Stabbing on North Marks Street update

Thunder Bay Police are still investigating a stabbing that occurred on the 100 block of North Marks Street late Saturday night. The victim is in the hospital under stable condition with a stab wound to the lung. Police say they will attempt to speak with the victim today to collect more information. So far no suspect of the stabbing has been taken into custody and no names have been released.

Easter eggs could carry illness

Thunder Bay children enjoy decorating Easter eggs this time of year. However make sure you handle them with care, or they could cause illness. Health and Safety watch is reminding Canadians to be careful of their children around Easter eggs because some could carry food-borne illness and growth of bacteria. Parents are told to remind their children to handle their painted Easter eggs carefully.

Fire on Memorial Ave.

No one is hurt following a fire at the old East Side Mario's restaurant on Memorial Avenue. Fire official Dave Grant says the cause of the fire is electrical and it started from the overhang of the building's front entrance. Damage to the building is minimal and the fire did not spread inside.

Stabbing on North Marks Street

Thunder Bay Police are investigating a stabbing that occurred last night in the city's South side. Police say the stabbing occurred on the 100 block of North Marks Street. A male victim was taken to hospital with stab wounds to the chest. No names have yet been released.  Police are still investigating the situation. The Giant news room will bring you the latest on this story as it develops.

Update on fire at McPherson St.

A post mortem is scheduled for today on the body of an elderly woman who died in yesterday's fatal house fire on McPherson Street. The cause of the fire is not yet known. The Ontario Fire Marshal's Office is investigating. The name of the victim has not been released.

Ignatieff to visit Thunder Bay on Monday

It's official, another federal party leader will be making his way to the city. Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff will be visiting Thunder Bay on Monday. Liberal candidate Ken Boshcoff said Ignatieff will be touring some of the facilities in the research and innovation labs at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. Ignatieff is due to arrive in Thunder Bay late Sunday night.

NW LHIN has new blood

The Northwest Local Health Integration Network is getting new blood.  Thunder Bay's Reg Jones will sit on the LHINs board of directors.  Retired Greenstone OPP officer Dan Levesque has also joined the board.

Easter Weekend forecast

It has the makings of a pretty decent Easter Long Weekend. Sunny skies, and near normal temperatures are predicted for most of the four day long weekend. However, Bill Laidlaw says things aren't looking good for Good Friday. Laidlaw says Easter Monday could be the nicest day of the long weekend, with sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-teens.

Advance Polls open Good Friday

Advance Polls for the Federal Election open Good Friday across the Thunder Bay Rainy River Riding.  There are eleven polling stations in the City, with another three in the Rainy River area.  You can cast your vote in both the Rainy River and Superior North riding's each day from noon until 8 o'clock.

Active transportation discussed

Thunder Bay can become more active all it has to do is invest in infrastructure and promote cycling and walking.  That's the message from Urban Planning Expert Gil Penalosa who was in the City on Thursday.  Penalosa says bike lanes need to be separated by physical boundaries not just painted white lanes on the road.  The City is taking part in an initiative to make itself more walkable.

Hampton on border towns

The NDP's Economic Development Critic is calling on the Province to make border towns more competitive.  Howard Hampton wants the government to reduce the liquor control board's mark up on liquor sold by duty-free stores.  Hampton is calling on the mark up to be dropped from 50 percent to 30.

Developmental Service programs needed

Community Living Fort Frances is calling on the province for more funding to help families access their services.  Executive director Alanna Barr says about 55 people with developmental disabilities are now on a wait list.  Barr says associations across the region are in similar situations.

Poachers convicted

A group of 7 hunters from Southern Ontario have been ordered to pay nearly 46-thousand dollars for 30-offences relating to illegal hunting in the Schreiber area.  6-men and 1-woman pleaded guilty to numerous offences for the poaching of 3-adult moose and a deer. Charges include hunting during the closed season, possessing and abandoning illegally killed animals, unlawfully using another person's licence and obstructing a conservation officer.  One of the men has been banned from hunting for 10-years.

Legal services protocol signed

First Nations youth who get in trouble with the law will take a different route through the legal system.  Nishnawbe-Aski Legal Services  and along with Nishawbe-Aski Police Services  have signed an agreement to refer appropriate cases to more native centred programs.

City police raid high schools

Three school students are facing drug related charges after police raided all the city high schools this week.  Police say a 16 year old boy and 17 year old girl face a charge of possessing marijuana while a 15 year old girl is charged with trafficking marijuana.

Hampton wants more consultation

The McGuinty Government doesn't care about the concerns of Northwestern Ontario.  That's the feeling of NDP Critic Howard Hampton. Hampton says the Liberals showed their true colours by voting down a motion that calls for more consultation in Northern Ontario.  Hampton says the lack of consultation will be an election issue this fall. 

Hudak pushes Tory agenda

Tim Hudak is counting on a promise to eliminate smart metres and the Local Health Integration Networks to get elected the next premier of Ontario. The Progressive Conservative leader is making a pre-holiday stop in the city to push his agenda for the north. He calls Hydro Smart Metres nothing more than tax machines and again promises to eliminate the LHIN's which he calls, regional health bureaucracies and a waste of tax dollars.

Fatal fire on McPherson Street

An elderly woman is dead after a house fire on McPherson Street Thursday morning.  Platoon Chief Val Lafontaine says crews were called to the blaze just before 4 o'clock at 640 McPherson Street.  Lafontaine says firefighters didn't find the body until a secondary search of the house, once the blaze was under control.  A neighbour told our news room, the woman lived alone and kept to herself.  City Police along with Thunder Bay Fire and Rescue and the Ontario Fire Marshall's Office are investigating the cause. 

Layton talks jobs in Thunder Bay

The rest of the Country needs to follow Thunder Bay's lead and elect NDP MPs.  That was the rallying cry of Jack Layton at last night's town hall that drew around 400 people.  Layton answered several questions about the region's economy and says the NDP would create a forestry strategy.  He says they would put their foot down and ensure natural resources are put to work in the area they are harvested from.  Layton says it was the Conservatives blocked the kinds of initiatives that would help the Northwest.

580 thousand dollars in slots revenue

Thunder Bay is set to receive the latest payment from the OLG Casino.  580-thousand dollars is the city's fourth quarter share of slots revenue from January to March.  That's slightly less than the last payment they received.

Twinning between Winnipeg and Kenora

If your heading west this summer, don't expect any work to take place this Summer on the twinning of the Trans-Canada Highway west of Kenora.  An environmental assessment is still being carried out on the project.  Kenora MP Greg Rickford is confident that work can begin before the end of this year.  Funding for the 100-million dollar project was announced almost 2-years ago.

Flavour Gone NWO

The Flavour Gone campaign to eliminate flavoured tobacco is back in Northwestern Ontario.  Spokesperson Roberta Lappage says they are concerned because big tobacco companies are continuing to produce flavoured products, despite new Legislation passed by the Federal Government.  Lappage says they're looking for support from Members of Parliament and local communities in their continued battle against flavoured tobacco.

Dew Drop Inn Easter dinner

Hungry men, women and children will be able to enjoy a hot meal this Easter weekend.  The St. Andrew's Dew Drop Inn is expecting 300 people for their Easter dinner on Easter Sunday.  Spokesperson Paul Deighton says many families come to the Drop Inn on festive holidays. Turkey, ham and vegetables will be on the menu on Sunday.

Actlabs brings business to Northwest

Actlabs in Dryden will be bringing some business to Thunder Bay.  The lab offers mineral sample preparation and uses 3-crushers and 3-pulverizers.  After sample prep is complete, the samples are shipped to Thunder Bay.

Child Porn seizure in Couchiching

A Couchiching First Nation man has been charged with various child pornography offences following an on-line investigation.  Police searched a home on Tuesday and officers seized 4-computers, an external hard drive, discs and printed material.  OPP say the items contained images of child sexual abuse.

Motorcycle Ride For Dad

The annual fundraiser Motorcycle Ride for Dad is back. This year's fundraising goal is 78 thousand dollars.  Money raised goes towards prostate cancer research. The event will be held on June 18th.  Over 300 motorcycles are expected to take part.

Boys conference talks violence

The future generation of men in the City are being educated about equality between boys and girls.  The Lakehead Elementary Teachers held a boys conference along side the public and private school boards.  President Ellen Chambers says they wanted to talk to the kids about violence against women.  The students learned to identify violence in music lyrics, television and video games.  The students who took part were in Grades six, seven and eight.

Ignatieff to visit Thunder Bay

Another party leader will be visiting the city. Liberal leader Micheal Ignatieff will be making an appearance in Thunder Bay on Monday. Local Liberal officials say the final details of the visit are still being confirmed.

NOSM gets in Royal Wedding spirit

Royal Wedding fever is hitting Thunder Bay next week. The Northern Ontario School of Medicine is hosting a lunch at the Travellodge Airlane on April 29th as part of a fundraiser. Organizer Gail Brescia says they'll be broadcasting the entire Royal Wedding and will educate people on what NOSM is all about. The 40 dollar event is also being held in Sudbury.

New nurse contract at CCAC

Wages remain an issue for nurses with the Northwest Community Care Access Centre.  The members of the Ontario Nurses Association recently accepted a new contract, but President Linda Haslam-Stroud says salaries aren't where they should be.  Haslam-Stroud says the new deal does follow some wage scales of another northern C-C-A-C.

Electricity rates go up May 1st

Expect your electricity bills to jump slightly on May 1st.  May 1st marks the start of the Ontario Energy Board's summer electricity rates.  Thunder Bay Hydro's Tim Wilson says the increase is about six dollars extra on your monthly bill. 

Opposition Day Wednesday

Northwestern Ontario concerns are being highlighted in the Ontario Legislature Wednesday.  NDP leader Andrea Horwath is using her turn on Opposition Day to bring them up.  Top on Horwath's list is the forest tenure hearings.

Citizen Satisfaction Survey released

It looks like 90 percent of the city is happy with the Thunder Bay Police according to the Citizen Satisfaction Survey.  The results from the annual survey were released Tuesday and one of the weak points for city police was crime prevention.  Adams says over one thousand surveys were sent out, but only 178 were returned.

Police deal with fake hostage situation again

For the second time in two weeks city police had to deal with a standoff.  Police Spokesperson Chris Adams says police received a call last night just before midnight about a person holding a hostage at a house on High Street.  After a standoff a 34 year old Thunder Bay man was arrested and is facing a number of charges.

PM announces Brain Research Fund

A re-elected Conservative government would invest 100 million dollars for a Brain Research Fund. At the Regional Health Sciences Centre this morning Prime Minister Harper said such research is necessary to better understand the causes of such brain diseases like Lou Gehrig's, MS and Alzheimer's that rob too many Canadians and their loved ones of their quality of life.  Harper says the fund will match private contributions.

PM's security included Bomb sniffing dog

The Prime Minister's security is beefed up for his campaign tour.  The RCMP contingent looking after his security has come equipped with a bomb sniffing dog.  Nash was used to screen local reporters who were covering Harper's visit.  She'll be retiring after her farewell tour.

OPP find missing family

They are hungry but safe. OPP in Dryden have found three people who were reported missing north of Dryden. The three got stuck while driving on a logging road but were not injured.

600-thousand dollars in remuneration

Almost 600 thousand dollars in tax payer money went towards council expenses and compensation last year. The former Mayor Lynn Peterson spent the most at 112-thousand dollars.  Lynda Rydholm came in second with 45-thousand, followed by Trevor Giertuga.  The financial figures were included in Monday night's council package.

Local Labour group encouraging strategic voting

Thunder Bay's Liberal Candidates are getting a boost.  The Northwestern Building and Construction Council is endorsing Candidates Ken Boshcoff and Yves Fricot.  President Gord Milliard says they are encouraging people to vote Liberal to prevent a Tory majority. Milliard says the Conservatives have nothing to offer workers.

Vacancy plan in place

City Council is ready to fill a vacant council seat if Ken Boshcoff is elected in the Federal Election.  Council voted in favour of holding a by-election for vacancies in the early stages of a council term.  A by election would cost around 35 thousand dollars. The resolution calls for longer term vacancies to be appointed by council.

Harper pumps up the Tory faithful

Thunder Bay-Rainy River is one of 30 seats in Canada the Conservatives believe they can take away from the opposition parties this election.  Monday evening,  Prime Minister Harper rallied the Tory faithful in Thunder Bay with a call for change saying each time he comes here the crowds are bigger than the time before.  Harper continues his Thunder Bay visit Tuesday morning at the Regional Health Sciences Centre.

Youth curfew axed

Thunder Bay won't be going ahead with a youth curfew.  Councillors approved a resolution Monday night that was against the curfew.  Police Chief Bob Herman says policing a curfew would require more man power and would cost a lot of money.  The resolution was passed unanimously.  Council is now vowing to come up with programs that will help keep youth safe.

Walsh Street Residents against sidewalk

Residents of Walsh Street West feel the City hasn't communicated with them enough about a proposed sidewalk. Spokesperson Allan Jack says they've signed a petition asking council to scrap the idea entirely. Jack adds there hasn't been any safety problems in the past without a sidewalk.  The tender for the 250 metre stretch is set to close Tuesday.  The project is estimated to cost 75-thousand dollars.


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Firefighters mandatory retirement

Fire Fighters could retire at the age of 60 if the Provincial Government has it's way.  They introduced the mandatory retirement legislation on Monday.   Professional Fire Fighters Association President Eric Nordlund doesn't foresee any problems with the age limit.  Nordlund says fire suppression is taxing work and not meant for seniors.

Thunder Bay runs in Boston Marathon

The Boston Marathon is a done deal with the 7 Thunder Bay participants all finished. Thunder Bay's Ryan McDonald finished with the best time out of the 7 local participants finishing just over 2 hours and 40 minutes. Other Thunder Bay participants finishing times are as follows: Karla Bailey: 3:14:51. Christine L. Bociurko: 3:38:58. Stuart J. Brimmell: 3:05:01. Susan McDonald: 4:07:13. Shaun W. Naroski: 3:39:51. Rena Viebeck: 3:18:13.

Jack Layton plans to visit Thunder Bay

It turns out Thunder Bay will see another campaign leader visit our city. NDP leader Jack Layton will be making an appearance Wednesday night at the Current River Community Centre at 5 o'clock.

OPP investigating disappearance

The OPP is investigating the disappearance of 3-people who were travelling from a home in Wainwright Township to Sioux Lookout. 65-year-old George Daigle of Dryden left the area Sunday afternoon at 1 o'clock and was travelling with his 14-year-old grand-daughter and her 14-year-old girl friend. Police say they didn't arrive at their destination. The trio were travelling in a silver 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe with Ontario plates BHSW563. A ground and air search is underway. Anyone with information on their location is asked to contact OPP.

Filmmaker Moxam dead.

A former Confederation College student who went on to become hit in Winnipeg, is dead.   Winston Moxam was 47 years old when he passed away in Winnipeg last week from what are reported to be complications following heart surgery.  A College official says Moxam graduated from the Film Production Course here in 1989.  He is considered best known for his feature indie flick, Barbara James in 2003

First Nations Child Welfare summit underway

Aboriginal Child Welfare is being discussed at a Fort William First Nation summit.  Children's Minister Laurel Broten was in town and says this is a great opportunity to make important decisions for Child Welfare services across Ontario.  Aboriginal children account for 3 percent of the province's child population but 17 percent of children in the welfare system.

Thunder Bay runs in Boston Marathon

The Boston Marathon is in full swing today with 7 Thunder Bay runners taking part in the field of 27, 000. This is the 115th annual Boston Marathon. Runners from Thunder Bay include Karla Bailey, Christine L. Bociurko, Stuart J. Brimmell, Ryan McDonald, Susan McDonald, Shaun W. Naroski, Rena Viehbeck.

Bishop disappointed over advance poll

The Catholic Bishop of Thunder Bay is disappointed that the advance polls for the federal election are being held on Good Friday and the Easter weekend. Bishop Fred Colli says it has the potential to interfere with religious celebrations.  He says it mixes up a holy weekend with election issues.  Bishop Colli says as a result of the move, he instructed churches in the Diocese not to allow church property to be used as advance polling locations.