Hotspot in Ontario: -1.2 °C 29.8 °F Point Pelee
Cold spot in Ontario: -30.3 °C -22.5 °F Lansdowne House
Hotspot in Canada: 8.1 °C 46.6 °F Sisters Islets, BC
Cold spot in Canada: -41.6 °C -42.9 °F Eureka, NU
Thunder Bay – Day Starter –Good Morning Northwestern Ontario. It is Tuesday, March 20th. In Thunder Bay, you are waking up on the last day of Winter to conditions that feel like winter. The Wind Chill outside this morning will make you feel cold. It feels like it is minus 27c. At 4:00 am it is -16c. Environment Canada says to expect a mix of sun and cloud this morning with winds up to 15 km/h. Today’s high will be minus 6. UV index 4 or moderate.
For Kenora, it is -6c this morning with a high of minus 2 forecast. Environment Canada says to expect mainly cloudy skies with a 30 percent chance of flurries. UV index 3 or moderate.
What Do You Need to Know?
A very political day in Ontario on Monday. NetNewsLedger continues out “Politics 2.0” Coverage: Locally MPP Bill Mauro will be the Liberal candidate in Thunder Bay Atikokan, seeking a fifth term. The New Democrats held a conference call to discuss their plans for a province-wide dental plan. The Ontario Government’s Speech from the Throne kicked off a last session of the Legislature before the June 7th election.
Starting off locally
THUNDER BAY – The Thunder Bay Atikokan Liberals have officially nominated Bill Mauro as their candidate. Mauro is seeking another term as the Liberal MPP for the riding. Mauro says that his team is ready for the campaign There is still lots of work to finish says Mauro. Full Coverage.
The Ontario Liberals did their own, relaunch of the Legislature on Monday with the Throne Speech kicking off the new session of the Legislature.
QUEENS PARK – “The problem with Kathleen Wynne and her Liberal government is that they will say and promise anything to stay in power. We saw this in the Throne Speech this afternoon. Today, the Premier wrote a lot of cheques. Having looked at the finances, I can tell the people of Ontario that these cheques are going to bounce,” charges Ontario PC Leader Doug Ford. “Kathleen Wynne has made commitments on billions in new spending for expensive re-election promises in a desperate attempt to try and save her government. The Liberals are trying to buy votes from a few of us, instead of trying to fix our province for all of us”. Full Coverage.
Moving to the New Democrats
QUEEN’S PARK – Following the throne speech on Monday, Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath issued the following statement:
“Kathleen Wynne’s Liberals have had 15 years to build the Ontario they wanted. They chose to spend those years slashing hospital budgets, closing neighbourhood schools, and selling off our vital public assets, including Hydro One. The fact of the matter is that after 15 years, anything the Liberals really wanted to accomplish would already be done.
Monday’s throne speech is a pathetic attempt to convince hard working families that, this time around, the Liberals will be different. They want Ontarians to believe they’ll invest in services instead of just cutting them – but didn’t include a single concrete change in today’s throne speech. Full Coverage.
The New Democrats launched their plan for province-wide dental coverage. Here is the full coverage of the conference call. NetNewsLedger brings this to you exclusively.
Ontario Regional Chief Isadore Day Statement: Speech from the Throne 2018: How will the province become a more active Treaty partner in “a fair and better Ontario”?
Toronto — “The Ontario government laid out its priorities today in its Speech from the Throne, with mostly disappointing outcomes in regard to working with First Nations in Ontario ahead of the upcoming election. Despite an opening reference to the fact that our Peoples are still shut out of the prosperity that built this province, there were no plans on how the province will become a more active Treaty partner in “a fair and better Ontario”. In fact, there was no mention of the Treaty relationship that created this province.
City Hall
Last night at City Hall, there were industry partners making deputations on the proposed taxi by-law that has been headed up by Councillor Brian McKinnon. Council was told that they should allow vehicles with far larger milage to be allowed to be used, taking the age limit off of taxi cabs. Kasper Wabinski of Kasper Transportation says that the entire proposal needs a lot of polish and that the city has left a lot of gaps which will seriously implicate safety issues. Wabinski says that the city has allowed unregulated ride services to operate outside the by-law and that he believes that has put passengers at risk.
Councillor McKinnon says that any proposed changes will delay the new by-law from coming into effect.
Finally Federally
Week of March 19, 2018, By Bob Nault MP KENORA – POLITICS – One of the most enjoyable parts of my job is when I get to come home and spend time speaking with fellow Northerners. For the majority of the past month, I have been spending a great deal of time meeting face-to-face with constituents… Read the Full Column.
THUNDER BAY – Thunder Bay Police have a man in custody following a stabbing on the north side of the city. Uniform Patrol officers responded to a 911 call at 1:30 am on March 19, 2018, reporting that a male had just been stabbed outside the Royalton Hotel located at the corner of Court Street and Bay Street. Full story.
Matawa Education Update
For Matawa members who have applied to KKETS for the ASAP program, please contact KKETS to update your contact information for upcoming intakes. KKETS are looking at having students start in May and July of this year. Please contact our office and speak to either Mellissa Gagnon or Flora Moonias to ensure that we have the proper contact information. If you are selected and we cannot reach you, we do not want you to miss this opportunity. Our contact information is: 807-768-4470 or (toll free) 1-888-688-4652 or by email: mgagnon@matawa.on.ca or fmoonias@matawa.on.ca.
Youth Safety Town Hall
Townhall Meeting – Frank Pullia reports, “With more and more Indigenous youth, international students and newcomers coming to Thunder Bay for school, it is imperative that we offer them the best possible chances for success and a city that is welcoming and safe”.
“Join me then for a conversation on how to do that and attend my town hall meeting on “Keeping our Youth Safe Through Technology and Collaboration” at the Kinsmen Community Centre at 609 James St. N. on Wednesday, March 21, between 7-9 pm”.
THUNDER BAY – Our milk, our blood and the waters of the Earth are one water that carries to the rest of creation. Water is the lifeblood of Mother Earth. It flows through her, nourishes her, and purifies her.
A gathering is being held tonight, March 20th, 2018, at The Hub on 507 Victoria Ave E. Thunder Bay, Ontario. All women are to wear dresses, there will be a potluck supper. Men are invited to come out. The event will be videotaped with permission, of course, if you would like to tell your story.
Gas Up for Less
The lowest prices for a litre of gasoline continues to be in Dryden. Fuel prices across the region range from $1.089 in Dryden, $1.184 at the Husky on Chipman Street in Kenora, In Thunder Bay, the lowest price in the city is $1.199 at the Real Canadian Superstore on Memorial Avenue. Out on the Fort William First Nation, gas prices are at $1.077 at THP and K&A. You can get the latest gas prices, including Cook County MN at GasPrices on NetNewsLedger.
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