Coast Guard Rescues Boaters

Two people are safe and sound after a water rescue on Lake Superior Friday.  The rescue coordination centre in Trenton says that the Canadian Coast Guard in Thunder Bay brought the two back to shore after their 26 foot boat took on water about a mile south of the city.

Forest Fire Update

There were no new fires reported in the Northwest Region August 30. The forecast is calling for more rain for the next several days and the forest fire hazard is expected to be low across the region. The rain will help with lightning strikes that have started fires. The Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services program has a lightning-locator system that helps track strikes of lightning that have potential to start new wildfires.

Water Rescue On Superior

 A water rescue on Lake Superior.    A spokesperson at the rescue coordination centre in Trenton says that a 26 foot Bayliner boat started taking on water Friday about a mile south of the city and the two people in there called for help.   A rescue unit from Thunder Bay picked them up and brought them to the yacht club unharmed.

Poverty Free T.Bay To Rally

Poverty Free Thunder Bay plans to rally at MPP Michael Gravelle's nomination meeting Tuesday night. Chair Terri Carter believes Premier Wynne will be in attendance and she wants to greet her with three demands.  Carter is looking for the Premier to demonstrate a commitment to reducing poverty.

NOHFC Programs Under Review

The Provincial Government is conducting a review of the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation.  It means new programs will be created and launched at the end of October.  Applications for funding through the old program will be accepted up until September 30th.  The changes are being made to reflect the priorities set out in the Northern Ontario Growth Plan.

Hospital Family Rooms To Become Patient Rooms

The overcrowding problem at the Health Sciences Centre is at a new level.  The hospital is now renovating family lounges to make more room for patients.  The fire department told the hospital they could no longer house patients in hallways which spurred the decision.  CEO Andree Robichaud says the rooms only need a little tinkering.  The decision will mean 14 patient spots, which is two more than what the hallways were providing.  Robichaud hopes to have the new patient rooms ready by mid-October.

Baby Boomers Not Ready For Retirement

More and more seniors in Northwestern Ontario are digging deep to make ends meet.  Recent studies show that debt levels are on the rise across the country, especially for the elderly.  Frank Fabiano is a local trustee in bankruptcy, and says many seniors depend on their old age security or pension plans.  At the same time, Fabiano says baby-boomers are also feeling the crunch, as many of those born between 1945 and 1964 say they haven't saved enough for retirement.

Transit Still Experiencing Problems

Thunder Bay's Transit Service is still having technical difficulties with their scheduled arrival time phone line isn't working.  Bus riders are being asked to use the paper schedules, the transit website and Nextbus dot com.

NOSM Gets Award

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine is on the receiving end of an award that recognizes good work in medical education.  The ASPIRE award was given to NOSM at a medical conference in Prague.

Victim Fleeced For 25K

Police in northwestern Ontario are releasing details about a scam that has left one resident owing 25-thousand-dollars. The victim was told to cash a cheque for the scammer without realizing it was a trick designed to leave her on the hook for the entire amount. Police say the sender of the cheque had befriended the victim over several months, gaining her trust.

Police On School Buses

Kids of all ages will be heading back to school Wednesday. City Police are reminding motorists to pay close attention to students crossing streets and getting off buses. Sgt. Glenn Porter says they'll be on area school buses looking for bad drivers.  Porter reminds college and university students that they'll be staging RIDE checks as well to look for drunk drivers.

Man Gets 60 Days For Breach

A 32 year old Murillo man is  serving time for disobeying a Manitoba court order not to be in the company of anyone under 18.    In a Thunder Bay court this week Tony Barnes was given a sentence of 60 days in jail and a years probation on the charge.  Barnes was also given credit for the time served since he was taken into custody in late April.

LU Prof Says Syrian Attack Certain

A Lakehead University Professor says it's  almost certain that Syria will be attacked.  Laure Paquette, who sometimes does research for the U-S military,  says that the only question is how the United States will lead the attack and when. She believes it will come in the form of a drone or stealth  attack.   Paquette says there is no other option but for the world to react to a chemical weapons attack.

LRCA Flood Watch

The Lakehead Region Conservation Authority is issuing a flood watch for the Thunder Bay area including O'Connor, Conmee, Gillies, Shuniah and Dorion.  The LRCA is putting the watch in effect because of the heavy amounts of rain expected tonight.  Staff are continuing to monitor the weather conditions.

Fed Funding For Mining Project

The Federal government is handing out 87-thousand dollars to two groups to allow them to participate in the environmental assessment for the Griffith Iron Ore redevelopment project in Ear Falls.  Wabauskang First Nation is receiving 50-grand, while the Metis Nation of Ontario is getting 37-thousand dollars.  Both groups will be able to review and provide comments on the Environmental Impact Statement and draft Environmental Assessment Report.  Northern Iron (Corp.) is hoping to reopen the once prosperous Mine, with hopes of cementing a 20-year mine life.

No Cause Yet In Moose Death

There still isn't a cause of death for Chippewa Park's seven year old bull moose.  A post mortem exam is done but some tissue samples were taken and sent to a lab in Guelph for analysis.  The moose was found by staff at the zoo early Tuesday morning.  Analysis of the tissue samples is expected to take seven to ten days to complete.

Summer Sounds Well Received

It's over.  The summer's final City Hall Sounds event wrapped up Thursday at City Hall.  The program was put in place to liven up the area around the City's South Core which saw live music, arts and crafts and local food.  Crime Prevention Coordinator Amy Siciliano says since the program was well-embraced they're going to look into how best to move it forward next year.

CEDC Celebrates Summer Company

Thunder Bay's Community Economic Development Commission is heralding the benefits of the Summer Company program.  Organizer Stacia Kean says they had 11 businesses created by local youth. The provincially funded program is for students between 15 to 29 years of age.   A wrap up ceremony was held on Thursday for the local students who took part in this summer's program.

Severe Thunderstorm Watch

The Thunder Bay area is under a severe Thunderstorm watch.  The storm cell started last night in North Dakota and is making it's way into the City this afternoon.  Environment Canada Meterologist Geoff Coulson says it could become a doozy of a storm with hail and strong winds.  The forecast is calling for up to 20 to 30 millimetres of rain.

Gravelle Happy With Remediation Plan

The Ministry of the Environment and the owners of the defunct Superior Fine Papers have come to an agreement over the clean up of their Thunder Bay mill.  MPP Michael Gravelle says there have been concerns over industrial waste on the site for several years and he's happy the site will be remediated.  Gravelle says making sure we have a clean source of water is vital and the clean up of the former mill site will help ensure that.