Canfield represents City at Pre-Budget Consultations

The provincial government is being urged to cough up more funding for municipalities in northwestern Ontario.

That was the plea from Kenora Mayor Dave Canfield, who made a presentation first thing this morning at a pre-budget consultation session in Thunder Bay.

Canfield says municipalities are facing extreme challenges with population declines,

industrial closures, increasing social costs, and declining tax revenues.

He is asking for a 75 dollar increase in the Northern Communities Grant to deal with declining assessments and a new system for transferring non-emergency patients in the region.

Canfield was one of the first presenters this morning.

Ontario Realty Corporation disappears

The Ontario Realty Corporation is in for a change.


The McGuinty government is merging it with another agency.

Liberal MPP Michael Gravelle says he doesn't know exactly how the merger will
affect the Corporation's offices in northwestern Ontario.

Gravelle says the goal is to elimated about 5 per cent of the province's agencies.

New funding for BISNO

The Northwest LHIN is rolling out a number of new programs for residents living with brain injuries.


715-thousand dollars is being used to offer a variety of programs across the region.

A family therapist will work with families in the region, while program facilitators will be posted in Dryden, Fort Frances and in Thunder Bay.

Changes in store for Endanged Species Act

Good news for forest companies in northern Ontario, but environmental groups are crying

foul.

The provincial government is proposing changes to the Endangered Species Act which would

make forest companies exempt from provisions dealing with woodland caribou.

Catherine Grant is a spokesperson for Greenpeace and says they actively been working with

forest companies on the issue.

Grant says they will be bringing back their Caribou Caravan this spring and target ridings

held by provincial cabinet ministers.

Pre-Budget Hearings stop in NWO

The government's pre-budget committee makes its only stop in northwestern Ontario today.


It's chair MPP Pat Hoy says he expects to hear the usual concerns in the northwest like transportation along with forestry and mining

The morning opens with a presentation from Kenora Mayor Dave Canfield on behalf of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association