Sunset Country holds its Annual General Meeting

Tourism officials in northwestern Ontario still aren't sure what this summer will bring in terms of business.

The Sunset Country Travel Association held its annual general meeting last night in Kenora.

Gerry Cariou is the executive director and says there is some optimism.

But he says the closure of the tourist information centers in Fort Frances, Rainy River and Kenora isn't going to help an industry, which has seen a decline in numbers over the past few years.

Health Unit Campaign Targets Hypodermic Needles

Communities in northwestern Ontario are sitting on a ticking time bomb when it comes to intervenous drug use.

That's the message from the Northwestern Health Unit.

Spokesperson, Gillian Lunny says they are doing what they can to tackle the problem and have launched a couple of public safety poster campaigns.

Lunny says the campaign tackles the sensitive subject of how to safely dispose of needles that might be found in public places.

FedNor Cuts Raised in House of Commons

Federal government is being accused of cutting money used for economic development in northern Ontario.

Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP John Rafferty says government has taken out a billion dollars from the forestry sector and millions more in tourism and marketing grants that went to small towns.

Industry Minister Tony Clement says government remains committed to economic development in the north, noting FEDNOR had provided over 263-million dollars to hundreds of projects over the past five years.

NOACC Sends Resolutions to St. Catharines

The provincial Mining Act, Katimavik, building with wood, and the Endangered Species Act.

Those are just some of the topics covered off in the Northwestern Ontario Associated Chamber of Commerce's resolutions adopted at their annual spring meeting in Sioux Lookout.

The Chambers are also urging the federal and provincial levels of government ensure there are always at least ten ridings in northern Ontario represented at Queen's Park and the House of Commons.

NOACC will be taking all the resolutions to the Ontario Chamber of Commerce annual meeting starting today in St. Catharines. 

Local Schools prepare for Flash Mob

Expect some traffic delays in downtown Kenora Friday at around noon.

A large flash mob is being planned for Main Street South between the Library and 1st Street South.

Valleyview teacher Kelly Olgilvie says the students are looking forward to their performance.

Some 600 pink-clad students will stage the flash mob at noon on Friday on Main Street, and then again about an hour later at the Canadian Tire Parking lot.

Veteran's Affairs office in NWO set to close

First its was immigration, now the only Veteran's Affairs office in northwestern Ontario is slated for

closure.

Veteran's advocate, Moe Nelson says if that happens it will be missed terribly because so many local vets rely on the services provided.

The office is slated for closure in the next couple of years.

Border Crossings increase

Some positive news on the tourism front in northwestern Ontario.

Statistics released by the Canada Border Services Agency show almost 54-thousand travellers crossed in March.

That's about 25-hundred more than in February and a 7-and-a-half per cent increase over March 2011.

Just over 29-thousand vehicles were processed at the border, a slight increase over February numbers, but a one per cent drop from one year ago.