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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Cats coming back

Posted August 12, 2011 by ThunderBayClassifieds.ca in Sports | No comments yet

The boys of summer will return next year. Thunder Bay Border Cats president and general manager Brad Jorgenson told tbnewswatch.com that his team will be back in 2012 and that the organization has already started selling season tickets. Jorgenson said he and manager Mike Steed were not happy with the team’s record, which was a more respectable 16-16 in the second half with three games left in the season. But that doesn’t reflect the team’s efforts throughout 2011. “Neither one of us is happy with it and we feel we have a lot of unfinished business here,” Jorgenson said. “They did the absolute best they can and that’s all you can ask from the players you’ve got.” Off the field, Jorgenson said overall attendance was up 15 per cent this year, which still gives the team the second worst average attendance record in the Northwoods League with 771. A lot of that though may have been because of a cold June. “Certainly there were some nights here where I questioned why anyone was here,” he said with a laugh. “It was cold and it was brutal, yet there were still die-hard fans here.” No amount of promotion will get people in the seats when the weather doesn’t cooperate. “That’s the most frustrating thing about this business is when (the weather is really bad) it doesn’t really matter what you’re promoting,” he said. “You can have some really good promotions that you’ve put a lot of money towards and it’s gone. There’s nothing you can do about that.” But Jorgenson points to Wednesday night’s game where there were more than 1,000 people at the Port Arthur Stadium as a mark for what the city is capable of. When more people show up, that means more money for the team to be put back into enhancing the stadium. The organization is looking at ways to get people out, from “pie in the sky” ideas like a home plate VIP section, to plans already in the works like an approved Toronto Blue Jays program that could see a batting cage near right field that would help Border Cats and be open to the public. All of those ideas would need city approval before going ahead. “We got a lot of things about in the air that we think about doing,” he said. Steed said while he’s disappointed with the team’s record, every player gave it their best all season long. “There wasn’t a game that I can remember all season that they came out and just kind of mailed it in,” Steed said before the Border Cats’ second last home game of the season Thursday. Defensively the team was strong, the hitting was solid but the bullpen blew up mid-way through the season, giving up at least a dozen saves. That was probably the turning point in the season, he said. “Our bullpen kind of fell down a little bit and we lost some games late,” Steed said. “I think that was the difference.” Rounding out the bullpen will be key to a winning season for the Border Cats next year, Steed said. But the manager still hasn’t confirmed whether he will be part of that team. “I haven’t made that decision yet. I’ll have that conversation with Brad Jorgenson,” Steed said. “And make my decision here in the next couple of weeks.” Jorgenson said he wants to see Steed back in the dugout. “I would love to have Mike Steed back again,” Jorgenson said. “As far as an individual I don’t know anyone else I’d rather have.” A highlight for Steed was watching Cullen Mahoney mature into the best hitter in the league. The junior from Arizona’s South Mountain College is finishing up his season with a .337 average. He’s hit 27 RBIs and four home runs for the team. Mahoney, along with pitchers Brad Delatte and John Straka, played in this year’s Northwoods All Star game. “Any time you get multiple guys in an all-star game it says a lot about your club and those kids personally,” Steed said. The Border Cats play their final home game Friday night at Port Arthur Stadium against the Wilmar Stingers. The Cats, already leading 2-0, will be looking to sweep the series. The game time is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.     View full post on Tbnewswatch.com – Sports

Back to normal

Posted April 4, 2011 by ThunderBayClassifieds.ca in News | No comments yet

Last year’s warmer weather spoiled Thunder Bay residents so an April snowfall isn’t out of the ordinary, says the City of Thunder Bay’s manager of roads. A snowfall of about five centimetres blanketed the city on Sunday and continued on Monday. The recent spring-like temperatures changed quickly back to winter-like conditions but roads manager Brad Adams said that was expected. Traditionally, Thunder Bay receives a snowfall right around the end of March and beginning of April. Last year’s milder weather was abnormal but an April snowfall is far more common for the city, he said. Adams didn’t know offhand how the recent snowfall would affect the operating budget but the city was prepared for it. “We were definitely (spoiled) last year, we were sweeping at this time of year,” Adams said. “We had a very early spring and a mild winter so we were kind of spoiled. It’s a normal winter this year compared to last year.” The mild winter gave the city some leftover money that went into the winter reserve fund, he said. The city budgeted $3.5 million for snowploughing, which includes sidewalks and roads. Adams said this year’s budget is less than last year because they would rely more on the reserve funds. But the snow isn’t expected to last long. Geoff Coulson, meteorologist with Environment Canada, said Thunder Bay’s weather will soon change to rain for a few hours before the clouds clear completely. There’s soon to be a silver lining with temperatures expected to rise into the double digits over the weekend, he said. Snow to rain isn’t out of the ordinary for the city as this time of the year is a transition period for Northwestern Ontario, he said. “We often see these combination events… at this time of year when we see that kind of battle of the two different types of air masses,” Coulson said. “The normal high for this time of year is about 7 C. But we haven’t closed the book on winter just yet. There’s the possibility later on in the month to see that arctic air coming down and maybe giving us a mix of rain and snow type events.” But for the next seven to eight days, residents should expect a break from the cold with plenty of sunshine, he added.
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Back on track

Posted January 22, 2011 by ThunderBayClassifieds.ca in Sports | 1 comment

The Brock Badgers are pesky, just not pesky enough to tame the Lakehead Thunderwolves. At least they weren’t on this night, anyway. Adam Sergerie and Ryan Magill scored two minutes apart in the opening minutes of the third period, putting a one-goal game out of reach, as the Wolves snapped a two-game losing streak with a 5-2 win at Fort William Gardens Friday night. Sergerie, who netted his ninth of the season two minutes into the third to extend his career high, said it’s easy to take a team like the Badgers for granted, and just as easy to get burned by doing so. The Wolves found that out the hard way in the early going and trailed 1-0, on a Kevin Christmas marker, for an entire period of play before Brock McPherson knotted the score on a pass from Sergerie at 4:37 of the second. “Brock plays a disciplined system. They sit back, they wait for you to make mistakes. I was fortunate to catch them on a line break, a change and I put it in. But you’ve got to stay very disciplined and wait for your chances against Brock. We were very fortunate to get a few in the third,” Sergerie said. “We came out to a slow start and we battled through it. The end result is all that matters right now.” It was par for the course for the Badgers this year, said Thunder Bay native Murray Nystrom, back at the helm of a team that’s struggled to stay above .500 in 2010-11. “It’s our team this year. We’re a little immature in terms of our play at times. We have a pretty young roster. One of the things we tried to emphasize today to the guys is that Lakehead is a good enough team that they’re going to generate turnovers and get possession of the puck just through their ability and good team play,” he said. “We needed to really limit the number of times we handed the puck over to them. I thought we did it too often and it came back to bite us big time in that short span.” Spreading the offense around was a good test for the Wolves, who will be without the slumping Matt Caria (pointless in three, goalless in four) and defenceman Jordan Smith for at least the next five games. The two leave Saturday to join Team Canada and a road trip of a lifetime to the World University Games in Erzurum, Turkey, starting Jan. 27. Newcomer Jadran Beljo, who earned his first point in a Thunderwolves uniform on Sergerie’s goal, looked ready to fill some of Caria’s role, despite going 0-for-2 on breakaways against Brock starter Kurt Jory. Sergerie’s more than willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. “He’s had a year off of hockey, so he’s just getting back into it. You can see he’s going to be a great player. He had two breakaways in the second period. Unfortunately he didn’t finish, but you know they’re going to come. We expect a lot out of him,” Sergerie said. “The more games he gets, the more comfortable he’s going to get and we’re going to see more results out of him.” One guy might not be enough to replace Caria, who tops the team with 33 points in 21 games. “It’s going to have to be done by committee. We’re going to have to work hard,” the third-year Sergerie said. For Smith, finding that winning feeling again was the key to the night. “You never want to lose three in a row,” he said. “We just paid attention to detail a little more and worked a little harder. We played well down in Western, just not well enough to win.” LU coach Joel Scherban said there were still too many odd-man rushes against on Friday night, and early turnovers could have cost them, but didn’t. He’d like to see that cleaned up a little more in Saturday’s rematch. “But it was definitely a step in the right direction tonight,” he said. Ryan McDonald gave Lakehead its first lead of the night at 16:32 of the second, undressing Jory, who sat out all of last season and most of 2008-09 after nearly losing his life when his jugular vein was severed in a game against Windsor on Nov. 29, 2008. Sergerie and Magill scored rapid fire goals to make it 4-1. Jordan Gignac cut the LU lead to two on the power play with 7:21 to play in regulation, but Brennan Menard ended it with an empty netter in the final minute of play, his sixth of the year. Claw marks : Scherban said he’s had some discussions with Sarnia Sting forward Kale Karbashian, but said he expects the sixth-leading scorer in the OHL to seek a professional contract for 2011-12 and highly doubts he’ll be seen anywhere in the CIS next season … Kris Hogg (knee) expects to attempt to skate with the Wolves next week, but won’t know if he can go next weekend until later in the week … Without Hogg, and barring any further injuries, the Wolves will dress 19 players against Guelph on the road next weekend, one short of the league maximum. First period Scoring : 1. Brock, Christmas 1 (Geldart, Pell) 3:59. Penalties: Tolles BRO (holding) 4:35, Miller BRO (holding) 19:47. Second period Scoring : 2. Lakehead, McPherson 11 (Sergerie, Maunu) 4:37. 3. Lakehead, Mcdonald 13 (Quesnele) 16:32 pp. Penalties : Allen BRO (hooking) 6:42, Welsh LAK (high sticking) 13:53, Smeltzer (high sticking) 15:58, Beljo LAK (tripping) 17:17. Third period Scoring : 4. Lakehead, Sergerie 9 (Beljo) 1:53. 5, Lakehead, Magill 2 (Anilane) 3:48. 6. Brock, Gignac 8 (Smeltzer, Brochu) 12:39 pp . 7. Lakehead, Menard 6 (Wilkins, Dupuis) 19:16 en. Penalties : Beljo LAK (slashing) 12:13. Game Data – SOG – Brock 3-8-5-16, Lakehead 9-9-7-25; Power plays (goals-chances) – Brock (1-3) Lakehead (1-4); Goaltenders – Brock: Kurt Jory (20 shots, 16 saves), Jordan Bent (16:12, third), Lakehead: Alex Dupuis; A : 2,534. View full post on Tbnewswatch.com – Sports

Back to basics

Posted January 9, 2011 by ThunderBayClassifieds.ca in News | 1 comment

City councillors say Thunder Bay’s new Strategic Plan should focus more on the city’s basic needs instead of big budgeted projects. Council plans to discuss the city’s Strategic Plan in the upcoming meeting on Monday night. McKellar Coun. Paul Pugh, the only new face on council, said he wanted to move away from big budgeted projects and to look at issues such as road repairs and maintaining city services. “I’m mostly concerned about focusing on the basics,” Pugh said on Saturday. “It seems to be that in the last term there was a lot of emphasis on big projects. There were some big glitzy projects, some of them are necessary, but I would prefer more emphasis on what you would call bread and butter issues.” He added poverty, substance abuse, economic diversification and job creation should also be a main focus for the plan. Neebing Coun. Linda Rydholm agreed that council should take a closer look at what the city considers basic needs. She added she wasn’t happy with how the strategic plan had gone so far and would have preferred the money from both the federal and provincial governments for the waterfront development to have gone towards other projects. “I want to see more money in roads,” Rydholm said. “You might not think it is important but guess what it is to people. We have not increase the money the way it should be so we will see what happens.” She added another area for improvement would be the city’s waterline. She said some residents have lines that are leaking lead and that needs to change. Current River Coun. Andrew Foulds said he the plan should focus more on economic development and try to provide Thunder Bay with better employment opportunities. “The number one issue facing Thunder Bay is economic development,” Foulds said. “I think our Strategic Plan has to be very strong in that area. It can’t just be about jobs, it has to be good paying jobs. I think we have done a good job in diversifying in the knowledge and resource based sectors.” Foulds said the biggest strength of Thunder Bay is its resiliency and council is doing well in moving the city forward. He added he would have also like to see a strategy to deal with youth related issues. View full post on Tbnewswatch.com – News

Look Back: Dec. 2010

Posted December 31, 2010 by ThunderBayClassifieds.ca in News | 1 comment

1 Transit City in limbo Toronto Mayor Rob Ford said he would like to stop Transit City, a project that includes an $8.15 billion light-rail network that utilizes mostly funds from Queen’s Park, and move forward with his subway plans instead. Bombardier spokesman Marc Laforge said the company will continue working on the light-rail vehicles until it is told officially by its client to stop. The company was awarded a $1.2 billion contract to manufacture 182 light-rail vehicles for the TTC, which amounts to an estimated average of 250 jobs for the Thunder Bay plant over 10 years. While many local politicians said they weren’t worried about the future of the project and that Ford is only one vote on Toronto’s city council, MPP Bill Mauro (Lib., Thunder Bay-Atikokan) said he was definitely concerned about how the scrapping of the contract could affect Thunder Bay.     2 Fatal hit-and-run Police charged 25-year-old Christian Emhir Hernandez with two counts of impaired driving and one of failing to remain at the scene of an accident on Dec. 19. Richard Garson Carmichael, 45, was pronounced dead at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre after he was struck by a vehicle, allegedly driven by Hernandez, in the 100 block of High Street North in the city’s north end. It has been reported that Hernandez’s girlfriend was following him at the time and called police to turn him in.     3 Tragedy in Murillo A Murillo couple was found dead in their home on Dec. 12 following what police describe as a murder suicide. At about 1 p.m. Sunday the Thunder Bay Police Service Emergency Task Unit discovered the bodies of 69-year-old Joseph Lavoie and his wife, 69-year-old Antoinette Lavoie, in the couple’s home on Oliver Road. The couple had a history of domestic violence, police confirmed. The local police force has been met with criticism for their handling of a previous domestic case involving that same couple. Officials with the Faye Peterson Transition House said Mr. Lavoie was charged with aggravated assault causing bodily harm following an incident in the home back in August. They say Lavoie was then released from custody, which goes against provincial domestic violence protocols. Police confirmed that they will conduct a review of the incident, but officials said they could not provide comment until that review is complete.       4 Waterfront gets extension With a large portion of the Prince Arthur’s Landing project tied to landscaping, city manager Tim Commisso was relieved when Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced a seven-month extension for projects fueled by the economic-stimulus plan on Dec. 2. Harper said 90 per cent of stimulus-funded projects would still be finished by the original deadline of March 31, but the extension was to help a small number of projects impacted by weather or “Murphy’s Law.” Parliamentary budget officer Kevin Page said in a report that more than $300 million might not be spent on stimulus projects if the spring deadline held firm.     5 New council sworn in Thunder Bay’s new mayor and council were officially sworn into office Dec. 6. The event included a smudging ceremony, greetings from former mayors and the Oath of Allegiance. While it is the first official night of the new council, Mayor Keith Hobbs had already been on the job for several days. Also sworn in were former mayor Ken Boshcoff as a councillor at-large and newcomer Paul Pugh in the McKellar ward seat.     6 Tuchenhagen will appeal Former McKellar Ward Coun. Robert Tuchenhagen announced on Dec. 10 that he would appeal a ruling that he contravened the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act. He had been fighting allegations of conflict of interest which stems from a vacant city-owned building that was purchased by Tuchenhagen in 2008. As part of the decision, Tuchenhagen has now been disqualified from being a member of city council for a period of four years starting Dec. 8.     7 Studying a curfew Council approved a feasibility study for a curfew for the city’s youth, how it could be implemented, its legality and what impact it would have on the city’s police services. Couns. Andrew Foulds and Iain Angus were the only two votes against the report. Foulds stated it was age discrimination and the curfew would have little impact on crime prevention.      8 Solar plans Toronto-based company SkyPower announced Dec. 14 their plans for an 8.5 megawatt solar park to be built on Thunder Bay International Airport Authority lands. The project is expected to create 100 direct jobs during construction and will produce enough energy to power 1,000 homes after its first year of operation and 15,000 homes after 20 years. A SkyPower official said it will also offset about 7,500 metric tons of carbon from the air per year.    9 City covers waterfront overruns City council approved to cover $1.4 million in cost overruns to complete a portion of the waterfront development project Dec. 20. The funds don’t include an estimated $35,000 monthly expense for site security and safety, which to date has totaled $319,000, a number expected to grow as high as $675,000 by project’s end. City manager Tim Commisso said the added costs will force the city to look at possible cuts to the original design for phase one of Prince Arthur’s Landing, originally estimated to cost $47.5 million. The present estimate is $49.3 million. The original $1.4 million became necessary because of more than 45 changes and upgrades made to the civil works contract, which includes the electrical, sewer, water and storm water systems.     10 Pharmacy robbed Janzen’s Pharmacy’s recently opened Westfort location is robbed by a man wielding a knife and a bloody syringe. The suspect fled with an undisclosed amount of OxyContin and morphine. Despite police saying prescription narcotic use is on the rise in the city, Janzen’s owner Brenda Adams said they would continue to carry the drugs, stating it’s necessary to maintain their level of patient care. Other than the odd shoplifter, Adams said the Dec. 28 incident was the first robbery the pharmacy has seen in it’s more than 90-year history.     View full post on Tbnewswatch.com – News

Look back: Sept. 2010

Posted December 28, 2010 by ThunderBayClassifieds.ca in News | 1 comment

1 homicide investigations
City police were kept busy as they investigated three homicide cases in as many weeks. Two Thunder Bay women were charged with first-degree murder on Sept. 3 after the body of Verna Patricia Sturgeon, 30, was found in a room at Travelodge Airlane Hotel. Thunder Bay Police Service officers charged Joanne Vivier, 33, and Michelle Morris, 28. Patrick Kanate, 19 was charged with second-degree murder in the Sept.14 stabbing death of Keegan Williams, 25, on High Street. Two teens, aged 14 and 15, were charged with second-degree murder following the beating death of a 16-year-old Sachigo Lake girl whose body was found in the woods near County Park. 2 Harper comes to town Prime Minister Stephen Harper came to town for a series of photo ops, a party rally and the first anniversary of Canada’s Economic Action Plan. The Conservative Party leader said he had assurances that construction at Marina Park is on schedule, on budget and shouldn’t miss the March 31, 2011 deadline. 3 Former mayor runs at-large Former mayor Ken Boshcoff filed for the at-large race in the October municipal election. The 61-year-old spent 17 years on council, six as mayor and holds the Liberal nomination in the federal Thunder Bay-Rainy River riding; a seat he’s also held previously. Boshcoff won the at-large seat. 4 Hydro facility opens Thunder Bay Hydro opened its $9.6 million Mapleward Renewable Generating Station. The station will remove 263 million cubic feet of methane gas from the environment and use it to produce enough power to light 3,000 homes annually in Thunder Bay. The investment could net the city a total of $15 million over the course of a 20-year contract with the Ontario Power Authority. 5 Power calls it quits A Northwestern Ontario political icon called it a day. Greenstone mayor Michael Power announced he wouldn’t seek another term in the municipal election. Power, 68, cited his wife’s ailing health and the need for new blood at the top as the community morphs from a primarily forestry-based economy into one dominated by the mining sector. 6 Multiplex poll While not scientific, the city said its initial questionnaire shows that Thunder Bay is generally in favour of a proposed $60 million multiplex arena. The city took responses from 460 people over a two-month period. Eighty-three per cent of those who participated in the poll made supportive comments about the project either explicitly or implicitly, the city said. 7 Bearskin purchase A Winnipeg-based company signed a $32.5 million letter of intent to purchase Bearskin Airlines. The current owners of the airline said a purchase by Exchange Income Corporation would allow the company to progress and grow while having a minimal impact on operations. 8 Waterfront sneak peak The city gave the public its first look at the two 51-unit condominiums for the waterfront. At $300 a square foot, developers say the units will cost between $330,000 and $600,000 a unit when they hit the market. The condominiums, which overlook Lake Superior, will range from 1,100 to 2,000 square feet. Construction on the buildings won’t begin until a hotel deal is signed and 50 per cent of the units are sold. 9 Candidates step forward There were 50 candidates running for municipal office after nominations for the Oct. 25 election closed Sept. 10. Six people were running for the mayor’s chair while 19 entered the at-large race. McIntyre and Neebing Wards had five candidates each while McKellar, Northwood and Westfort Wards had three. The Red River Wards was a four person race and the Current River Ward was a head-to-head contest. Despite the number of candidates, council chambers saw little change following the election. Only the mayor, McKellar Ward and one at-large seat were changed from the previous council with 10 incumbents returning. 10 Fighting the Far North Act The Grand chief of Nishnawbe Aski Nation Stan Beardy said the time for talking was over and his organization would start peaceful protests over the provincial government’s Far North Act. Blockades and other actions were not ruled out by NAN as the government’s third reading of Bill 191 was scheduled for Sept. 16 at Queen’s Park.     View full post on Tbnewswatch.com – News

Look back: Jan. 2010

Posted December 20, 2010 by ThunderBayClassifieds.ca in News | No comments yet

  1 . Friend or foe? Information provided to media led to allegations that two major opponents of Horizon Wind Inc.’s Big Thunder Wind Park were once supporters. Ward Bond, owner of Loch Lomond Ski Resort, had asked if the company would be interested in placing a turbine on his company’s property and John Beals, owner of the Neebing Roadhouse, took wind farm project developer Nhung Ngyuen on an ATV tour of the project study area and offered to provide her with maps of the area. A year later both became members of the Nor’Wester Mountain Escarpment Protection Committee, a group against Horizon’s project. Bond said his support came before he learned of the consequences of wind-energy production and Beals said his offer to help a company official didn’t mean it was a vote of support.   2 . Waterfront critic banned Outspoken waterfront development critic John Hutt was indefinitely banned from Marina Park. He believed his vocal opposition to the project is what led to the ban. However, city officials said Hutt was served with the notice for his own protection and that due to liability and safety issues in a construction zone, the public is not allowed onsite. Community services general manager Greg Alexander said a ban like the one imposed on Hutt only happens after repeat offences.   3. Club 555 burns down  The vacant building on Simpson and Miles Streets that was formerly Club 555 burned to the ground early in the morning Jan. 28. The cause remains unknown and the building collapsed, leaving the lot presently empty. Because of the frigid temperatures at the time of the fire, portions of Simpson Street were closed for a few days during clean-up because of the icy conditions on the road. No one was injured in the blaze.   4. Ring of Fire blockade A group of Matawa First Nations started a blockade at the site of booming mineral exploration area the Ring of Fire. Marten Falls Chief Elijah Moonias said he was frustrated some companies working at the deposit are ignoring his community’s needs to benefit from the development. Moonias and other First Nations members prevented planes from landing near Marten Falls. The blockade lasted for two months.   5. North-side kidnapping Thunder Bay Police had one man in custody and issued a Canada-wide warrant for a second suspect after an alleged assault and kidnapping incident the morning of Jan. 20 at a north-side hotel. The 45-year-old victim, who police said knew his alleged attackers, was taken to Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre with non-life-threatening injuries. Police arrested 25-year-old Steven Nelson Leeson two days later and charged him with kidnapping and assault causing bodily harm. Thirty-six-year-old Emillio John Bisignano was arrested a couple of weeks later.   6 . Scollie critical of police chief Former at-large councillor and entrepreneur Bill Scollie called for the resignation of Police Chief Bob Herman and a non-confidence vote on the police services board. Scollie appeared before council as a private citizen Jan. 18 to address the city’s crime rate, which he said was out of control; he said the answer was not more police but restructuring the force, starting at the top with Herman.   7. Call centre leaves StarTek announces closure of their Thunder Bay call centre at the expense of 192 jobs. It sparked rumours that the District Social Services Administration Board would move into the vacant space in Victoriaville Mall, which DSSAB quickly squashed. StarTek officially closed its doors in March. StarTek director Susan Padley said the reason for the closure is a lack of clients at the contact centre.   8. Increased Dividend The City of Thunder Bay made the call to increase its share of TBayTel’s income. Since 2004, whenever TBayTel generated more income than their board projected, the city took 10 per cent of the additional money made. With policies such as Renew Thunder Bay being implemented to increase local infrastructure, the number has now been increased to 25 per cent. Because the percentage is based on performance, it would be unclear how much the city could make in a given year. Since 2005, the performance dividend has netted the city $4.3 million.   9. Olympic flame The Olympic Torch made a stop in Thunder Bay at the Terry Fox Monument Jan. 3 as it travelled across the country to Vancouver for the Winter Games. Olympic women’s ice hockey gold medalist Katie Weatherston lit the cauldron on stage in a crowded Thunder Bay Community Auditorium.    10.   Dougall honoured Fraser Dougall received the Order of Ontario at a Queen’s Park ceremony Jan. 28. The Order of Ontario is the province’s highest honour, with appointees chosen for their contributions to the arts, science, medicine, education, politics, philanthropy, law and media. Started in 1986 by then Lt.-Gov. Lincoln Alexander, it has been awarded every year since 1987. Dougall is the eighth person from Thunder Bay to receive this honour. View full post on Tbnewswatch.com – News

Queen’s Park back Mauro’s winter tire motion

Posted November 26, 2010 by ThunderBayClassifieds.ca in News | 1 comment

MPP Bill Mauro’s motion to encourage insurance companies to offer discounts to drivers who use snow tires was passed at Queen’s Park Thursday.
Mauro said his motion is aimed at saving lives but it’s also about reducing health care costs from accidents and saving money for motorists
Members of Mauro’s Liberal caucus spoke out in favour of the idea while Tory MPP Ted Arnott rejected it. He said some insurance companies already offer these discounts and he thinks Mauro’s motion will lead to higher insurance rates for people in Southern Ontario who choose not to buy snow tires. Other critics of Mauro’s idea have said rather than target insurance companies the government itself should offer rebates for people who buy winter tires.
The NDP members supported Mauro’s proposal, but they questioned his motives.
The motion passed easily, with only the PC’s voting against it. Mauro points out that a Private Member’s motion is not binding legislation but rather a statement from Queen’s Park aimed at the insurance companies. He hopes it will encourage drivers to ask for winter tire discounts and shop around for insurance companies that will agree to them.
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Wolves storm back to crown Queen’s

Posted November 20, 2010 by ThunderBayClassifieds.ca in Sports | 1 comment

Down nine points entering the fourth and final quarter, the Lakehead women’s basketball team found a way to get it done on Saturday night, eking out a 64-62 win over the visiting Queen’s Golden Gaels. Lindsay Druery had a double-double for the second straight night, netting 15 points and grabbing 11 rebounds as the Wolves won for a fifth straight time, in their final home game for two months. Tasia McKenna had a dozen points and five assists and Emily Ross had 11 points for Lakehead (5-1). The Golden Gaels Brittany Moore topped all scorers with 19 points. Queens outscored the Wolves in each of the first three quarters, but were outdone 19-8 in the crucial fourth. View full post on Tbnewswatch.com – Sports

Wolves storm back to crown Queen’s

Posted November 20, 2010 by ThunderBayClassifieds.ca in Sports | No comments yet

Down nine points entering the fourth and final quarter, the Lakehead women’s basketball team found a way to get it done on Saturday night, eking out a 64-62 win over the visiting Queen’s Golden Gaels. Lindsay Druery had a double-double for the second straight night, netting 15 points and grabbing 11 rebounds as the Wolves won for a fifth straight time, in their final home game for two months. Tasia McKenna had a dozen points and five assists and Emily Ross had 11 points for Lakehead (5-1). The Golden Gaels Brittany Moore topped all scorers with 19 points. Queens outscored the Wolves in each of the first three quarters, but were outdone 19-8 in the crucial fourth. View full post on Tbnewswatch.com – Sports

Cats split in Willmar, fall four back

Posted June 28, 2010 by admin in Thunder Bay News | No comments yet

Tanner Nivins hit a pair of homeruns and drove in three on Sunday to lead the Thunder Bay Border Cats to a 5-2 win over the Willmar Stingers in the opener of a twi-night doubleheader. However the Cats bats would go silent in the second half of the twin-bill as Willmar (13-12) rebounded to earn the split with a 5-1 decision. Zak Miller took over from starter Michael Woytek and reliever Brad Delatte, who entered with two outs in the fifth, earned the win and improved to 4-1. Miller allowed one run on four hits and a walk in two innings. Drew Erwin pitched the seventh – both games were shortened by two innings after rain washed away their Saturday date – to earn the save, his league-leading eighth. In Game 2Evan Mistich gave the Cats (11-13) a 1-0 lead in the first, driving home Nivins, who upped his average to .386 with another two-hit performace. But the lead wouldn’t last long. The Stingers scored twice in the bottom of the first and added three more in the fourth in support of southpaw starter Wally Marciel (2-0). Garrett Yount allowed five runs in six innings, but just two of them wee earned. The Cats made a pair of errors in the loss, one by Yount and one by SS Brandon Doe, his fourth miscue in three games. The Cats get a rare day off on Monday before starting a record nine-game homestand on Tuesday, beginning with the last place Brainerd Lakes Area Lunkers (9-16). Thunder Bay is now four games behind first-place Rochester (14-8).

View full post on Tbnewswatch.com – Sports