Candidate Forum Planned

The Lakehead Social Planning Council and the Chamber of Commerce are sponsoring an educational forum for prospective municipal election candidates.  It's taking place on Saturday May 24th at the Lake Superior Art Gallery.   This forum is targeted to people across Northwestern Ontario who are considering running for the positions of Municipal Councillor, School Board Trustee or to become a member of a Local Service Board.

Marina To Open Thursday

The city run marina is set to open to local boaters  on Thursday.   Parks Manager Paul Fayrick says inspite of some ice that's still in the habour he's confident there will be some activity.  He says the serious boaters will start getting active early with the majority putting their boats in next month.  Fayrick doesn't expect the condo and hotel construction to pose any problems this year. About 260 boaters have space rented in the marina

Hudak Makes Energy Promises

Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak is promising to bring in lower energy rates if elected premier. Hudak is out with a five-point plant that includes ending subsidies for wind and solar projects and a restructuring of Ontario hydro agencies. Hudak also want to import more energy from outside the province and spend more to strength existing nuclear, natural gas and hydro sources in the province.   It follows on the heels of NDP leader Andrea Horwath's promise to axe the HST on hydro bill starting in 2016.   Liberal leader Kathleen Wynne's budget promised hydro price breaks for poorer families and industrial electricity customers.  

Kenora Death Probed

A death in the North End of Kenora is being investigated.  The OPP say they were called at 7:00 this morning to the report of a deceased man. The investigation is being assisted by the Kenora Crime Unit and the Forensic Identification Unit.  The man's identity won't be released until the next of kin have been notified.

NAN Demands Inquiry

 Members from the Nishnawbe Aski Nation Women's Council are in Ottawa today. They're taking part in a ceremony to honour missing and murdered aboriginal women in Canada. They were on Parliament hill for a ceremony that began yesterday and wraps up tonight. They were joined by NDP leader Thomas Mulcair, representatives of women’s organizations, First Nation and other political leaders at a press conference this morning

Police Awards Being Given Out

It's a special evening for several local law enforcement agencies.  The Kiwanis Club of Westfort is handing out its annual police appreciation awards.   The recipients this year are, Normand Roy of the RCMP, Carol Michtics of the OPP, Jeff Saunders of the city police and Jackie George of the Nishnawbe Aski Police.

Letter Carrier Duties Change

You may notice some changes to the way your mail is being delivered in Thunder Bay.   Starting today,  John Caines of Canada Post says the letter carrier making those deliveries has more responsibilities including sorting their mail along the route.   He says the carriers are now driving vehicles and performing several duties like delivering and collecting mail and parcels.  Caines says it will enable letter carriers to stay on the road longer.

Evacuation Complete

Thunder Bay is now hosting close to 600 evacuees from the James Bay community of Kashechewan.   It follows a state of emergency called by First Nation officials due to flooding from the Albany River.   City Deputy Fire Chief Dave Paxton says no further evacuees are being accepted The evacuees, mostly the elderly and the young, are being housed in a couple of city hotels.

Horwath Pledges HST Break

NDP leader Andrea Horwath is continuing her northern Ontario election swing.  Today she went to a home on University Drive in Thunder Bay to make her hydro announcement.   She says under an NDP government the HST would be eliminated from all hydro bills starting in 2016 saying the average family will gain about 120 dollars a year on their household budget.   As for the other leaders....The PC's Tim Hudak is in southern Ontario campaigning in  the Niagara Region with Liberal Leader Kathleen Wynne on the hustings in the Toronto area.

Crime Of The Week

Crime Stoppers and the OPP are asking for your help in solving an arson that occurred in Stirling Township on Stewart Lake Road. Around April 13th or 14th, someone set fire to a mobile home trailer that had been vacant since December of 2013.  No one was injured.  The trailer was valued at more than $4,000.  Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or submit a tip at www.tipsubmit.com.

Horwath Visits City

Provincial NDP candidate Andrew Foulds' campaign office is now open. Many supporters were on hand for the opening, including provincial NDP leader Andrea Horwath, who says northerners are ready for change adding that residents in the region are frustrated with the current government. Foulds is running against Liberal incumbent Mines Minister Michael Gravelle, and PC candidate Derek Parks in the Thunder Bay-Superior North riding.

Kashechewan Evacuees Arrive

Up to 160 evacuees from Kashechewan First Nation are expected in the city after the community re-declared a state of emergency due to potential flooding of the Albany River. The state of emergency was lifted last week after water levels had receded. A state of emergency was called for the second time in a week on Saturday, after flooding in the community became a possibility. Thunder Bay has agreed to host 600 evacuees if requested by the province.

College Student Wins Award

A Thunder Bay student is a winner at the Ontario Technological Skills Competition. Confederation College's Tyler Brown won gold in Aircraft Maintenance. He now moves onto the National Competition in Toronto in June.

City Adds To Women's Exhibit

Thunder Bay's Archives division is looking to build its online exhibit for Women's History Month. The archives division is accepting nominations of women to be included in the exhibit until July 1st. New biographies will be added by the archives division to the online exhibit during Women's History Month, which is in October.

UMD Helps Local Football Players

Coaching staff from the University of Minnesota-Duluth football team are in the city this weekend. They're putting on a clinic today and tomorrow at the Lakehead University hangar for coaches and players of the Thunder Bay Minor Football Association. Two sessions are being held, one for 8-13 year old players, and another for 14-18 year old players.

Man Sentenced In Child Luring Case

A 27-year-old man is serving 12 months in jail, and 3 months of probation after pleading guilty to charges stemming from a police sting operation in February. Matthew Lovering was charged with child luring and failing to comply with a court order, after undercover detectives responded to an online ad on Kijiji. The ad asked for young boys between the ages of 6 and 13 to model for photographs.

Waterfront Event Centre Rally

A rally in support of the waterfront event centre is happening today. The Citizens for a Waterfront Event Centre Committee are putting on a rally to show City Council and other residents that a majority of the public supports a potential event centre. The rally gets under way at 1 o'clock today, and will feature several guest speakers including Mayor Keith Hobbs.

$212,000 In Drugs Seized

City Police and the OPP seized a sizeable amount of drugs. 8.5 kilograms of marijuana, 7.4 kilograms of cocaine and 100 grams of Ecstasy, worth a street value of close to 215-thousand dollars, were seized from a south side home yesterday afternoon. Police have charged a 27-year-old local man with possession for the purpose of trafficking.

Foulds Kicks Off Campaign

Provincial NDP candidate Andrew Foulds is starting his election campaign. Foulds, a high school teacher and city councillor, says his attention is on the election. Foulds is up against incumbent Mines Minister Michael Gravelle, and Conservative candidate Derek Parks for the Thunder Bay-Superior North riding.

Hwy 17 Closed Near Ignace

Highway 17 is closed 20 km east of Ignace. OPP say it's due to a transport that is fully engulfed in flames.