Monday, June 22, 2009

Chamber Seeks Help

The Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce is looking for some help with next week's Quest for the Best Talent Show.

The chamber is looking for volunteers to help out at the gate and the bar.

Anyone interested can call Robin 274-6688

Next Tuesday's talent show will feature singers, comedians and dancers from around the area.

Radar Sites Cleaned Up

Sixteen abandoned Cold War radar sites in northern Ontario will be cleaned up over the next six years at an estimated cost of more than $100 million dollars.

The province will provide $73 million to clean up toxic materials at all 16 radar sites.

The federal government will contribute up to $30 million to help clean up 11 of the most highly contaminated radar stations.

The sites, part of the old Mid-Canada advance warning line, are contaminated with PCBs, hydrocarbons, mercury, and asbestos.

Folk Festival A Go!

A folk festival planned for the Fort Frances area is moving ahead.

The event is scheduled for July18th at the Little Beaver Snow Park.

Organizer Alex Maruzyk says much of the key elements are in place.

"The site is booked and ready to go," says Maruzyk. "The sound is ready to go. We have the stage. All of the really important parts are set up, now its just the little things we don't know about. We find out new things we have to do every day, but the foundation is set."

J-P Hoe of Winnipeg will headline the event. Supporting acts include include The Auditor General , The Me Monster , Triptych, The Mud Lake City Boy, Maverick Judson , Haphazard, Myron Hawrylak, Mike Procyshyn, Jon Thompson, Lauren Gurski with Mike McCaig, Alex Marusyk with Joelle Barron, Gordo Matheson, Andrew Morrish, Shawn Galusha, Justine Christie, Fort Dance Studio Dancers and The Fort Frances Highlanders Pipes & Drums

Tickets for the festival are currently on sale at the Fort Frances Library, Fort Frances Museum and Sight and Sound. "Day Pass" tickets are going for $20 for adults, $15 for ages 15-18- $10 for ages 6-14. Kids under 5 are free.

Ash Border Concerns

The discovery of the Emerald ash borer in St. Paul is having some concern in northern Minnesota.

Koochiching County has more than 124-million ash trees.

John Snyder, a biologist with Voyageurs National Park says the public should take precautions to avoid bringing the ash borer up north.

Snyder says because so few tree species can thrive in a black ash swamp, the area may have trouble recuperating from a decline in ash.

K-9 Unit at Border

There is a new officer at the U-S Border at International Falls.

Chico, a three-year-old German Shepard, is part of a new U-S Border and Protection Services K-9 unit that will be sniffing out illegal drugs and illegal aliens trying to cross the border.

K-9 Enforcement officer Pete Benedix says the first step was getting Chico acclimatized to the area.

"There's some different smells in the area," says Benedix, "so it's a slow process. You've got vehicles running, you got trains, so the break-in period was very critical. He's responded very, very well."

Benedix says he and Chico went through an extensive training program before has been placed at the border.

PC Leadership Vote Underway

Voting to determine who'll lead Ontario's Progressive Conservatives is underway.

About 40,000 party members are being asked to rank the four candidates in order of preference.

Vying for the leadership are Tim Hudak, Frank Klees, Randy Hillier and Christine Elliott.

The winner will be announced June 27th at the party's convention in Markham.

Health Resources Required

Two northern Ontario New Democrat MPP's are calling on the province to provide the health care resources needed to stop the spread of H1N1 flu in First Nations communities.

Howard Hampton and Frances Gelinas also want the Liberals to address underlying conditions that are making the communities more vulnerable to the flu.

Hampton and Gelinas say nursing stations at many northern First Nations are already stretched to the limit.

New Centre Opens

A new outreach service centre for family and children's programs will officially open its doors in Fort Frances today.

The centre on Webster Avenue North is a partnership of several community agencies and will offer users services such as Best Start Hub children's programs, parenting workshops and a variety of health-related services.

School Board Reviews Policies

The Rainy River district school board is ensuring its meeting the proposed Student Achievement and School Board Governance Act.

Among other things, bill 177 entrenches student achievement as a key aspect of education and redefines the role of trustees and directors.

Education director Jack McMaster says the board will be reviewing its policies to ensure they meet the act's guidelines.

"We see there will be a need for some changes," says McMaster. "Trustees have been talking about that. They had a discussion in finance this spring about some of the changes that will be required to provide some more flexibility."

The bill is expected to become law this fall.

More Council Items

Also at tonight's meeting, Fort Frances councillors will provide an update on the activities of their various committees.

Updates on the town's road projects and the relocation of the tugboat Hallet and fire tower to the Fort Frances waterfront are also expected.

As well, council is to discuss a request by a local resident to ban dogs from riding in the back of pick-up trucks.

The public portion of tonight's meeting is expected to begin about 6:00 p.m.

Library Vote Expected Tonight

A decision to proceed with construction of the new library and technology centre could be made by Fort Frances town councillors tonight.

A proposed construction contract with Aurora Construction comes back to the table at tonight's council meeting.

Councillors rejected the same contract back in April, but a recent influx of more than $2 million dollars in federal and provincial grant money is expected to help give the project the green light.

Construction costs were last estimated at nearly $4.7 million dollars.