Thursday, February 18, 2010

Injured girl flown to Winnipeg

A three year old child, who has serious injuries police deem suspicious in nature, has been moved to a Winnipeg hospital. Police spokesperson Chris Adams says she was taken there for further treatment. Meantime Adams says interviews are still being conducted to find out what happened to the youngster. Police say the incident took place at a home on Candy Mountain Road in Oliver-Paipoonge on Tuesday

Summer festival highlights centennial

The building that is home to the Hoito Restaurant, the Finlandia Club, is celebrating it's 100th anniversary. The Bay and Agoma Business Association wants to recognize the occasion. President Norm Sponchia says they will begin with decorating the area. As well there will be a summer festival where Bay street will be closed to showcase the Finnish culture.

T-Dot man fined for illegal hunting

A Toronto man is 35 hundred dollars lighter after he was convicted of illegal hunting. He was with a hunting party north of Thunder Bay in October when the incident occurred. The Ministry of Natural Resources says the man shot two deer without a hunting licence and then left them in the bush. In addition to the fine he is not allowed to hunt in Ontario for one year.

Geralton couple victims of fatal crash

Two Geraldton residents have been identified as the victims of Wednesday's fatal accident on the Trans Canada Highway between Vermillion Bay and Kenora.
64 year old Raymond Buhr and 62 year old Joanne Buhr were in a vehicle that collided with a transport truck.
Highway 17 was closed for most of the afternoon and was reopened four hours later after debris had been removed from the roadway.

Salvation Army kicks off tents for Haiti

The Salvation Army is launching a new fundraising program for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. Thunder Bays' Major Mervyn Halvorson says when you donate, the money will go towards the purchase of tents to help shelter homeless families. You can make your donations at either of the Thrift Stores in the city.

OFL prez calls for hydro relief

The Ontario Federation of Labour kicked off its Communities that work, campaign in Thunder Bay. Newley elected president Sid Ryan says the North is one of the hardest hit areas in the province and needs more support from the McGuinty Government. Ryan says the energy rate needs to be subsidizes like in southern Ontario. Ryan says a lower industrial energy rate would go a long way to create jobs in Northern Ontario.

New cable channel is only for the Olympics

Shaw Cable TV customers shouldn't get too used to having CFTO broadcasting on channel 23. A spokesperson at the Shaw call centre says the Toronto channel will only be around until the Olympics are finished. The local TV station cut its ties with CTV last week. Without the CFTO feed, cable customers wouldn't have been able to watch Canadians compete in the Olympics

Thunder Bay Hydro is warning the public about a new scam

Thunder Bay Hydro is concerned about a telemarketing campaign that may be hitting the city. Spokesperson Eileen Dias says customers have complained about it saying the caller is trying to sell a so called energy saver device costing hundreds of dollars. Dias says the utility has asked Thunder Bay Police to investigate

Thunder Bay police recover crack cocaine Tuesday

Thunder Bay police have taken almost 20 thousand dollars worth of illegal drugs off the streets. A Toronto man was arrested Tuesday after a traffic stop on the south side of town. Officers searched his vehicle and a nearby hotel and found the drugs along with 5 thousand dollars cash.

Police continue to investigate after three year old girl is seriously injured

A three year old girl from Oliver Paipoonge remains in serious conditiion in hospital after an incident at her home on Tuesday. Police spokesperson Chris Adams says the girl was taken to the Health Sciences Centre with head injuries. He says the investigation is continuing as police interview family members to find out how she was injured in what they have termed suspicious circumstances.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Council accepts new rate hike for water rates

You could be paying more on your water bill soon. City Council will look at adopting a new rate structure for our water bills that will see the average household pay an extra five percent. Homes that use a lot of water could pay as much as 30 percent more.

Candidate to run on Aboriginal ticket

There is a new name on the list of candidates running for an at-large seat in this falls municipal election. Cindy Crowe is running openly as an Aboriginal candidate with the specific purpose of bringing First Nations concerns to the council table.

Local dog Best in Breed

Two Thunder Bay dog owners have something to brag about. The Great Dane owned by Renee Russo and Lori Spicer is the Best in Breed at the Westminister Dog Show in New York. It is considered one of the most prestigious dog shows in the world.

Tidy Trays taking off

A Thunder Bay businessman is on the verge of having his product go international. Dan Cheal of Dream Big Innovations, invented a plastic sanitary tray cover for high chairs called Tidy Trays. Right now it's only available in Canada, but Cheal says that is about to change as he has found a distributor in the UK. He says there's also interest in the product in the United States.

Golf courses to stay in city hands

There is little interest on City Council to the idea of selling any of the three city run golf courses. During last nights' budget deliberations councillors turned down a proposal to study whether at least two of the three courses should be put on the selling block. Instead they voted to increase green fees, memberships and golf cart rentals. Councillors were also told the operating deficit for all three courses was 236 thousand dollars.

Bus fare increases on the horizon

It appears riding the bus will be costing you more. City councillors have given preliminary approval to a fare increase in this years budget. The rate increase would see a 20 ride pass increase four dollars to 35 dollars, while a monthly pass would go up to 69 dollars and 50 cents. The discounted monthly pass would go up fifty cents to $57.50.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

The Northwest LHIN is looking for a new CEO

The Organization that coordinates health care funding in the Northwest Region is looking for a new CEO. The chair of the board of the local health intigration network has announced the immediate resignation of Gwen DuBios-Wing. Adding she is moving to pursue new professional endevours. Laura Kokocinski is filling as the interim CEO until permanent replacement can be found.

Assualts plagued the city during the long weekend

City police are recovering from a busy and sometimes violent long weekend. They say they had to deal with a wide assortment of occurances which included assualt and domestic assaults. In at least two cases there were injuries. In one incident they say a woman was choked by her partner and in another the man was stabbed. Police are still looking for two suspects after a man was found with a broken nose in the Algoma and John Street area. In all over 60 people were locked up over the weekend.

Golfing and staff levels will take centre stage at city council meeting

City councillors meet tonight to discuss the budget. Top of mind for some councillors is the ownership of the city golf courses. At least two councillors, Larry Hebert and Rebecca Johnson have questions about the citys' involvement in the golf business. Also tonight don't be surprised to find councillors talking about city staff levels.

Action packed weekend for Family Day

Families in the city are back into the weekday routine today following the long weekend dedicated to them. There was no shortage of things to do. There were events at the Sportsdome, Old Fort William and the Current River and McIntyre Recreational Centres. Hundreds of people showed up to the events.