NOVA At The Valhalla Inn

Tonight's Northwestern Ontario Visionary Awards at the Valhalla Inn will include over 72 nominations. Shift, Thunder Bay's Young Professional Network is one of the organizations behind the awards, Spokesperson Keith Anderson says he is very pleased with the high number of nominations. The NOVA top 20 under 40 celebrates residents who have accomplished great things in their community.

Bus Strike Averted

Talks between the Amalgamated Transit Union and the City of Thunder Bay have resulted in a  last second tentative deal set to keep buses on the road. Local ATU President Sheila Kivisto says talks lasted throughout the night and that now its a matter of having the deal gain the approval of drivers and city council. Kivisto adds that if the deal holds up Monday morning commuters shouldn't notice any disruption in service. Kivisto is recommending acceptance.

Climate Change Initiative Adopted

Mayor Keith Hobbs is joining other mayors in supporting a new plan aimed at helping Great Lakes and St. Lawrence cities adapt to climate change.  The province is kicking in 145 thousand dollars towards the initiative.   The mayors adopted the plan at their regular meeting in Windsor. They noted that all municipalities in the region are feeling the effects of climate change already,  citing the flooding in Thunder Bay and Duluth.

Chamber Thoughts On City Spending

A new report being released by the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce suggests the city's current spending habits will see a consistent increase in taxes for both home and business owners. Camillo Lento is a Professor at Lakehead University and was involved in developing the report.  Lento says its important to examine the city's current spending.  Lento adds that in their report, Thunder Bay was ranked lower than most other relative communities when it comes to spending efficiency.

HAGI Wants Talks To Go Well

The head of HAGI Community Services for Independence wants both sides in transit talks to consider disabled passengers that need to take the City bus to their medical appointments. Specialized transit is now managed by the City as of January 1st of this year.   Mediated contract talks are scheduled to continue today.  Transit drivers will be in a legal strike position on Monday.

Four Proposals For Municipal

Lips are sealed at City Hall about the four proposals that have been submitted for Municipal Golf Course.   Spokesperson Joel DePeuter says the private sector plans are being reviewed but he's prohibited from giving away the details only to say they are all legitimate and promising.   City councillors will be seeing the proposals in the spring.  The city has put the course up for sale in an effort to save money.

Rally At St. Joseph's Hospital

Unifor is rallying at St. Joseph's Hospital in support of their 500 health care members. Local President Kari Jefford says employees are angry since top officials continue to get bonuses while regular employees see no new benefits.  Jefford notes their members are overworked and are experiencing fatigue.

Food Grant Program

The province is providing up to fifty-thousand dollars in grants to Ontario school boards to support healthy eating.  The Healthy Eating in Secondary Schools program will provide a one-time grant to schools taking an innovative approach to developing smarter eating habits.  A total of 2.2 million dollars is being invested into the program.

NOSM Looking For Members

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine looking for some new board members.  They need four people to join their Board of Directors in September of this year.  The deadline to apply to the board is February 17th.

Dryden Comm. Centre Meeting

An information session on the planned closure of the Dryden Police Communications Centre got testy last night.  A crowd made up mostly of officers, Dryden Police Association members, dispatchers and their families attended the session. Dispatcher Cindy Skeene says switching to Owen Sound Police will result in a loss of the human touch.  Owen Sound Police Chief Bill Sornberger says they have state of the art technology and the staff to handle Dryden dispatch calls and the public won't notice any difference.

TSB Releases Report

Faulty floats are being blamed for a plane crash northwest of Kenora almost a year and a half ago. The Transportation Safety Board has released it's final report into the crash on Trout Lake on August 1st, 2012. The TSB says the floats likely went out of alignment shortly after take off, resulting in a loss of airspeed, and ultimately causing the plane to stall and crash.  While the occupants sustained only minor injuries, investigators suggest quick work by local residents and emergency service personnel likely contributed to the survival of the occupants of the plane.

Bus Talks Continue

It's coming down to crunch time between the City and it's transit workers.   Mediated contract talks are scheduled to continue today.  Transit drivers will be in a legal strike position on Monday.

Highway Closures

OPP say Highway 102 has been reduced to one lane at Strawberry Creek Hill following an incident where a tractor trailer hit several guide rails before sliding off the road into a ditch. The driver of the vehicle is recovering from non-life threatening injuries. Also Highway 11 west of Geraldton has been reduced to one lane following a collision.

Flu Death Reported

The Health Unit is reporting that another person has died from the flu bringing the total number of influenza related deaths to six.  There are also currently 93 lab-confirmed cases of the flu in the Thunder Bay area.

Boil Water Advisory For Armstrong

The Health Unit is issuing a boil water advisory for Armstrong residents drinking water from their Water Treatment Plant.  Armstrong Local Services Board notified the Health Unit of a mechanical failure at the Water Treatment Plant, which may have compromised the quality of the water supply.  The advisory will remain in effect until the Health Unit is confident the water treatment plant is capable of providing safe drinking water.

SUV Driver Charged

Thunder Bay Police are charging the 53 year old driver of an SUV with a turning violation after a collision on Golf Links Road this morning. The SUV hit a school bus this morning sending the woman driving the SUV to the hospital with minor injuries. Nobody on the bus was injured.

Classic Tournament Gets Sponsors

The Thunder Bay's PGA Canada Classic is taking shape with two new sponsors being announced. Executive Director Scott Smith says the Valhalla Inn has come on board to help with this summer's event as a sponsor and as the tournament's official hotel.  The Chamber of Commerce has also come on board as a sponsor pledging 12-thousand dollars.

Passenger Volumes Increased

Thunder Bay's Airport is reporting higher passenger volumes in 2013.  President Scott McFadden says last year over 779-thousand passengers flew in and out of the City. McFadden attributes the 2.4 percent increase to the arrival of United Airlines and new flights offered by Wasaya.

HWY 17 Open

Highway 17 at Breezy point road East of Ignace is now open to both lanes of traffic.  It was closed for part of today due to multiple motor vehicle collisions. No injuries have been reported.

HWY 61 Open

Highway 61 just South of Riverdale Road is now open to traffic after it was closed following an accident this morning. A 71 year old man was sent to the hospital with serious injuries after the driver of a Toyota Corolla slid into him.  OPP Constable Diana Cole says it's a situation of wrong place at the wrong time. The driver of the vehicle wasn't injured and the vehicle sustained extensive damage.  The investigation is continuing.