Wednesday, May 18, 2011

AbitibiBowater Focuses on Canadian Operations

AbitibiBowater is taking a close look at its Canadian operations to find additional savings.

Chief executive officer Richard Garneau says the company is benchmarking its Canadian mills against one another and looking at staffing levels at some facilities.

Garneau says the company will identify the machines that have the best potential and make tough decisions about the rest.

Library Bids

The town of Fort Frances has received two expressions of interest for the former library building.

Evangelical Fellowship Church in Fort Frances and the Fort Frances Community Clinic submitted separate bids for the now vacant facility.

CAO Mark McCaig says the Salvation Army had also indicated interest, but never submitted a formal bid.

A computer glitch, though, did prevent the town from received bids yesterday by e-mail.

McCaig says bids sent that way would be accepted if it was determined they were sent before yesterday's deadline.

A final decision is not expected for at least another month.

Prescribed Burns Planned

(file photo)


Voyageurs National Park will conduct two prescribed burns today.

The park's fire management officer Scott Bressler says the burns will happen on Sheep and Ram Islands in Lake Kabetogama as part of an effort to maintain fire as a part of the ecosystem.

"It's mainly over growth with brush," says Bressler. "So we'd like to try to reduce the amount of brush and create a seed bed for what pine is left on those islands."

The park is advising boaters to avoid the islands when the fire starts this afternoon.

Border Protection

Canada will contribute to American efforts to better patrol the northern U.S. border.

It will provide information from 22 Canadian radar feeds starting in November.

The information will be passed onto a California organization that examines air traffic along the border.

Relay for Life in Atikokan


Planning for the Relay for Life in Atikokan continues.

Spokesperson Kerri Hensrud says they still have plenty of room for more teams and cancer survivors to take part in the Canadian Cancer Society fundraiser.

"We have thirteen teams so far," says Hensrud. "We also promoting to get our survivors out there. We're celebrating that evening with a dinner in their honour and they will help kick the ceremony off."

The event takes place May 27th at North Star Community School.