Late night last minute deputations on bus terminal

The temporary bus terminal brought last minute deputations at city council last night. Several downtown residents who attended the meeting decided to speak up about the temporary terminal. John Livingston lives in the condo building near city hall and says he's not happy with the site. Livingston feels the temporary terminal should only be allowed to stay at city hall for two or three months not two or three years.

Sleeping Giant will welcome visitors to Thunder Bay

Lee Koopman has been hired to design and build the city's welcome signs. 3 signs will be placed at gateways to the city, including the Highway 11/17 entrance at Shabaqua, the Highway 61 North-bound entrance, and the Thunder Bay Airport. All three signs show the sleeping giant, but each one showcases a different natural attraction. The Thunder Bay airport sign will showcase boats on lake superior, the highway 61 sign will show the boreal forest and the highway 11/17 will showcase the northern lights. Many councillors were upset that Dawson road was excluded from the project.

Tamarack needles cause trouble

Mohawk Crescent residents want the City to get rid of the Tamarack trees planted on city property behind their homes. Donna and Fred Johnson made a deputation to council last night telling them the trees are bothersome because their needles clog eaves troughs, and get into vehicle engine compartments.The Johnsons were speaking on behalf of their neighbourhood and want council to remove the trees and if possible plant coniferous trees. City Parks Manager Paul Fayrick says to do what the residents want could cost up to 80 to 100 thousand dollars.  Fayrick adds they would have to clear cut the trees because removing just the Tamaracks would cause the other trees in the area to die.

City's cultural plan is a work in progress

The City's cultural plan is a work in progress. Office for Urbanism the company hired to create the plan provided an update to councillors last night.  Spokesperson Reid Henry says they understand that the community has different unique neighbourhoods that need to keep their names and calls them historic cores.  Henry adds they want to show off the community's diverse background of first nation and finnish culture.  Council will hear again from the group about what steps to take next.  An open house on the cultural plan will be held on September 23rd.  A final plan has yet to be completed.

Thunder Bay Fire and Police help out at G8 and G20

Thunder Bay Police and Fire fighters helped out during the G8 and G20 summits in Huntsville and Toronto. Fire Chief John Hay made a presentation on the topic at city council last night.  Twenty members of the fire department's Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear response team took part.  Police helped screened vehicles and people entering restricted zones of the conferences.

Gas leak capped, danger over

Life can get back to normal for the people in the Machar Avenue area after an afternoon scare on Monday. About a dozen homes in the area of the 100 block of Machar were evacuated around 3 o'clock. It followed a gas leak. Police say that a construction accident caused the problem. Gas company officials were able to get the situation under control before 5 pm. Emergency crews were on the scene as well. Pictured: Union Gas workers try to get gas leak under control.

NOMA slams census plan

The Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association is adding its name to the list of groups expressing concern about the Federal Census. The Government hasscrapped the mandatory long questionnaire in favour of a voluntary survey. NOMA President Anne Krassilowsky says the voluntary response will be unreliable.

"Disturbing" graffiti probed

City police are looking into several incidents of offensive graffiti. Spokesperson Chris Adams says one was a racist slur spray painted on a sign at Fort William Road and Main Street, the others, in Current River, were anti-religious and satanic. He says the Current River messages had a name tageof "The Hesh". Adams calls it disturbing and says they are hoping for some tips

Salmon derby breaks a record

Expect to see the Thunder Bay Salmon Association keep it's derby format for next year. President Bob Hoogsteen says the derby ran for 8 days this year and it attracted 327 participants which is a record number of anglers.  Hoogsteen says organizers are happy with the outcome.

Rendezvous overcomes setbacks

Another successful Great Canadian Rendezvous for Fort William Historical Park. Spokesperson Marty Mascarin says that inspite of some setbacks last week due to the weather, it still attracted thousands. Mascarin says organizers will soon discuss what worked and what didn't. He says one thing that worked was the RV park that they experimented with. He says there were quite a few recreational vehicle users that took advantage of it.

City councillors hold summer session tonight

The fate of the south side city bus terminal is in city councillors hands tonight. They will be deciding whether to keep the City Hall location the temporary site until the new courthouse is built or move it to Violet Street.   Also this evening councillors will deal with a request by the Woodcrest School Council to have Woodcrest Road widened to ease traffic congestion.

Dragon Boat festival another success

It was another successful end to the Dragon Boat festival. Executive Director Rob Barrett says the weather was great and an estimated 60 thousand dollars was raised for local charities. He says the official total will be released this afternoon.

Historic Plane landing in Thunder Bay

Thunder Bay will get a visit from a piece of history next week. A second world war Lancaster MK 10 Bomber will be making a stop in the city Tuesday until Thursday. The plane will be open to the public Wednesday from noon to 5 at the Confederation College Hangar at the airport.

CMHA report shines light on Northern Youth problems

Junior and senior high students in the province are showing high rates of physiological distress according to the Center for Addiction and Mental Health.
Author Doctor Robert Mann says about 30 per cent of students indicated feeling anxious, stressed or depressed.
Twenty-four per cent of students surveyed indicated having sought out mental health care over the past year.

City council set to look at traffic on Woodcrest road

City Council is set to receive a study on traffic congestion on Woodcrest road. Woodcrest School Council wants the city to widen the road in front of the school or add sidewalks. Co-Chair Shelly Helget says she fears for her daughter's safety when she walks to school. A road traffic study on Woodcrest road will be presented at tonight's council meeting.

Northern Lights Credit Union goes solar

The Northern Lights Credit Union in Thunder Bay is going to be feeding electricity back into the power grid.  A solar panel was installed on the Amber Drive location on Friday, and power generated will be sold to the Ontario Power Authority.  Credit Union Spokesperson Brian MacDonald says they could start a similar program at their other regional facilities.  The Thunder Bay credit union project is tied into a solar project at the neighbouring Dufresne Furniture store.

Fatal Crash Update

A Mississauga woman is dead following a 2-vehicle collision on the Trans-Canada Highway west of Dryden.
OPP say a westbound car and an eastbound pickup truck collided yesterday afternoon near the Highway 622 junction. Both vehicles were sent off the road and struck a rock cut. The driver of the car, 45-year-old Kaneez Zehra, died as a result of the crash. The driver of the truck was transported to Dryden Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The collision forced the complete closure of the Highway for 5-hours. The cause is under investigation.

Deer Lake case update

Additional charges have been laid against a 26-year-old Deer Lake First Nation man.  Jason Miller was originally charged with attempted murder after 27-year-old Neilson Meekis was injured in an unknown incident at the Deer Lake Nursing Station, North of Sioux Lookout.  The July 10th incident also resulted in the death of 27-year-old Joey Crow.  OPP have now charged Miller with second degree murder in relation to Crow's death.  Police continue to investigate.

Lock it up

A recent break and entre has led to Thunder Bay police to remind residents to lock their doors. Earlier this week a man came inside from gardening and found a buglar inside his home. Police say would be thiefs are combing neighbourhoods looking for targets of opportunity, and if see someone acting suspiciously call the police.

Fly Fishing as therapy

Thunder Bay was the launch site of the third annual "Healing on the Albany" for soldiers who have returned from war.  Spokesperson Mark Snyder says the program teaches soldiers to fly fish as a form of therapy.  Snyder says its proven to help those soldiers who were physically injured and those who suffer from post trumatic stress disorder.  9 Canadian and American soldiers are taking part and will enjoy a week at a lodge in the boreal forest.