Forest Tenure Reform

The Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce is jumping on the anti-forest tenure bill band wagon.  The Ontario Forest Industry has come out opposed to the legislation and is upset the Province has refused to hold hearings on the legislation in the North.  Chamber President Harold Wilson says wood tenure reform is a very important issue for the North; yet the region is being excluded from the hearings.  Meanwhile, Minister of Northern Development and Mines Michael Gravelle says he wants to ensure its a good piece of legislation for the region.  The province will provide video conferencing for those who can't attend in Toronto.  Hearings will take place in Toronto on April 11th and 13th.

Wood Allocations Welcome

Two Nipigon-Greenstone area First Nations are accepting wood supply offers from the province.  The province is investing one million dollars into the contruction of a new pellet plant and over 30-thousand dollars into the modernization of a sawmill.  Spokesperson JP Gladu says the announcment is welcome news.   The wood allocation creates around 20 new jobs for the communities.

Returning offices now up and running

The Elections Canada returning offices in both Thunder Bay ridings are now open  The office for the Thunder Bay Rainy River riding is located in the Northwood Mall on Redwood Avenue. The Returning Officer is Tom McCuaig.  The Thunder Bay Superior North office is located at 106 North Cumberland Street, being headed by Returning Officer Bill Everitt.   Both are preparing voter information cards which will be sent to homes in the riding starting this week.   Advance polling dates are set for April 25th, 26th and 28th.

Cops for Cancer

The 15th annual Cops for Cancer event is looking for another successful turn out. Event Chair Constable Greg Stephenson encourages everyone to show their support by shaving their heads for cancer research.You can take part Saturday, May 7th at Intercity Mall.

Thunder Bay farmers grow chickpeas

Chickpeas and lentils can be grown in Thunder Bay. Thunder Bay's Agricultural Research Station has tested out the crops and President Bruce Forrest says it helps them be more environmentally friendly. 
The new crops minimize environmental impact on the land.

Rainbow Trout Spawning soon

The Spring spawning season for rainbow trout will soon be underway.  The Ministry of Natural Resources is looking for volunteers to collect information on the trout they catch.  Spokesperson Davis Viehbeck says they'll teach you how to handle the fish.  The information will be used to manage rainbow trout populations.

T. Bay ball player honored

A Thunder Bay ball player is the Minnesota College Athletic Conference's co-winner of its player of the week honours.  Kurtis McCallum, who plays for Virginia's Mesabi Range Community College, batted five-hundred and had two homers and 14 RBI's in the Norse's six wins last week.

Horizon Wind refuses comment on settlement

Officials with Horizon Wind are refusing to comment on Monday nights decision to settle their lawsuit against the city out of court.   Councillors voted  8-4 to allow the wind farm project on the Nor'Wester mountains to go ahead.   The two sides compromised on the location of 4 disputed wind turbines.   A spokesperson for the company's local PR firm says it's possible a statement may come next week.

Breakout at Roseview Manor

An outbreak has forced the closure of a portion of Roseview Manor.  The Health Unit has closed the 2nd floor of the Primrose wing because of a respiratory outbreak.  All admissions, transfers and discharges have been cancelled.

Council votes for settlement

Thunder Bay City Council has voted to support the settlement with Horizon Wind.  Mayor Keith Hobbs asked to have the vote deferred but the motion was lost; he had a number of questions he wanted administration to answer.  Councillor Iain Angus says too much money is at risk to not support the settlement.  Councillor Andrew Foulds says if the City had to pay for the 126 million dollar lawsuit it would mean they would be unable to pay for any road work for several years.  Hobbs voted against the settlement as did Neebing Councillor Linda Rydholm.  The final vote was 8 to 4.

Concerned citizens have their say

Thunder Bay City Council got an earful Monday night on the Horizon Wind settlement.  Lorella Piirik says the city will lose out if the settlement goes through.  Piirik notes the cost to decommission the turbines will cost more than what's set out in the settlement.  Piirik adds the city should not give up it's Loch Lomond road allowance.  Several people protested outside of City hall last night and stayed for the regular meeting.  Seven deputants spoke out against the proposed settlement.

WCO pays visit to council

The leader of an anti-wind farm group wants City Council to change some of the clauses found in the proposed settlement with Horizon Wind.  John Laforet is the President of Wind Concerns Ontario and says council should hold off on voting on the settlement that would kill the 126 million dollar lawsuit.  Laforet thinks council needs to maintain control of the Loch Lomond road allowance; calling it the city's only bargaining chip.

Council ok's Dawson Road Study

Thunder Bay City Council is moving ahead with a truck traffic study on Dawson Road. McIntyre Ward Councillor Trevor Giertuga introduced the idea and says it's all about safety.  The study will look at the feasibility of diverting transports to the new Shabaqua Highway by limiting the weight and speed limits on Dawson Road.

Earth Wise leased for one year

Thunder Bay City Council is leasing the name Earth Wise for one year. They made the decision Monday night. A Southern Ontario hydro company owns the rights to that name. Mayor Keith Hobbs spoke to the Mayor of Cambridge in an attempt to get use of the name; but found out the hydro company is seperate from the municipality. Administration will brainstorm new names for the City's "earth wise" program and start rebranding throughout the year.

Council competes with Federal Election

Thunder Bay City Council isn't going to let the Federal Election stop them from holding their Monday night meeting.  Council was considering moving their meeting to Tuesday May 3rd to accomodate election night but most of council voted against the move.

Local bar in trouble with AGCO

The Ontario Alcohol and Gaming Commission is getting tough with a local bar owner. Spokesperson Lisa Murray says the liquor licence for Dragon's Den Sports Bar has been suspended with a recommendation that it be revoked. Murray says some serious public safety issues are involved. That includes police stopping three drunk and impaired drivers who left the bar, and serving people who appeared drunk. The bar owner Mike Komar says he is devastated, and plans to answer to the allegations which he says have yet to be proven.

School Board works on budget

The Lakehead Public School Board continues to work on it's budget.  Deputations from support staff, teachers and a variety of education professionals will be heard tonight at their monthly meeting.  Budget Meeting Chair George Saarinen says there's even a section on their website where you can have your say.  The board has yet to hear what their funding levels will be for the upcoming school year.

Local Tory echos national party theme

The Conservative's in Thunder Bay Rainy River are saying constituents don't want to go to the polls. After one week on the hustings Moe Comuzzi-Stehman says she's heard a common theme, that they don't want a election while the economy is recovering.  Comuzzi-Stehman also says job creation and families are  a concern.

Alcohol seized from Northern First Nations

A large amount of alcohol has been seized from a northern Ontario First Nation community. Nishnawbe-Aski Police say around 330 bottles of alcohol were discovered in Kashechewan First Nation. Sgt Jackie George says police discovered the alcohol in hockey bags. George says the total street value of the alcohol was around 16,500 dollars.

Busy Week For John Rafferty

NDP MP for Thunder Bay Rainy River John Rafferty says its been a busy first week on the federal campaign trail. He is trying to cover as much constituency as possible. Rafferty says that he has noticed people seem more engaged in this election than he predicted.

Arrest made in weekend robbery

City police have a man in custody in connection with a weekend robbery.  It took place at the Mac's store at 340 North May Street early Saturday morning.   Police say the 30 year old Fort Hope man was arrested Saturday night at a South Court Street apartment.   

Wind farm opponents ready for political rumble

City councillors are being asked to bite the bullet tonight.  Administration is recommending they settle a 126 million dollar lawsuit with Horizon Wind over the wind farm project on the Nor' Wester Escarpment.   Councillors will be doing it under the watchful eye of wind farm opponents who promise to be there in full force.

St Ignatius is back to normal

The Catholic School board is praising the custodian crew at St Ignatius High School.  Executive Director John De Faveri says a man broke into the school and went on a mini rampage Saturday night.  Around 8 to 10 thousand dollars in damages were handed out, but workers quickly cleaned up yesterday and everything is business as usually.

Update on Waverley Park Bandshell

Now that the Waverley Park Bandshell is history don't expect it to be replaced right away. City parks co-ordinator Werner Schwar says that even though they made short work of demolishing the wooden structure there is no budget to rebuild this year. Schwar says the steel beams are expected to be removed by this weekend.

Ken Boshcoff is enjoy the campaign

Former MP for Thunder Bay Rainy River and Liberal candidate Ken Boshcoff is happy with the first week of his campaign.  Boshcoff says voters are telling him they want an MP that can get the job done.  He says we are on the verge of an economic breakthrough and need an MP that can make Ottawa understand the needs of the Northwest and come through for the needs of the people.  Boshcoff says he's looking forward to the candidate debates which will kick off next week.  

Snow causes power outages

The snow also caused some outages across the city.  Thunder Bay Hydro officials say around 400 customers were without power yesterday night in the North Downtown as well as sporadic outages across the city.  Heavy wet snow sticking to power lines and trees combined with some wind is being blamed for the outages. 

April snow day for rural students

The snow has led to some cancellations this morning.  All rural buses have been cancelled for both the public schools and Catholic and French Schools.  Crestview, Five Mile, Gorham and Ware, Kakabecka Falls, McKenzie, Norwester View, Valley Central and Whitfish Valley schools are all closed today as well as Thunder Bay Christian School.

Old man winter gives us another shot in the arm

When you look outside this morning you might feel like you went back in time overnight.  We are back into a winter wonderland.  Around 3 centimetres of snow is covering the area and a couple more centimetres could fall this morning before changing to scattered rain showers.  The snow won't last with highs later this week reaching past the double digits on the plus side. 

Kyle: campaign has big learning curve

Thunder Bay-Superior North Green Party candidate Scot Kyle says the first week of his campaign has had a big learning curve but so far he's enjoying it. He's been going door to door to meet voters and has been sharing some of his ideas. Kyle says he'd like to see more greenspace in the city, less waste and believes sustainable industry could provide an economic boost for the region. Kyle will be campaigning in Thunder Bay this week and says he'd like to attend the Thunder Bay-Superior North debate in Marathon on Wednesday if scheduling permits.

Fricot says campaign is going well

Superior-North Liberal candi-date Yves Fricot says his campaign is on track as he heads into week number two.  Fricot has been going door to door and says he's been having some good conver-sations with voters. According to Fricot, the voters he’s been speaking with aren’t happy with how they’re being governed or how their tax dollars are being spent. The Liberal candidate also says that voters want to talk about the future of Northern Ontario and how to make Parliament work for the region. Fricot will be heading to Terrace Bay, Schreiber and Nipigon this week and will participate in the first Thunder Bay-Superior North debate in Marathon on Wednesday.

Harvey finds campaign response encouraging

Superior-North Conservative candi-date Richard Harvey is feeling upbeat after the first week of his campaign. He’s been knocking on doors throughout the riding and says the response he’s been getting is encouraging. According to Harvey, voters he’s talked to say they want to see a change in how they’re repres-ented and that they aren’t thrilled about having another election. Harvey also serves as Mayor of Nipigon, but has taken a leave from the position in order to concentrate on the campaign. Harvey will be in Thunder Bay at the start of the week and will be in Marathon on Wednesday for the first Thunder Bay-Superior North debate.

Hyer feeling good about campaign

As week two of the election kicks off Thunder Bay-Superior North NDP MP Bruce Hyer says the campaign to defend his seat is going well. Hyer says election time provides a nice opportunity to meet with his constituents.  He says voters are telling him they feel the current government in Ottawa is out of touch with Northwestern Ontario. This is the MP’s fourth federal election and he says any shyness he had when he first started is long gone and he enjoys meeting voters. Hyer is heading to the North Shore at the beginning of the week and will be participating in the first Superior-North debate in Marathon on Wednesday.

Frank Mahovlich gives Fricot assist

A Toronto Maple Leaf turned Ottawa Senator is putting his support behind Thunder Bay-Superior North Liberal Candidate Yves Fricot. Liberal Senator Frank Mahovlich was in town Saturday making the rounds with Fricot. The hockey legend and Timmins native says from where he stands the Liberal party is a good fit for Northwestern Ontario because he feels the Liberals have done a lot for Canada. Mahovlich cited the Pearson and Trudeau governments as examples and says the party feels Michael Ignatieff could be the same kind of leader. In addition to talking politics, Mahovlich spent much of his time signing autographs and talking hockey with eager fans.

Mac's Mart robbed

Police are investigating another Mac's Mart robbery. The Mac's on North May Street was robbed by a man with a knife early this morning. The man is described by police as being around six feet tall with a dark complexion. He was wearing a white hoodie.

St. Ignatius break in

Police have a man in custody after a bizarre alleged break and enter at St. Ignatius High School. According to police there was an extensive amount of damage done to the second floor of the school including broken windows and flooding. Police were alerted after a fire alarm was pulled early this morning.

No sign of Wabasse after two day dive

An OPP dive team from southern Ontario is heading home after an unsuccessful search for Jordan Wabasse. Divers searched the Kam River for two days without finding any sign of the 15 year old. City police say a they'll conduct a shoreline search of the area once the snow and ice melts away.

Wind farm opponent slams city

Some tough talk against the city over the proposed lawsuit settlement with Horizon Wind. Sam Bachinski, an opponent of the wind farm project on the Nor' wester Escarpment, says the latest turbine relocation plan is simply a cop out. He says it still allows Horizon to construct as many turbines as it wants to.  Bachinski adds, "administration got us into this mess" and should have fought Horizon tooth and nail on it. City councillors are hearing about the proposed settlement at Monday night's meeting

City lawyer recommends wind farm settlement

The City of Thunder Bay is one step closer to solving the dispute with Horizon Wind.  Administration is proposing a deal to council that would result in changes to the wind farm project and settle the 126 million dollar lawsuit.   The change sees Horizon Wind agreeing to not build turbines number 10 and 11 near Loch Lomond, but the city has agreed to allow the company to build turbines 8 and 9 where they were originally supposed to be. Council will consider the changes at it's next meeting on Monday.  Below is a rendition of the proposed turbines. 





Click to enlarge

Bandshell being torn down

The Waverly Park Bandshell is old and tired and it looks like its days are numbered.   The city is demolishing the outdoor entertainment stage.  It's part of the long term plan to spruce up the park.  It should be torn down by the middle of this month.

Wasaya program wraps up

25 people now have full-time jobs at Wasaya airways thanks to a new training plan. The company just wrapped up it's 'Taking flight' program that teaches first nations people about aviation. President and CEO Tom Morris says they saw the need for aboriginal people in their field.  The training introduced new skills and how to gain employment opportunities in aviation.

Earthwise Copyrighted TM

Thunder Bay City Council is tackling the topic of copyright infringement at Monday night's meeting.  Last month, the city found out the name "Earthwise" was already in use by a Southern Ontario Hydro Company and that they would have to lease its use.  City Lawyer Rosalie Evans says she's going to tell councillors they can lease the name for a one year period and rebrand their current Earth Wise program.  Councillors will also hear about the ongoing 126 million dollar Horizon Wind Lawsuit.

Caribou survey comes to an end

The MNR has wrapped up a month long aerial survey of caribou in Northwestern Ontario. During the survey, MNR staff monitored caribou distribution and population. Spokesperson Gerry Racey says all the information collected is used when decisions need to be made. The MNR will continue to monitor caribou into the spring and summer.

Salary of former LHIN CEO takes centre stage

Jan Beazley

The former CEO of the Northwest Local Health Integration Network is in the spotlight. Gwen Dubois-Wing only worked two months last year yet made 276 thousand dollars. Board chair Jan Beazley says the reason for the huge salary is a private matter because the details of the contract negotiated with her are considered confidential.  No reason has been given for Dubois-Wing leaving the Network

Bruzzese takes over Gliddy case

There's a new lawyer involved in the Thea Gliddy murder case. David Bruzzese is taking over after her previous lawyer, Chris Watkins stepped aside due to a conflict of interest. Bruzzese says he now has to get up to speed.  The change of lawyers means the preliminary hearing scheduled for Monday needed to be postponed.

Mauro says it's still a good deal

Thunder Bay Atikokan's MPP says work from Toronto's new transit plan will still benefit the City.  Bill Mauro says the changes in the Bombardier light rail contract are not as bad as it seems. Mauro adds Bombardier will be paid for the 130 cars they will build; not 770 million dollars for the original order of 180 cars.

Gliddy case update

For the second time this year Chris Watkins is off a case because of a conflict of interest. Watkins is no longer the defense lawyer for Thea Gliddy, because he once represented the person whose death she is being charged with. As a result, Gliddy's preliminary hearing that was originally scheduled for Monday has been postponed. The new date is expected to be decided at a hearing set for April 26th.

Provincial Intership Program is back for another year.

Students looking for a head start in their careers will be getting a helping hand from the provincial government. The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund is once again helping local business provide paid internships to students across the Northwest.  MPP Michael Gravelle says this program is vital for keeping students in the North. Gravelle says over two thirds of students who have taken part in the program have been able to find meaningful full time employment. 

Search continues into day 2

It's day two of the underwater search by the OPP.  Crews are examining the water just east of the James Street bridge for signs of Jordan Wabasse.  The OPP'S Underwater Search and Rescue unit is using sonar devices to scan the river bed.  The search of the water on Thursday turned up no results.  The 17 year old teen has been missing for just under two months. 

More down time planned

There will be more downtime for workers at the AbitibiBowater mill in Fort Frances.  Operations will be curtailed for two weeks begining May 2nd.  The mill is currently in the middle of a shutdown that began on Monday.  Poor market conditions are being blamed.

Union sounds warning bells over layoffs

The Ontario Public Service Employees Union is sounding the alarms over layoffs at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. OP-SEU Spokesperson Len Mason says the layoffs violate the terms of their agreement and will be challenged. Dean Dr. Roger Strasser says the moves were made to offset budget shortfalls. The school says they are eliminating 21 staff positions and 3 management jobs. Staff could choose to bump others from their jobs depending on their seniority. The layoffs affect staff members at campuses at Lakehead and Laurentian University.