Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Grassy Narrows Logging

The Grassy Narrows First Nation's fight against logging on traditional lands is expected to be heard today in an Ontario court.

The aboriginal group from northwestern Ontario ischallenging the province's right to permit industrial logging, which the First Nation says violates its treaty rights.

Joseph Fobister , a spokesman for the group, says the First Nation has been asking the province for years to stop the logging on their traditional lands.

The case was supposed to start yesterday, but was put offbecause one of the government lawyers got the flu.

EI Northern Ontario

Ontario N-D-P Leader Andrea Horwath says the McGuinty governmentneeds to get jobs to people in northern Ontario.

Her demand follows a Statistics Canada report which shows a sharp increase in employment insurance claims in the region.

But Minister of Northern Development and Mines Michael Gravelle says the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund has helped retain more than 12-thousand jobs over the last six years.

Fire Prevention Week

Stay Fire Smart-Don't get burned.

That's this year's theme for fire prevention week in Ontario.

Kenora Fire Chief Warren Brinkman says everyone should have working smoke alarms.

The Ontario Fire Marshall's Office says in some home fires people have less than a minute to escape.

Fire Prevention Week runs today until Saturday.

Flu Aboriginal Communities

Aboriginal leaders and opposition parties warn that communities in northern Ontario could be more vulnerable to the spread of swine flu this fall.

N-D-P health critic Frances JELL'-ee-nah says poverty and overcrowding is creating dangerous situations on First Nation reserves and remote communities.

Health Minister David Caplan says protective gear and antivirals have already been shipped to areas across the province, but the province is still waiting for federal approval of the H-1-N-1 vaccine.

Winnipeg Shoal Lake #40

Winnipeg is poised to sign a deal with a Shoal Lake-area First Nation that could see the community receive a water treatment plant of its own.

For the past 90 years, Winnipeg has obtained its drinking water from a small body of water called Indian Bay, which is part of Shoal Lake on the Manitoba-Ontario border.

Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz says the agreement is a follow-up to a deal signed between the two sides back in 1989.

Katz says ideally, Shoal Lake #40 should be able to get its own water treatment facility out of the agreement.