Evergreen School Meeting

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board is being asked for an extensionfrom a committee set up to look at school closures in Kenora.

The Kenora Accommodation Review Advisory Committee was supposed topresent its final recommendations to the public school board on April 13th.

One of the recommendations was the closure of Evergreen School, butchair of the committee Cecile Marcino says that scenario is still a longways off.

The draft recommendations of the committee suggest the closure ofEvergreen, only if the public school board can form a partnership withthe Cathlolic School Board for the operation of schools in Keewatin,and if the public board can get funding to build a new school at Evergreen.

Marcino says they hope to present their final recommendations to the boardat the May open meeting.

Hospital on Ontario Budget

Hospital's across the region are still scratching their heads and wondering how much money they'll have to work with this year.

The provincial government announced a 1.5 percent increase in the overall budget for hospitals.

Chief Executive Officer of Lake of the Woods District Hospital, Marc Belcaensays the budget is still a bit vague on how much individual hospitalswill be getting.

Belcaen adds that a freeze on non-unionized staff will also have an immediate impact on a number of hospital employees.

Ear Falls Sawmill Sold

The idled Ear Falls Sawmill has a new owner.Domtar has agreed to sell its forest products business for 80-million dollars plus additional working capital to Vancouver-based EACOM Timber Corporation.

Domtar Spokesperson Bonnie Skene says the forestry products division includes 5-operating Sawmills as well as the Ear Falls plant, which is currently non-operational.

Skene stresses the deal doesn't include the assignment of any forest licences, including operations in the Trout and Wabigoon Forests.