By: Sheri Leviski
2009-04-28
09:55:28
The Northwestern Health Unit has decided to move its vaccine depot from Fort Frances to Kenora.
Currently, all vaccines are delivered to Fort by air and are then shipped around the region.
The move helps lower the total amount of vaccines being shipped.
The cost will be minimal and a plan is in place to avoid job loss through attrition.
Kenora consumes about a third of all the health unit's vaccines.
By: Canadian Press
2009-04-28
09:54:37
There is some good news for Thunder Bay, coming out of the city of Toronto.
Toronto's transit commissioners unanimously approved the choice of Bombardier as the supplier of the city's new light rail vehicles.
The 204 new low-floor cars are to be built in Thunder Bay and expected to cost about 1.2-billion dollars.
By: Canadian Press
2009-04-28
09:23:51
A group of University students from Thunder Bay won't be attending a course in Mexico City.
The swine flu outbreak in Mexico has led Confederation College to postpone the course for the 11 business students.
College spokeswoman Miriam Wall says it's hoped something can be salvaged for the summer.
Wall says Mexican university officials were quite worried and were relieved the Confederation College students have postponed their visit.
By: Mike Ebbeling
2009-04-28
09:22:41
The Canadian Forces is trying to increase its presence in Northwestern Ontario.
Speaking in Dryden, Lieutenant-Colonel Steve Hill noted the Military is now making a concentrated effort to form domestic partners.
Hill says one option is helping the Ministry of Natural Resources during hectic forest fire seasons.
Hill says they were hoping to conduct some work locally last year, but a quiet season changed plans quickly.
By: Randy Thoms and Sheri Leviski
2009-04-28
07:49:31
Ontario's tourism Minister Monique Smith admits its going to be a challenging time for tourist operators in northwestern Ontario.
Some operators have already stated they won't be opening this year.
Smith says the province is trying to help the industry as best it can.
Smith says the operators should also be able to take advantage of tax cuts to small businesses introduced earlier in the provincial budget.
Ministry representatives will be in Kenora on Wednesday to discuss proposed tourism regions.
A larger tourism region for all of Northern Ontario is being pitched by the Minister's office.
By: Mike Ebbeling
2009-04-28
07:48:08
Ministry of Natural Resources Fire Crews were called to 5-fires over the weekend.
3 in the Kenora area, 1 near Sioux Narrows and a grass fire near Oxdrift.
The Eaton Rugby area fire required air and ground support.
The cause is under investigation.
Residents are reminded burning restrictions are in place.
By: Sheri Leviski
2009-04-27
07:54:45
Kenora's Safeway continues to raise awareness and money for a number of local causes.
At the beginning of April the local store held special events for Easter Seals Canada.
Most recently the group held fundraisers for Special Olympics.
Over 4 thousand dollars has been raised during the month of April.
This summer, Safeway plans to raise funds for Prostate Cancer.
By: Mike Ebbeling
2009-04-27
07:53:15
Greater cooperation is in the works between the Provincial Government and Grand Council Treaty 3.
The two sides have signed a letter of intent to improve and enhance their relationship.
Natural Resources Minister Donna Cansfield says the move will lead to greater economic opportunities for First Nation communities.
The goal is expand Treaty 3's interest in forestry, mineral exploration, fish and wildlife as well as business.
By: Mike Ebbeling
2009-04-27
07:49:42
Some 150-people left the first Northwest Response Forum on Disaster Management fulfilled.
The week long Conference wrapped up Friday in Dryden.
Delegates were most impressed with the quality of speakers and information provided.
Organizers plan to make it an annual event.
By: Mike Ebbeling
2009-04-27
07:48:27
An average of 360 Ontarians die each year on the job in Ontario with no fanfare or attention.
Bill Blackborow is the President of The Municipal Health and Safety Association and says something needs to be done immediately.
He says 360-thousand lost time injuries occurr annually in Ontario, a stat Blackborow calls similar to a third-world country.
By: Sheri Leviski
2009-04-27
07:46:53
The Ontario Government has released the 2009 hunting regulations.
The regulation booklet is available at outdoor stores across the Northwest and at Ministry of Natural Resources offices.
Spokesperson Bruce Ranta says in the Thunder Bay/Atikokan area the deer hunting seasons will be extended.
In Kenora, officials will be discussing changes to the anterless deer permits and additional deer seals.
By: Tim Davidson
2009-04-27
07:44:42
The current economic crisis is hitting the forest industry in northern Ontario hard, but at least one company is predicting an increase in production, rather than cutbacks.
The I-Level timberstrand mill in Kenora has been running only one to two days a week based on its order book.
Mill Manager, Bill Candline says they expect to increase production later this year as inventory from two closed timberstrand mills in the United States is finally used up.
The I-Level plant on the Jones Road is the only mill in North America currently producing timberstrand, and Candline says that puts them in a good position.
Kenora MP Greg Rickford is one upset individual.
Rickford says he's upset that Northern Ontario NDP members didn't vote to abolish the contraversial long-gun registry.
Rickford says Constituents want to see the end of the wasteful registry and they thought they had voted for candidates that would stand up for their needs and do the right thing.
He notes NDP members were whipped by Leader Jack Layton.
Thunder-Rainy River MP John Rafferty was a no show during the vote.
Rafferty says he wasn't in the House because he was busy with forestry business and the vote came just before a CUPE meeting he had.
The opposition motion to maintain the registration passed in the Commons by a 7-vote margain.
The Canadian Red Cross believes Northwestern Ontario is ahead of the curve when it comes to dealing with a disaster.
Provincial Director John Saunders addressed delegates attending the Northwest Response Forum in Dryden Thursday and notes the cooperation between agency's is impressive.
However, Saunders says there's always a way to do things better and that's why hosting a disaster management Conference is so important.
There's a lot of interest in the Northern Ontario School of Medicine.
The school says its received more than 18-hundred first-year applications looking for one of 56 spots at either the Thunder Bay or Sudbury campuses.
Nearly 4-hundred of them have already received interviews.
Letters of acceptance will be issued next month.
The Kenora and District Chamber of Commerce is holding its 23rd Home and Trade Show this weekend.
President Dwayne Yaremko says this is first time they have run the event by themselves.
Yaremko notes they have over 200 exhibitors taking part in this year's event.
The home and trade show will start this evening and run til Sunday.
The City of Kenora is re-newing its agreement with the Kenora Trappers
Council to deal with nuicence beavers.
The agreement takes effect in mid-May and runs through mid-September.
Councillor Dave McCann says the agreement is beneficial to the city
because it can potentially save hundreds of thousands of dollars in
road repairs caused by dams bursting.
He says last year the Trappers Council captured 21 beaver, and the
year before, they had as many as 41.
Weyerhaeuser says its prepared to wait as long as it takes for a
Co-operative Forest License to be developed for the Whisky Jack Forest.
The new license was supposed to be ready by April 1st, but negotiations
with Grassy Narrows are on-going.
Wayne Rosnowski is a spokesperson for Weyerhaeuser and says while they need the fiber from the Whiskey Jack forest for their I-Level Timberstrand Mill in Kenora, they're continuing to work
with the MNR and area first nations.
In the meantime, the Minister of Natural Resources confirmed this week
that Weyerhaeuser will continue to have access to wood from the Kenora
Forest for the timberstrand mill.
Sioux Narrows/Nestor Falls Budget 07:41:24
Good news for property owners in Sioux Narrows/Nestor Falls.
Town council there passed its 2009 budget this week and it calls for
a 12 percent decrease in the mill rate.
Bill Thompson is mayor of the community and says combined with education taxes, the overall reduction in the tax rate will be closer to
10 percent.
Thompson says they decided to reduce taxes this year because there
was such a big jump in assessments in lakefront property from the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation.
