21st annual Christmas Parade

Today is the 21st annual Christmas Parade. The parade is being hosted by Thunder Bay Rotary Club, with help from Shelter House volunteers and Lakehead University students. The parade starts at the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium the moves down Memorial Avenue to the CLE grounds, where kids can meet Santa Claus.

Heavy fine levied on ski area

A local ski operator is facing a big fine in connection with a fatal workplace accident. Matt Blajer of the Ministry of Labour says it came after Loch Lomand Ski Area pleaded guilty to one charge under the province's Occupational Health and Safety Act. The fine is 70 thousand dollars plus a 17 per cent victim surcharge. The incident took place in September of 2009 and saw an 18 year old worker electrocuted after a steel ladder he was holding touched an electrical wire.

Snow causes collisions in Thunder Bay

Its been a busy day for police due to the slippery conditions.  There has been 27 collisions on the roads since just before 9 this morning.  Police are reminding people to drive to the conditions and slow down.

DSSAB dilemma

The District Social Service's Administration Board is having a dilemma with its new building and it's not even finished yet. Chair Iain Angus says added provincial responsibilities may mean there won't be room in the new building for added staff so they're looking at options like where to rent extra space from.  He says other options could be to build a new facility or add a third floor to the new quarters.

Benefits of tax break not clear for St. Joe's

The head of St. Joseph's Care Group is welcoming a seniors tax credit from the province. The credit is a promise from the McGuinty Liberals to encourage senior care at home. However St. Joe's Tracy Buckler will not speculate on any possible spin offs for her organization.  Buckler says that having more seniors stay at home has the potential to relieve pressure on the health care system.

Hyer ponders third reading vote

Bruce Hyer isn't saying if he'll be voting to scrap the long-gun registry when it comes up again for third reading in Parliament.  The Thunder Bay NDP MP says even though he has voted against the party line on the issue, he's taking this time to consider his options and won't commit to anything until he sees the final legislation.  However,  he says he wants to keep the promise he made to his constituents.  Hyer, and fellow NDP MP John Rafferty have been punished by the party for the way they voted.  Rafferty says he'll vote the same way as he did before.

A snap-shot of local hockey history

Thirty years after his death, Thunder Bay author David Nicholson is now telling the story about his cousin Bruce Gamble. "Gamble in Goal" is a book about Gamble's career in the NHL compiled from interviews Nicholson did with family and friends.   Nicholson says the book took about 14 years to write.

Maltese wins Environment Award

Grade seven student Sophia Maltese is happy to win the TD Friends of the Environment Art Contest.  Her school Bishop E.Q. Jennings gets over seven thousand dollars because of Maltese' artwork.  Maltese wants the school to use the money to create an outdoor classroom. On top of the cash prize, Maltese gets a digital camera.

Inflation rate falls in Thunder Bay

Our inflation rate is on the decline.  Thunder Bay's rate went from 3.4 percent in September to 3 percent last month.  That followed the National and provincial trends that both fell last month to sit at 2.9 and 2.7 percent respectively.

Kids with Cancer Soccer on Sunday

Two Soccer teams will square off Sunday to raise money for kids living with cancer.  Spokesperson Kyle Van Ravenswaay invites the public to come out and cheer on the teams.  You can make a pledge before and during the game that starts Sunday at the Sportsdome.

Plans for gold mine coming along

Construction of an open-pit gold mine near Atikokan is not that far off. It's expected to begin in 2014. President of Osisko Mining Sean Rosen says the company has projected the area to have more than 10 and a half million ounces of available resources.

Syria is in a crisis

Syria is on the verge of falling into a brutal civil war and Lakehead University Political Science Expert Laure Paquette says the latest developments are unheard of.  Paquette says the Arab League which until recently was a band of dictators that got together for coffee have suspended Bashar Assad and are planning on advising the protesters on how to better organize. 

Charges laid in connection to the death in Sioux Lookout

A 15 year old from Sandy Lake is facing charges in connection to the death of an 11 year old girl in Sioux Lookout last year.  The boy has been charged with sexual assault and criminal negligence causing death in the death of Chloe Matthews.

Occupy Protest is all about trust

Thunder Bay's own Keith McCullough has worked on wall street for much of his career and understands what the root cause of the Occupy movement is about.  The Founder of Hedgeye Risk Management says the problem the protesters have is they don't trust the financial system and until Old Wall Street becomes accountable and transparent the protests will continue.

L-U prez to talk about the future

Lakehead University takes centre stage Friday morning.  It's President Brian Stevenson will tell a breakfast crowd what the future holds for the institution.  It's being dubbed a Report to the Community and described by some as a State of the University

Bundle up....it's La Niña time

Expect a cold winter with less snow. The United Nations weather agency says we'll have a La Niña winter.  Speaking of winter,  Giant Meteorologist Bill Laidlaw says it usually means a colder winter with less snowfall in Northwestern Ontario.  Speaking of winter, Laidlaw says it's been arriving later and later over the last 40 years, he estimates by about 2 weeks.

Pope John Paul students walk across City

Pope John Paul's Grade 8 class is walking across the City today to raise awareness of the upcoming Rick Hansen Man In Motion campaign.  Student Grace Simpson says they want to do their part to share his story. Simpson says one way it took them two hours walking from Franklin Street to the Waterfront.

Rafferty defends fellow NDP member

Thunder Bay Rainy River MP John Rafferty is defending fellow NDP'er Pat Martin. Martin dropped a couple of F-bombs on Twitter after the Conservative government invoked closure on a budget debate.  Martin called the move an expletive disgrace and told a follower who dubbed him a foul-mouthed socialist to impolitely buzz off.  Rafferty adds Martin is colourful and that's what he's known for.

Salvation Army kicks off Kettle Campaign

The Salvation Army is gearing up for another Christmas Kettle campaign.  This year they're looking to raise 150 thousand dollars.  Volunteers will be at seven different locations across the City including Intercity, the Superstore, Walmart and the LCBO.  The Sally Ann still needs help and if you have some time to donate you can call 345-6492.

OPP internal investigation underway

A Red Lake OPP officer is under investigation after allegations that they took a person in custody several kilometres out of town and released them.  Provincial police say they're conducting an internal investigation into the alleged incident on Oct. 29th. A member of the Red Lake detachment has been suspended from duty while the investigation is conducted.