Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Watkins predicts Supreme Court on 2-4-1

On the legal beat, a Toronto judge has upheld the Federal government's controversial sentencing law.  The law takes away the two-for-one credit that offenders had  received for time served before their sentence. Thunder Bay lawyer Chris Watkins expects the issue to go to the Supreme Court of Canada. Watkins, as do most defence lawyers, favours the two for one credit

Federal minister to visit Con College

For the second time this week there will be a federal cabinet minister in the city.   National Revenue Minister Keith Ashfield is going to speak at Confederation College Thursday morning.  He will be talking about the underground economy and then hold a roundtable discussion.

Loppet looks for record participation

The Sleeping Giant Loppet takes place  on March 5th.  Organizer Marianne Stewart says this year they hope to have a record number of participants in the cross country ski event.  They are shooting for 1 thousand skiers. The loppet take place at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park.

ECE's get new deal

Early Childhood Educators in the public school system have one less thing to worry about.  They have a new 2 year contract with the school board.  The board says the full and part time workers are members of the Secondary School Teachers Federation and work in teams along with Kindergarten teachers.  The union and the trustees have voted to accept the deal.

Debt Clock to roll through Thunder Bay

The national Debt Clock is coming to Thunder Bay.  At least that's the plan from the Canadian Taxpayers Federation as it takes it's anti-debt message across the country starting this week.   Spokesperson Kevin Gaudet says the counter should be here within a month or so.  The device shows Canadians how fast the federal government's debt is rising .

Mother pleads for missing son to return

A tearful plea from a distraught mother.   Bernice Jacob called out to her missing son Jordan Wabasse to come home.  He disappeared in Westfort back on February 7th, since then an extensive search has failed to find him.  His mother couldn't hide her grief as she cried for Jordan to "let us know where you are".  Police say the investigation into his disappearance will continue with the help of volunteers.          
                       
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Provincial Government saying no to Hydro rate hike

The McGuinty Government isn't allowing Hydro companies to pass off court fees and fines to consumers. MPP Bill Mauro says the court made a decision to fine companies for over charging interest on late payments and the Ontario Energy Board allowing a rate increase to cover those costs is a mistake. Mauro says the Energy Minister has told electricity companies to find the costs within.

Police investigate the death of a baby

Police are investigating the death of a 6 month old girl in the Webequie First Nation.  The baby died yesterday and was taken to Winnipeg for the post mortem.  Police officials say they hope to find out the cause of death once that is complete.

Firefighters deal with morning garage fire

A garage fire kept Thunder Bay Fire and Rescue busy today. The blaze destroyed a garage at a house in the 200 block of Francis Street. Crews needed about an hour to put it out and no one was injured.

Help on the way for Seniors and people with disabilities

The Federal Government is providing almost 400 thousand to help seniors and people with disabilities in region. Minister of State for Seniors Julian Fantino made the announcement yesterday in Thunder Bay and says its an important issue that needs support. The funding is part of the 2010 Federal Budget and is being distributed through the New Horizons for Seniors Program.