Thursday, October 18, 2012

Gravelle Eyes Liberal Leadership

A northwestern Ontario MPP is giving some consideration to running for leader of the Ontario Liberal party.

Thunder Bay's Michael Gravelle, who's now Natural Resources Minister, says he wants to see who else enters the race before making a firm commitment.

Gravelle says if no candidate show any passion for the north, he will consider his options.

Meantime, party officials will meet this weekend to decide when they can hold a leadership convention to replace Premier Dalton McGuinty.

The party's rules allow six months to hold a convention, but sources say the executive invoked what's known as an "electoral urgency'' clause to shorten that time frame.

Hats Off To Seniors

It will be "Hats Off To Seniors" next month.

The group, Seniors and Law Enforcement Together will host an event to celebrate seniors living in the Rainy River district.

Spokesperson Nell Laur says everyone is being invited to the November 16th event.

The group has also established a Making A Difference award to recognize individuals.

It's accepting nominations which can be found by click the link to SALT's website.

Water Route Project Gets Funding

More funding for the Path of the Paddle project.

It's a proposed water route linking Kenora, Atikokan and Thunder Bay.

Project manager Vicki Kurz says there's still a lot of work yet before the route is fulling in place.

The 68-thousand dollars from the province will allow the planning group carry out its next round of work.

Hydro Charges Drop Slightly

Starting next month, most electricity prices in the province will drop slightly for the winter months -- except for the highest demand hours.

The Ontario Energy Board says the changes to the off-peak and mid-peak prices means most consumers using the so-called smart meters will see a decrease of just over a dollar on the electricity line of their hydro bill.

Court Hearing On Catholic Education Continues

A hearing regarding the funding of Catholic schools in Ontario continues in Toronto today.

A Toronto woman is asking Ontario's Superior Court to order the government to stop funding Catholic schools because as a taxpayer who doesn't share the church's beliefs.

Ontario government lawyers say because the funding was guaranteed in 1867 in the constitution, it is not subject to charter challenges.

Parade of Lights Coming Soon

There's nine more weeks until Christmas and that means the annual Parade of Lights in Fort Frances is just around the corner.

Causeway Insurance is once again the key organizer and spokesperson Robin Payeur says this year's theme will be "A Christmas Story."

Those wanting to take part or help out for the November 24th event can contact Causeway Insurance or the Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce.

Plane Crash Kills Three

Three people are dead and another person is in hospital following a plane crash near Pickle Lake.

Peter Hildebrand of the Transportation Safety Board says it happened Tuesday night as the plane was making a landing at the community's airport.

Hildebrand says the plane went down in a heavily wooded area about 7:30 p.m., but the wreckage wasn't found until 3 a.m. the next morning.

No names has yet been released.

Woman Seeking Money From NWO residents In Winnipeg

Shoppers heading to Winnipeg are being warned of a scam that has a connection to the Rainy River district.

Dryden Police say a woman from Dryden was approached recently at the Polo Park Mall by a woman who claimed to be from Devlin and needing money.

The reasons for the money was not disclosed.