Waterfront continues to take shape

It looks like we'll be skating at the Waterfront this winter.  Project Supervisor Gary Wood says the project is on time and on budget and he expects it to be open to the public by early December.  This morning the city unveiled the latest piece of art called "Traveller's Return" by Lethbridge Artist Andy Davies. More of his work can be seen on his website www.AndyDavies.ca.

LU faculty have 4 year deal

The faculty at Lakehead University now have a new contract.   According to LU's top money man, Michael Pawlowski, it's a 50 month deal that will provide substanial labour peace as teachers will be getting raises of just under 2 per cent in each year.

Expressway Tunnel to be studied

City Council doesn't know what to do with the Expressway Tunnel.  They're having administration look at what would happen if they closed the path between County Park and the Grandview area.  Council also wants to know what they can do to make the path safer.

Consultants recommend Intercity Terminal

The Intercity area appears to be the City consultant's preferred site for a new bus terminal.  Genivar's Dennis Fletcher updated Council on the transit plan Monday night and says this isn't the last council will hear about the proposed terminal.  The consultants feel the South Core no longer requires a bus terminal, and the Water Street terminal can be used less.  A draft transit plan will be presented to Council in December.

Council holds off on funding request

An after school program could soon face a funding shortfall.  Speaking at Monday night's Council meeting, Neighbourhood Capacity Building Spokesperson Paul Francis says they need 210-thousand dollars over the next three years.  The program is funded by a number of organizations and they may not have enough money to go on in the future.  Council won't be making a decision on the funding request anytime soon.

God's Lake Resources responds

The President of God's Lake Resources is defending his company's decision to explore the area around Sachigo Lake Mine. Ed Ludwig says they've asked KI First Nation to show them where their burial grounds are but they haven't heard back. Ludwig says they still want to work with KI; but the First Nation is going to need to stop stirring up media controversy.

Global Sticks has made layoffs

It appears Global Sticks could be in trouble.  Plant Manager Dan Jean confirmed that layoffs have been made but wouldn't confirm how many people have lost their jobs and why the cuts were made.  Thunder Bay Superior North PC Candidate Anthony Leblanc says this confirms the current wood allocation process is failing businesses.  Incumbent Forestry Minister Michael Gravelle says the government has and will continue to work towards getting Global Sticks the support it needs to be successful and NDP Candidate Steve Mantis says he isn't surprised.

Next Premier needs to take action

More needs to be done to improve access to education for Aboriginal youth.  Aboriginal Students Commissioner Pat Smoke says the next provincial party in power needs to take immediate action and freeze tuition fees.  Smoke says it's difficult for First Nation students to make ends meet.  Smoke attends school at Lakehead University.

Police release the name of Sunday's fatal victim

The name of the woman who died in yesterday's collision on Victoria Avenue has been released.  Police Spokesperson Chris Adams says officers believe the driver of the stolen truck involved in the collision is a man.  Adams says investigators are going over evidence found inside the stolen truck as well as information from the crash. Adams says 60 year old Josceline Ryan of Thunder Bay died in the crash.

Ryan Johnson gets cut from the Wings

For the second year in a row Ryan Johnson is starting the year as an unrestricted free agent.  The 35 year old was cut by the Detroit Red Wings today after attending camp on a tryout basis. 

A 22 year lands safely on a road

Some tense moments for a young pilot on his way from Sioux Lookout to Yellow Knife.  OPP say the man had to make an emergency landing on a road near Vermilion Bay yesterday afternoon after his plane lost power.  He clipped a few trees but managed to land safely.

Grain picks up port

Grain continues to be the lifeblood of the Port of Thunder Bay. Numbers show that there's been 3.9 million tonnes of grain shipped through the port so far this year. So far this year 4.7 million metric tonnes of cargo moved through the port up slightly from last year at the same time

McCarville looking to rebound

Krista McCarville is hoping some lineup changes won't have a negative impact on the upcoming season.  McCarville's second Kari Lavoie is pregnant and will be replaced by Liz Kingston mid way through the season.  McCarville says Kingston comes with a lot of experience and will be a solid addition to the team.  McCarville says this year's goal is to make it to the Scotties and earn points towards an Olympic berth in 2014.

Boshcoff looks forward to transit debate

One city councillor doesn't believe there may be any need for transit terminals in the city anymore. Ken Boshcoff's comment comes just ahead of a presentation to council of the Transit Master Plan. Boshcoff thinks terminals may be passé.  He likes the idea of City Hall being a location that all buses meet.   Other ideas in the plan include express buses and streamlined routes.

Run another success

Another successful Run for the Cure in Thunder Bay this year. Over 1 thousand people participated and raised over 133 thousand dollars. The money is used to help research into breast cancer

Fatal morning collision

Thunder Bay Police say a woman is dead after a 2 vehicle collision occurred this morning just before 7 o'clock at Victoria and Leland. They say she, along with two others, were trapped inside one of the vehicles for a period of time and firefighters had to pry them out with the Jaws of Life. The driver of the second vehicle ran away.  Police confirm one of the vehicles involved, a pick-up truck, was stolen.   They are still looking for the driver of that vehicle.  The name of the victim has not been released.

CIBC run for the cure

One of the top charity events of the year is taking place Sunday morning in Thunder Bay and right across Canada. It's the CIBC Run for the Cure.  Money raised goes towards breast cancer research.  The event takes place at Fort William Stadium starting at 9 o'clock with closing ceremonies at 11 am.

Stabbing on Vickers St.

Thunder Bay Police are still investigating a stabbing that occurred on Vickers St. Friday night a man who was causing a disturbance reportedly beat and stabbed his neighbour when he was asked to calm down. The victim had been taken to hospital, and seven charges have been laid on the out of control man.

Memorial ceremony held today

The Memorial Grove program will hold a ceremony Sunday at the Slovak Legion at 2 pm to commemorate the replanting of almost 400 Memorial grove trees. Chairman Bill Bartley says seeing the trees come down was very difficult for him especially because one of the trees was planted in memory of his late Mother. 385 memorial grove trees had to be removed earlier this summer for maintenance to the Neebing-McIntyre Floodway.

Golf Links Rd. closed tomorrow

Golf Links road will be closed Sunday from 8am to 6pm to Southbound traffic at Central avenue for the installation of new sewer and watermain connections. The Northbound traffic lane will also be closed at the South arm of Ridgecrest road. Ridgecrest road will be used as the detour around the work site.

DST receives award

DST Consulting Engineers are the winners of the Northern Ontario Business Award for Innovation. The award was based on numerous projects managed by DST that are environmentally friendly. The Thunder Bay company has earned a reputation for taking on tasks and delivering innovative and "green" engineering solutions. The Northern Ontario Business award ceremony was held in Sudbury earlier this week.

ONA CCAC reach deal

The Ontario Nurses Association has reached a tentative deal with the Northwest Community Care Access Centre. The agreement was reached early Friday morning after a marathon mediation session. The collective agreement covers the eighty eight employees working in Northwestern Ontario. Details of the agreement are confidential until ratified, a series of ratification meetings are being held across the province Friday night.

New website launches

Thunder Bay's two school boards have patnered with a number of community groups to launch a mental health website.  Children's Centre Executive Director Tom Walter says the site will give our young people a place to go to get mental health help if they need it.  You can visit the website http://www.superiormodel.ca/.

Transit talk on Monday

City lawmakers are going to get an earful about transit routes at their weekly meeting Monday night.  A report rationalizing routes from a ridership and operating perspective is being presented.  The Master Transit Plan will also be discussed.

Research Community continues to grow

Thunder Bay's research community continues to grow.  Lakehead University and Regional Research Institute have added Doctor Mitchell Albert as the first ever Research chair.  TBRRI CEO Michael Power says they've also added Scott Gillis to commercialize our home grown innovations.  Power says by bringing in these two individual it continues to send the message that Thunder Bay is only looking for the best as it moves forward. 

Teens threatened at knife point

A young man and women were threatened at knife point on Thursday by three other teens.  Police say a teen male and female were approached behind Churchill High school.  The three young men asked for cigarettes and then money.  The victims were not harmed.

ATU applies for conciliator

The Amalgamated Transit Union is asking the Labour Board to provide a conciliator for their negotiations with HAGI transit. Local Union Spokesperson Charlie Brown doesn't feel HAGI is bargaining in good faith. Brown says they won't go on strike until they give conciliated talks a try.

City gets another funding request

A local First Nation program could be without funding soon if City Council doesn't chip in.  Currently, the Neighbourhood Capacity Building Project receives funding from the Urban Aboriginal Strategy which is set to expire in March.  A request for three years of funding for after school programs is being made to council.

Matawa Chiefs have concerns

Matawa Chiefs are concerned about the Environmental Assessment process that's being used to determine the impacts of two projects in their territory.  The Chiefs feel a joint review panel would provide a safeguard for their lands.  The First Nations are concerned with Cliffs Chromite project and Noront Eagle's Nest project.

Kenora hunter mauled by bear

A moose hunter was attacked by a black bear in the bush north of Kenora.  The Ministry of Natural Resources confirms the attack took place this past Monday near Chase Lake, just south of Woodland Caribou Park.  MNR Spokesperson Leo Heyens says the hunter managed to fire an arrow at it but was still mauled.  Heyens says parts of the bear have been sent away for  testing to find out what kind of condition the animal was in.

Chamber and Council get survey results back

The Chamber of Commerce is pleased with the results they've received from the provincial election candidates.  President Harold Wilson says they've asked the local candidates how they'll help business.  Wilson encourages the public to check out the results on their website at http://www.tbchamber.ca/ Meanwhile, almost all of the provincal election candidates returned City Council's survey.  The only hold out was PC Candidate Fred Gilbert.  Questions ranged from establishing an Aboriginal Affairs office in the city, to building the Multiplex.

October is Child Abuse Prevention Month

A program aimed at teaching parents how to handle heated situations with their kids is reaching out to the community.  Child Welfare Spokesperson Susan Verrill says the Triple P program is training several agencies to help parents.  October is Child Abuse Prevention Month and Verrill hopes the program will help put an end to those type of situations.

Run for the Cure set for Sunday

One of the top charity events of the year is taking place Sunday morning in Thunder Bay and right across Canada. It's the CIBC Run for the Cure. Money raised goes towards breast cancer research. The event takes place at Fort William Stadium starting at 9 o'clock with closing ceremonies at 11 am.

Local woman in Seth Rogan movie

Thunder Bay's Marie Avgeropoulos is back on the screen, this time in Seth Rogan's 50/50 which opens at Silver City today.  The movie is a comedy about a young man with cancer. Watch for Avgeropoulos  in the bar scene with Rogan and co-star Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Credit Union strike O-V-E-R

A four week strike at the Northern Lights Credit union is over after over a dozen workers voted to accept a new contract. They are members of Communication, Engeryand Paperworkers union.

Sawmill auctioned for scrap

It's another sign of the region's slagging forest industry.  Today is the second and final day for an auction that will sell off the assets of Buchanan's Northern Sawmill in Thunder Bay. Everything at the waterfront mill is being sold for scrap to anyone that's interested.  The money will be used to pay off secured creditors who were left unpaid when the  sawmill went to a financial abyss.

Hyer to push for Via service

The move is on to get Via Rail service back through Thunder Bay.  MP Bruce Hyer has re-introduced his motion to restore passenger rail service to the area.   It's been about 20 years since the Mulroney government axed the service to save money

Zellers lets employees know their fate

Zellers employees are being told they'll be out of a job in nine months time. The lay off notices impact the workers at the Arthur Street Zellers, and at County Fair. Spokesperson Tiffany Bourre says they're offering their employees a comprehensive career transition program. Bourre believes the employees will be able to find work with the incoming Target stores and Walmart.

Border Cats name new Field Boss

The Thunder Bay Border Cats have a new field manager.  The team has announced Andy Judkins will take over for Mike Steed.  Judkins helped the Rochester Honkers earn the North Division title back in 2010 and is currently an assistant coach at Central Arizona College.

City transit clears up human rights case

The Ontario Human Rights Commission has cleared a 2009 case against Thunder Bay Transit.  Manager Brad Loroff says the complaint had to do with calling out stops for the visually impaired; which they have since dealt with.  Loroff notes they were in the process of implementing the new system before the complaint was made.

Hyer hoping to have his bill revived

A recent report on the cost of inaction on climate change is giving Thunder Bay MP Bruce Hyer hope for a revival of his Climate Change bill.  Hyer says his bill which was scrapped by the Conservative dominated Senate has to be accepted following the release of the Nation Round Table on Economy and Environment report which predicted inaction could cost 5 billion dollars a year by 2020 and up to 43 billion a year by 2050.  Hyer says his bill will be reintroduced by NDP MP Megan Leslie.

Windy weather causing outages

The strong winds are wreaking havoc on Thunder Bay Hydro.  Official says trees and wet leaves on the lines have caused several minor outages in the city, none affecting more than 25 customers.  Officials say these types of outages are common in weather like this and crews will be working hard to restore power.

More needs to be done to stop violence

The Ontario Native Women's Association is calling on the Harper Government to do more for aboriginal women. Spokesperson Lorene Rego says violence against First Nations women is a growing issue and the current form of anti-violence programs are not working. The sixth annual Sisters in Spirit Vigil will be held at noon on Tuesday at Hillcrest Park. There are seventy cases of missing or murdered aboriginal women in Ontario and most of those are from the bigger city centres like Thunder Bay.

Math marks mean more work

The Lakehead Public School Board feels more work needs to be done to improve Grade six math scores. Superintendent of Education Sherri-Lynne Pharand says the latest Education Quality Accountability Office results show room for improvement.  The Catholic School Board is also implementing more programs to help boost scores in Grade nine applied math.  Both boards met the provincial average in math scores.

God's Lake Resources will release statement Monday

The KI First Nation is evicting God's Lake Resources and Ed Ludwig for trespassing.  The band says the company is trespassing on sacred land and must cease all operations by today.  The company President Ed Ludwig says God's Lake Resources will release a statement Monday.

Rafferty isn't putting any stock in a border fence

New talk of building a fence on the Canadian US Border is being called rhetoric by Thunder Bay Rainy River MP John Rafferty.  Rafferty says the call from the US Customs and Border Protection Agency is likely just political rattling. He says it would cost millions of dollars to build and in some areas including most of the border in his riding building a fence isn't even possible.  Rafferty says he doesn't think that is the kind of relationship our countries have.

Dominion Curling Club Championships coming to Thunder Bay

Thunder Bay will be hosting the 2013 Dominion Curling Club Championships.  According to the Dominion Curling website the 24 team national tournament will take place at the Fort William Curling Club and include both men's and women's club teams from across Canada.  Each team will have to qualify at regional tournaments earlier in the season.

Another announcement delay

There is another delay in announcing the name of the new hotel for the Waterfront.  The developers were to have lifted the wraps off by now, but a waterfront official confirms City Manager Tim Commisso's quote that the announcement is now likely in November.  

Canadian Curling Championship coming to town

A national curling championship is coming to Thunder Bay.  The Fort William Curling Club will announce the championship Friday that will take place in 2013 and will see 24 teams converge on Thunder Bay.  We'll have more details Friday.