Racial Discrimination In Thunder Bay

An aboriginal issues educator is calling on Thunder Bay area groups to get the word out about racial discrimination.  Bonnie Couchie spoke at the Learning Cafe Tuesday night and says there's still discrimination in Thunder Bay. Couchie launched a human rights application after she was fired as an Aboriginal Educator for the Government of Ontario.  The Ontario Human Rights Tribunal found she received heightened scrutiny and blame when compared to her non-aboriginal co-educator.

Hobbs Blasts Reporting On Email Incident

Mayor Keith Hobbs is blaming the media for blowing a news release story way out of proportion.  Hobbs says a weekend police email entitled "Fresh Breath Killer Captured" that was emailed to news outlets in the city, is not racist and says to suggest otherwise is irresponsible.  City Police say the incident is under investigation. 

OPP Find Body Of Missing Angler

The search is over for a missing angler on a lake near Armstrong.  The 76 year old man and his 21-year-old grandson had been fishing when their small boat flipped over after hitting a buoy located upstream of a dam at the south end of the lake. The Under Water Search and Recovery Unit recovered the body of Matthew Dawd below the dam.  A post mortem exam will be conducted in Thunder Bay tomorrow.

School Safety Tips

Kids of all ages will be heading back to school Wednesday.  It marks the first day of classes and City Police are reminding motorists to pay close attention to students crossing streets and getting off buses.  Sgt. Glenn Porter says drivers should slow down, especially in school zones.  School zone speed limits are posted at 40 km/hr as opposed to 50.

Campbell On Gas Prices

The fight against rising gas prices continues. Kenora-Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell says this increase hits Northern Ontario hard because there is a constant need for travel. When the GST and HST were merged, gas prices in Ontario jumped by eight cents per litre. Campbell says she remains committed to protecting consumers and keeping pressure on this issue.

T.Bay Teacher New OTF President

A Thunder Bay teacher has been elected as the 69th president of the Ontario Teacher's Federation.  Terry Hamilton has been a math and science teacher with the Lakehead Board of Education since the early 1980's.  The election came last month at a conference in Niagara Falls.

OPP Long Weekend Stats

OPP are reporting a busy weekend on area highways during the Labour Day long weekend.  In North West Region, officers laid 7 distracted driving charges, 813 charges for speeding, 53 seat belt charges and 11 drunk driving charges.

Local Assistant Crown Attorney Charged

An assistant crown attorney in Thunder Bay is in trouble with the law.   The Attorney General's Ministry confirms Karen Scullion is charged with a drinking and driving offence and will be court again on October 17th.  The Ministry official says Scullion is on leave from her job until the matter is settled. 

Police Close Down Out Of Control Party

Police are continuing to investigate a large out of control party on Hacquoil Road from Friday night. Constable Julie Tilbury says when police arrived on the scene they saw 200 cars parked along the roadway toward Highway 61 and estimate around a thousand youth taking part in the celebration.  25 officers including Thunder Bay Police, OPP and NAPS helped close down the party.  Tilbury says officers on the scene attempted to get the party revelers out of the area safely and detained some.

New Hotel To Break Ground Soon

The developer of the new Marriott Town Place Suites near the Real Canadian Superstore says the project is on schedule. Lou Meandro is with Thompson Centres Inc and says the hotel will start to be built at the end of September or start of October. In the spring, the developer said construction would start this summer.

Officer Probed After Fake News Release

An internal probe is underway after a bizarre weekend incident that saw a bogus news release issued by city police entitled "Fresh Breath Killer Captured." Deputy Police Chief Andy Hay says the release was connected with an ongoing murder investigation and was quickly retracted. He calls it unfortunate,  saying it overshadows the hard work and professionalism of the officers who are involved in the murder investigation. Hay couldn't say why the release may have been sent saying it will be one of the questions police ask of the officer involved.

O.P.P. Search For Missing Boater

A 75 year old man is still missing after capsizing his boat northeast of Armstrong. The man was fishing with his 21-year old grandson on Friday when they struck a buoy while on a fly-in fishing trip. Both men were thrown into the water. The grandson was able to swim to shore safely, but the grandfather is still missing. Members of the O.P.P.’s Emergency Response Team and Under Water Search and Recovery Unit are currently searching the area.

Confederation College Starts Thursday

Confederation College starts back up on September 6th.  President Jim Madder says mining courses filled up fast this year as well as courses related to that field.  Students started moving into their residence buildings during the long weekend.

Public School Starts Wednesday

Lakehead Public School students head back to class Wednesday. Director of Education, Cathi Siemieiuk says they've added more early learning education classes at elementary schools. Siemieniuk adds they spent the summer renovating schools and installing new technology in school class rooms.