Government offers condolence to Wabasse family

Ontario's Attorney General is passing on his condolonces to the family of Jordan Wabasse.  Chris Bentley says the government is working to address missing first nation teens in Northwestern Ontario. Bentley addressed Wabasse' death in the Ontario legislature.  Police confirmed Wednesday the body that was found in the Kam River was the missing teen.

Hampton calls for inquest into missing teens

New Democrat Howard Hampton says it's time the government moved ahead with an inquest into the deaths of aboriginal teens attending high school in Thunder Bay.  Hampton made the call today after Jordan Wabasse' body was identified after being found in the Kam River this week.  Hampton says while we wait for the inquest, teens keep dying. The inquiry has been delayed in part because of a lack of native representation on the jury, an issue Attorney General Chris Bentley says is being worked out.

Cow births triplets

A northern Ontario beef cattle farm has experienced a  rare birth in the industry.  A cow owned by Wayne Flatt gave birth to three identical calves Tuesday night on his farm near Emo.  Flatt says there was no indication of triplets after the first calf arrived.  But he says he checked about an hour later, and there were three.

Habitat is enjoying a huge turn around

Its been a turbulent year so far for Habitat for Humanity but right now things are looking up.  CEO Diane Mitchell says last minute success from the raffle along with a donation from RBC made a huge difference.  The raffle netting 120 thousand dollars and RBC donated 20 thousand dollars.  Mitchell says with the added funds Habitat is able to purchase several plots of land and can fund a build this year. 

Vote on LU Law School Friday

Thunder Bay may soon be home to the Province's first new law school in 40 years.  The Law Society of Upper Canada has approved the idea and Lakehead University's Senate will vote on the proposal on Friday. The University says the school would give preference to Northerners and First Nations applicants.  Tuition at the Thunder Bay school will start at about 12-thousand dollars, about twice that at the University of Toronto law school.

Body found in Kenora

A post-mortem exam is scheduled to be performed today on the body of a woman found in the bush near Miller's Rapids Road in Kenora.  The OPP says its Northwest Search and Rescue unit discovered the body of Rosella Digirolamo around 9:30 Wednesday morning.  At this point, the OPP say they do not know the cause of death, but they are continuing to investigate the fatality.

Buchanan Sawmill enters bankruptcy protection

Another Buchanan sawmill has entered bankruptcy proceedings. McKenzie Forest Products filed for bankruptcy protection on April 26th, after learning the Hudson sawmill had not secured a wood supply from the province. Meantime, work continues on the proposed purchase of the former Atikokan Forest Products mill. A scheduled hearing in Toronto will again look at the possible transfer of a forest license to Eacom Timber of Montreal.

NW LHIN touts doctor recruitment

The Northwest LHIN is confident most residents have a primary care provider.  CEO Laura Kokocinski says there have been a number of initiatives in recent years that helped match orphan patients with doctors. In 2009, 86 percent of residents had a primary care provider.

Police confirm Wabasse death

A Thunder Bay coroner has confirmed a body found Tuesday night in the Kam River as Jordan Wabasse. A post mortem exam says the 15 year old drowned and foul play is not suspected. Wabasse has been missing since February 7th. The Webeque teenager's family and friends conducted ground searches in recent months and created an awareness campaign on Facebook.

Rotary gives away cash

Two Thunder Bay residents are a little richer thanks to Rotary.  Karen Lauzon won 25 thousand dollars and Dee Bodnar won five grand.  The two will get their checks next week.  Each week leading up to the House Draw on Canada day a cash draw will be made.  Rotary is giving 75 thousand dollars in early bird draws.

Northwest shut out of UFT competition

Dryden and Ignace didn't make the cut in the Ultimate Fishing Town on-line competition.  Both communities were in the mix, but fell just short of cracking the Top 20 in Canada.  The closest community to our area is Chapleau, which currently sits in second place behind Port Colborne, Ontario.

Cabin gutted by fire

The owners of a Cedar Bay Road cabin could face a 235 dollar fine. A blaze on Tuesday night completely destroyed the small home and Shuniah Fire and Emergency Services Chief Blair Arthur says they may charge the owners once they ensure there were no working smoke alarms in the building.  The cause of the fire is electrical and two people were in the cabin at the time of the fire. They escaped unharmed.

Northern Growth Plan sparks feud

The NDP are attacking the Liberal Government's Northern Growth Plan. Northern Development Critic Gilles Bisson says the Liberals short changed the region with its plan. Bisson feels the Province should follow Quebec's lead and put the money where their mouth is. Thunder Bay Atikokan MPP Bill Mauro says he's not surprised by the NDP's actions noting as opposition it's their job to complain. Mauro says he's busy working on getting the plan's Northern Policy Institute based out of Thunder Bay.

High price of gas is bad for tourism

The high price of gas is going to impact Northwestern Ontario's tourism industry.  Doug Reynolds is the President of Northern Ontario's Tourist Outfitters Association and says it's going to cost more to run area tourist camps.  Reynolds adds it's also going to cost more for Americans to drive here for fishing trips. The price of gas is over a dollar forty in some parts of the city today.

Port finishes year in the black

Thunder Bay's Port Authority ended 2010 in the black with over 38 million dollars.  The Port held its annual general meeting on Wednesday. C.E.O. Tim Heney says it was a good business year.  Heney adds grain demand is up so far this year and project cargo will also bring in a lot of work for the Port.

Longlac EMS station closed

Paramedics in Longlac will be working out of the community's Fire Station for a little while.   The Longlac EMS station has temporarily been closed because of mould. As soon as it's mould free, crews will return to work.

Police release name of deceased

A 20 year old Thunder Bay man is dead after his pick up truck crashed into a dump truck on Highway 11/17 last week. Justin John Dickey was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident in Shuniah Township. Police are still looking for anyone who may have witnessed the collision.

Autopsy underway today

Thunder Bay's coroner will be conducting an autopsy on the body that was found in the Kam River last night. Thunder Bay police spokesperson Chris Adams says it's hoped that the body will be identified later today. Adams won't speculate on the identity but it was found in the area where searchers had been looking for Jordan Wabasse.

Plan Nord out shining the Ontario Northern Growth Plan

Ontario's Northern Growth Plan is coming up short when compared to Quebec's newly released Plan Nord.  Lakehead University Economics Professor Livio Di Matteo says Ontario appears to be a framework for future planning while Quebec's plan is a framework for future action.  Di Matteo says our plan calls for 5 million dollars for a Northern Policy Institute while Quebec's plan commits 2.1 billion dollars for various projects over the next 5 years.

Cab robbed at knife point

Thunder Bay police are looking for two men after a cab robbery.  The Cab was robbed a knife point on Pasture Road.  The driver wasn't hurt and the suspects made off on foot with some cash.