Plasma Donar Clinic closing in Tbay

Thunder Bay Plasma Donors won't have a place to donate anymore.  Effective April 12th the clinic here is closing its doors.  Officials with Canadian Blood Services say a lack of demand for plasma is the reason for the closure and all 28 full and part time employees will be affected.

Winning 50 million dollar ticket is validated

The search is over. The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation says the holder of the 50 million dollar lottery ticket purchased in Thunder Bay will be named in the next several days. OLG spokesperson Dita Kuhtey  says the winner has come forward and has validated the ticket.  Kuhtey won't release any other information about the ticket holder.

Cancer Care Ontario opens office in Tbay

Cancer Care Ontario is setting up shop in Thunder Bay.  Vice President Rick Skinner says the first satellite office outside of Toronto is now open and will develop and test new software to be used across the province.   Skinner says with Thunder Bay's emerging technology industry, placing the office here is the absolute best choice. 

Rec Centre vandalized

Damage is estimated at up to 10 thousand dollars after vandals hit the Current River Rec Centre overnight.   Police say a security guard called them after noticing someone had broken in. They say windows had been broken and that a fire extinguisher was set off.  Current River Councillor Andrew Foulds says the incident angers him.

Michael Power resigns

One of the most influential people at the Regional Health Sciences Centre is parting ways with the organization.  Michael Power has resigned from his position as Executive Vice President, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management.  Power accepted a position with the medical technology company Elekta as the North America Vice President.

Catholic School board weighs in on funding

The Provincial Government is increasing the amount of money it gives school boards by 1.7 percent. Catholic School Board Spokesperson Tom Mustapic says they don't know what that means for them. The increase in funding comes at other cost savings measures announced in the budget including amalgamating school boards and closing under-used schools. Meanwhile, the Province is capping the number of credits students can take in their fifth year. It's part of a cost saving plan included in Tuesday's Provincial budget.

OFAH reacts to MNR plan

The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters is meeting with the Minister of Natural Resources to discuss the proposed 3 year plan for the MNR.  Spokesperson Greg Farrant  says they need to find out what the proposed cuts will mean to them.  Farrant says he wasn't surprised they've been waiting for cuts to be announced for some time. 

Don't lie to border agents

People continue to lie to border guards at the Pigeon River crossing. Border agents have been busy last month writing 10 warnings for undeclared or undervalued goods and conducting four seizures. In one situation, a man bringing in a snowmobile trailer told the guard he paid 400 dollars for it. After doing some digging the guard found that the trailer actually cost 800 dollars and the man had faked his invoice. He was forced to pay over 220 dollars; had he just told the truth the tax on his trailer would have come out to 20 dollars Canadian.

Gravelle talks MNR plan

The Ministry of Natural Resources is embarking on a 3 year transformation plan that could include cuts to offices and staff.  It's part of the Provincial Government's budget and Minister Michael Gravelle says the plan is in it's early stages.  If the budget is passed the plan will be implemented.

Suspicious death in Pikangikum

OPP are investigating a suspcious death in Pikangikum First Nation. A 17 year old boy was reported missing two days ago and his body was found later behind someone's home. A post mortem exam will take place in Toronto.

Accessible Sports Council new site

Thunder Bay's Accessible Sports Council is celebrating it's one year anniversary.  They're launching a website today showing the community what sports they offer to disabled athletes.  Spokesperson Tessa Soderberg says they just want to get people more active and involved in Thunder Bay's sports community.  Click here.

Safeway raising money in April

Thunder Bay's Safeway Stores continue to raise awareness and money for a number of local causes.  This year they'll be collecting funds for Special Olympics Ontario and Easter Seals.  Money being raised will take place in the month of April.

Spithoff out of spelling bee competition

Thunder Bay's Jacklyn Spithoff didn't make it to the next round of spelling bee competitions.  She finished in the top 10 last night in the National Competition being held in Toronto.  Spithoff attends Crestview School.

12 year old safe after wandering out on ice

A 12 year old boy is safe after he was rescued off of Chubb Lake yesterday in Neebing.  A 7 person rescue team and air boat was deployed to grab the boy who was stranded on the far side of the lake.  Fire and Rescue are reminding the public that area water ways are not considered safe and we should not venture out on local ice.

Field Naturalists buy land

The Thunder Bay Field Naturalists are purchasing two more pieces of property on Bowman Island.  The Field Naturalists bought the land and now owns and protects more than a thousand hectares of land.  Bowman Island is set to become a National Marine Conservation Area.