T.Bay Makes Adult Toy Sale List

Thunder Bay is on a list of the top cities in Canada that purchase adult toys, novelties and lingerie.  The Lakehead ranks 19th out of 25 cities. Toronto based PinkCherry Adult Toys ranked the communities based on which ones ordered the most amount of times per capita. Co-owner Daniel Freedman says he's not surprised Thunder Bay made the list since most people are staying indoors during the cold winter months and that's indicative of a top purchasing city. Victoria, B.C., Grande Prairie, Alberta and Fredricton, New Brunswick are the top three cities.

77 Cases Of Debit Card Fraud

So far 77 debit card fraud cases are being investigated by City Police. Where the cards were compromised is still not known.  Police believe that a rigged electronic banking machine was installed somewhere in the City sometime in the past year. The illegal withdrawals were made somewhere in New York.

Foundations Merge

A big merger of two charitable organizations in the city.   The Thunder Bay Community Foundation is taking in the Justice Ronald B. Lester Memorial Youth Foundation.   Bonnie Moore of the T-B-C-F says it will make the youth charity stronger.  She says both groups will combine their assets.   Moore says the Lester family felt it was time to give up direct control to the Community Foundation.

Provincial Review Of Local Health Authorities

Provincial hearings held in Thunder Bay reviewing the Local Health Integration Networks are now complete. Nearly a dozen presentations were made throughout the morning at the Valhalla Inn to the provincial government's Standing Committee on Social Policy. Some of the presentations included the LHIN itself, the Ontario Native Women's Association and the Thunder Bay Health Coalition.

LU Launches New Student Initiative

Students at Lakehead University will now get to have their extra curricular achievements at the school actually count for something.  The institution is joining a growing trend in the country by having those accomplishments officially included in the students  Academic Transcript.

Another City Mac's Robbery

Thunder Bay police are looking for a man who robbed the Mac's Convenience Store on Waterloo Street at around 6:30 this morning.  They say he was brandishing an axe, but that no one was hurt.   They say he ran away with a small amount of money. 

Gardens Talk Not Over Yet

The future of the Fort William Gardens will soon be in the hands of city councillors.   After a set of public hearings on the facility, Consultant Conrad Boychuk says he is prepared to make his recommendations at the March 3rd council meeting.  Boychuk says one of this proposals
will be to keep the Gardens standing so it can be a multi use public facility.   He says the cost of tearing the facility down is about 3 million dollars and that could only go higher because of the expected pollution clean up of the grounds.

Public Comments On Budget

The head of Poverty Free Thunder Bay is just one of several community groups who spoke to City Council about the 2014 budget.  Chair Terri Carter says low income families are worried about the two percent increase in child care fees. Carter also expressed concern over the fate of the Royal Edward Arms and the lack of affordable housing in the City. Other organizations to speak at Tuesday night's meeting included Friends of the Thunder Bay Conservatory, the Urban Aboriginal Strategy and the Heath Park Pool supporters.

Bed Bugs To Be Sprayed Wednesday

The Social Services Board is going to start spraying for bed bugs at their Spence Court housing complex Wednesday.  CAO Bill Bradica says so far 5 units are confirmed to have the pests but adds it might be more as inspections continue. Bradica adds they've had meetings with the tenants association and received a positive response from them.

Budget Review Underway

City Councillor Rebecca Johnson wants to cut the 2014 budget by almost a million dollars.  Johnson says she's combed through the fiscal document and there are a number of areas that could be trimmed including child care and the meals on wheels program.   Meanwhile, Councillor Andrew Foulds is commenting on the budget's increases to waste water and water rates.  The fiscal document lays out a six percent increase for those two rates that will come into effect on April 1st.  Foulds says he understands people are concerned about the increases but notes they have to be done to ensure water quality and safety.  Council will continue to review the budget at another public meeting Wednesday night.

Urban Legend Denied

A blanket denial by the developer of the new waterfront condo's and hotel.   Gisele MacDonald of the Resolve Group says there is absolutely no truth to an urban legend making the rounds that the hotel will not be built until the proposed north side events centre is a done deal. She says neither the completion of hotel or the condos are tied to another other project adding that 3 million dollars has already been sunk into the hotel development.

Cab Companies Address Concerns

It appears city officials and taxi company owners in Thunder Bay have many of the same concerns.   Councillor Brian McKinnon is heading up the committee looking to make changes to the taxi by-law,  and says a meeting between the two sides today was very productive with  both sides appearing to be on "the same page".   Under the new plan,  the Police Services Board will hand the regulation of taxis to the city.  McKinnon says don't expect cab fares to go down as a result of the change unless the companies can get some of their major concerns addressed,  like eliminating the red tape for hiring new drivers.

North Side Fire Cause "Undetermined"

A  city fire investigator says that Monday's inferno at 230 Fitzgerald Street will go into the books as undetermined.   The blaze totally destroyed the 2 storey house, which was vacant at the time.   Inspector Bob Vander Ploeg says that the damage is too severe and that it would be too dangerous for inspectors to examine properly. No one was hurt in the fire.

UAS Asking For Funding

Among the many presentations being made at tonight's budget meeting at city hall will be one by the Urban Aboriginal Strategy.  Spokesperson Frances Wesley says organizers will ask for funding so they can continue the efforts, she believes, are making a difference in the community.  According to their website, the UAS helps to meet the needs facing Aboriginal people living in the city.   Wesley says they will be requesting 75 thousand dollars.

Hyer Gets Critic Role

A new responsibility for Thunder Bay MP Bruce Hyer.   He is now the Green Party's critic for democratic reform.  Party leader Elizabeth May cites Hyer's  personal commitment to promoting transparency and accountability in our democratic institutions as a reason for the appointment.

PSWs In Dryden Have Deal

A tentative contract has been reached between Unifor's personal support workers and Revera Home Health in Dryden. The deal impacts 35-employees. Unifor National Representative Stephen Boon says the new deal contains improvements along with increased mileage pay and annual wage increases retroactive to last June. Details won't be released until workers review the full document and vote on it later next week.

Paintings Centre Of Lawsuit

Two famous Canadians are going to court claiming they bought fake Norval Morrisseau paintings from a Toronto art dealer.   Lawyer Jonathan Sommer represents musicians Kevin Hearn of the Barenaked Ladies and John McDermott and  who plans to prove the paintings were not done by the famous Northwestern Ontario First Nations artist.   The lawyer for the art dealer Brian Shiller says the claims are false and the paintings are authentic.  None of the allegations have been proven in court.

Terry Fox Artifacts Requested

City staff are looking into relocating a number of Terry Fox artifacts to Thunder Bay. Councillor Ken Boshcoff introduced the idea to the floor last night. Staff will contact the family and see if they have any items they want to show in an exhibit. A report will also come back to Council with a price tag on how much relocating the memorabilia will cost.

Council Hears Waste Plan

The consultants behind the City's proposed waste strategy plan feel residents want to see a different approach to garbage and recycling.  Stantec Spokesperson Cathy Smith says residents are for a clear plastic garbage bag program. Smith says they also received positive feedback on doing away with recycling bags and moving towards a recycle box. Council will vote on the plan at a future meeting in the spring.

Public Art Sparks Debate

The City's public art is stirring up conversations around the Council table again.  Several Councillors expressed concerns over the cost of artwork at the new transit building.  Councillor Rebecca Johnson says if you want to have a nice looking City your going to have to pay.  The debate stemmed from the minutes of the Clean Green and Beautiful Committee which in the end city lawmakers approved.

Fitzgerald Street Fire

A Fitzgerald street home is gutted after a blaze broke out Monday afternoon. Platoon Chief Joe Grzelewski says the home is going to be a complete loss. The roof of the home collapsed. Grzelewski says they plan to talk to the homeowner later today and doesn't appear he was home at the time the fire started.  

Police Probe Debit Card Frauds

City police are looking into a recent rash of debit card fraud.   Spokesperson Julie Tilbury says it appears a number of people had their accounts hacked.   Tilbury says it appears that funds have been withdrawn from ATM locations in the United States  however she can't get more specific about where these people may have shopped.   She says that they are still in the early stages of the investigation and they expect more calls to come in.   For now police are asking you to call your bank or credit union  if you you think you may be a victim.  

Bearkins Mourns Loss Of Pioneer

The City is mourning the death of a prominent local businessman.  Harvey Friesen passed away suddenly on Sunday in Palm Springs, California at the age of 65.  Friesen was well known in Thunder Bay as President of Bearskin Airlines, which he co-owned with his brother Cliff.  Despite selling Bearkin in 2011 to Exchange Income Corporation, the Friesen brothers continued to run the airline.

ONWA New ED

There's a new Executive Director at the Ontario Native Women's Association.  Erin Corston is filling the spot left behind by Betty Kennedy.  Kennedy is staying in the organization and will lead the newly established Ontario Native Women’s Charitable Foundation.

Domtar Disappointed

Domtar says efforts to keep its Dryden mill competitive have suffered a setback.  The company is reacting to a Council decision to increase the large industrial tax rate from 853-thousand dollars to nearly 2-million dollars.  The company calls the move disappointing.

WDO Looks At T.Bay Recycling

It's not bad, but it could be better.  Ontario Waste Diversion says in 2012, Thunder Bay residents recycled about 19-percent of all residential waste that would have ended up in the landfill.  OWD Chief Executive Officer Michael Scott says it's not surprising to see.  Scott says increased education and development of depots for such things as electronic equipment can help drive up the numbers.

Updates On BMX & Tunnel

City Council is going to deal with a couple of dormant issues at their meeting tonight. The Parks Division will tell councillors about the state of the BMX racing complex.  Organizers with the group had asked for the City's help in creating a new training centre, but have since stated that they're happy with the improvements that have been made to their current location.  Meanwhile, staff will also update council on concerns over the Expressway tunnel in the area of Hinton Avenue and County Boulevard.  It was originally thought that the tunnel was a factor in break-ins to homes in the Grandview area, but police have since confirmed their isn't a link to those crimes and the tunnel.

Hobbs Wants Cuts To Budget

Mayor Keith Hobbs would like to make some cuts to the 2014 budget.  Hobbs says he has his eye on sustainable grants that are given to community groups.  Hobbs would like to see a lower tax levy than the proposed 2.1 percent.

Hebert Likes Solid Waste Plan

City Councillor Larry Hebert likes the proposed Solid Waste Management plan.  Hebert is excited about finding a new way to deal with the tonnes of cardboard businesses are looking to get rid of.  The plan will be brought to City Council tonight for discussion and will come up for a final vote in the Spring.

Corpus Christie Tops

The Fraser Institute is releasing its Elementary Schools report card.  Report Card Co-Author Peter Cowley says there have been some significant improvements among schools in Thunder Bay but notes one noticeable difference.  The top ranked elementary school was Corpus Christie with 7.7 out of 10.

LU Scavenger Hunt Starts Today

Lakehead, along with twenty other Ontario universities are launching an online scavenger hunt today. Student Ambassador Erica Sawula says students can really benefit from taking part.   Each university will submit one clue throughout the month that has to do with research currently happening at the school.

NOSM Vacancies

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine is looking to fill a couple of openings on their Aboriginal Reference Group.  They are looking for an aboriginal youth and an aboriginal health-care professional. Volunteers provide insight, direction and guidance to the Dean over a three year term.

Sportsdome Evacuation

Fans and players alike were given more excitement than they bargained for today at the Thunder Bay Sportsdome. A ball struck a light and caught fire, it was put out by two volunteers one of which is being treated for smoke inhalation. Roughly three-hundred evacuated the dome. When fire fighters arrived it was just a matter of ventilating the complex.

Walk For Memories

The 20th Annual Walk for Memories fundraiser is taking place throughout the day at the Inter-City Mall. The walk began at ten this morning and will include events held throughout the day. It is being hosted by the Alzheimer Society of Thunder Bay, today's goal is to raise fifty-thousand dollars.