Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Morning accident on the Redditt Road

Traffic has been moving slower than usual on the Redditt Road this morning.


A two vehicle collision closed Highway 658 down for about an hour.
The road has since been re-opened to two lane traffic.

No other details about the collision have been released.

Meanwhile, the accident has caused some delays for school bus service
along the Redditt Road.

Excel Coachlines says its number 13, 14 and 16 buses are running about
30 minutes behind schedule.

Broncos win Battle of Kenora

Beaver Brae's girls hockey team won the battle of Kenora.


The Broncos met the Saints last night at the Kenora Rec. Center and
skated away with a 4-2 victory.

Ainsley Lindquist, Jess Ricklefs, and Sam Smith each scored for Beaver Brae,
while Jody Melillo added an empty netter.

The Broncos are back in action this weekend at home with a pair of games against
the Lake of the Woods Bears from Beaudette, Minnesota.

No Increase in Health Unit Levies

The levy charged to municipalities to help fund the Northwestern Health Unit will remain the same as last year.

Chief Administrative Officer of the Health Unit, Mark Perreault says the per capita rate, combined with declines in population, will mean area town and cities will pay less this year than they did in 2010.

Perreault says staff reductions through attrition has allowed the Health Unit to work with less money from municipalities.

Community Plan in the Works for the Abitibi lands

The Lake of the Woods Economic Development Commission wants to establish
a community improvement plan for the Abitibi lands in Kenora.

Fo-Tenn Consulting met with City council yesterday to outline the process.

Economic Development Officer for the City, Jennifer Findlay says over the next few months, they will
be seeking public input on the Community Improvement Plan.

Findlay says they will be holding a couple of public meetings in coming months to outline some of the incentives that could be offered to businesses willing to re-locate.

Atikokan Company first to get new Wood Allocation

Atikokan Renewable Fuels is hoping to begin production of its wood pellet plant later this year after being granted the rights to access 179-thousand cubic metres per year of poplar and birch fibre.

The Atikokan plant also received one-point-two million from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund.

Spokesperson Ed Fukushima says that money offsets costs incurred while they waited for wood.

Fukushima says the wood allocation allows them to begin talks with potential customers.