Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Health Unit expects reduction in Municipal Levy

A drop in the population of the Kenora and Rainy River Districts is going to hurt the Northwestern Health Unit in the pocket book.

The Health Unit says the population in the region has dropped by almost 38 hundred people in the past five years.

Since the Health Unit's levy is based on a per capita basis, it estimates that local municipalities will be contributing about 204 thousand dollars less in 2011.

The Health Unit is currently working on its 2011 budget and expects to present it to the new board at its February meeting.

Council debates funding for Harborfront Tent

Just over a day on the job and Kenora City Council is already being faced with some tough decisions.

Yesterday afternoon council spent a long time debating whether to go ahead with a permanent tent structure to complete phase two of the downtown revitalization project.

Operations manager Rick Perchuck says their initial estimates for the tent are 1.5 million dollars.

Mayor Dave Canfield says council is caught between a rock and a hard place because if they don't put out a tender for the tent, they can't finish the project.

At the same time, no money has been budgeted for the tent structure and he doesn't know where the funding is going to come from.

IJC Task Force Meets with City Council

A task force set up by the International Joint Commission to look at water quality issues
on Lake of the Woods says its getting lots of feedback.

The Task Force has to report back to the IJC by July of 2011 with its findings.

Kelli Saunders is the Canadian Secretary of the Task Force and says they've been getting lots of feedback.

Saunders says they will be drafting a work plan for the Lake of the Woods in the new year and will bring back their draft recommendations to local stakeholders by the spring.

Rickford applauds infrastructure extension

Ontario's Auditor General says fewer jobs were created in the first year of the federal/provincial infrastructure program than expected, but Kenora M.P. Greg Rickford is questioning that finding.

Rickford says statistics released by the federal government show there was definite job gains not only in this riding, but right across Canada.

Rickford adds that the six month extension for the completion of infrastructure jobs announced last week by the federal government is good news for a number of communities in the far north, which have a shorter construction season.

Broncos and Saints win on the road

     Beaver Brae's girls hockey team has improved to a perfect 7-0 in NorWOSSA league play.

The Broncos blanked the Red Lake Rams 2-0 in Red Lake last night.

Hunter Becks earned the shutout, while Erin Gasparini and Kaitlyn Sparkman
scored for Beaver Brae.

The Broncos are back on the road this weekend with a tournament in Portage
La Prairie.

Meanwhile, the Thomas Aquinas Boys hockey team has started their NorWOSSA league schedule on the right foot.

The Saints nipped Sioux Lookout 4-3 last night in overtime.

Colt Manson scored the game winner, while Teddy Baily, Tyler Caron and Trevor each
added singles.

A successful road trip for the T.A. court sport teams.

They played Atikokan and Rainy River Monday and Tuesday and won seven of the eight games played.

Yesterday in Rainy River, the Saints senior boys basketball team got 28 points from Devon Luby en route to a 64-49 win over the Owls.

The Thomas Aquinas junior boys also won downing Rainy 55-21.

On the volleyball courts, the T.A. senior girls won 3-0 over the Owls, while the Saints junior girls lost the only game of the road trip, losing three straight games to Rainy River.