Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Mining Company Welcomes Federal Assessment

Rainy River Resources is not worried about the need to go through a federal environmental assessment for its proposed gold mines north of Barwick.

The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency made the ruling last week and is currently seeking comment on the scope of that assessment.

Company vice-president Kyle Stanfield says it wasn't unexpected.

Stanfield expects the process to take at least a year and won't impact on their timetable to have an open pit mine open by 2016 and an underground operation soon after.

Blowdown Wood Up For Auction

Koochiching County intends to put up for auction nearly 25-thousand cords of timber damaged in a windstorm this past July.

A total of 26 tracts of land will be sold off next month.

Loggers and officials with Boise say they would have preferred the auction a month ago.

County Land Commissioner Dennis Hummitzsch says delays in trying to identify the exact size of the damaged areas prohibited them from having the auction earlier.

Duncan Expected Not To Seek Liberal Leadership

Ontario Finance Minister has apparently decided against running for the leadership of the Ontario Liberal party.

Dwight Duncan is expected to make an annoucement this afternoon in Toronto.

Several other potential leadership candidates are said to be waiting to see if Duncan enters the race before making their decisions.

More Calls To Recall Queen's Park

Progressive Conservatives are calling on Premier McGuinty to immediately recall the legislature.

Tory house leader Jim Wilson is also urging Liberal MPP's to break ranks with McGuinty by publicly endorsing a return to business at Queen's Park.

Chili Cook Off Today

It's the Great Canadian Chili Cook Off.

Some of the best chili recipes found in the Rainy River district will be seeking the support of residents' pallets at the Royal Canadian Legion in Fort Frances today.

The Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce sponsored event goes from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. with everyone invited.

The Cake Roulette will also take place with proceeds to Robert Moore School's Breakfast program.

New Discoveries Good News For Project

Rainy River Resources says the recent discovery of new gold and silver deposits will help extend the life of its proposed mining operations north of Barwick.

The company identified the discovery just a kilometre from where an open-pit mine is planned.

Kyle Stanfield, a company vice-president, says it's not unusual to find new bodies periodically.

Stanfield says right now they have enough resources to keep a mine in operation going for at least sixteen years.

Woman Arrested In Police Pursuit

A 29-year-old woman from Lac La Croix First Nation will appear in court next month on several charges, including impaired driving, in connection to a police pursuit on the weekend.

OPP were first called about an impaired driver in the drive-thru of a Fort Frances restaurant early Saturday morning.

With help from Treaty Three Police, officers attempted the stop the vehicle on several occasions as it made it way through town and Couchiching First Nations before officers ended the pursuit for safety reasons.

The driver was later arrested after stopping on Highway 11 near highway 502 for another Treaty Three Officer who was not involved in the initial pursuit.

New Mammography Unit Unveiling

Riverside Health Care Facilities will officially cut the ribbon on its new digital mammography unit later this week.

An aggressive fundraising campaign by the Riverside Foundation For Health Care over the past six months helped get the unit in place at the start of this month.

The official opening, scheduled for this Thursday at 2 p.m. at LaVerendrye Hospital, will also recognize those involved in the Together We Can campaign.

Polar Plunge Registration

Early registration for this year's Polar Plunge goes this weekend.

Members of the Voyageur Lions Club will be at the Clover Valley Farmer Market in Fort Frances this Saturday to sign up potential jumpers for the January 1 event.

Pledge forms and information packages will also be availble.

Sixty-five participants raised $12-thousand for local charities in last January's event on Rainy Lake.