NOMA Bear Pit Line-Up Confirmed

The Premier and four members of her cabinet are now confirmed for the NOMA conference in Fort Frances.  Transportation Minister Glenn Murray, Municipal Affairs Minister Bill Mauro, Northern Development Minister Michael Gravelle and Aboriginal Affairs Minister David Zimmer will answer questions from the region's municipal leaders during Friday's so-called Bearpit session.

Murder Trial On Hold

The Thunder Bay murder trial of 22 year old Sheldon Wabason is on hold for one year.  The trial was to have started in Superior Court today. His lawyer Delmar Doucette says it's because there aren't enough First Nations people represented on the local jury roll.  He calls it an important issue for everyone in the city. Wabason is charged with second degree murder in connection with the March 2011 death of 54 year old Robert Topping.

New LED Lighting At Tim Hortons

Your morning coffee at Tim Hortons may soon look at little brighter.  The coffee-chain is announcing plans to replace all of the lighting fixtures in its stores across Canada and the U.S. with energy-efficient LED lighting.  Manager of Sustainable Design John Macey says the new lighting will help restaurant owners. Macey says Tim Hortons restaurants in Thunder Bay will receive the new lighting once they renovate.

Shift New President

SHIFT Thunder Bay has a new President.  Peter Marchl has been named the new president of the Young Professionals Network and is taking over from former president Nathan Lawrence.  Marchl previously served as SHIFT's Vice-President.

Forestry Meeting This Week

Foresters, the Provincial Government, and First Nations are meeting in Thunder Bay this week. They're taking part in discussions at the 57th annual Ontario Professional Foresters Association. The conference gets underway at the Prince Arthur Hotel on Wednesday.

OFAH Wants More Info

The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters wants the Ministry of Natural Resources to do a more comprehensive study of moose populations in Ontario. The province is giving out fewer hunting tags this season because of population declines.  OFAH's Mark Ryckman says more needs to be done to explore all of the reasons for that decline. Ryckman says if hunting isn't the sole reason, the cut in moose tags isn't going to have much of an impact if other factors continue to go ignored.

Skittish Dog On The Loose

Members of the Paws for Love Dog Rescue are on the lookout for one of their missing animals. Cushion is a skittish dog from Sandy Lake who broke off his leash recently and is now on the loose in the City. He was last seen in the area of Christina and Mary Street East homes in Westfort.  They say he is very terrified of sounds, people and other dogs and if you spot him contact Animal Services.

Northern Raffle Winner

A Dryden woman is the grand prize winner of the Canadian Red Cross' Northern Raffle.  Jean Allan chose 25-thousand dollars rather than a new car because she's going to use the cash to renovate her kitchen. Proceeds from the raffle support programs such as disaster relief efforts, seniors’ transportation and housing support.

Geraldton Hospital Gets 9 Million $

It's more than just a facelift.   The emergency department at the Geraldton District Hospital going to be moved from the basement to the main floor thanks to 9 million dollars from the provincial government.   In addition, the new department will have all the latest equipment and will be 26 hundred feet larger than the existing department which was built in 1962.

Kloosterhuis Wants 4 More Years

The mayor of Oliver-Paipoonge is looking for another term.   Lucy Kloosterhuis says she is seeking re-election hoping to oversee some economic growth in the next four years while working to keep taxes at what she calls a respectable level.   She says there are new challenges every year and hopes voters will give her a chance to try to improve the township.

Murray Wants To Work With Communities

Winter road maintenance is expected to be a topic of discussion this week at the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association Conference in Fort Frances.  Transportation minister Glenn Murray says he would like to work with some of the city's in the region to improve the condition of local highways.  Murray says in a number of American states, municipalities are paid to maintain roads during the winter months, and that could be a model that is adopted in northwestern Ontario.  

SIU Investigation In Weagamow

Investigators from the SIU will be looking into an Good Friday incident  on the Weagamow Lake First Nation.  The OPP says officers from Sioux Lookout and the North Caribou Lake Police Service were called out shortly before 11:00 at night about a disturbance.  When they arrived at the scene, a male suspect was located outside the home, but he fled inside when approached by the officers.  Police say they heard sounds of children crying inside, so they went in to make sure  everyone was safe.  They instead found the suspect was suffering from a self-inflicted wound.  The Special Investigations Unit is called in anytime a member of the public is injured during an interaction with police.

Crime Of The Week

Crimestoppers are the OPP are asking for your help in solving a theft that occurred in the Municipality of Shuniah.  Sometime over past six months several items have been stolen from a rental property on Lakeshore Drive.  Some of the missing items include a 14-foot aluminum boat, a boat motor, gasoline, a snowblower and walkie talkies.  The approximate value of the stolen items is $5,000.  Anyone with information is asked to call Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or submit a tip at www.tipsubmit.com.    

Fire At Merrill Street Home

Fire inspectors will be at a Merrill Street home today to try and determine a cause of an early morning fire. The blaze at the single family dwelling was reported just after 3 am this morning. Officials says there is extensive fire damage in the basement, main floor bedroom and bathroom.  All of the people living in the home were able to escape the fire and no injuries were reported.

Local Runners In Boston Marathon

The Boston Marathon takes place today and about a dozen Thunder Bay runners will be there including Susan McDonald.  She couldn't finish the race last year because of the deadly bombing and says returning wasn't an easy decision to make. McDonald says for her returning it's all about conquering fear.

Man Charged With Drinking & Driving

For the second time this month, police have a 55-year-old city man in custody. Less than two weeks ago, police found the man passed out in his car a fast food drive thru, where he was arrested for failing to stop at the scene of an accident. On Saturday, police were investigating a hit and run on the city's south side, when the man drove back to the scene to speak with police where he was charged with impaired driving.  He will appear in court on Tuesday.

Con College Celebrates KPI Report

Confederation College is tooting its own horn.  They're celebrating mostly good marks in the Ontario Key Performance Indicators Report. President Jim Madder says they were ranked number one in grad employment rates.  The report also identified a decline in student completion rates from last year but Madder notes that's because students are getting hired in their field before graduating.

NSWPB Releases Natural Resources Report

A new study conducted by the North Superior Workforce Planning Board is identifying what employers in Natural Resource Management are looking for in potential employees.  Executive Director of the NSWPB, Madge Richardson, says  most employers listed hard work ethic as an important characteristic in potential employees.

Federal Funding Issue For Police

The Police Services Board is looking to its National and Provincial counterparts for help with a funding issue. Chief JP Levesque says the Federal Government recently made the Police who are investigating a federal case responsible for paying for witness expenses. Levesque doesn't think it will rack up a huge bill for them since they haven't had too many cases that would fall under this new legislation.

NOMA Meeting Gets Underway This Week

The Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association is meeting in Fort Frances this week.  Mayor Keith Hobbs is leading the city delegation and says the top issue is sure to be how the  province's Municipal Property Assessment Corporation has been giving big companies a tax break and sticking the municipal taxpayer with the bill.  The NOMA meeting gets going on Thursday.