Shopper's Drug Mart and have released a picture of the suspect of the Red River Suspect.

Atikokan Renewable Fuels waits

A partner in the company Atikokan Renewable Fuels says they were forced to lay off most of their employees. The company is still waiting for a wood allocation from the Province so they can make pellets for the OPG plant. Ed Fukishima says the process is flawed and he's disappointed. Fukishima says time is working against them and they continue to wait to hear word on the allocation.

Meetings streamed online well received

75 people have tuned into the first four City Council meetings broadcast online. City Clerk John Hannam says they're tracking unique visits to the live streaming site. Hannam says the next step will be to narrow down where the viewers are from.

TBAY Medical Hostel proposed

A member of the Atikokan General Hospital board feels there's a need for an affordable place to stay in Thunder Bay for regional patients and their families traveling for medical purposes.  Marlene Davidson says a medical hostel could be an alternative to those who can't afford the 75 to 100 dollar a night hotels.  Davidson envisions the hostel being similar to one in Thunder Bay set up for aboriginal patients.

Horwath makes election promise

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath continues to attack the McGuinty Government's failure to remove the HST from hydro, and home heating bills.  Horwath says Northerners are struggling and need a break.  Horvath says if her party is elected she would remove the HST from home heating oil and natural gas.

Air Bravo Thunder Airlines deal falls through

A deal between Air Bravo to purchase Thunder Airlines has fallen through.  President Ken Bittle says Air Bravo was unable to meet the deadlines and stipulations set out in the contract.  The two companies announced the deal in November. Bittle says it will be business as usual.

Accused teens in court

The two teenage girls who are accused of second degree murder will be back in court next month.  The 14 and 15 year old were lead into court in hand cuffs Thursday morning.  The accused were remanded into custody until their next court date.  The charges stem from the death of a 16 year old Sachigo Lake First Nation girl.

Another attempted robbery at a local drug store

No one was hurt after a third armed robbery of a drug store.  Police say a woman tried to rob the Shoppers Drug Mart on Red River at about 7 o'clock last night. The woman was armed with a syringe and when she was denied pills she fled on foot.  At this time police are not connecting this with a similar robbery that happened Tuesday night on Memorial.

Ndrangheta expert sheds more light on the organization

Thunder Bay's cocaine trade could be on the rise. Italian Author Antonio Nicaso has written several books on Ndrangheta and in an exclusive interview with our newsroom says this organization is one of the biggest cocaine traffickers in the world and view Canada as a great place to invest money and as a conduit to the US cocaine market.  Nicaso says Thunder Bay's port could be very attractive to Ndrangheta because laws and regulations in Canadian Ports are Lax in comparison to the US.

Charlton case ends

The trial of a Thunder Bay driver involved in a fatal car accident has come to a close. Thomas Charlton is charged with the dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death.  The charges stem from an accident that claimed the life of a 14 year old boy two years ago.  Judge Helen Pierce will make her verdict on February 14th.

Tainted Turkey cause of illness at Slovak Legion

It was tainted turkey that caused many holiday goers to become ill after dining at the Slovak Legion.  The Thunder Bay Health Unit found bacteria in the samples collected earlier in the month.  34 people came down with stomach flu like symptoms after eating a Christmas dinner on December 14th.

NAN Grand Chief in New Zealand

The Grand Chief of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation is traveling to New Zealand next week. He'll be taking part in a conference that will look at environmental issues. He'll be one of the panel speakers representing First Nations living in the boreal forest.

Bombardiers LTR favoured in report

A national think-tank is favouring Bombardier's light rail transit over extending Toronto's subway line. The Pembina Institute compared costs and benefits of the proposed subway with the LRT plan in a recent report. Author Cherise Burda says she hopes Mayor Rob Ford will take heed and see the LRT plan provides better service for less money. The report says the four L-R-T projects would deliver more than twice as much service for every dollar invested than the proposed subway extension.

Council updated on pricey lawsuit

The Horizon Wind lawsuit was the main topic of a closed door session of city council Tuesday night.  City administration provided an update on the 126 million dollar claim.  Councillor Ken Boshcoff says the meeting dealt with the legal processes available to the City.  Meanwhile, Boshcoff says they are looking at ways of letting people know what their closed door sessions are about.  An arbitration hearing in Toronto will be held next Wednesday.

Another armed robbery at local drug store

No one was hurt in another armed robbery of a drug store.  Police say a woman armed with a syringe made off with some pills after holding up the Memorial Street Shoppers last night just before 6 o'clock.  The robbery followed a similar one December 28 involving a man at the Janzen's Pharmacy in Westfort.