Mayor Moves To The Head Of The Cash

The latest figures from City Hall show Mayor Keith Hobbs was the highest paid elected city official last year at over 110 thousand dollars in salary and expenses.   Number two was Councillor Joe Virdiramo at over 50 thousand dollars.   The mayor also had the most expenses with over 15 thousand dollars.  Councillor Mark Bentz was the only elected official with no expenses reported.

Northern Lights Education Back At It

The Northern Lights Education Initiative is looking for public support for an alternative education proposal.  They're holding a series of workshops at the Baggage Building at Prince Arthur's Landing starting in April.  The organization is hoping to team up with the Lakehead Public School Board to offer a new type of education.

Dryden Police Find Assault Victim

Dryden Police continue their investigation of an assault at a fast-food restaurant.  Chief Rob Davis says they have identified the accused and the victim, who is from Pikangikum First Nation.  Police say their names will be withheld as they continue to investigate.  Davis says they are still asking for the public's help identifying the person who shot the video, adding that they are not a suspect or in trouble with police for capturing the footage.

Respect Founder Honoured

The first ever Respect award winner is Thomas Russell of the Student Union at Confederation College. He is the originator of the Respect campaign against racism, homophobia and bullying which started at the college and spread to City Hall. Russell says the award is humbling. It was given to him at the annual Diversity Thunder Bay breakfast this morning.

Consultant Coming In To Help Store Evidence

City Police continue to have too much evidence for the amount of storage rooms they have.  A recent audit shows they have just under 27-thousand items in their care and control.  Spokesperson Chris Adams says they've invited a consultant in to look for solutions.  Adams says the consultant is going to consider a new layout for their building.

Catholic S.B. Receives Report On Aboriginal Education

The Catholic School Board wants to include culturally appropriate education tools for its First Nation students.  They recently received a report on where First Nation students are doing well and where they struggle.  Spokesperson Omer Belisle says they're considering a number of new initiatives.  Belisle says they'll also bring in text books in First Nation languages.

MoneySense Mag Releases Best Place List

MoneySense magazine is out with its annual list of best places in Canada to live.  In the best Cities Overall category Thunder Bay is ranked number 92, and in the midsize market we are number 34.  The rankings take into consider the number of days with rain, the temperature, and the jobless rate. To check out the whole list click here.

Janzen's Robbed

Thunder Bay Police are looking for a man they believe robbed the Janzen's Pharmacy on Frederica Street yesterday.  They say a man entered the store just after 5 o'clock and robbed the pharmacy at knife point.  There were no injuries in the incident.  The man made off with a small amount of prescription medication.

Health Unit Drops Program

The Healthy Child Development program is no longer going to be handled by the District Health Unit.   Spokesperson Doug Heath says it's hoped the program can be given to an organization that can put more focus on it. Health says it's not a program that they are required to provide. He says the board is recommending to the Ministry of Children and Youth Services that the program go to the Children's Centre.

Hobbs Encouraged By Wynne's Order

The mayor calls it encouraging.   Keith Hobbs is reacting to news that Premier Kathleen Wynne is ordering  Ontario Lottery and Gaming to rewrite its formula for locating new casinos so that all municipalities are treated in the same way. Hobbs says the news comes at the right time as the city prepares to negotiate a new agreement to begin in April.  Hobbs had been concerned that a new Toronto casino would get a sweeter deal from OLG than we are currently getting.

Cath Lab Celebrates 25th Anniversary

Regional Hospital officials are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the cardiac catherization lab.   The procedure allows a tube to be put into the heart to help provide treatment.   Since it was started officials say 27 thousand patients have had the procedure done.

Waterfront Project Almost Half Million Over Budget

Remarkable is what city official Greg Alexander calls it. He says for phase one of the waterfront project to come in at only 1 per cent over budget speaks to how hard the project management team worked to keep costs down. Alexander hopes it silences any critics on city council.  In dollar terms the variance works out to just under half a million dollars.

Viral Video Shows Assault

Dryden Police are investigating an assault at the Dryden McDonalds. The incident was captured on video and immediately went viral on social media. It shows a young man abusing a customer who was sitting down to eat.  Police Chief Rob Davis says the incident was reported yesterday night but he believes the attack happened before that day. Davis is asking the public for help to identify who shot the video of the assault or who witnessed the incident. He says they have been able to identify the victim and the accused and notes charges are likely going to be laid.

Snowy Spring

The first day of spring brought with it cold temperatures and snow still on the ground.  Our newsroom went to City Hall to ask residents what they thought about the lack of warm weather.

Future Of Power Plant Still In Limbo

Uncertainty continues to surround the future of the Mission Island power plant. Councillor Andrew Foulds listened to the update from Ontario Power Generation officials this morning and says the conversion of the plant to natural gas remains on hold with no plans to change that. Foulds says the decision makers in southern Ontario don't appear to realize the energy challenges the region faces in the

Police Spending Over 2012 Budget

Thunder Bay's Police are finishing off last year's budget year in the red.  They ran over their 34 million dollar budget by 179-thousand dollars.  Chief JP Levesque says they've worked really hard to keep their cost over runs modest.  Levesque provided the Police Services Board with an update on their spending at yesterday's meeting.

OPP Looking For Missing Man

OPP are searching for a missing 32 year old Geraldton man. Erik Legarde's family reported him missing yesterday. He's described as 5'11 weighing 180 pounds with short black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen on March 17th wearing blue jeans, brown shoes, and a grey sweatshirt.

Rock Drummer Lends His Star Power

A Thunder Bay based suicide prevention movement is getting some help from a Canadian rock star.   Our Lady Peace drummer Jeremy Taggart says he joined the Collateral Damage Project after  founder Scott Chisholm reached out to him through Twitter.   Taggart is convinced it's a worthwhile endeavour and hopes to use his celebrity status to bring the message across the country.

LRCA To Start Its Flood Watch

The spring flood watch is about to begin as the Lakehead Region Conservation Authority keeps its eye on area rivers and streams during the snow melt.   Chair Bill Bartley says he just finished his annual spring meeting with the operational staff of the area municipalities to make sure they are prepared for any eventuality.  Bartley says monitoring so far shows there is no cause for concern.

"Ceremony And Resurgence"

The Idle No More movement in Thunder Bay  is trying to give itself a kick start.  Organizers are holding what they call  "a day of ceremony and resurgence" today.  Beginning with a sunrise ceremony, a day of First Nation  teachings is planned at the Anishnawbe Mushkiki Centre on Royston Court.