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.

New Police Station For Fort Hope

A new police station is being built in the remote northern community of Fort Hope. 3.5-million dollars in funding is going towards the detachment. Kenora MP Greg Rickford announced 1.82-million dollars in funding recently, while the province is on board with the rest. Rickford notes since 2009, the Conservative Government has invested in new police stations for eight First Nations communities in the Kenora riding alone.

Flooding Unlikely

So far so good. The head of the Lakehead Region Conservation Authority says there is no need to worry about flooding even with our snowy spring. Bill Bartley says they don't have any concerns just yet. Bartley says officials will keep monitoring the situation but doesn't think we are in store for any spring floods.

Staal Foundation Open Looking For Help

The organizers of the Staal Foundation Open at Whitewater Golf Course are hoping the volunteer spirit in the city kicks in. About 450 volunteers will be required for this summer's PGA Tour Canada event. Executive Director Scott Smith says there will also be a chance for some volunteers to live the dream and work along side the golfers. Smith adds that volunteers will be an important part of making the tournament a success.You can go to the tournament website and look for where you  can get involved.

Thunder Bay Runners Return To Boston Marathon

Thunder Bay's Deborah Frederickson is one of about a dozen locals who will be participating in tomorrow's Boston Marathon. She was there last year and crossed the finish line only moments before the deadly bombing and admits it will be an emotion filled race for everyone. Frederickson says running in the race will be part of the healing for her.

Highway 102 Open

Both lanes of highway 102 are now open to traffic. The OPP say highway 102 and highway 11-17 at Sistonen's Corner was closed this morning as a result of a single tractor trailer collision.

Collision Causes Highway Closure

The poor weather is already causing highway closures in the area. The OPP say highway 102 and highway 11-17 at Sistonen's Corner is closed as a result of a single tractor trailer collision. Officials say the junction is closed until the trailer can be removed.

Con College Students Receive Awards

Three Film Production students from Confederation College are receiving awards from the North of Superior Film Association. Darren MacDonald, Deborah Blundell and Jessica Corbett took home prizes for their short films. The winners were selected from 27 short films.

DFC Residence On Hold

It's going to be some time before we see a residence for Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School built on Confederation College land. College President Jim Madder says he has not seen any progress just yet. The building is expected to house 150 beds for students and another 50 for families visiting from the remote north.