Polling on Local Issues

If you haven't already, don't be surprised if you get a call from a well known Canadian survey firm. A woman claiming to be from Ipsos Reid is calling homes in Thunder Bay, Kenora and the Rainy River District looking for feedback on local issues. The Surveyor told our newsroom that she could not identify who she was conducting the survey for due to company policy.

Imported Cheese

The new trade agreement put in place between Canada and the European Union will see a lot more cheese being imported from overseas. Walter Schep is the owner of Thunder Oaks Farms, he believes that his business won't take a direct hit from the deal, but that it will have an indirect impact with his plans to expand.

Early Morning Stabbing

A twenty-nine year old male is in the Intensive Care Unit at the Thunder Bay Hospital. City police responded to a call of someone being stabbed at an apartment building on Fulton Boulevard early this morning. Police are charging the victims girlfriend for assault with a weapon. She is currently being held by police, the investigation continues.

Welch Company Honoured

Parks Canada is celebrating the historical significance of Thunder Bay's railroad contracting firm, Welch Company Limited.  Spokesperson Nancy Saunders says a plaque will be placed outside the Algoma Street Italian Cultural Centre.  The plaque tells the story of the Welch Company founders the Veltri brothers who played a big role in getting Italians to immigrate to Canada.

Call For Action

The Ontario Native Women's Association is echoing a call for action in the treatment of Aboriginal communities in Canada. UN Special Rapporteur James Anaya offered his recommendations to the Canadian Government earlier this week. ONWA spokesperson Mary-Anne Matthews says having a UN representative address these needs carries a lot of weight.

Kitchen Fire

Officials are searching for the cause of a kitchen fire in Current River. The fire broke out Friday afternoon causing damage to the kitchen and smoke damage to the second floor.
No one was hurt.

Connecting to the Provincial Power Grid

A new transmission line will be built to connect Pickle Lake and First Nations communities to the provincial power grid. Margaret Kenequanash is the chair at Wataynikaneyap Power, one of the four companies involved, and says their goal is to connect remote communities, and stop their dependency on diesel. The project will be finished in two phases.

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.

38 Arrested In Kenora Drug Sweep

A total of 38 people have been arrested in a massive drug bust in Kenora. Over 263 thousand dollars worth of cocaine, marijuana and marijuana plants were seized as a result of the year-long undercover investigation. Inspector Chris Harkins from the OPP's Crime Enforcement Bureau hopes this will put a dent in Kenora's illegal drug trade. A total of 174 charges have been laid and the OPP says they also seized over 61 thousand dollars in property, including cash and illegal weapons.  Harkins says they had assistance from the Dryden Police, the Anishinabek Police Service, Treaty Three Police and the RCMP in their investigation.

CUPE Asking For Mediator

The Canadian Union of Public Employees is asking for a Provincial mediator in its discussions with the town of Schreiber.  CUPE is representing 13 municipal workers who are looking to get a new agreement.   The union represents municipal employees from accounting, by-law enforcement to janitors.  Town Council is seeking concessions from the workers.

Minimum Wage Panel Meets In T.Bay

The Provincial Government's Minimum Wage Panel is in Thunder Bay today.  Several organizations including the Chamber of Commerce, Regional Food Distribution Association and Poverty Free Thunder Bay are taking part.  Minister of Northern Development Michael Gravelle says it's an important issue and one the Minister of Labour will have to decide once recommendations are released.  Members of the group Poverty Free Thunder Bay rallied in front of the Valhalla Inn before they spoke to the panel.  Poverty Free Thunder Bay wants the wage to be raised to 14 dollars an hour.

Inflation Rate Drops In Thunder Bay

No change in the annual inflation rate. Statistics Canada says the rate remained unchanged in September at 1.1 percent, the same as August.   In Thunder Bay the inflation rate for September stands at an even one per cent a drop of point 1 from August.

NOHFC Re-brands

The Northern Ontario Heritage Funding is changing.   The provincial government is now focusing on five specific areas of growth for the north in making its funding decisions, which Mayor Keith Hobbs believes is a positive move as does Thunder Bay City Councillor Ken Boshcoff who says the public likes it when governments hit the refresh button.  The fund's so called enhanced programs include one for infrastructure, another for innovation and a third for business opportunities.

Small Business Week Starts Monday

Starting on Monday its small business week. The week long business networking event will run from October 20th to the 26th.  John Guarasci is the manager of the local Business Development office in Thunder Bay and says it's a celebration of entrepreneurship.  For a list of events you can click here.

Tbaytel Talks Pick & Play

Tbaytel officials ears are burning after the Federal Government's Throne Speech mentioned unbundling tv cable packages and reducing cellphone roaming fees within Canada.  Spokesperson Katie Crowe says they're interested in the idea of pick and play channels but they need to find out the finer details.  Crowe adds that they already offer voice and data roaming within Canada and they only charge when users use a foreign cell phone tower.

Luncheon Of Hope On Today

Tbaytel's Luncheon of Hope in support of local breast cancer initiatives is back for its 21st year this afternoon.  Health Sciences Foundation Spokesperson Heather Vita says this year's special guest is Maureen Holloway who is a breast cancer survivor and a national broadcaster.  Since it's inception the luncheon of hope has raised over 260-thousand dollars for the Northern Cancer fund.

Bed Bugs Back At LU

Lakehead University is dealing with another four to five cases of bed bugs in their Pretie residence. Residence Services Spokesperson David Hare says they haven't stopped spraying dorms since bed bugs were reported earlier this fall.  Hare says they've had a total of 12 cases of bed bugs since the start of the school year.

NDP Critic Visits T.Bay

NDP Infrastructure Critic Percy Hatfield is listening to the concerns of Northwestern Ontario and bringing them back to Queen's Park. Hatfield spent the day in Thunder Bay Thursday and talked to City Reps about the region's infrastructure needs.  Hatfield says he was pleased when his leader Andrea Horwath asked him to tour the City and get a feel for its infrastructure shortfalls.

NAPS Investigates Death

Provincial Police and Nishnawbe-Aski Nation Police Are investigating a death in Fort Severn First Nation. A NAPS officer was called regarding a serious assault that happened at a home in the community on Wednesday.  A woman was taken to the nursing station and died from her injuries. She has been identified as 24-year-old Georgina Stoney. Police say 19-year-old Tommy Miles Junior has been charged with second-degree murder.

Driver Flees Scene Of Crash

City Police are investigating an early morning single vehicle accident on the North Side.  Police say a car struck three hydro poles in the area of 350 North Cumberland Street after two o'clock.  The driver of the vehicle then fled on foot and its unknown whether any injuries were sustained in the crash.  Power was knocked out in the area as well as some traffic lights on Cumberland and Water Streets.