Friday, July 20, 2012

And The Winner Is...New Liskeard

New Liskeard is the ninth winner of Kraft Canada's celebration tour. It comes after a 24 hour online poll in which the winner gets to host a live broadcast of TSN's Sportscentre. New Liskeard also receives 25 thousand dollars to put towards construction of a new sporting complex. New Liskeard won with 372,291 votes, while Kakabeka Falls had 102,607 votes in support of its nomination.

Health Unit Lifts Advisory

The water is good at our area beaches again. Thunder Bay's Health Unit lifted swimming advisories for Boulevard Lake's main beach and Sandy Beach at Chippewa Park. Chippewa Park's main beach however is still under a swimming advisory.

Fletcher Dispels Myths

There appear to be some myths surrounding the fundraising for victims of the May 28th flood in the city. Disaster Relief Committee chair Wayne Fletcher says it's causing concerns. He says those misconceptions need to be straightened out to show how grave an issue it is. The committee promises to reveal details on Wednesday.

North Side Accidents Keep Police Busy

Police are investigating couple of afternoon traffic mishaps   No one was seriously hurt in a three vehicle smashup on North Cumberland at Nelson. That accident took place just after 1 o'clock.  Then just after 2, a child on a bike was not hurt after police say he was struck by a vehicle on Perth Cres. and County Blvd.

"Suspicious" Fire On Mount Baldy

Arson is suspected in a fire on the top of Mount Baldy last night. Shuniah Fire Chief Blair Arthur says while it was a smaller building which was destroyed by the blaze, it was tough to get to because it was a steep climb for firefighters. He believes they lost about 15 minutes, Arthur says the cause is not known, but he says it's "suspicious." They also managed to contain a brush fire behind the building.

Daniher Gives Props To Birla

The head of the local steelworkers union is looking forward to working with the new company that's taken over Terrace Bay Pulp. Herb Daniher says the Birla Group has already done wonders for two mills in New Brunswick. The mill is expected to get back into operation in the fall.

Waterfront Celebration

It's a grand celebration of Thunder Bay's waterfront. House of Commons Leader Peter VanLoan helped celebrate today the completion of the first phase of redevelopment at Prince Arthur's Landing. Van Loan says the federal government was happy to play a funding role in this project. The Provincial Government was also on hand to celebrate their part in making the waterfront project
get off the ground.

Woodcrest Crossing Guard Up For Debate

City Council is going to consider hiring a full time crossing guard for Woodcrest Road.  A crossing guard was placed on that street as a pilot project for the 2012 school year and now City staff are recommending they keep up covering the cost to employ that person.  Staff are proposing 6 thousand dollars be added to the 2013 budget.

Heney Talks Transporting Oil Sands Product

Thunder Bay's Port Authority is getting requests from western companies looking to transport oil sands oil through our waterways.  CEO Tim Heney says it's a legitimate business opportunity.  Heney says they already transport diesel and gasoline through our port and notes it wouldn't take much to move into offering oil sands products as well.

Boulevard Lake Welcomes Paddlers

Boulevard Lake is going to be alive with the sound of paddles at the 14th annual Dragon Boat Festival today and tomorrow. Spokesperson Volker Kromm says money raised will go towards three local charities. A parade and opening ceremonies start tonight at 7.

OLG Casino Gives Cash

The City is getting another payment from the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation.  Over 600 thousand dollars from the local casino is going towards the City.  The money was taken from the casino over a three month period from April to June of this year.

Arts Community Receives More Than $600,000 In Grants

Thunder Bay-Atikokan MPP Bill Mauro is boasting about contributions to the arts community in his riding. The Ontario Arts Council contributed more than $600,000 to more than 30 arts organizations and individuals during the past year. The two organzations receiving the most amount of money are the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra at $260,000 and the Thunder Bay Art Gallery at $122,000 in grant money.

Gravelle Happy With Terrace Bay Deal

The Provincial Government hopes to finalize the sale of Terrace Bay Pulp by the end of the month.  Minister Michael Gravelle says the sale of the mill is moving along nicely.  Gravelle is pleased the court approved the sale yesterday as well as the union ratifying a deal with the new owners.  Gravelle says Terrace Bay, the company, former owner Buchanan and the Union still need to formalize the deal with signing a formal contract.

Cyclist Seriously Injured

A 22 year old is still in serious condition in hospital. While riding his bike, the man was injured in a collision with a vehicle on John Street and Faircrest Street at around 7:45 p.m. last night. Police say the cyclist was traveling east on John Street when he came into collision with a car driven by a 71 year old woman who was turning onto Faircrest. The 71 year old female driver involved in last night's auto/cycle collision has been charged with Careless Driving under the Highway Traffic Act.

Police Car Backed Into

Thunder Bay Police didn't have far to go to charge the latest person in the City with drunk driving. They say a 49 year old man was arrested just before 1:00 this morning after backing his car into a police cruiser at the intersection of Balmoral Street and Oliver Road. Officers saw a car driving in an unsafe manner westbound on Oliver Road. The 49 year old is charged with Impaired Operation of a Motor Vehicle and Failing to Provide a Breath Sample.

Chill In Michigan For Playoffs

The Thunder Bay Chill are in Pontiac, Michigan this weekend for the Conference finals. The Chill, who won the Heartland division and posted the second most points in the entire league, will take on Forest City out of London on Saturday for the right to move on to the finals.

Cats Lose 6th In A Row

The Thunder Bay Border Cats have now lost 6 in a row. They fell 4-2 on the road to the division leading Duluth Huskies last night. Tonight they're back at Subway field to start a 3 game series with the Willmar Stingers.