Martin Falls And Province Sign MOU

The Provincial Government and the Marten Falls First Nation are agreeing to continue talks on the Ring of Fire project.  Both sides have signed a Memorandum of Understanding.  Under its terms the community and the province will work together to address employment, economic development and environmental impacts of the massive chromite mine.  

Rickford Doles Out FedNor $

There's federal government cash coming to the area.   MP Greg Rickford says half a million dollars from FedNor is going to fund two projects.  The first is 360 thousand dollars for the expansion of the Rubin Business Park in Murillo.   Rickford also announced 150 thousand dollars for the Northwestern Immigration Portal run through the city of Thunder Bay. 

Great Lakes Deal

Thunder Bay's Mayor is among the supporters of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.  Canada and the US signed the deal today.  Keith Hobbs says the new agreement addresses the issue of climate change preparedness which is important to communities in the basin.

Books With No Bounds

Two teenaged Oakville, Ontario sisters are collecting books for kids living in the Nishnawbe Aski Nation. Emma and Julia Morgus bought books with their own money and accepted donations leading to over 3-thousand books being collected. Emma says they are now looking to raise money for shipping the books north. To follow the Books with no Bounds cause you can look them up on Facebook or Twitter.

Medal Recipients Announced

Add nine more Thunder Bay residents to the list of locals being honoured during the Queen's Diamond Jubilee year. The latest list of  Jubilee medal recipients shows a cross section of city residents. From a former city councillor to a church minister. Here's the rundown of the recipients...Kay Geravelis who established the Vale Community Centre, Sandra Guthrie, businessman Larry Joy Senior, Anglican Minister Deborah Kraft, Jolene Kemp, Pauline Krupa, Jack Remus, Fay Steadwell and Lawrence Timko who, at 30 years,  holds the record for the longest serving city councillor in Thunder Bay. 

City Jobless Rate Up

A slight change in our jobless rate.   There were more people looking for work in Thunder Bay last month than the month before.  Government figures from Statistics Canada show the rate went up slightly in August to 6.3 per cent from 6.1 per cent in July.  Across Canada the rate in August was 7.3 per cent.

Campbell On MNR Offices

The Provincial government is being challenged to hold consultations before deciding to close any Ministry of Natural Resources office in this region.  In the Ontario legislature, Kenora-Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell stated the government needs to learn from its mistakes.  Campbell is in Thunder Bay today. Northern Development and Mines Minister Rick Bartolucci is promising the government will be consulting local communities before any cuts are made. 

Road Construction Slowing

The construction season in Thunder bay is slowly coming to an end. The major inconvenience for traffic is still happening on Montreal Street and Neebing Avenue affecting mostly residence in the area and workers ar Bowater. City Engineer Rick Harms says projects are still on the horizon until the end of October but so far they are on budget. One more major project is set to start next week on Algoma Street between John and Bay street.

Main Arteries Closed Saturday

The City of Thunder Bay is warning motorists about road closures Saturday for the Fort William Fall Street Fair. Victoria Avenue is shut down between Brodie and Simpson Street. May Street is also closed to vehicles from Mile Street to Donald Street. Those main arteries are closed until 6:00 'clock tonight.

United Way Sets Fundraising Goal

The United Way has set its new fundraising goal of just over 2.6 million dollars. Chair Carol Busch says they had a hard time reaching their goal last year but they're not going to let that discourage them this year. The United Way financially helps support 28 local agencies.