Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Company hit with more work orders

The Ministry of Labour is still investigating a tragic scissor lift accident at a highway construction site in Shuniah Township. The ministry's Matt Blajer says they've issued 5 more work orders on the company that was involved that's in addition to the 8 original orders.  The accident last month resulted in the death of a 24 year old worker

KI votes to protect it's watershed

The KI First Nation says it's making a stand with the results of a referendum in the community. KI spokesperson John Cutfeet says they have voted almost a 100 per cent to have their watershed protected from the results of industrial development. Cutfeet believes the referendum holds legal clout when it comes to development on KI's traditional lands.

City man charged in bizarre accident

A 27 year old Thunder Bay man is charged following Tuesday's accident at Camelot and Court Streets.  That's where police say a stolen van landed on an SUV in a grocery store parking lot after rolling down an embankment. Just prior to that it hit a pedestrian and sent the 52 year old man to hospital.

Drowing confirmed in divers death

Police are confirming that it was drowning that caused the weekend death of a 21 year old man in the MacKenzie River in Shuniah Township. They say Dau Huston was cliff jumping at High Falls just prior to his body being pulled from the water.

Still no sign of missing 69 year old

Police in Elkhart, Indiana are helping in the search for Edward Spakowski from Thunder Bay who was last seen there last week. Thunder Bay Police spokesperson Chris Adams says the Americans have been provided the information in the case of the missing 69 year old.  There is still no indication of where Spakowski might be.

NOSM Student Research

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine is awarding 36 thousand dollars to six of its students.  The money will be used for student research projects.

Cultural Database launched

A cultural database is now in place for the Kenora District.  The regional cultural initiative was led by the Dryden Development Corporation.  Economic Development Manager Vicki Kurz says they worked with 6-communities to gather an inventory of all our assets.  Kurz says the communities will use the information gathered to better promote the area.

Boating accident in Kenora

A close call for three teens on Lake of the Woods west of Kenora. OPP say the girls were in a boat heading to camp when the 16-year-old driver lost control. A 15-year-old was thrown into the water and was struck by the prop of the motor. The operators managed to get the boat under control and rescued the girl. They got her back to mainland where they met police and ambulance. The girl was transferred to Hospital with injuries to her neck and head. OPP say that although life jackets were in the boat, none of the girls were wearing them at the time.

Waterworks changes in Atikokan

There is a Red Lake based operator of Atikokan's water and sewage treatment plants.  Northern Waterworks has taken over from Ontario Clean Water Agency.  Atikokan Mayor Dennis Brown says it wasn't because the town was unhappy with OCWA.  Brown says the town will save 90-thousand dollars a year by the move.

NW LHIN expanding programs

The Northwest Local Health Integration Network says it wants to expand its Home First program for seniors in the Region. CEO Laura Kokochinski says the program is targeted at people who are currently taking up beds in hospitals and trying to get them back home. She says the plan has been in place for 3-years and is showing some signs of success.

Forest Fire Hazard High

It was one of the busiest days on record yesterday for Ministry of Natural Resources fire crews.  The MNR recorded over 71-hundred lightning strikes in a 24-hour period.  27-new fires sparked and more are expected early today.  The forest fire hazard remains high to extreme.

Accident causes power outage

The lights are on in the Current River area. 25 hundred customers were impacted. The outage was caused by a car accident on Grenville and Adelaide. Hydro Spokesperson Eileen Dias is thanking the public for their patience. The power was restored by early this morning.