Salvation Army Canada

The bells weren't the only thing jingling during the Salvation Army's annual Kettle Campaign.

The organization says it raised a record 20-million dollars this Christmas.

The Salvation Army marked the 120th anniversary of its Kettle Campaign with nearly two-thousand kettles in stores and on street corners across Canada and through an online campaign.

Hunting Fine

A northwestern Ontario woman has been fined 15-hundred dollars for hunting violations relating to an incident last fall in the Sioux Narrows area.


Trisha Brackett was charged in October after a Ministry of Natural Resources investigation revealed the resident of Marathon had fired from and across a road at a deer.

She later killed the animal, despite not having a proper tag.

Canada Day Poster Challenge

Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, Honourable James Moore has launched the 2012 Canada Day Poster Challenge.

This years theme is " The Fight for Canada".

This national competition invites young Canadians aged 5 to 18 to design an original poster that illustrates how the people, places, and events of the past have shaped our country.


The deadline for entering the contest is March 9, 2012.

For more details, visit the competition website: Canadian Heritage

Veterans Access to Benefits

A software program that could end many disagreements between injured soldiers and Veterans Affairs Canada has been stuck in the federal bureaucracy for over a year.

Canada's veterans ombudsman Guy Parent wants the application made available online so vets and former Mounties can determine what benefits they're entitled to.

The program was developed by the ombudsman's office and is currently approved only for internal use.

Festive RIDE Program

The Festive RIDE Program came to a disappointing end. Spokesperson

Shelley Garr says 47 impaired charges were handed out in the Northwest and a new issues is people tweeting RIDE location.

 Garr says although tweeting the locations is not illegal it is generally frowned upon. Garr commented its disappointing to still see people drinking and driving.

Municipal employees: Fort Frances

Municipal employees in Fort Frances have started 2012 with new contracts.


Separate four-year-deals for unionized workers and managers and non-unionized staff were agreed to just before the Christmas break.

The deals include wage hikes of two per cent in each year.

One with the Canadian Union of Public Employees impacts 67 full and part time workers, along with eighteen unionized positions.

The other covers about 40 managers and non-unionized staff, along with another 28 students.

Kenora Winter Carnival Charity Challenge

It's a tight race for the Kenora Winter Carnival Charity Challenge.

Tourism Development Officer, Heather Patterson says “so far so good”.

The Lake of the Woods Hospital Foundation and It’s a Dog’s Life are tied for a close first having sold just over 400 winter carnival buttons.






Other charities selling buttons include:

Kenora Scouts
Habitat for Humanity
The Canadian Cancer Society
Alzheimer’s Society
Special Olympics
Triple P.L.A.Y

Winter Carnival Buttons" are $2.00 each and are available at The Discovery Center, City Hall or online at http://www.kenorawintercarnival.ca/

The Kenora Winter Carnival is March 2-March 4th 2012.

Fibrek

Quebec pulp producer Fibrek is urging its shareholders to reject a hostile takeover bid from Resolute Forest Products.



Resolute is offering 130-million dollars for the company that has pulp mills in Quebec, West Virginia and Michigan.


In a letter to shareholders, Fibrek says the bid deprives them of the opportunity to participate in the upside of the pulp business and other earnings streams.