Friday, September 11, 2009

Terry Fox Run

The 29th Annual Terry Fox Run goes Sunday in Communities across the Region.

Registration will be held at Valleyview school from 9 until noon.

Participants can walk, run, or skate five or ten kilometers.

Greyhound Petition

Dryden's Roger Valley says thousands of people rely on Greyhound Bus service in Northwestern Ontario and stresses we need to rally to save the local run.

Valley is urging residents to sign a petition calling on the Feds to intervene and work on a solution to maintain what he calls an essential service.

You can also pick up a copy by e-mailing rvalley@drytel.net

Board Improvement Plan

The Keewatin Patricia District School board plans to improve students literacy, math and career options over the next school year.

The public board reviewed its draft improvement plan at its September meeting.

Assistant to the Director of Education, Caryl Hron says they want to bring students math marks up.

Younger kids in elementary school will also look at what careers they may want to pursue.

No More Boil Water

Good news for residents of Tunnel Island, Norman and Keewatin.

The Northwestern Health Unit has lifted its boil water advisory, which has been in place since last Saturday evening.

The Health Unit says tests of the water supply conducted this week show no evidence of bacteria.

The boil water advisory was put in place as a precaution, while work is being carried out on the submarine water line between downtown Kenora and Norman.

The Health Unit has also rescinded its closure of Keewatin Beach.

It says e-coli levels have now returned to acceptible levels.

Emergency Rooms Report LHIN

A consultant had drafted a report on how to improve wait times and staffing issues at emergency rooms across northwestern Ontario.

The board of the Local Health Integration Network received the report this week.

Laura Kokochinski is a spokesperson for the LHIN's and says KPMG was hired to provide a number of recommendations to improveemergency service.

A total of 25 recommendations were presented in the final report.

Increased cooperation between hospitals in the region wasthe main suggestion to improve
operations in localemergency rooms.

Manitoba Sewage Leak

Cottage owners in Manitoba's Whiteshell claim a sewage lagoon has overflowed onto a popular beach and into the Winnipeg River, but the province argues it was just a trickle.

Cottagers at Dorothy Lake say the local lagoon started oveflowing at the end of July and leached under a highway before ending up in the water.

But Manitoba Conservation say there's no way the sewage reached all the way to the lake.

Department staff say there was a small overflow in July but there was nowhere near enough effluent to reach the lake or cause any water quality problems.

Manitoba Conservation has since stopped allowing sewage trucks to empty their waste in the lagoon, closed some campground showers and is checking the lagoon's levels almost daily.

Manitoba Sewage Leak

Cottage owners in Manitoba's Whiteshell claim a sewage lagoon has overflowed onto a popular beach and into the Winnipeg River, but the province argues it was just a trickle.

Cottagers at Dorothy Lake say the local lagoon started oveflowing at the end of July and leached under a highway before ending up in the water.

But Manitoba Conservation say there's no way the sewage reached all the way to the lake.

Department staff say there was a small overflow in July but there was nowhere near enough effluent to reach the lake or cause any water quality problems.

Manitoba Conservation has since stopped allowing sewage trucks to empty their waste in the lagoon, closed some campground showers and is checking the lagoon's levels almost daily.

Thunder Bay Brick Beating

Friends and family of a gay man whose face was shattered in anattack in Thunder Bay are using Facebook and community spirit tospeak out.

John Raynard was with some friends last Friday night whena group of men attacked them.

The 30-year-old man managed to help his friends escape into a cabbut was then beaten, allegedly with a brick.

Juan Anderson, who has known Raynard for 15 years, set up aFacebook page called ``Unified Community around Jake Raynard.''

A rally is planned for a local park today.