Charges Pending Following Collision

Police say charges are pending after a north side traffic mishap.   An SUV rolled over after it was involved in a collision with a pick up truck at the corner of Hill Street and Van Norman this morning.  They say that there were no serious injuries but the driver of the SUV was taken to hospital.  The occupants of the other vehicle were not hurt.

Disaster Relief Events Coming Up

There are a number of upcoming events that will help the Disaster Relief Fund. Anyone making a donation at Saturday's Thunderwolves hockey game will get a free skate sharpening  and a chance to win a thousand dollars worth of hockey equipment. Take-A-Hike is helping out by donating 10 dollars from every sale of their plaid rubber boots until October 17th to the cause. The 23rd annual Thunder Bay Reunion in Toronto happening Saturday night will see all of the admissions proceeds given back to the flood relief fund. Volunteer Thunder Bay is recruiting people to help canvass the city for a one day bottle drive that is scheduled for next weekend. Tickets are now on sale for 20 dollars for the Rock The Firehouse fundraiser happening November 17th at the C.L.E. Colliseum, being put on by the Thunder Bay Professional Firefighters Association.

Ground Search Ends For Suspect

Police in Nipigon are continuing their search for a man that is wanted in a stolen vehicle case. A routine stop just east of the community yesterday became a full blown search which included police dogs and the tactical unit after the man ran off. Police say they have ended the ground search for the man they describe as a being Caucasian and 30 to 40 years of age with dark curly hair.

Lumber Industry Awakening?

The Resolute Forest Products lumber mill in the city is adding a third shift in the new year according to union rep Marvin Pupeza. He says the company is making the preparations right now. He says the move could add up to 30 jobs to the workforce of 150.   Pupeza adds that the move appears to be a sign of the times in the lumber industry noting that the Eacom mill in Ear Falls is expected to reopen in September.

Weather Temperatures Returning To Normal

With a rash of accidents this week along the Eastern shores of Lake Superior, motorists are now worried about Winter driving. Geoff Coulson with Environment Canada says the weather for Thunder Bay in the coming days should not result in any snowfall for the city. Coulson adds temperatures should resume to normals for this time of year with highs of 11 and lows down to zero.

Search For Wanted Man Re-evaluated Today

Nipigon O.P.P. are going to re-assess their search for a man later today. They were searching for a man using their Emergency Response Team and a Thunder Bay Police Canine unit. Provincial police attempted to pull over a vehicle near the township of Patience, just East of Nipigon when the driver took off. Police then found the vehicle abandoned in Nipigon. O.P.P. say there is no danger to the public for now, but the man is wanted on suspicion of stolen property and fleeing police.

Missing Hunter Found

O.P.P. are reporting another successful search for a missing hunter. This time a 78 year old man from Arkona, Ontario was reported missing on Wednesday. The man had been separated from his party. The Emergency Response Team, O.P.P. canine along with a Ministry of Natural Resources helicopter and Lakehead Search and Rescue volunteers were all involved in the search. The man has been located and is unharmed.

Thunderwolves Set For Home Opener

The Lakehead University Thunderwolves hockey team takes on the York Lions in their regular season home opener tonight at the Fort William Gardens. The Thunderwolves are a little banged-up on defence and will be without Mitch Fillman and Jay Gilbert. Captain Adam Sergerie is epected to play despite missing practice time during the week. The Thunderwolves are 2-and-0 in the regular season. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Busy Thursday For OPP

Thunder Bay OPP are reporting a busy Thursday for traffic accidents.  They say that between 7 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon they responded to 14 collisions.  There were numerous injuries, but non were a threat to anyones life.  That included a woman who was 7 months pregnant.  She was taken to hospital as a precaution.

Save The ELA Is The Message

A scientist from Winnipeg is on a mission to save the Experimental Lakes Area near Kenora. During a visit to Thunder Bay, Diane Orihel said she believes there is enough support for her cause to change the Harper government's decision to end the program.   She says municipalities across the northwest have been sending formal requests to Ottawa not to shut the ELA down. Orihel says it's frustrating for other scientists like her to make sense of the move.

Ontario Youth Action Plan Addition

35 extra youth outreach workers will be added to Thunder Bay and other communities throughout the province as part of the Youth Action Plan. The McGuinty Government formed the plan which sees outreach workers provide one-on-one help for troubled youth and offer valuable mentoring for making better life decions.

Paramedics Kept Busy

Many paramedics in the city are recovering from an eventful day so far.  Superior North Emergency Medical Services says there were so many calls at one point this morning that there was a 10 minute window when there were no paramedics available to respond to 9-1-1 emergency calls. However, there were no calls during that time. 

Medical School Conference Travels The Region

More than 800 conference delegates are learning about healthcare issues facing Northern and remote communities specifically as it relates to Northern Ontario. The Northern Ontario School of Medicine is hosting medical professionals from 45 different countries this week in Thunder Bay. Dean, Dr. Roger Strasser says starting tomorrow, some of the conference delegates will begin travelling to smaller communities such as Marathon, Sioux Lookout, Sault St. Marie and also Sudbury for varying learning opportunities.

First Taste Of Winter Wreaks Havoc

Highway 17 from Terrace Bay East to White River is listed as closed by the Ministry of Transportation due to ice and snow conditions. Thunder Bay OPP issued a road advisory to alert motorists to drive with caution on Highway 17 particularly in the areas of Thunder Bay East to Marathon. Snow is falling heavily resulting in several commercial vehicles becoming stuck on hills along the north shore of Lake Superior. In addition, officers are responding to collisions related to snowfall and resulting black ice conditions. Meanwhile, a special weather statement has been issued by Environment Canada for Nipigon, Marathon, Superior North and Wawa saying the first significant snowfall of the season is happening today.

Rafferty Pleased With Boundary Meetings

It looks like the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission is changing its tune. John Rafferty, the MP for Thunder Bay-Rainy River spoke to the commission during a pair of meetings this week in Kenora and Thunder Bay. He says keeping the riding as it stands now makes sense geographically and for his constituents, who also spoke to the commission. Rafferty says the commission will likely unvail the new official boundaries next year.

Dryden Water Fund Short

A water operations financial plan shows the City of Dryden is not setting aside enough money for the future replacement of equipment and other assets. The City is currently contributing 375-thousand dollars toward capital replacement in the water budget compared with the recommended level of 1.05-million. Director of Public Works and Engineering Mike Louttit says the situation isn't dire right now. The financial plan calls for 6.7-million dollars in capital spending over the 2013-2018 period.

New Charter Service In Sioux Lookout

A new business is flying high in Sioux Lookout. Northern Skies celebrated the launch of air charter service at a special ceremony this week. Operations Manager Derrick Flynn explains why he decided to launch the service. Flynn says Northern Skies flies day and night and provides red carpet service with free meals and drink.

No Change To Gov't Diabetes Program

The Ministry of Health and Long Term Care says northerners won't see any change in diabetes programs. The Province is no longer directly funding the Northern Diabetes Health Network and has instead transferred funding to the Northwest Local Health Integration Network. Press Secretary Zita Astravas says the diabetes education program in Sioux Lookout will remain in tact, funding will continue to flow and full time staff won't be affected. She says all money saved through the transition of administrative services will be used to enhance or expand diabetes programs in northern Ontario. She is expecting a smooth transition.

Missing Hunter Found

A Windsor man has been found safe and sound in the woods outside of Dryden. Provincial Police received a report on Wednesday of a missing hunter on Passover road off of Century Lake Road. Police say 47-year-old Scott Boorn got separated from his hunting party after walking into a wooded area to chase an animal. The Emergency Response Team was activated to begin a search but the man was located by his party before the team was dispatched.

North Stars Score Big At Home

The Thunder Bay North Stars took over sole possession of second place in the Superior International Junior Hockey League with a 9-4 win at home over the Dryden Ice Dogs. Cody Fraser led the North Stars with a goal and three assists as they improved to 6-2 on the season. Dryden drops to 5-2. Thunder Bay is now a game back of the Minnesota Wilderness for first place.