Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Mac Voisen Visits

A visit yesterday from one of the founders of M and M Meat Shops.

Mac Voisen was in Fort Frances as part of regular visits to stores he makes during the year.

"Every month I pick a different area," says Voisen, "usually spend about an hour there to talk to, not only our franchisee, but product consultants ,our customers and just find out what's going on in the community, how to people feel about M & M Shops, what are doing right, what are we doing wrong, how can we improve what we're doing."

Voisen began his day in Thompson, Manitoba before visiting Fort Frances and Dryden later in the day.

Doc Program Extended

The province is increasing the money going into a program to attract doctors to underserviced communities.

The province's free tuition program now offers up to 40-thousand dollars to doctors who agree to work in hard-pressed communities.

The free-tuition will be available to doctors in all municipalities -- except in the Ottawa and the greater Toronto area.

Ontario Still Helping B.C.

Ontario continues to provide forest firefighting support to British Columbia.

A rotation of Ministry of Natural Resources personnel yesterday saw 91 fireRangers and support staff head to B-C while 120 ended their two-week deployment.

Nearly 300 MNR personnel are still working in the west coast.

Water Levels Discussed Tonight

Water levels on Rainy Lake and Rainy River will be discussed at a public meeting in International Falls tonight.

The meeting is being hosted by the International Rainy Lake Board of Control and the International Rainy River Water Pollution Board.

It's part of a series of sessions the two groups will have this week.

Private talks also planned with the local mills and government agencies.

Tonight's public session at Rainy River Community College begins at 7 p.m.

Hydro One Identifies Potential Site

Hydro One has come up with a preferred location for a new transformer station in the township of Chapple.

It's identified a site in Barwick north of Highway 11 near Westover Road.

The new station would replace an aging one near Fort Frances.

The public will get an opportunity to comment on Hydro One's plans at an open house tonight at the Chapple Recreation Centre from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Fort Frances Budget Meeting Next Month

The town of Fort Frances is getting set to begin work on its 2010 budget.

It will begin with a public meeting on September 14th which Mayor Roy Avis says is the public's opportunity to have a say how town coffers should be utilized.

"If anybody has any questions or concerns or want to put forward anything they want to see happen, that is the opportunity to do so," says Avis.

The town has targeted the end of next April for completion of the budget.

Hallet Moving Today

Another final voyage for the tugboat Hallet.

Fort Frances Community Services Manager George Bell says the local landmark will be moved from its current location at Pither's Point Park today.

"They will be lifting the Hallet out and putting on a flatbed," says Bell, "driving it over to the Armstrong dock at Seven Oaks and then lifting it with cranes again back into the water. It will be towed to the existing site with Armstrong's tugboat."

Cranes will then move the boat into its final resting spot near the Sorting Gap Marina.

The exact time of the move is still to be determined.

Portage Underpass Opening Soon

Traffic could be moving through the Portage Avenue underpass next week.

Fort Frances town council was informed at its meeting last night that paving operations will begin Monday, following the curing of cement recently put down.

Transportation Superintendent Milt Strachan says the closure to allow that work was worth it.

"They would be allowed to do it with such efficiency with one lane," says Strachan, "I would even say we'd be lucky to be halfway to the point where we are right now without closing the road down."

However, exactly when the road will reopen to traffic must still be determined when town officials meet with the contractor later this week.