The week in review highlights the top five most read stories of the week:
5. Cyclist face heavy fines for breaking rules of the road
Spring-like weather is in the forecast and that means more bikes sharing the roadways with cars and trucks. Most cyclists know they’re supposed to travel on the right side of the road, stay off the sidewalks and obey traffic signs.
But some seemingly law-biding cyclists may be riding illegally without knowing it. A bike without a horn or proper lighting, even during a midday ride, can result in fines. For example, a cyclist riding their bike without the proper lighting and a bell could face $145 in fines. If that same cyclist doesn’t signal their intentions, another fine could bring their total up to $255.
What other fines can a cyclist face? Here’s a sample list from the Ontario Highway Traffic Act:
4. Council votes to look for other options to keep proposed event centre plan going
Thunder Bay's mayor thinks the city has gone too far to give up now on its proposed event centre and a majority of his colleagues agree.
On Monday Keith Hobbs put a motion forward that would extend a letter of intent with preferred partner Thunder Bay Live and get administration to look at other options for the proposed event centre.
A caveat in the motion states that calls for a combined arena and convention centre built at the current Water Street bus terminal, would stay the same. Options would include finding another anchor tenant, such as tthe Lakehead Thunderwolves hocke team, or finding other funding.
Hobbs said he doesn't want administration, which will come back with the report at the end of June after council voted 7-3 in favour of the motion, to start from scratch after spending nearly $4 million and enduring four years of work.
"I don’t want to start revisiting sites. We’ve already done that," Hobbs said. “I just don't want to look in the rear-view mirror. I want to move forward.”
"At some point we may have to say the project has to be shelved, but I don’t think now is the time.”
McIntyre Coun. Trevor Geiertuga said it couldn't hurt to have administration take a look and come back with options while at-large Coun. Iain Angus said while the federal government turned the city down for gas tax funding, it doesn't mean there aren't other options out there.
"Just because we got a letter that says no to some kind of funding doesn't mean we shouldn't give up the plan at this point in time,” he said.
3. Developer looking for draft plan approval, will convert former school into condos
A plan to turn a former high school into condos is heading to city council Monday night.
Currently home to a number of businesses, the old Hillcrest High School could become a 77-unit mixed-use condominium according to a draft plan looking for city council approval. Along with 75 condos, the plan is to have two commercial units for what's being called the Hillcrest Neighbourhood Village.
Administration is recommending the draft plan for developer Robert Zanette approved with several conditions.
2. Collins defeats Morriseau, becomes chief of Fort William First Nations
A familiar face is back as chief.
Peter Collins was elected as the new chief of Fort William First Nation during the band election on Saturday, prevailing over incumbent Georjann Morriseau and fellow challengers Ken Ogima, Mark Boucher and Glenn Bannon.
Collins had previously served six terms as Fort William First Nation chief from 1998 until 2013. He was most recently the Regional Grand Chief.
“I’m excited to be back in the community of Fort William. I think my heart has been here, my mind has been here even in the last two years I’ve taken off and been away as a leader,” he said Sunday afternoon.
Collins said his first priority as chief is to address the ongoing James Street Swing Bridge situation.
He wants to put an end to members having to use Highway 61 with big, industrial and fast-moving traffic to travel between the reserve and Thunder Bay.
“One of the things I’ve been talking about is a short-term plan with a long-term plan attached to it,” he said.
“I think at the end of the day the bridge has outlived its life cycle by probably 30 to 35 years. We need a new bridge.”
1. “The whole story”
Facebook users are sharing a video some say is proof of police brutality by a city police officer, but officials with the Thunder Bay Police Service say it appears to be nothing more than a standard arrest.
The video (see below) posted on a local man’s Facebook page comes with the caption “this cop was beating up my nephew just couple blocks from my place bout (sic) two hours ago and he was acting stupid when I asked him his name and badge number he said he didn’t have his keys for his cruiser.”
But Thunder Bay Police Service spokesman Chris Adams says the accusation of brutality are unfounded, and that the video shows only a fraction of what actually happened.
“Videos that involve police interaction very often don’t always tell the whole story,” Adams told tbnewswatch.com Monday. “The events that led up to the video that are circulating around include that the individual was essentially obstructing a police officer doing a routine traffic stop. This individual came up upon our officer who was dealing with a driver at that time, began uttering threats and became quite uncontrolled.
“We’re very pleased with how the officer conducted himself. If somebody comes up when you’re in the middle of an arrest and dealing with somebody you’re trying to take control of it’s a potentially dangerous situation when a third party interjects, tries to get too close and has a camera.”
