T.Bay Woman Wins New Car

A Thunder Bay woman is the winner of a new GMC vehicle. Pauline Quinn won a new GMC Terrain in the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation's License to Win.

Dryden Woman Wins Lotto 649

A Dryden resident is a million dollar lottery winner.  Marie Martin bought the winning Lotto 649 ticket in Thunder Bay when she was shopping in the local mall.  The 71-year-old bought the ticket at Teraz Express.

Hospital Board Meetings Online

Thunder Bay's Hospital is opening its board room doors to the public. The hosptial board decided to start airing their board meetings live online. The first webcast will be aired today at 5. Click here to go to the webcast.

More Snow Coming

There's still some more snow on the way today.  Environment Canada Meteorologist Dave Rodgers says we received 2 centimetres of snow overnight. We can expect another 10 centimetres in the City today and by the US Border 15 centimetres. Warmer weather is in store for the Easter long weekend.

Police Awards Tonight

15 members of the local police force are being honoured tonight for their long service in policing. The Exemplary Service Awards are being handed out at the Valhalla Inn.  In addition to three types of medals, an international peace operations medal will be presented.

Local Plant Debate At QP

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath is asking the Premier to reveal her government's plan to meet Northwestern Ontario's energy needs. It comes after the local plant burned its last piece of coal recently. Energy Minister Bob Chiarelli answered Horwath in question period yesterday. Chiarelli says he met with those concerned and they had their questions answered. Chiarelli and Horwath argued over whether the current conversion of the local power plant will be able to supply the region's energy needs.

Conservation Program Launched

17 First Nation Communities are participating in the Ontario Power Authority's saveONenergy conservation program.  The program helps residents reduce their electricity consumption and build a conservation culture.  Fort Severn, Webequie and Eagle Lake First Nations are just some that are taking part.

Moose Tag Reductions

The province is reducing the number of moose tags available for the 2014 hunting season. The 18 percent reduction province wide comes after recent aerial surveys showed less than hardy populations. The survey showed notable decreases in Dryden, Thunder Bay  and Fort Frances districts. 

Early AM B&E

A 22-year old man is in custody following a spree of break and enters overnight on the south side.  Just after 2 o'clock this morning, officers responded to a break and enter in progress in the 14-hundred block of Hamilton Avenue.  Police caught the man after a foot chase.  It's believed the man was also stealing from vehicles in the neighbourhood.  Any residents from the Walsh and Franklin Street area, who are missing articles from their vehicles, are asked to contact Police.  The suspect will be in court today to answer to charges of break and enter and resisting arrest.  

Police Officer Charged

City Police are charging one of their own.  The officer involved in a collision last week in a police cruiser is charged with failing to stop for a red light. She was en-route to a call for service, but it wasn't an emergency situation. Police say she's back to work on her regular schedule.

Boily Stays Behind Bars

 A 27 year old city man remains behind bars after a court appearance today.  It appears Tyler Boily will have to spend more time in jail  as he awaits a bail hearing.    Boily is facing 3 charges including Impaired Driving Causing Death in connection with last months 2 vehicle collision on Highway 61 near Arthur Street which resulted in the deaths of Daniel Brooks and Michelle Parker .  His bail hearing today had to be postponed because of some legal technicalities.   He will now be in court again on April 28th.

More Snow On The Way

Brace yourself for more snow.   There's a snow storm moving into the City.  Environment Canada Meteorologist Geoff Coulson says there's no way we're missing this one.  Thunder Bay could see about 10 to 15 cm of snow starting tonight and lasting much of Thursday.

Three Charities To Benefit From Open

Three local charities will be the benefactors of this summer's Staal Foundation Open golf tournament at Whitewater Golf Course.   The tournament's Executive Director Scott Smith says  the Health Sciences Foundation and the United Way will collect ticket sale proceeds while the St. Joseph's Foundation will pocket parking profits.  Smith says he can't predict a fundrasing goal since this is the first time the event has been held.

Wynne Coming To Region

The Premier is making a visit to Northwestern Ontario next week. She'll be attending the Regional Ontario Municipal Association Conference in Fort Frances.  

United Way Gives Out Cash

Two local youth programs are getting cash from United Way.  The Community Clothing Assistance will use just over 6 thousand dollars for a leadership course.  3-thousand dollars is going towards the Evergreen United Neighbourhood youth hub program. The cash was raised through a local high school fundraising challenge earlier in the year.

Food Strategy Open House Tonight

You can have your say on how our city gets its hands on locally grown and produced food.  An open house on the food strategy is taking place tonight from 4:30 until 7 at the Oliver Road Community Centre. Councillor Rebecca Johnson says they'll have several draft recommendations up for discussion.  Johnson says they want to know which recommendations the public thinks they should focus on.

Police Probe Hit And Run

City police want your help in finding two people who were involved in a traffic accident on the city's south side just before 7 o'clock on Monday evening.  They say the two were the driver and passenger in a car that blew a red light and smashed into a pick up truck at Victoria and May street.   The driver of the truck was taken to hospital with minor injuries.  Police are looking for two men who they say  ran away after the collision.  

Last Coal Burned

Today marks the last day our local generating station burned its last piece of coal.  The Thunder Bay Generating Station was the oldest coal-fired station in the province and is the last in Ontario to burn the fossil fuel.  The plant is scheduled to be converted to burn advanced biomass.

New NOACC President

There's a new person at the helm of the Northwestern Ontario Associated Chambers of Commerce.   Nathan Lawrence has been elected as the organization's new president.  Lawrence says he wants to make sure all the chambers are working together on future projects.   Lawrence believes all the chambers should be allowed to voice their concerns and opinions on issues critical to them.

Court House Could Bring Police Savings

City Police are looking for cost savings in the new consolidated courthouse. Chief JP Levesque says there's potential but it's too soon to say a solid figure of how much they could save. He adds having both courts in one building is freeing up three cars. Other efficiencies include moving to an electronic court document process which will free up officers time.

Police Budget Slightly Over

Police Board

Thunder Bay Police continue to be slightly over in their 2014 operating budget and the year's not even half over. Chief JP Levesque says they saw overages in overtime and benefits.  Levesque says it's too early to say if they'll be able to find cost savings to balance out the 322-thousand dollars they have overspent.

Promising Economic Prediction

A study done for the North Superior Workforce Planning Board is predicting big things for the construction labour market in northwestern Ontario .  The BuildForce Canada report, for the local think tank,  predicts up to 7 billion dollars of  investment in next 5 years.   Board spokesperson the report sites growth for the mining, forestry and road building sectors.   It doesn't, however, include the proposed new events centre in Thunder Bay

911 Tech To Be Upgraded

Thunder Bay Police hope to start testing the new enhanced 911 service in the city by September. The new program will allow residents to text 911 and is expected to be live by January. Inspector Sylvie Hauth asked the police services board today for permission to upgrade their current 911 provider.  The cash will be used to upgrade the tech that dispatchers use to take calls from the public.

Attempted Break And Enters

City Police investigating two separate attempted break and enters overnight. The first took place just after midnight in the 1800 block of East Walsh Street with the second one taking place in the 2000 block of Hamilton Avenue just after 1:00.  In both incidents two males in dark hoodies on bicycles knocked on the doors of the homes first before attempting to gain entry. In both cases the thieves fled when the homeowners were awoken and discovered the two men attempting to gain entry. There were no injuries. Anyone with information is asked to contact Thunder Bay Police or Crime Stoppers.

Survey Gauging Support

True North Entertainment and Sports is looking to hear from the public on their interest in having a Winnipeg Jets affiliated hockey team based in Thunder Bay.  They have created a survey with the program Survey Monkey. The company is looking for support for their venture in the proposed event centre.  To take the survey click here.

City To Ask Feds For CBC Money

The City is asking the Federal Government to provide more funding for public broadcasting.  They made the decision following local job cuts announced by the CBC last week.  Councillor Andrew Foulds made an emotional plea last night saying the Sudbury won't be able to provide the same coverage as the local Voyage North.

EMS Gets New Equipment

The City is giving the go ahead to Superior North EMS to purchase new vehicle locator equipment. The new GPS tech will cost the city over 86-thousand dollars.  Ferno Acetech Canada will provide the equipment.

City Formalizes Agreement

The City is entering into an agreement with the local health authority.  They formalized a funding agreement with the Northwest Health Integration Network last night.  The deal will see funding continue for Supportive Housing, Meals on Wheels, Friendly Visiting operating out of the 55 plus centre and the Dialysis Transportation Program.

Boshcoff Not Giving Up

City Councillor Ken Boshcoff isn't taking no for an answer.  Boshcoff is still hopeful that one day Thunder Bay can play a role in hosting a national museum for Fox.  Councillor Aldo Roberto feels the City did the right thing by respecting the Fox family's wishes for a national museum in B.C. near where Terry was born.

Waterfront Property Saved For Public Use

The City is keeping a piece of waterfront land for the public to enjoy. The land in question is located next to the splash pad and has Muskoka style lawn chairs on it. It was to be developed for business but Council decided last night to keep it as a public use space.

DSSAB Offers Home Loan

The Social Services Board is offering low to moderate income homeowners cash to help them renovate. The DSSAB received 1.5 million dollars for the program that will help people repair their windows, doors, heating systems, chimneys, foundations, roofs, floors and ceilings among other things. Each homeowner who is eligible could get up to 25-thousand dollars in a forgivable loan.

Illness Outbreak At Lakehead Manor

The Health Unit is declaring a facility wide respiratory illness outbreak at Lakehead Manor. All admissions, transfers, discharges and social activities have been cancelled until further notice. Visitors are restricted to family members and caregivers only.

Film Project Now On DVD

The city's Walk A Mile film project is into the DVD stage now.   The locally produced five part documentary series is now available online or at City Hall according to City Clerk John Hannam for 20 dollars.  The films are intended to start a conversation about the relationship between Thunder Bay's Aboriginal peoples and the community.   You can purchase the DVD set by following this LINK

Group Wants Better Wages

Poverty Free Thunder Bay continues their crusade to help protect low income workers.  They held an event Monday that called on MPPs to pass new bills to protect vulnerable workers before an election is called. They feel several bills if passed will give all Ontario workers decent work so they can have quality lives.

F.N's Reaffirm Position

Marten Falls and Aroland First Nations are committing to the North-South Alliance. It's a deal that calls for road access to the Ring of Fire from the North to the South.  The two communities feel that the road makes the most sense and will pass through their territories.

Man Dies After Collision

A 51 year old man is dead after he was involved in last week's collision on the Harbour Expressway near the intersection of Golf Links Road. Police say Gary Soderholm suffered a medical crisis that caused him to lose control of his car. He veered into oncoming traffic and struck three vehicles.  The other two people involved in the crash are in good health and suffered minor injuries.

Courthouse Move Complete

It's a new era for the legal community in the city.  Employees from the Ontario Court of Justice on Arthur Street moved into the new consolidated courthouse on Brodie Street over the weekend, joining their colleagues from the Superior Court who moved in last week.    It means that all court business in the city can now take place in one location.  

Foulds Goes To Bat For CBC

The city will consider a motion from Councillor Andrew Foulds this evening that would see Thunder Bay endorse more Federal funding for public broadcasting. It comes following significant job cuts announced by the CBC last week. The cuts will mean the loss of two jobs at the local station after the afternoon program Voyage North is replaced by programming from Sudbury.

Rydholm Wants FCM Position

City Councillor Linda Rydholm is asking for her fellow members support. She plans to apply again to be a board member of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. Council will hear her request tonight.

Fox Museum Not Likely

It doesn't look like Terry Fox's family wants to loan some artifacts to the City for a museum exhibit. The City spoke to Terry's Brother Darrell who says Thunder Bay, St. John's and Ottawa would be logical locations for a museum but notes they favour a museum and research centre in the Vancouver area.

Event Centre Parking Could Be Nixed

Parking at the proposed event centre remains to be a hot topic for city councillors.  Councillor Andrew Foulds says potentially removing the parkade,  at the proposed event centre, as recommended by administration, would help the city financially and help to leverage funding from other levels of government.   Foulds adds that keeping the project under 100-million dollars is the goal to making sure  provincial and federal funding is available.

Shipping Season Delayed

Normally by now the shipping season is underway, however due to a colder than normal winter, it will not begin until possibly later this week.   That would make it the latest start to the season on record.  The ice on Lake Superior has  made it difficult for ships to get through causing the delay