Police Budget increases

The Federal Government's decision to increase unemployment insurance and the Canada Pension Plan is having an impact on Thunder Bay Police.  The 2012 police services budget will cost another point three percent.  City Council still needs to approve the police budget.

Council moves ahead with Parks and Recreation Master Plan

The city's recreation facilities could soon be seeing some changes.  Council approved the Parks and Recreation Master Plan at Monday night's meeting.  Councillor Andrew Foulds says there is still a lot of work to be done on the plan and revisions, but he is excited about it.  Foulds says Recreation Hubs especially are great because they would convert our recreation facilities to multi-use facilities that would be better for families.  Foulds says its still a long way off from implementation.

Council changes procedures on questioning

City Councillors will soon have only one round of 3 questions after deputations at council meetings.  Council approved the motion from the coordinating committee last night that is aimed at shortening discussions.  City Clerk John Hannam says council can still add other rounds of questioning at any time.

EMS could be expanding locations

Council has voted in favour of the Emergency Services Shared Facility Strategy. The plan will see EMS expand from 3 satellite facilities to 5. Chief Norm Gale says the plan would increase the response time and provide significant improvements on services. Gale says EMS will now have to come back with a study that will take a closer look at the locations for some of the proposed satellite facilities. 

Hockey Northwestern Ontario trying to open breakfast club

Hockey Northwestern Ontario is hoping to develop a Hockey Breakfast for kids in the city.  Spokesperson Pat Sutherby asked council to donate an hour and a half of free ice time once a week.  Sutherby says the kids would get instruction and then provide a nutritional breakfast.  Council hopes to have a report complete in 3 weeks. 

Video played at murder trial

Michael Kelly murder trial is into week number two.  Kelly's voice was heard in the courtroom on Monday when the prosecution played a police recording of an interview they conducted with Kelly just three days after he reported his common law wife Judie Thibault missing.   In the interview he says in the last days before she disappeared, Thibault appeared stressed.   When asked point blank in the interview if he murdered Judie Thibault Kelly said "no". 

Possible WestJet expansion great news for Confed College

WestJet developing a regional jet service could mean a big opportunity for Confederation College students.  Dean of Aviation Joe Vieira says it will benefit both pilots and mechanics by increasing the jobs pool.

Fire scene is the Hodder Ave. Motel

The owner of the building which was the scene of a fatal fire in Current River wants to set the record straight. Michael Grona says contrary to the Fire Marshal's Office, the building was never a garage converted into apartments, but has always been the Hodder Ave. Motel.   He says the units are rented out by the week and by the month.  He says the victim had lived in the motel for about five years.  The cause remains under investigation by the Ontario Fire Marshal

Testimony resumes in murder trial

The First Degree Murder trial of Michael Kelly is back on in a Thunder Bay courtroom. The second week of testimony kicked off with an hour and a half video of an interview Kelly gave to police in November of 2000 just 3 days after he reported his common law wife Judie Thibault missing. Also on the stand was Detective Constable Don Hurd who followed up on the missing person investigation with interviews of friends and family. He also followed up on several reported sightings of Thibault by the public, one of them in Nipigon, but testified nothing came of them. Kelly is charged in Thibault's death last decade.

Keep an eye on your wallets

Police are asking shoppers to keep an eye on their purses after 3 reports of missing wallets came in over the weekend.  Constable Julie Tilbury says in two of the incidents wallets were stolen at Chapters book store.  A third incident involved credit cards being used to purchase items from three separate stores in the Intercity area.

Investigators at fatal fire scene

A post mortem exam is being conducted today on the man who died in a Hodder Avenue apartment fire. On Saturday, fire crews pulled the man from the fire and tried to revive him. Investigator Richard Derstroff of the Ontario Fire Marshal's Office says they will get inside of the building once the autopsy is complete and the cause of death is known.

Terrace Bay Pulp up for sale

Buchanan is looking to sell it's Terrace Bay Pulp mill.  Mayor Mike King says he wasn't surprised by the announcement and is hopeful they'll find a buyer.  The company announced three months of downtime just before Christmas and has recently decided to look for a buyer.

Fatal Accident near Dryden

OPP confirm that a pedestrian was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer Saturday afternoon near Oxdrift. The identity of the victim, believed to be a teen male, is being held at this time.  The Trans-Canada highway was closed for about six hours while police investigated the incident.

Fatal fire in Current River

One man is dead after a fire on the city's north end. Thunder Bay Fire Rescue responded to a fire at an apartment on Hodder Avenue last night and found a man trapped inside the building. The identity of the man has not been released and the cause of the fire is unknown.

Council to look at shared services plan

Council will look at a plan which would double the number of EMS stations in the city. EMS Chief Norm Gale says the Emergency Services Shared Facility Strategy calls for EMS to be added to 3 fire halls in the city.  Gale hopes council approves the plan.

North Stars hoping to get concession share

The Thunder Bay North Stars will be hoping to get a fare share of concessions from the Fort William Gardens. President David Dubinsky says council will decide Monday to award the team a portion of the revenue.  Dubinsky says he's hoping council treats the team fairly compared to the Thunderwolves.

Hyer likes election changes

Bruce Hyer is finding himself agreeing with the Conservatives again.  This time Hyer thinks the government is getting it right with changes that will allow the release of election results online as soon as polls close in specific regions. Hyer says it wasn't enforceable anyways.

NDP Leadership Candidate coming to town

Fresh off being endorsed by NDP heavy hitter Charlie Angus, Paul Dewar will be coming to town.  MP Bruce Hyer says Dewar will be in the city next Friday for a couple of meet and greets.

Police arrest 2 in connection to bomb threat

Thunder Bay Police have 2 boys in custody in connection to last month's Bombardier Bomb threat.  Police arrested two 16 year olds who will appear in court next month.  Police are crediting a video they released to the local media including the Giant website.

Make way for a Colorado Low

Get ready for some more shovelling, snow is on the way. Our Meteorologist Bill Laidlaw says a system will be pushing its way into our area Sunday afternoon and we could see as much as 15 centimetres by Monday morning.

Kusznier remembered

John Kusznier's hat

On Sunday the Thunder Bay Police Service will be remembering a sad anniversary.   It's the day that Constable John Kusznier was gunned down in the parking lot of a north side hotel.   He is the only member of the city police to have died in the line of duty.   In 2010 the Current River Bridge was dedicated to his memory.

Hoarding, a community response

The problem of hoarding is getting the spotlight lately as the result of a reality TV show, and now it's getting some attention in Thunder Bay. City police Detective Constable Diane MacLaurin wants to bring a Hamilton program to the city. She says they're partnering with the Catholic Family Development Centre along with the Northwest Dementia Network to bring the program here. MacLaurin is organizing a strategy session on the issue this Monday at St. Joseph's Heritage.

Public to review Official Plan

The city wants your opinions on it's Official Plan.   It's a document that outlines policies on how land in the city should be used.   It shows how the city intends to use the land in the future.   The Open House takes place on Tuesday at the West Thunder Community Centre starting at 4 in the afternoon with a formal presentation at 7.

Jury views anonymous letter

The Michael Kelly murder trial continues today.  Yesterday the jury got a first hand look at a map sent anonymously from Thunder Bay to the OPP in  November of 2001.  It showed a location on Wolf Lake which the sender had circled and put the word "bodies" on.  Although it was pointed out the location was "eerily close" to where the body of Judie Tilbault was found in 2004,  it no way links Kelly as the sender or having any connection to it.  Kelly is charged with first degree murder in Tilbault's death.

Fire damages apartment

There is substantial damage to an apartment unit following a fire on the city's south side late yesterday afternoon. District Chief Dave Grant says  a kettle caught ablaze and started a kitchen fire.  Grant says a woman refused treatment for smoke inhalation.

Plane crash victim names have been released

OPP have released the names of the people who died in the tragic plane crash at North Spirit Lake.  The 4 who died are the Pilot 41 year old Fariborz Abasabady, 38 year old Martha Campbell and 39 year old Colette Eisinger of Winnipeg, and 62 year old Ben Van Hoek of Carmen Manitoba.  36 year old Brian Shead of Winnipeg is the only survivor. 

No murder evidence in victim's car

The Michael Kelly murder trial in Thunder Bay is into it's third day of testimony at the Superior Court of Justice.  The city police identification officer who examined Judie Thibault's abandoned car in November of 2000 testified that there was no evidence to suggest Thibault was shot and killed in the car.   Constable Chris Rasmussen also told the jury that there were no blood stains of any sort in the vehicle.  Kelly is facing a First Degree Murder charge in Thibault's death last decade.

Missing teen

Thunder Bay Police are looking to the public for help in finding a missing 15 year old boy.   Jordan Connell hasn't been seen since Sunday when he left his house.  He's described as 5 foot 5, thin, with medium length brown wavy hair and blue eyes.  

Purse snatching case comes to close

The young man who robbed a 90 year old woman in front of the OLG Casino is getting 18 months of probation.  The teen was in court on Monday and plead guilty to a charge of theft in relation to the September 2011 incident.

OPP seize drugs near Manitouwadge

OPP are charging four men with a number of drug related offences after a routine RIDE check near Manitouwadge. Police stopped a vehicle and noticed one of the passengers was in contravention of his release conditions and the other had outstanding warrants from Thunder Bay.  5-thousand dollars in marihuana and cocaine was seized.  The men face possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking.

Work begins on Country Club condo unit

Construction has started on the Country Club's new condo units and club house.  Demolition began on the curling club this morning.  The project is on target and is set to be complete in May 2013.

K-NET fundraiser for North Spirit Lake

A fundraising drive us underway up to help a remote northwestern Ontario devastated by a plane crash this week.  K-Net is accepting cash donations for North Spirit Lake.  Brian Walmark is a spokesperson and says the will help defray a number of unexpected costs for the community.  Martha Campbell from North Spirit Lake was one of the people killed in Tuesday morning's crash.

Brown wants HST hike

While most want it decrease, Atikokan town council is advocating a on per cent hike in the HST.  The town says the revenue could be earmarked for municipalities for infrastructure improvements.  Mayor Dennis Brown says it may be the only really option to covering the high cost of that work.  Brown says under their proposal, his community would receive more than 850-thousand dollars.

T.Bay economy lookin' good

Thunder Bay's economy is looking good according to the Conference Board of Canada.  They released their 2012 outlook for major Canadian cities and Thunder Bay's economy is expected to rise 1.7 percent.

Accident claims life of transport driver

Provincial police are investigating a multi-vehicle crash on Highway 17 east of Kenora that left a transport driver dead.  Yesterday's collision resulted in the closure of the Trans-Canada Highway for several hours.  Police say a westbound tractor-trailer unit jackknifed near Dogtooth Lake and was struck by an eastbound transport.  Highway 17 was reopened to one lane of traffic at about noon yesterday.

Fire at Northern Wood Preservers Property

Fire crews easily put out an overnight fire at the Northern Wood Preservers property on Maureen Street.  The building was in the process of having machinery salvaged. The cause of the 2nd floor fire is believed to be dismantling torches.

Failed robbery at Dairy Queen

A 19 year old man is in bail court this morning after he was charged with robbing the Dairy Queen on Cumberland Street.  Police say a man brandishing a knife demanded money and when he didn't get it tried to snatch it from the till.  The man fled and was picked up by police further down the road.  The teen is also charged with assault with a weapon.

NAN calls for upgrades in light of crash

The Grand Chief of Nishnawbe Aski Nation say a deadly plane crash has highlighted the dire need to upgrade aviation standards and weather equipment in remote communities.  Four people were killed on Tuesday when a Keystone Air charter flight crashed at the North Spirit Lake reserve while trying to land in a blizzard.  Only one of the five people on board survived.

Police employee testifies at trial

Two days of testimony are now in the books at the Michael Kelly murder trial.  On Wednesday the jury heard from the Thunder Bay Police employee who took the original missing persons report on Judie Thibault  November 21st of 2000.   Pamela Whissel testified that someone who identified himself as Michael Kelly told her on the phone that his common law spouse Judie Thibault was missing.  He told her that the day before Thibault had been sitting at their kitchen table upset over something and then got up, left the house and drove away in a car.  Kelly is charged with First Degree murder in her death.   The trial continues Thursday.

Operation Red Nose is a huge success

Almost double the amount of rides were given by this year's Operation Red Nose crew.  Spokesperson Diana Sustawenko says over 650 rides were handed out and over 22 thousand dollars were raised.

OFIA has signed on to use Ontario Wood Logo

The Provincial Government is happy to announce the first organization to sign up use the Ontario Wood Logo.  Forestry Minister Michael Gravelle says the Ontario Forest Industries Association is the first organization to be licenced to use the logo that ensures the product is produced, grown and designed in the province.

Jury in murder trail hears of letter

An anonymous letter to the OPP in 2001 is causing some interest at the Michael Kelly murder trail. Court was told by a forensics expert, that the letter was sent to the OPP in Toronto in 2001. It was in an envelope that had the letters OPP cut out in clippings which were then taped on the front. He testified that in the envelope was a map of the Dorion area where the body of Judie Thibault was found in August of 2004. On the map someone had put the word "bodies". The expert says there was no way to determine from the map, the exact location of any bodies, let alone Thibault's.  Kelly is facing a first degree murder charged in connection with Thibault's death

Forensics can't link Kelly to murder: Expert

The Michael Kelly murder trial is into its second day of testimony.  An OPP forensic expert was cross examined by defence lawyer Gil Labine.  Sgt. Scott Hlady admitted there is no forensic evidence of any kind to link Kelly to the death of Judie Thibault.  The 65 year old Kelly is charged in the death of Thibault who disappeared in November of 2000 and whose body was found in August of 2004 in the bush in the Dorion area wrapped in a carpet with a bullet in her head.  

Koulton on the job

The City's top lawyer is settling into her new gig.  Nadia Koulton started in January as the city's legal advisor.  Koulton is already working on the city's proposed deer feeding by-law.  Koulton is replacing Rosalie Evans while Evans is on a year sabbatical.

Rafferty reacts to defection

Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP John Rafferty is no fan of switching parties mid-term.  Rafferty say he can't comment on the reasons behind Quebec MP Lise St. Denis leaving the NDP for the Liberals, but doesn't support how she did it.  Rafferty doesn't think her defection will have a big impact on the party that still holds down 102 seats in the House of Commons.

Inquest into Northern accidents

A northern Ontario politician is calling for a coroner's inquest into a series of fatal highway collisions in the North.  Nipissing M-P-P Vic Fedeli also says there appear to be problems with road clearing in Northeastern Ontario. Fedeli says an inquest is needed into the deaths of 10 people in collisions in late December and early January.

NAN on Pikangikum School

The Deputy Grand Chief of the Nishnawbe-Aski Nation says Ottawa must do something about the teachers living quarters in Pikangikum.  Terry Waboose says the teachers need to return to Pikangikum as soon as possible so students don't lose the entire school year.  Pikangikum leaders say nearly all of its non-local teachers have left the community because of mould in the teachers' residences.  And they say that's jeopardizing the school year for hundreds of students.

Fatal accident near Kenora

A fatal collision has forced the closure of the Trans-Canada Highway.  OPP say the crash occurred early this morning near the Highway 71 junction, about 30-kilometres east of Kenora.  Police say it may take up to 8-hours to investigate. A detour is available by using Highway 11.  Poor road conditions are to blame.

Airport sets passenger traffic record

Business continues to boom at the Thunder Bay Airport with 2011 showing a record year for passenger traffic. Figures show there was a 4 per cent increase in passenger traffic last year compared to 2010. President and CEO Scott McFadden attributes it to strong economic activity in the region.   He says some airlines helped by adding new or larger airplanes to their fleet.

Plane crash claims 4 lives

The Plane Crash that killed 4 people is said to have happened in a blizzard.  Thats the word from at least one witness in the small community of North Spirit Lake.  A Keystone Air Service plane crashed near the community just after 10 this morning.  One person survived and is being treated at a local clinic.