Monday, August 10, 2009

Devlin Drug Bust

The seizure of a quantity of marijuana and cannabis marijuana has resulted in drug charges being laid against two residents of Devlin.

Constable Anne McCoy says the charges stem from an investigation involving members of the Fort Frances OPP Detachment, their Drug Enforcement Section and the Northwest Region Drug Unit.

Over fifty marihuana plants and 700 grams of cannabis marihuana were seized.

Police estimate the street value of over $68,000.

Ryan Lennstrom and Donna Shoemaker, both of Devlin, have been charged under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act including one count of production of marihuana and one count of possession for the purpose of trafficking.

Both are scheduled to appear in Fort Frances Court on October 5.

Wolf Concerns

A series of wolf attacks has prompted police to warn residents living along Lake Superior's north shore to guard their children and pets.

Three dogs have been preyed upon by timberwolves in the last month, and more since March.

The latest attack came Thursday near Marathon.

Ontario Provincial Police believe the same wolf is responsible for all of the attacks.

Fort Frances Councillors Meet

The latest update of work projects around Fort Frances will be provided at tonight's meeting of town councillors.

Also on the agenda are several service contracts involving the Fort Frances Children's Complex.

A permanent closure of a runway at the Fort Frances airport is also on the table during the public portion of the meeting which begins at about 5:30 p.m.

H1N1 Update

The spread of the H1N1 virus apparently hasn't completely died off just yet.

After reporting no new cases a week ago, the Ontario Ministry of Health is now confirming three new cases of H-1-N-1 in this region.

The province has not indicated which communities the virus was identified in, but brings to 73 the number of confirmed cases of H1N1 in northwestern Ontario this year.

Strike Advoided at Northern Ontario University

Students attending Laurentian University can breathe a sigh of relief.

A tentative contract agreement has been reached between the Sudbury university and its non-teaching staff.

The 250 workers, including administrative and maintenance staff, have been without a contract since June 30.

The agreement came as both parties were entering a legal strike or lock-out position.

Youth Employment Centre Closes

The economy was a factor, but officials with Service Canada's Youth Employment Centre in Fort Frances are happy with how their year went.

The centre officially closed for the season Friday.

Youth Services Officer Dayna Debenedet says over one-hundred students accessed their services.

"We're pleased," says Debenedet. "It was a little slower than usual partly because of the economic situation in town, but we're pretty happy with the number."

About 70 to 80 jobs from the local area were posted at the local centre, but hundreds more from around northwestern Ontario were also available to area students to consider.

Debenedet says this year's Odd Job Squad and Hire-a-Student weeks also proved very successful with many students finding employment.

Forestry Strategy Demanded

Kenora-Rainy River MPP Howard Hampton is calling on the McGuinty Liberals for a strategy that helps secure the future of the province's forest industry.

His call comes in the wake of last week's announcement by AbitibiBowater to idle two paper machines at its Thunder Bay mill.

Hampton foresees the situation getting worse unless action is taken now.

"We could well see another paper mill close in northern Ontario in the next few months," says Hampton. "It would be very tragic and there's a real need for government action."

Hampton says that action must include the availability of affordable power to remain competitive with mills elsewhere in country and the United States.

A Change of Firefighters in B.C.


(Ontario FireRangers battling the heat and the blazes in British Columbia - MNR Photo)
A two week tour of duty in British Columbia has been completed by 122 fire rangers employed by the Ministry of Natural Resources.

Melissa Austin of Dryden returned home Saturday and says fighting fires in British Columbia is much different than in northwestern Ontario.

"There we've been making a lot of hand-tool lines than making pumps and water to put out the fire," says Austin. "There's been a lot more helicopters helping to put out the fire.

The MNR sent another 122 fire rangers out back west to replace those who returned home.

Another 40 MNR personnel still will travel to B.C. today.

Conservancy Annual Meeting

A decade of protection and preservation of the Rainy Lake watershed was recognized on the weekend by members of the Rainy Lake Conservancy.

For the past ten years, the Conservancy has been involved in research, education and advocacy of the watershed.

At its annual meeting yesterday, president Anne Newhart said that will continue.

"Along with our regular program of public education, research and developing conservation partnerships, we hope to work more with private landowners who want to protect their land in the long-term through conservation easements or land procurement measures," said Newhart.

Strong public support was also cited as a reason for the Conservancy's longevity.

Membership has grown from an initial 11 members to over 200 today.