Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Water Monitors Proposped

Environment Canada is seeking permission to set up two water monitoring gauges in the town of Fort Frances.

It wants to use the gauges to gather data on water levels on the Rainy River.

The agency has asked the town for approval to install the units at Pither's Point Park near the CN Rail bridge and at the old wharf on Colonization Road East.

Land Claims Negotiations Halting - Report

There's word Ottawa has moved to cut off some land-claims negotiations with First Nations.

APTN reports negotiators for First Nations have been told of the move by negotiators for the federal government.

A lawyer representing several Indian bands says the October 16th anniversary of the Specific Claims Tribunal Act has been set as the deadline.

Weather Helping wwith Fire Fight

(File photo)

Cool and wet conditions are helping firefighters get control of the forest fires threatening communities in remote northwestern Ontario.

More than 110 fires are burning across the region.

Officials are now working on plans to return more than 35-hundred evacuated First Nation residents to their communities when the timing is right.

Fires at Quetico Park

(File photo)

Two fires in Quetico Provincial Park continue to burn.

One is located on an island at Basswood Lake at the Ontario-Minnesota border.

The other is located at Jeff Lake.

The Ministry of Natural Resources is keeping a close eye on them, but the fires don't pose much a concern and are being allowed to burn themselves out.

Fires at AbitibiBowater

A pair of separate fires at the AbitibiBowater mill in Fort Frances have been ruled as accidental.

Members of Fort Frances Fire and Rescue Service were first called to the mill 8:30 a.m. Saturday to a fire that occurred in an area above the lime-kiln.

After remaining on scene until 10 p.m., firefighters were called back to the mill a few hours later to a fire in a storage building located below the lime-kiln.

Officials says both fires were the result of wood materials that had been exposed to heat over a period of time, eventually igniting.

Photo ID Card Available

Ontario is now selling a photo ID card for the 1.5 million people over 16 who don't have a driver's licence.

It costs $35, is valid for five years, has raised lettering and clearly states it is not a driver's licence.

The card, though, won't be available at Service Ontario centres in the Rainy River district until sometime early next year.