Around the North

A merger in the grain-handling business may cost some jobs in Thunder Bay, according to the United Steelworkers Union.

Statistics Canada reports that the unemployment rate for Thunder Bay has risen from eight per cent in August of 2000 to 8.4 per cent in August of this year.

Following on the heels of Air Canada's recent layoff announcements, the mayor of Thunder Bay is requesting northwestern Ontario residents boycott Air Canada's new low-cost carrier, Tango.

Nishnawbe Adski Development Fund will be holding its 11th annual business awards dinner on Nov. 29 in Thunder Bay.

Leaseholders on Sandy Beach Road in Thunder Bay are disgruntled by the city's proposed five-year lease and are requesting a 15-year lease on properties, along with a valuation of leaseholder-owned buildings, before signing a new lease.

A Texas real estate developer specializing in shopping centres and entertainment complexes has expressed interest in Thunder Bay's Portside project. The developer met with city officials in October to gather information on the project.

Striking workers at Industrial Hardwood Products Ltd. in Thunder Bay have marked their second year on the picket line and still no end in sight for the strike.

Weyerhaeuser Canada Ltd. kicked in support for the Native Access Program for Engineering (NAPE) at Lakehead University with a donation of $100,000.

The campaign to re-establish air service from Earlton-Temiskaming Regional Airport to Toronto received a lift by a $30,000-commitment in each of the next three years from TemFund, an incentive loan program.

Workers at Safeway in Thunder Bay entered their fourth week of striking on Oct. 23, with few strides made in negotiations. Approximately 400 employees at Canada Safeway Ltd.'s three Thunder Bay-based stores walked off the job on Oct.