Cause Of Weekend Fire Undetermined

The cause of a weekend house fire on Jean Street is in the books as undetermined.   City fire inspector Eric Nordlund says their investigation of the blaze has been hampered by conditions inside the vacant house. He says besides being damaged by the fire,  the house is covered by a tremendous amount of  ice inside and out. Nordlund says it appears someone may have been entering the house without the owners permission, but they can't say if anyone was inside prior to the blaze.

Children's Aid Needs Help

A late start to fundraising is putting the Children Aid Society's Christmas Wishes Gift Tree campaign behind.  They've so far only raised 60 gifts, with 250 being this year's goal.  Executive Director Rob Richardson says they have gift trees at all three Walmart locations in the City.  Richardson says they'll be collecting gifts right up until Christmas Eve.

Rae Talks Positive About ROF

According to the First Nations negotiator for the Ring of Fire, the giant mining development will live on.   Speaking in Thunder Bay this morning Bob Rae said despite the decision by Cliffs Natural Resources to halt all work on the project, the valuable minerals aren't going away. Meantime,  Rae says negotiations are continuing on getting the best deal possible for First Nations from the development.   He says the mistakes of past mining deals cannot be repeated.

New Canadian Citizens Sworn In

Over thirty people in Thunder Bay and northwestern Ontario are now Canadian citizens. They took the oath this morning at a special ceremony at Confederation College. Long time Thunder Bay resident Heli Putkuri says she decided to apply for her citizenship because she thought it was time. The 32 new Canadians originally hailed from over 18 different countries.

Reform Act Introduced

Thunder Bay MP Bruce Hyer is fully supporting Conservative MP Michael Chong's proposed Reform Act. The Private Member's bill aims to restore the power for candidate nomination to a party’s electoral district association, rather than leaving it up to the party leader. Speaking in Question Period,   Hyer said he wants a free vote on the proposed legislation.

Women In Politics Launched

Women politicians from across Northwestern Ontario are rallying to support future female leaders.  The new organization "Women In Politics" is holding a special forum on January 22nd to promote women getting involved in all levels of government.  Shuniah Councillor Wendy Landry says some women might find the process of running foreign. The forum will welcome former Ontario Liberal Party Leader Lyn McLeod as the guest speaker.

UN Flag Raised At City Hall

The United Nations flag is flying at City Hall today. It's to commemorate the United Nations International Day of Persons with disabilities.  City Hall raised the UN flag at a ceremony this morning.  It also recognizes work being done by the municipal accessibility advisory committee .  There are several information displays posted through the day focusing on the multi year accessibility plans as well as the city's emergency preparedness plan.

Hospital Foundation Needs $

The never ending job of raising money for hospital equipment is continuing this holiday season.   Glenn Craig, the chair of the Regional Health Science's Centre Foundation ,  says that they have set an ambitious objective this year for the Exceptional Care Campaign of 100 thousand dollars   Craig says the money will be used to buy chemotherapy equipment.

Courthouse Opening Still Up In The Air

The new courthouse in Thunder Bay remains under construction with the opening date still up in the air.  The provincial government originally said the facility should be open before the end of the fall. However there are some people within the court system in the city speculating that may not happen.  A spokesperson for the Ministry of the Attorney General won't confirm that the opening has been pushed back, but says that the move from the two existing facilities will be staggered and says planning and dates are still being finalized.

No One Hurt In Kitchen Fire

No one is hurt following a kitchen fire in Current River around 2:30 this afternoon.  Platoon Chief Brad Kiessig says it happened on Gresley Court.  He says the homeowner noticed smoke in his house and called 9-1-1.   Kiessig states there is considerable fire damage on the first floor of the home and smoke damage on the second floor.  The fire originated in the stove area.

Children Encouraged To Report Abuse

Two children's organizations in the city are teaming up to help prevent child abuse.   Darcia Borg of Dilico Anishinabek Family Care says that along with the Children's Aid Society they will be trying to encourage school children to report abuse to someone in authority.  She says it's important to get the message to children that there is support for them.  The awareness campaign will be taken to city schools all this month.

Inmates Safe After Jail Fire

No one is hurt after a dryer fire at the District Jail on McDougall Street Tuesday afternoon.  Platoon Chief Dave Long says it was a small blaze but the inmates had to be taken to a safe place in the institution.  It's thought that dryer lint could have been the cause.

Bedbug Rumours Quashed

A health official says there's no truth to the urban legend making the social media rounds that bedbugs have been found at Silver City.   According to public health inspector Etrick Blackburn , the movie theatre complex has been inspected.  He says the company is working with a licenced pest control operator to make sure everything is pest free.  Meantime Blackburn also says that the apartment building on Court Street in the news this week that's been invaded by bedbugs, is not the only such apartment complex in the city hit with an infestation.

Target Now Open

The new Target store in Thunder Bay is now open.  There was a line up to get into the new Intercity Shopping Centre location where hundreds got to see what all the fuss is about.   The old Zeller's store received 10 million dollars worth of renovations.  

Fire At Mobile Home Park

No injuries to report after a fire on Pamona drive off Rosslyn Road this morning.  One fire official  says it started in the crawl space of a mobile home.  Captain Chris Beaucage says damage is minimal and that the floor of the home never caught fire.   The cause is under investigation.

Tripping On History

The Lake Superior Art Gallery is leading the way on a historical walk through the Fort William Business District. It's called a Jane's Walk and historical neighbourhood tours are taking place across the City Saturday. Art Gallery Spokesperson JP Fraser says they'll look at what once was in Fort William. The walk starts Saturday at 11 and Fraser expects anywhere from 50 to 60 people to take part.

News CEO At NOMA

Kristen Oliver is taking over as Executive Director of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association.  She replaces Charla Robinson. Oliver said she was extremely happy to have been given the position, and is looking forward to the challenges it presents. Oliver will be officially starting May 1st.

Fire Hits South Side Home

No injuries to report after a house fire on the city's south side.   It happened on the 400 block of Empire Avenue just after 3 o'clock this afternoon.  Neighbour Tony Rapino says that the owners weren't home at the time.  He says they had just finished purchasing it and were renovating.  The cause of the fire is not known.

Jury Roll Recommendations Out

A report on ensuring proper aboriginal representation on provincial jury rolls is out and it includes 17 key recommendations. Former Supreme Court of Justice Frank Iacobucci released his report in Thunder Bay today after meeting with people from 32 First Nation Communities, and Aboriginal Leadership. Key goals include providing cultural training for government officials working in the justice system who have contact with First Nations people and creating a First Nation advisory group to the Attorney General.

Double Fire Calls

No major fire to report at Lakehead University after crews were called to a report of smoke in the Centennial Building during the noon hour. The source of  the smoke turned out to be discarded cigarette butts.  At around the same time there was a gas leak at Western Supplies on Tungsten. No one was injured when a fork lift operator struck a gas line. The situation was under control in less than half hour.