Service Canada closures

Service Canada has announced plans to close several Employment Insurance Claim processing sites in Northern Ontario.

The sites slated for closure by 2014 include Kenora, Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, North Bay and Timmins.

Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP John Rafferty isn't happy with the cuts and says they come at a bad time considering the economic situation in the region.


The move is meant to centralize services bringing the number of offices in the province down from 24 to 6.

Highway 71 open again

Highway 71 between Sioux Narrows and Nestor Falls is open to traffic again

after being closed for a couple of hours yesterday afternoon.

A large sinkhole opened up in the road in the area of Cameron Lake.

The Ministry of Transportion was contacted and the problems was fixed
by about 6:30 last night.

Its believed a broken beaver dam caused the problem.

NorWOSSA Single "A" soccer play-offs today

The second season in the high school soccer league begins today.


The NorWOSSA single "a" championships take place in Red Lake.

The Thomas Aquinas Saints go into today's play-offs as the number one
ranked boys and girls teams after round-robin play.

The winners will move onto the NWOSSA championships next week.

Provincial Parks open for the Long Weekend

Provincial Parks in Ontario will be full of activity this May long weekend.
It's the opening weekend for camping, and an alcohol ban is in place at most of the provincial sites in the region.

Parks Spokesperson Barb Rees says the alcohol ban is in place at Blue Lake, Rushing River, Sleeping Giant, Aero Lake and Silver Falls until May 24th.

Fire Hazard on the rise

Things are starting to heat up in the bush.


The Ministry of Natural Resources says they are dealing with active fires in the region.

Fire Information Officer Debbie McLean says the hazard in the region is definitely on the rise.

While there isn't a restricted fire zone in place, the MNR is encouraging local residents to postpone any outdoor burning over the long weekend.

(Photo courtesy of the MNR)

Toll starts today on Couchiching First Nation

There is no backing down for Chief Chuck McPherson of the Couchiching First Nation.


Plans are in place for the band members to set up a toll booth tomorrow on a section of Highway 11 that runs through the community near Fort Frances.

Chief McPherson says he's taking a lot of heat for his position, but says it's a matter of priniciple

McPherson says he is prepared to go to jail for his stand.