A ‘good lead’

Posted May 18, 2012 by ThunderBayClassifieds.ca in News | No comments yet

The manager of environmental health at the Thunder Bay District Health Unit says they have a good lead on the cause of a gastrointestinal outbreak that afflicted at least 141 people who ate last weekend at Murillo’s This Old Barn restaurant.

But, said Chris Beveridge on Friday, they would prefer to conduct further investigations before revealing what it is.

In updating the outbreak, Beveridge did say that a pair of stool samples tested have been positively identified as carrying Norovirus, a disease that’s usually passed on through contaminated food or water and spread from person to person with fecally contaminated hands of a victim or by contact with fecally contaminated objects, with the person subsequently touching their mouth before properly washing their hands.

It will take a few days before the exact cause of the outbreak is known, Beveridge said.

“We haven’t really been able to pinpoint a particular source to date,” he said. “We do have a good lead we’re following up on. We do have 141 people who have reported ill. We’ve contacted the majority of people who were at the event and the public have actually been quite helpful.”

The good news, he added, is the people who were hospitalized have been discharged and no serious cases of illness developed as a result of the contamination.

“Calls to the health unit are starting to decline, so I’m hoping the number of ill are starting to plateau and will stop by this afternoon,” he said, noting the disease usually runs its course in a couple of days or more.

The restaurant, which sat 256 people over the weekend, remains closed indefinitely.

“He has an order to close which he is complying with. He’ll be closed until the investigation is complete and we identify a source and that he’s meeting our requirements based on the findings that we have,” Beveridge said.

E.coli has not been eliminated as the cause of the illness. Heavy rainfall last Friday could have led to contaminated well water. He’s also not ruling out the possibility of a perfect storm, in which both diseases were present at the same time.

“We’re keeping our options open,” Beveridge said.

“If we can pinpoint Norovirus in stool with a food item, then we’ve got a match. If we pinpoint E.coli, which we have in the water, then we can do further tests to determine the type of E.coli with the stool sample, then we’ll have a match for E.coli.

“We still haven’t made those matches yet.”

There have been previous E.coli diagnoses in the well water used by the restaurant, but Beveridge said there have been no cases of food contamination, adding the restaurant has a clean bill of health from a food inspection standpoint.

“The operator has been a historically good operator and we’ve never had any issues or complaints or anything. So this is a bit of a surprise from this particular premise.”

Stool samples from infected patients have been sent to labs in Thunder Bay, Toronto and to the Health Canada laboratory in Ottawa for diagnosis, a process Beveridge suspects will take a few days.

Beveridge said this is only the third case of this magnitude of gastrointestinal illness at a Thunder Bay-area restaurant in 15 years.

 
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New look Chill

Posted May 14, 2012 by ThunderBayClassifieds.ca in Sports | No comments yet

Thunder Bay Chill coach Tony Colistro still has some surprises up his sleeves.

Faced with the loss of perennial stalwarts like Brandon Swartzendruber, Gustavo Oliveira. Wilson Neto and Nolan Intermoia, players who helped turn the franchise from pretenders into national champions, Colistro had plenty of holes to fill this offseason.

He may have found a gem in Sullivan Silva, a 22-year-old Brazilian who spent the 2010 season with the Austin Aztex of the USL First Division, one rung below Major League Soccer.

On the wish list of most teams in the PDL, Silva, the cousin of former Chill player Marcos Silva, had 15 goals last season with the Capital City Football Club of the Canadian Soccer League. When Capital City decided not to rejoin the CSL, Sullivan Silva was without a home and Colistro didn’t hesitate to contact the 6-foot-1 forward.

“That just happened a couple of weeks ago,” Colistro said Saturday, watching 20 of the 30 players invited to camp start an intense two-week evaluation process at Chapples Field.

“Sullivan Silva is a player we’ve tried to get for the last few years and we were successful this year.”

No stranger to the Premier Development League, Silva spent the 2006 season with the Vermont Voltage, failing to score in a dozen appearances.

The Goiania, Brazil native is the guy Colistro is counting on to fill Swartzendruber’s shoes and replace some of the 57 goals the Colorado native scored in four seasons in Thunder Bay.

Though Swartzendruber won’t be easy to replace, Silva has the pedigree to do it, Colistro said.

“We think Sullivan Silva is going to be that player,” Colistro said.

Silva, who arrived in Thunder Bay too late to make Saturday’s morning practice, won’t be alone out there. Colistro also has high hopes for import Juan Velez.

“He’s played at a high level in Spain, where he scored a lot of goals. So we’re hoping to see that contribution from them.”

But if there are questions on offence, it’s the defence where Colistro expects the 2012 edition of the Chill to make their mark.

Anchored by veteran goalie Stephen Paterson of Thunder Bay and defenders Zetroy Robertson and Sicielio Buthelezi, the Chill are a team that might not need a lot of offence to survive.

Robertson, a Jamaican native, said there are a lot of new faces in camp, but he’s excited to take on the challenge of living up to the expectations the Chill have set for themselves, with three Final Four appearances and one PDL championship since 2008.

Robertson, who wintered in Thunder Bay, said having experience in the back end is always a good place to start building for success.

“Coach (Colistro) always says that a good defensive team is a strong team and he always tries to recruit the best defenders. This year he kept most of his strong defenders, so that will be a plus for us this season,” Robertson said.

The offence should be a little more spread out, he added.

“Last year we had Brandon, but we didn’t have enough attacking push. Brandon scored the goals, but this year hopefully we have a good set of strikers coming in who can find the back of the net just like Brandon used to. He found those goals, but he’s not here anymore so we have to work with what we have.”

Working with each other will be the key to any success the Chill experiences this summer, he added.

“It’s just that simple. If we start and we’re not a team at the start, it’s going to be hard for us as we progress during the season.”

One of the newcomers who has little time to adapt is South African Jarryd Phillips, who most recently suited up for the University of Maine-Fort Kent.

The midfielder says it’s clear there are a lot of opportunities with the Chill and said the recruits will have to work hard to fill the void left by the departing players.

He knows the expectations are high.

“Tony actually made the clear to me on the phone,” Phillips said. “He said we’re going for another championship and that’s the bottom line. You can see the seriousness of it, so it’s nothing to joke about it when you get here. Hopefully we can push for another title this year.”

Chill chatter: Intermoia has hung up his cleats, but is still with the team as an assistant … Oliveira is now a financial consultant in Oklahoma … The Chill will play a pair of friendlies next weekend against the Winnipeg Lions on Saturday (7:30 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.). They open the regular season at home on May 25 at home against the WSA Winnipeg.
 
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Hotel a go after OMB appeal dropped

Posted May 11, 2012 by ThunderBayClassifieds.ca in News | No comments yet

A proposed five-storey hotel in Thunder Bay’s Intercity area will go ahead.

Markham-based Easton’s Group of Hotels received approval to build a 142-room Marriott Town Place Suites hotel on land near the Real Canadian Superstore earlier this year. But an appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board from Superstore owner Loblaws Properties West threatened to halt the development, which would also include two restaurants and a retail store.

But as of Friday, Easton CEO Steve Gupta said Loblaw’s has dropped its appeal.

“That situation is resolved hopefully. There will be a couple of minor issues but I’m confident they’ll be resolved. I’m really pleased Loblaws took that stand and have withdrawn their appeal, which is good news for everybody because litigation doesn’t help anyone,” Gupta said.

Gupta said the appeal has delayed the project by three months but construction should now begin within 45 days.

Speculation that a Harvey's would be attached to this development has also ended. 

Thompson Centre's Inc says they've decided to go forward with an A& W restaurant. Negotiations continue for the addition of a sit-down restaurant
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Guilty

Posted May 4, 2012 by ThunderBayClassifieds.ca in News | No comments yet

Bradley Tomeck has been found guilty of robbing a local credit union.

The 22-year-old Thunder Bay man was convicted of armed robbery, wearing a disguise and three firearms offences Friday at the Superior Court of Justice.

The robbery occurred at the credit union on Rosslyn Road and Highway 130 around 10:30 a.m. on Jan. 19, 2011. A masked man entered the bank with a sawed-off shotgun and fled with more than $3,000 in cash.

Two credit union employees both independently thought the robber was Tomeck, as he was a regular customer at that credit union.

The Crown’s case was largely circumstantial with Tomeck’s DNA found on a balaclava that was retrieved in a duffel bag with a sawed-off shotgun in a trailer park near the credit union.

Despite the testimony of Tomeck’s grandfather said he saw the accused outside of his home at the time of the robbery and a neighbour testifying that Tomeck’s truck was in the driveway, Justice John Wright said the circumstantial evidence was far too overwhelming to accept the alibi information.

Wright said he accepts the grandfather and neighbour are decent people and did not willingly mislead the court.

Tomeck’s lawyer Gil Labine said the decision was not unexpected because the case was largely circumstantial and the evidence against Tomeck was somewhat overwhelming.

“There were some holes the Crown had some difficulty with, but by in large I thought Justice Wright’s decision was fair and hit all the key points in the evidence,” he said outside of the courthouse Friday.
Labine said Tomeck is considering whether or not he’ll appeal the decision and his client still professes his innocence.

Other than the testimony of the two credit union employees who said the robber looked like Tomeck, there is no direct evidence that he actually committed the crime.

A sentencing date will be set for Tomeck on May 28.

In this type of case where a firearm is used in a robbery, specifically a restricted firearm, there is a five-year minimum sentence, said Labine.

“We may challenge the constitutional validity of that legislation as it applies to him, but we may not,” he said.

Labine said Tomeck’s age and that he had no prior criminal record should be taken into consideration for sentencing.

“It is odd behaviour if in fact he’s the person that committed this crime,” said Labine, adding that before this his client led an exemplary life in Thunder Bay.

 
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Training Prospective

Posted May 3, 2012 by ThunderBayClassifieds.ca in Sports | No comments yet

When horses get ready to run the most exciting two minutes in sports on Saturday, Thunder Bay’s Claire Powell will be one of very few people allowed near them.

That’s because she’s been helping train Prospective, one of 20 thoroughbreds racing in the 138th annual Kentucky Derby. Holding onto his side, Powell will walk with the horse as more than 50,000 fans hold their breath at Churchill Downs.

“Nobody else really gets that view of the grandstand and all the fans unless you’re walking from the backstretch across the track,” Powell said on the phone from Louisville where a two-week festival is raging before the weekend’s main event.

But as assistant trainer to Mark Casse, Powell has been too busy getting Prospective, who’s running out of the 12 spot, ready for the most important 1 1/4 mile of his three-year-old life to enjoy the festivities. Although the horse has 30-1 odds, Powell said he’s been turning heads at the track.

“We’re going to go off on a long shot but long shots win the Kentucky derby all the time… I know the size of his heart he’s going to run the race of his life on Saturday, I guarantee it,” said Powell who speaks of the horse she’s spent the last year-and-a-half of her life with as if he’s human.

“He looks fantastic. I like the way he's training, and he certainly looks the part (of a champion)."

Powell, who now lives in Florida, started her career in Thunder Bay although she didn’t know it at the time. She spent more than 15 years riding horses just outside of the city before moving to Southern Ontario for university. Although she said her academic career didn’t turn out too well, she lucked her way into a job at Windfields Farm.

The home of Northern Dancer, the most famous and successful sire in horse racing, Powell said she was amazed that people were willing to teach her everything about horses from training them to helping them give birth.

“It’s just crazy that people pay you good money to do what you love,” she said.

Windfields led her to Woodbine Racetrack, where she met her current boss Mark Casse. And that’s how she met Prospective.

Because he’s been running so well with Powell’s help, including two first place finishes in the past year, the crew doesn’t want to change anything in Prospective’s routine before a race. That means she’ll be right beside him on race day. Powell said she’s just happy her boss has the chance to get a horse he’s trained into the most famous of the Triple Crown races.

“The Kentucky derby to a horse trainer who’s done nothing but train horses his entire life is the Stanley Cup. There’s no greater race in the world,” she said.

Powell is also grateful to Prospective himself.

“He’s the one that’s gotten us this far and let us experience the Kentucky Derby on a level where we’re participating and not just spectators.”

So how do you prepare a horse for the biggest race of his life? Powell said the key is to stay calm yourself and pretend it’s just another race. For Prospective, he likes to eat a bit and have a nap before getting his shot of Lasix, which reduces the chance a horse will bleed when running at such high speeds.

“You have to stay calm for the horse. We can’t get nervous or he’ll get nervous,” she said.

The Kentucky Derby runs Saturday at 6:24 p.m.

 
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‘Very disturbing’

Posted April 27, 2012 by ThunderBayClassifieds.ca in News | No comments yet

Four Thunder Bay men have been charged with accessing and possessing child pornography, which police say is only the tip of the iceberg concerning child pornography in the city.

“There is far more going on in this city than the four people just arrested,” said police chief J.P. Levesque at a Thunder Bay Police Service media conference Friday afternoon.

“The numbers are quite significant and frankly, very disturbing,” he said, adding online child exploitation has become so prolific, it’s becoming difficult to stay on top of it with the resources the police have for it.

The arrests are the result of a recent online investigation by the OPP’s child sexual exploitation section and the TBPS’s cyber crime unit.

There is no indication at this time the four individuals are connected, said Levesque.

Story continues after video …

The amount of pictures and videos found in the investigation is significant, said OPP Insp. Scott Naylor, the child sexual exploitation unit manager in Orillia.

However, the exact amount won’t be known until the police finish the forensics on the seized hardware. Police also haven’t identified any victims on the pornography found yet.

All of the arrests were made without incident and all of the search warrants were successful, Naylor said.

“We found exactly what we were looking for,” he said.

The Thunder Bay police are one of 18 municipalities involved in the provincial strategy to tackle child exploitation and abuse; through the strategy, the province funded 56 positions to work on the problem.

However, Naylor said this type of work is labour-intensive and costly.

It’s not a problem the police can arrest their way out of, he said.

“This is a societal problem,” he said. “If we can stop the proliferation of child pornography at the front end where it makes it inaccessible for these like-minded people that do this, it would help us out a lot.”

The OPP conducted a large takedown earlier this year in child pornography, but most of the arrests were in southern Ontario. Naylor said there were some targets in Thunder Bay so they came to help the local police.

“There are people trading child pornography and doing online luring on a daily basis in pretty much every city in Ontario,” he said.

“For us to come up and help out Thunder Bay and acquire four bodies in a short period of time li ke this, we consider this a success for one week.”

But it’s a job police could do 24/7.

“People are trading files on a constant basis,” Naylor said. “We’re bound by the limitations of the resources we have.”

The following people were arrested and charged:

26 year old Allan Wilbur Burkhart- Syndicate Avenue North, Thunder Bay
. Accessing Child Pornography C.C. 163.1 (4.1)
. Possessing Child Pornography (2 Counts) C.C. 163.1 (4)
. Distributing Child Pornography C.C. 163.1 (3)

25 year old Justin David William Chabot – Athabasca Street, Thunder Bay
. Accessing Child Pornography C.C. 163.1 (4.1)
. Possessing Child Pornography (2 Counts) C.C. 163.1 (4)
. Distributing Child Pornography C.C. 163.1 (3)

42 year old George Albert Korkola – Bernard Street, Thunder Bay
. Accessing Child Pornography C.C. 163.1 (4.1)
. Possessing Child Pornography (2 Counts) C.C. 163.1 (4)

19 year old Michael William Brown – Simpson Street, Thunder Bay
. Accessing Child Pornography C.C. 163.1 (4.1)
. Possessing Child Pornography (2 Counts) C.C. 163.1 (4)

On Twitter: @JodiL_reporter

 
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Blues sign Karpowich

Posted April 23, 2012 by ThunderBayClassifieds.ca in Sports | No comments yet

Thunder Bay goalie Paul Karpowich is now a member of the St. Louis Blues organization.

The former Clarkson University goaltender on Friday inked a two-year, two-way contract with the Blues, who are set to take on the Los Angeles Kings in Round 2 of the NHL playoffs.

Originally drafted by the Blues in 2008 in the seventh round, the 6-foot-2 Karopwich compiled a 16-15-2 record with Clarkson in 2012, posting a 2.46 goals against average and a .921 save percentage.

He joined the Blues in St. Louis on Friday.
 
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Still missing

Posted April 20, 2012 by ThunderBayClassifieds.ca in News | No comments yet

Gail Bailey has a hard time walking down the street without seeing her missing son Michael’s face on every corner.

Five years ago, suffering from depression, his marriage recently ended, then 38-year-old Michael Bailey disappeared, last seen headed westward down Broadway Avenue after police asked him to move on from private property on Bowkler Road.

Two weeks prior to that was the last time his family heard from their reclusive brother and son, leaving them to wonder daily what happened to him.

Did his mental illness force him into hiding or has he met a more sinister fate?

“It’s been difficult,” said Gail Bailey on Thursday, a day shy of the fifth anniversary of his disappearance. “Every time you go out you’re constantly looking for him.

“It’s stressful not knowing where he is.”

They’ve looked everywhere, stretching their search as far as Toronto, where someone recently reported seeing Michael Bailey, who is described as being 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, with blond hair, hazel eyes and burn scars on his left arm and ankle.

Lakehead Search and Rescue spent a day several years ago combing the woods surrounding their rural Norkooli Road home, and Rogers Television featured him on a recent documentary. Michael’s face is splashed all over Facebook and has a profile on MissingAdults.ca.

Gail Bailey says she and her husband Norm did everything they could to get their son to deal with his depression before he dropped out of sight.

“He came out here to see us. We walked up and down the road together. We were trying to get him some help. He didn’t want the help and he literally took off and disappeared.”

His parents and sister thought nothing of it, but after a couple of weeks, they began to worry.

“He always called,” Gail recalled, noting once they began their search she spotted wrappers from candy bars she’d given him and assumed he was somewhere in the area.

Sister Patti Pella, whose four children want to get to know their missing uncle, says Michael’s whereabouts are always in the back of her mind, no matter where she is.
“Does he need us? Is he somewhere hurt and he needs help? Is he trying to get home and he just doesn’t know how to get home? You just don’t know.  I feel like he’s out there somewhere and I have hope, because if you don’t have hope, then what do you have?” she said.
Police say they investigated Michael’s disappearance for nearly a year-and-a-half, but have come up empty.

Staff Sgt. Don Lewis of the Thunder Bay Police Service said on April 20, 2007 officers asked Michael to leave the private property where he was camping off Bowkler Road; when he complied, there was little more police could do.

They offered to take him to a shelter, but he refused, and went on his way, the last time anyone knows for certain he was seen.
Lewis said despite the five-year gap, there’s a possibility Michael Bailey is still alive.

“It depends. Michael is a reclusive type of individual and doesn’t enjoy the company of other people,” Lewis said.

Mother Gail has a simple message for her now 43-year-old son.

“If he’s out there watching, we just want him to know we love him very much. We want him to come home. No matter what, we just want him to come home. He has a family here who loves him and wants to know where he is,”
 
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 684-1200 or 623-8477.
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Cyclist struck while riding on Memorial Avenue sidewalk

Posted April 13, 2012 by ThunderBayClassifieds.ca in News | No comments yet

A 40-year-old man was taken to hospital on Thursday night after suffering non life-threatening injuries while riding his bike on Memorial Avenue.

The cyclist was traveling south on the sidewalk adjacent to the busy thoroughfare when he was struck crossing Central Avenue.
He was taken to hospital by ambulance and later released.

Police, who have not indicated whether charges will be laid or not, said in a release their investigation continues.
 
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Wilderness stay alive on home ice

Posted April 13, 2012 by ThunderBayClassifieds.ca in Sports | No comments yet

Andrew Anderson, Shane Topf and Jeremy Johnson each scored Saturday night, helping the Wisconsin Wilderness stave off elimination from the SIJHL playoffs.

The Wilderness, the top squad during the regular season, trail the best-of-seven series three games to two, following the 3-1 win over the Fort Frances Lakers.

Connor Hady had the lone goal for the Lakers. Game 6 is scheduled for Monday night in Fort Frances.
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Mauro demoted

Posted April 6, 2012 by ThunderBayClassifieds.ca in News | No comments yet

Thunder Bay Police Service officer Jim Mauro has been demoted from sergeant to first-class constable.

The demotion will last for a year, and once that 12-month period is over Mauro will be reinstated as a sergeant with the force.

However, during that year, he cannot take on any acting-sergeant role.

Mauro was found guilty of discreditable conduct under the Police Services Act on March 16.

Mauro was found guilty of having forwarded a letter to the Police Services Board that he claimed was written by Keith Hobbs, who at the time was the president of the Thunder Bay Police Association.

Story continues after video …

The letter was an appeal by Hobbs, a former police association president, to allow Mauro to apply for promotions while serving a previous suspension.

However, adjudicator Morris Elbers said the evidence showed Hobbs was not the author of the letter, but was written by Mauro to further his own cause. 

Elbers gave his decision in the case Thursday at the Valhalla Inn.

Neither Mauro nor a representative on his behalf showed up to hear the decision.

Thunder Bay Police Service’s deputy chief Andy Hay said he respects the decision in the case and believes the adjudicator took all the circumstances into consideration.

Hay also said the demotion is a substantial penalty. As a constable, Mauro’s duties include routine policing duties but not in a supervisory capacity.

The costs for the hearing over the two years since Mauro was suspended are about $75,000, Hay said. That includes the hearing officer, the prosecutor and incidental costs related to holding the hearings.

It doesn’t include the wages Mauro received while suspended. He has been suspended with pay since March 26, 2010.

While it is expensive, Hay said it is a necessary cost.

“The integrity of our officers and the police service is very important; it’s paramount,” he said. “Going through this process is expensive, but it’s a process we cannot afford to not take. We have to hold our officers accountable.”

The case has also damaged the reputation of the Thunder Bay Police Service and Hay said it will take time to repair.

“It’s unfortunate that one incident can impact the integrity or the public perception of our police service,” he said, adding it’s important to remember there are still more than 200 officers on the force acting with the highest level of honestly and professionalism.

Hay said there is the potential for a disciplinary action against Mauro for not appearing at the hearing, but it is too soon to tell whether that will happen. 

 
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Scherban’s back

Posted April 3, 2012 by ThunderBayClassifieds.ca in Sports | No comments yet

Joel Scherban says his plans for the Lakehead Thunderwolves remain the same as they’ve always been – winning a national championship.

He’ll have another three years to try.

Scherban, who took over the Wolves coaching reins in 2009, on Monday signed a three-year contract extension, ensuring he’ll be back behind the bench and hoping for a return to the national championship tournament for the first time his inaugural season.

“For me, I’ve been building toward this all along under the assumption that I’d continue on as coach. I think we have a great core of players coming back. I think we have a good mixture of some younger guys and some older guys,” said Scherban, who guided his team to a 19-9-0 record in OUA play before bowing out in the second round of the playoffs to the Windsor Lancers.

“We were young last year. We had two fifth-year and two fourth-year players. We only have two fifth-year players this upcoming season and we have 11 players who were rookies last year who are moving into their second year and we expect them to be a lot more comfortable.”

A former Thunderwolves captain, Scherban took over as coach with no experience behind the bench at any level of hockey.

His critics have suggested he wasn’t ready for coaching at the OUA level, many calling for his dismissal, despite a 54-25-5 record.
It was his playoff performance that had some fans up in arms. After winning his way to the Cavendish Cup in 2010, the Wolves were swept out of the playoffs in 2011 by Waterloo and most recently couldn’t get past an upstart Windsor squad and goalie Parker Van Buskirk.

Scherban said he does his best to tune out the negativity, whether aimed at him or his players, but it’s not always possible.
“It’s hard to avoid it. Everyone’s entitled to their opinion, but a lot of opinions that you hear when you’re not around the team daily, they don’t understand what our athletes go through,” Scherban said.

“It’s tough for me seeing people criticize our players or the effort they make, or they say they had a bad game. But they don’t know if they had a tough day at school, or if they failed an exam or they’re having relationship problems or anything like that. It bothers me more to hear people criticize our players.”

Scherban, who said he’s yet to meet with his coaching staff to discuss commitments for next year, nonetheless said he’d be happy if everyone returned.

He also said the first three years coaching the Wolves has been a learning experience, something he intends to draw on going forward.

“I think you have to trust your gut and I think sometimes you over-think things and you second-guess a little bit,” he said. “And you have to trust … the initial decisions that you make or the first thing that comes to your mind.

“You’re probably better off going with that. The big thing is you’re managing people.”

That makes hockey no different than any other supervisory job, he added.

“You learn how to deal with different personalities and how to motivate different people and how to encourage and support them.”
He admitted it hasn’t always been smooth sailing at times. Several Wolves had to be disciplined last fall for breaking team rules, while top-scoring forward Matt Caria was suspended twice during the course of the season for team and league violations.
Scherban said those problems are in the past.

“I thought our players’ chemistry was great. They get along really well and they work hard together. When you look back at last season we see it as a success. Obviously we would have liked to have gone further in the playoffs, but we were two wins away from going to the national championship. We were 19-3 against OUA teams other than McGill and Western.

“What that showed us is we weren’t elite, we weren’t quite at McGill and Western’s level, but we were close and we think we’ll get there next season.”

Tom Warden, Lakehead’s athletic director, said it was an easy decision to bring Scherban back.

“I’m excited that Joel will be here to continue to build on the strong foundation that he has developed so far,” Warden said in a release.  “He’s the right guy to lead us to a championship."

Claw marks : Scherban said it will be about a month before any recruiting announcements are made … McGill forward Maxime Langelier-Parent has signed a two-year deal with the American Hockey League’s Norfolk Admirals.
 
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Ticket validated

Posted March 30, 2012 by ThunderBayClassifieds.ca in News | No comments yet

Someone has stepped forward to claim the winning ticket from last Friday’s $50-million Lotto Max draw, but Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation officials are saying little more.

“The ticket has been validated,” said OLG spokeswoman Dita Kuhtey, reached by phone on Thursday afternoon.

“That means the ticketholder knows they hold the $50-million ticket. And at this point we can’t reveal any more information. Our prize centre is just in touch with the ticketholder right now to arrange for them to come into the prize centre in Toronto to start the claims process.”

Only once the winning ticketholder has been vetted and the win confirmed can they release the winner’s name, she added.
At this point they can’t even reveal the Thunder Bay store the ticket was sold at.

“No, that’s all part of the review process, so we can’t reveal any details.”

Kuhtey said OLG officials have no idea when the claimant or claimants will make their way to Toronto to continue the process.

“We would think it would be soon, in the next couple of days,” she said. “Maybe (it will be) tomorrow, or maybe early next week.”
A media advisory will be sent out about two to three hours in advance of any planned press conference to announce the winner.
 
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Thunder Bay’s Nathan Gunn Signs with Bellator

Posted March 23, 2012 by ThunderBayClassifieds.ca in News, Sports, Thunder Bay News | No comments yet

Thunder Bay’s Nathan “Gunner” Gunn  has just been signed with the big fight promotion Bellator and looks to debut with the promotion come May 4th in Rama, Ontario. Nathan is currently coming off two wins, one in which made him the Wreck Welterweight champion in a decisive 5 round battle in which Gunn beat Nabil Khatib.

It also appears Nathan’s teamate Matt Veal from the Leading Edge gym will also be fighting on the same card, another up and coming Thunder Bay fighter coming off a recent win. The card in Rama looks great as so far other fellow Canadians Ryan Ford and Cory MacDonald are also scheduled to fight. Currently Mr. Gunn does not have an opponent but I am pretty sure whoever it may be they can expect a battle!

Related Links

Nathan Gun Sherdog Profile

Leading Edge Gym

Showing support

Posted March 23, 2012 by ThunderBayClassifieds.ca in News | No comments yet

Lady Antebellum and Motley Crue are on tour this summer, but there’s no way they’ll be stopping in Thunder Bay.

But, says Bob Halvorsen, if the city had its proposed events centre in place, both big-name acts might consider the city for a one-night musical stand.

Halvorsen, the general manager of the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium, on Thursday announced the facility’s board of directors are fully behind the city’s effort to build an events centre, estimated to seat between 6,000 and 6,500 spectators for hockey, more for concerts.

“We’ve been getting a number of calls from our patrons,” Halvorsen said, explaining why he decided to make the Auditorium’s stand a public one.

“People wanted to know where we stood on an events centre and whether or not it would have an effect on us.”

The short answer, he said, is no, it shouldn’t affect business at the 26-year-old Auditorium, which averages about 140 programming dates a year and costs city taxpayers about $650,000 in annual subsidies.

Halvorsen said an events centre doesn’t necessarily have to be a competitor with the Auditorium, and in fact can work synergistically with the 1,500-seat complex.

“Obviously there are a number of shows that the Auditorium just cannot do because of the physical number of seats we have. And as you know, the Auditorium does present a lot of events outside of these four walls,” he said.

“The Blues Festival is probably the one that most people are familiar with, but we also do Summer in the Parks, Canada Day and our tech crew does a lot of shows, in fact most of the shows, at Fort William Gardens.”

While the aging, 61-year-old Gardens does have an estimated two-decade lifespan left, Halvorsen said major touring acts often see it as a relic and it’s not on many agents’ touring maps.

“There are a number of acts that probably go right past Thunder Bay. I see them going past Thunder Bay. I’m very familiar with a lot of the agents that handle these people and nothing against the Gardens, however the ceiling heights and the technology that’s available in there for acoustics and such, a lot of these acts may be choosing to just pass Thunder Bay.

“Obviously a new events centre is going to have some sort of ambience that’s going to attract these people.”

Halvorsen said they’d leap at any opportunity to present shows at the new events centre, expected to cost $80 million to $100 million to build, with an annual operating deficit of about $900,000.

The city is expected to see a report indicating a location preference for the facility, which city manager Tim Commisso has repeatedly said won’t be built without support from both the federal and provincial government.

Premier Dalton McGuinty last month said he’d listen to a proposal should the city present one, while the Ottawa, who denied the city money to build during the first stage of the P3 funding process, has encouraged Thunder Bay to reapply using the convention centre portion of the project to attract federal dollars.

Commisso said he welcomes the support and potential partnership.

"Their media release today in my view makes the TBCA board's position clear to the public," Commisso said, reached via email.   "The Community Auditorim is a wonderful  asset for the city and if  the project moves forward, I think it would be great to see the TBCA directly involved in some way with the new event centre." 

 
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Police nab 25 speeders in second Oliver Road blitz

Posted March 16, 2012 by ThunderBayClassifieds.ca in News | No comments yet

A second straight day of traffic enforcement on Oliver Road has netted police even more fines than the initial Tuesday blitz.

Thunder Bay Police say they ticketed 25 drivers on Wednesday, each of whom was traveling past the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre at more than 20 kilometres an hour above the posted 50-kilometre-per-hour speed limit.

In release, police officials called the news shocking, given the high publicity the first blitz received in the local media.

Police say they are “determined to change the habits of drivers who continually surpass the posted limits. Investigations have shown that speed is the major factor in collisions that determines the seriousness of the injuries and damages."

Initiatives such as radar enforcement in construction zones, community safety zones and school zones will continue as they are an essential part of policing to ensure that the citizens of Thunder Bay are safe, the release went on to say.
 
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Still stings

Posted March 13, 2012 by ThunderBayClassifieds.ca in Sports | No comments yet

Looking back at an OUA hockey season that started with promise, but fizzled to an abrupt second-round playoff halt, Andrew Wilkins says it still stings.

But rather than get down on themselves, the Lakehead Thunderwolves assistant captain said he considers it a lesson learned, something to grow from moving forward.

"We're just going to use it as motivation for a strong summer and for next year," he said recently, after being named the hockey team's athlete of the month for March, a six-point playoff run the key reasoning behind the call.

The Wolves were 16-3 at one point before stumbling down the stretch to finish 19-9, a period that included four straight losses to Western and an upset loss at the hands of the Ontario Institute of Technology Ridgebacks.

They struggled through the opening round of the playoffs, losing the best-of-three opener on the road before storming back to capture the series in a decisive third game.

LU took its first match against Windsor in Round 2 and appeared headed for another clash with Western, but fate and Parker Van Buskirk, the Lancers goalie, got in the way, derailing their trek to a possible sixth national championship berth.

Though not the only reason for their stumble, the Wolves struggled with on- and off-ice disciplinary issues all season long.
Forward Matt Caria was suspended three times in 2011-12, twice for disciplinary reasons and once for hurling a racial slur at a Western opponent.

All-star defenceman Mike Quesnele was handed a three-game suspension after a kicking incident in Game 1 of the Windsor series and came just three penalty minutes shy of setting a new Thunderwolves single-season record, coming up just short of Sean Stefanski's 2004-05 mark of 144. Caria finished with 16 PIM, while Jake Carrick also topped the century mark with 126.

Wilkins, who benefited with all the shorthanded time, scoring five times while the Wolves were down a man or more, nonetheless said the team has to take a different approach when next season rolls around.

"Absolutely, I completely agree," Wilkins said. "As a captain I hold myself completely responsible for that. Obviously all of our hearts were in the right place, but in the heat of the moment sometimes that happens.

"You've just got to use that as experience for upcoming years and whatever you do, you just can't get rattled like that, myself included. You've just got to stay away from it because in the end it was vital in the outcome of (the Windsor) series."

Coach Joel Scherban preferred the half- glass-full option when asked about his third season behind the Thunderwolves bench.
He impressed with the recruiting class – 11 first-year players made the opening-night roster – but understands with that many rookie, growing pains are bound to work their way to the top at some point.

But they're the building blocks of the program for the next few years, he added.

"Our regular season, I thought we probably exceeded expectations a little bit. You look at our losses and six of them were against Western and McGill, and other than that, we beat the teams we should have beaten," said Scherban, acknowledging the Queen's Cup finalists, both of whom will represent the OUA later this month, along with UQTR, at the University Cup in Fredericton.

"Obviously losing to Windsor leaves a little bit of a sour taste in our mouths. We would have loved to win that series. But I think when you look across the CIS at the parity in every conference now, it's tough to win, no matter who you're playing. I thought the OUA West was deep one through eight this year."

The Wolves only lose Mitch Maunu and Devin Welsh from this year's roster, adding James DeLory who red-shirted this season.
Scherban said he still plans to heavily recruit, despite having eight defencemen, 13 forwards and all three goaltenders indicating they'll be back in the fall.

"It's kind of a unique situation for us this year, where we're not looking to fill holes so much, we're looking to improve and upgrade. There's not one specific skill set or position that we have to go after," Scherban said.

"We're just looking for the best players we can find that can come in and make our team better."

 
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City reveals 100K club

Posted March 9, 2012 by ThunderBayClassifieds.ca in News | No comments yet

The number of Thunder Bay Fire and Rescue officials making more than $100,000 has jumped by more than 100 people, something the city’s manager is calling an anomaly.

The City of Thunder Bay released its portion of the provincial Sunshine List, also known as the Ontario Public Sector Salary Disclosure list, Thursday afternoon. The city made the decision to release the document before the March 31 deadline after learning that an internal copy had already been leaked to local media.

In 2011, 148 members of the fire department made the list or public sector workers making more than $100,000, a significant increase from the 30 that made the list in 2010.

City manager Tim Commisso said the increase is because of retroactive payments from an arbitration hearing that went back to 2003.

“It’s really just a function of the fact there was a significant back pay,” he said during an interview with tbnewswatch.com Thursday afternoon.

“As people move ahead in their salary grid, they get on the list and we expect that but I expect next year the list will be down significantly.”

The total number of city workers on the sunshine list is 244, up from 115 last year.

Thunder Bay Police Service added 13 more people to the list this year.

The list was supposed to be released on March 31 with all other public sectors in the province, but Commisso said he received a call from a media outlet Thursday inquiring about the city salaries.

He said while the leak is concerning, the information isn’t confidential and was going to be released to the public in a few weeks time.

“It really isn’t a confidential list but it’s intended to go to the province and then they distribute the list on March 31 when it’s with every other public sector organization,” said Commisso.

“It’s something I’ll follow up on.”

Some members of council now hope to find out who was responsible for the media leak.

In an email sent to the city’s communication department, which also went out to the city’s external media contact list, Coun. Aldo Ruberto questioned whether the city could learn more about who may have provided the information to media.

“Can we not trace the e-mails to find out who leaked the information?” Aldo asks in his message

Both Coun. Ken Boshcoff and Mayor Keith Hobbs later replied to Coun. Ruberto’s message to indicate that they both were looking for answers about the leak too.

”I asked this question too, Aldo,” Mayor Hobbs replied via email. “I would like to know as well.”

 
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