House Fire At Riverside Drive

No one is hurt following a Thursday afternoon fire at 176 Riverside Drive.  The blaze started in the garage and quickly spread and got out of control sending black plumes of smoke high into the sky.  Fire Service Platoon Chief Joe Grzelewski says they were unable to save the house and most of its contents. He says now its the job of investigators to find out the cause.. Cold weather was also a factor because of ice build up

LRCA Holds Elections

The Lakehead Region Conservation Authority is welcoming back its Chair Bill Bartley.  He was re-elected last night as was Shuniah's Donna Blunt as Vice-Chair.  The LRCA held its monthly meeting last night, where they were told they are getting a 22 thousand dollar grant from the Ministry of Environment for the Mission Marsh's 25th Anniversary.

Resolute To Open Sawmill in Atikokan

Richard Garneau

Resolute Forest Products plans on spending 50-million dollars to build a new sawmill in Atikokan. The company expects to open the mill early next year, creating 90 jobs.  President Richard Garneau says the chips produced in Atikokan will be used here at the Thunder Bay mill.  The company hopes to begin construction later this spring.

Hudak Slams Conversion Decision

Tim Hudak says he supports the city in its efforts to keep the Mission Island generating station open.  The Ontario Conservative Leader says it was the first concern of Mayor Keith Hobbs when the two of them met today.  Hudak says it was a "boneheaded" decision by the Liberal government to stop the conversion to natural gas.  He believes the Liberals are simply using the savings from the closure here to help pay for the cancellation of the gas plants in southern Ontario. 

Thunderwolves To Auction Jerseys Friday

Lakehead University men's hockey team are doing their part to help the local Cancer Centre. Team President Rory Cava says they'll be wearing special jerseys on Friday and fans can bid on them at a silent auction table that will be set up in the lobby of the Fort William Gardens. Money raised will go towards the Northern Cancer Fund.

Kam Nordic Ski Tour Postponed

Organizers with the Kamview Nordic Ski Tour are electing to postpone this weeken'd event. The family friendly cross-country ski race of 5, 15 or 30 kilometres has been postponed by a week from this Saturday to next on February 9th.Organizers are saying due to the extremely cold temperatures forecast for Saturday, we have decided to postpone by one week. They say they want this to be an enjoyable event for all participants, not a lesson in cold weather survival!

Hudson Mill Re-opens In Sioux Lookout

More positive news for the forest industry in northwestern Ontario. Sioux Lookout Mayor Dennis Leney says the Hudson Mill has re-opened. Leney says Buchanan Forest Products hopes to have a full crew of 100-plus people by May or end of June. He stresses the future looks bright for the mill and for the community.

Ornge To Hire New Staff In Thunder Bay

Ornge Air Ambulance is adding additional staff to its Thunder Bay Base. C.E.O. and President, Dr. Andrew McCallum made the announcement today, saying they will add a third team of paramedics dedicated to performing transports on the helicopter. McCallum says the number of people being hired will be 10 and Ornge is looking to increase staff levels through the recruitment and training of additional paramedics.

NADF New E.D.

The Nishnawbe Aski Development Fund's new Executive Director is Brian Davey. Davey says he's excited to get to work on a number of initiatives that he hopes will boost the number of Aboriginal entrepreneurs in the region. Davey is replacing Harvey Yesno who went on to become the Grand Chief of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation.