Thursday, February 25, 2010

Construction Firm Receives Funding

A Fort Frances business is getting a helping hand from the provincial government.

Ty-Gr Construction is getting $25-thousand from the government's Young Entrepreneur program.

The program helps young people with the start-up of new businesses in northern Ontario.

Fonteece Sentencing Delayed

It will now be May before a 47-year-old Peter Fonteece will know his fate.

The Waterloo man was in a Thunder Bay courtroom on yesterday to face a possible jail term in connection with the death of his wife in a city motel room a year ago.

However the judge postponed sentencing.

Fonteece was convicted of criminal negligence causing death.

The crown says his failure to call for help after his wife Yanisa took 40 sleeping pills warrants jail.

Explosion, Fire Destroys I. Falls Home

Fire officials continue to investigate an explosion and fire that destroyed a home in International Falls earlier this week.

Officials have blamed Tuesday's explosion to the home on County Road 127 on a gas leak, but the cause of the leak is not known.

The state's Fire Marshall and Koochiching County Sheriff's Department are investigating.

No one was in the home at the time of the incident and there were no injuries.

It took city firefighters more than six hours to contain the fire.

Boy Injured in Falls

International Falls City Police, along with Minnesota State Patrol, continue to investigate an accident that led to a six-year-old boy being airlifted to hospital in Duluth after being struck by a school bus.

The accident happened Tuesday afternoon as the bus was dropping off students in the 700 block of Eighth Avenue.

The condition of the boy is not immediately known.

Alzheimer's Society Loses Executive Director

The Alzheimer's Society for Kenora-Rainy River is losing its executive director.

Margaret Schonewille is stepping down to take on a position at Providence College and Seminary near Steinbach, Manitoba next month.

Schonewille has been with the Alzheimer's Society for the past fifteen years, the last eleven as the district's executive director.

Nursing Program Plans Continue

Confederation College and Lakehead University are giving prospective students until March 19 to register for a community-based nursing program that's planned for this fall.

The program allows students to earn LU's Bachelor of Nursing Degree through studies at the college's regional campuses, including here in Fort Frances.

Officials are hoping for at least 32 students and were encouraged by the interest at a information session held last week.

Native Housing Conference

Leaders from 11 northern tribal councils and more than 80 aboriginal communities are in Thunder Bay this week to share expertise and ideas on northern housing.

Organizer Richard Habinski says the gathering is designed to address issue related to housing in those communities.

"The First Nations that attend have an opportunity to network," says Habinski, "They have an opportunity to discuss issues with each other. More importantly we have a lot of information that's provided here. We have a trade show. We have workshops. It's all about training and capacity building in the north."

The conference wraps up today.

Sustainability Conference

The sustainability of northern Ontario communities will be the subject of a two-day conference that gets underway today in Thunder Bay.

Conference co-chair Alexander Boulet says representative from across the region will talk about the challenges and opportunities of meeting the area's basic needs.

"This year we're focusing on covering the basic concept of community resilience," says Boulet. "So, how are we going to meet our basic needs given the current economic climate?"

Boulet says it's hoped the conference will become an annual one as the solutions won't likely be determined by just one meeting.

College Strike Avoided

The union representing faculty at Ontario's 24 colleges says it's disappointed -- but not surprised -- members have accepted the colleges' contract offer.

The Ontario Labour Relations Board confirms that a slim majority accepted the offer in a vote held across the province earlier this month after reviewing the ballots.

OPSEU negotiator Ted Montgomery says the vote should not be seen as an endorsement of the offer.

He says very few of their members thought the contract was a good offer but they just don't want to go on strike.

Montgomery says issues such as workload and wages will "fester now for two and a-half years.''

Confederation College president Pat Lang says she's pleased with the deal and the fact that student can continue to concentrate on their studies without having to worry over a potential strike impacting their year.

Province Accused of Ignoring Northern Ontario


New Democrats are accusing the McGunity Liberals of ignoring northern Ontario.

Leader Andrea Horvath told the legislature yesterday that a group of municipal leaders from the northwest she recently met with are looking for help in dealing with high unemployment rates and increase usage of social services.

"I met with a group of mayors from the Northern Ontario Municipal Association, and they expressed real concern about Queen's Park ignoring northerners," said Horvath. "High unemployment is wreaking havoc on their families and communities. In Thunder Bay, for example, food bank use has soared by 40%. People are leaving the north in droves to find jobs. Why is northern Ontario being abandoned by their government?"

Acting Premier Dwight Duncan admits there are unique challenges in the north, but noted the province has responded through a number of recent investments to mining, forestry and infrastructure.

Four-Laning Continues

The planned four-laning of Highway 53 between International Falls to Duluth is expected to resume next year with work on a nine-mile section between Cook and Virginia.

Bob Anderson, the head of a task force that's lobbied for the improvements, says they're also hoping for additional work elsewhere.

"Between Cook and International Falls we're hoping to do two additional passing lanes," says Anderson. "If the dollars come in right on the nine-mile section were going to do, we'll be able to do those passing lanes."

Anderson says convincing both federal and state governments of the economic importance of the highway to the Falls and northwestern Ontario has helped secure funding for the project.