Rickford Not Amused With Province

The federal minister responsible for the Ring of Fire says he's not amused by some of the rhetoric coming out of Queen's Park this week.  Kenora M.P. Greg Rickford is responding to premier Wynne's invitation to come to the table.  Rickford says they've been a willing participant all along.  Rickford says he was caught off guard by the announcement of a development corporation for the Ring, because the federal government was not consulted beforehand.

Horwath Says Open Government Meeting Is Interesting

Thunder Bay is going to play host to the Provincial Government's first "open government" engagment team meeting that's taking place on Monday at the Valhalla Inn.  NDP Leader Andrea Horwath thinks its interesting that the Liberals need to create a committee to find ways to become more open. The meeting will take place from six until 9.

Alzheimer Rendezvous Tonight

The Alzheimer Society is hosting an evening with TVO's Steve Paikin.  The host of "The Agenda" is speaking at the 12th annual Alzheimer Rendezvous. Spokesperson Ashleigh Quarrell hopes the event will raise 50-thousand dollars.  The event gets underway tonight at the Victoria Inn.

Local Officer Honoured

City Police Staff Sergeant Ryan Gibson is being honoured for his part of the Ontario Law Enforcement Torch Run. He took part in the Torch Run's International Conference in Orlando, Florida. Gibson was selected to take part because of his volunteer involvement with Special Olympics Ontario.

Charges Laid In Suspicious Death

A 26 year old Seine River man has been charged with 2nd degree murder following a police investigation in Fort Frances. Provincial Police say they have arrested Peter Deafy for the death of 45 year old Leo Whitecrow. Whitecrow was found dead at the Midtown Motel on the morning of November 2nd, last year. Deafy is set to appear in court tomorrow to answer to the charge.

Bearskin Execs Get Award

Bearskin Airlines top execs are being honoured for their charity work.  President Harvey Friesen and VP Cliff Friesen won the Jim Glass Humanitarian Award.  The award is presented by the Air Transport Association of Canada and Transwest Air.

United Way Needs Help

The United Way Campaign is closing in on the halfway mark for their fundraising campaign with five weeks to go. Campaign Chair Walter Flasza says there will be several events in December to help them reach their goal. There has been just under one and a half million dollars raised so far, the goal is to reach two point seven million.

Salvation Army Gets Money From Target

The Salvation Army's breakfast program in Thunder Bay is benefiting from a charity donation by Target Canada.   The department store giant is splitting the 160 thousand dollar donation among 23 Salvation Army programs in the country.

T.Bay Man Charged In Collision

OPP are charging a 24 year old Thunder Bay man with a drinking and driving related charge.  It stems from a single motor collision on Highway 622 just north of Atikokan. He'll appear in Atikokan Court on January 23rd.

Safe Drivers In T.Bay

Thunder Bay drivers are being recognized as some of the country's safest. The Safe Driving Study comes from Allstate Canada and is based on the amount of collisions per one-hundred cars the company insures. Thunder Bay placed tenth amongst communities with the best collision rates at 4.3 percent between 2011-2013.

DSSAB Meeting To Discuss Pets

The Social Services Board is going to discuss how best to deal with client's pets ruining their housing units. In some cases the board has been left with a 30 thousand dollar repair bill. CAO Bill Bradica says it's a tricky situation. Bradica says there's been reports of staff being bitten by animals and even some tenants being hurt by other people's pets.

Police Seize 50K Worth Of Drugs

A 44 year old Montreal man is facing a variety of drug related charges after a search of a North side hotel room on Monday.  Staff Sergeant Murray Brown says they seized 50-thousand dollars worth of crack cocaine and prescription Fentanyl powder. The man will be in court on Friday and Police are asking the court to deny his bail.

NOMA Meets With Premier & Ministers

The Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association is pleased with their recent meetings with the Premier and Natural Resources Minister. President Dave Canfield says they spoke about the Thunder Bay Generating Station and the property reassessments on large industrial properties. Canfield says talks with the MNR's David Orazietti went ok and notes there are still some struggling points with the Forest Industry.

Mass CPR Training Session Planned

Superior North EMS, the City and the Heart and Stroke Foundation are working together to provide a mass CPR training session this Saturday.  Deputy Chief of EMS Wayne Gates says it's important for the public to know what to do when someone is having a heart attack. The free mass training session will take place this Saturday at Westmount Public School from 10:30 until 12:30.

LU Signs Agreement With Aboriginal Leaders

Lakehead University is signing an agreement with the Nishnawbe Aski Nation as well as several other First Nation groups.  The agreement is meant to set up a respectful working relationship regarding the Faculty of Law. Aboriginal leaders will meet on a semi-annual basis to discuss issues relating to Aboriginal perspectives of the law.

Hospital Gridlock Gets NDP Attention

The over crowding at the local hospital is reaching the ears of Provincial politicians at Queen's Park. NDP Health Critic France Gelinas says cancelling surgeries because there aren't enough beds is unacceptable. Gelinas feels if there were more community supports people wouldn't have to rely so heavily on the hospital's emergency department.

Chiefs Reject Education Act

Regional Chiefs meeting in Thunder Bay this week are rejecting the Federal Government's First Nations Education Act.  The Ontario Regional Chiefs held a news conference on Wednesday to say they have plans to implement their own education vision through a direct action strategy which will be implemented by communities across the province.

Vets Get NOMA Support

The Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association is backing local veterans and calling for the Federal Government to keep the Thunder Bay Veterans Affairs office open. NOMA passed a resolution today calling for the Feds to change their mind on the scheduled office closures. World War 2 Veteran Roy Lamore says the Federal Government's planned closure of the local office is disrespectful.

Energy Task Force Video Sent To Province

The region's energy task force is spreading their message through a new online video.  Members of the group delivered a copy of the 16 minute video to members of the Provincial Government.  The video outlines Northwestern Ontario's electrical system and the role that the Thunder Bay Generating Station plays in the region.

Northwestern Ontario - A Place to Grow Electrically from Generator on Vimeo.

Horizon Wind Releases Statement On Meeting

Horizon Wind isn't giving much credence to word they walked out of a meeting with Fort William First Nation Tuesday.  The company released a statement about the meeting and said it was clear the community wanted to speak to the Province about its perspectives on the wind farm project and clarify the process.  They say they are still willing to speak with the First Nation and carry out any on-going discussion. The release goes on further to say they are actively looking for participation on a Community Liason Committee that will allow for two way communication and  make sure problems that come up are raised and addressed. The company adds they welcome further conversation with members of the Fort William First Nation.