Regional Unemployment Rate Increases

Another 18-thousand jobs were created in Canada last month, but they were all part-time, and not enough to budge the jobless rate from 8.2 per cent.

In Ontario, the economy added 10-thousand jobs in March, causing a drop in the provincial unemployment rate by 0.3 percentage points to 8.8 per cent.

In northwestern Ontario, the rate increased went from 6.7 in February to 7.3 per cent.

MPP Questions Energy Annoucement

Some questions are being raised about the province's eight billion dollar green energy plan.

One-hundred and 84 new contracts for green-energy projects were approved yesterday by the provincial government.

Kenora-Rainy River MPP Howard Hampton suggests many of the projects could be held up because of Canadian content regulations.

"What we're all ready finding is that many of the projects, even though announced, are having trouble sourcing the goods and services to meet the Goods and Services content level, says Hampton.

Four projects in the Rainy River Districts were given the go-ahead yesterday, while several other await approval.

Consumers will also face higher electricity bills as part of an yesterday's plan to create more renewable energy in Ontario.

There will be a one per cent increase or an additional five dollars per month on hydro bills by 2012.

Premier Dalton McGuinty says that's a small price to pay for the creation of clean power and thousands of jobs.

More Depots Sought

The agency overseeing a program to recycle old electronic equipment isn't giving up on efforts to create more collection sites in northwestern Ontario.

The program was set up a year ago.

Carol Hochu of the Ontario Independent Electronic Stewardship admits they've had some difficulties in setting up depots in northwestern Ontario.

"First of all it's purely voluntarily," says Hochu, "so we can't enforce or make anybody to be collector of the waste electronics. I guess its just a challenge to get the word out about the program and to find companies that are interested and willing to be collector."

The only depots currently in northwestern Ontario are in Thunder Bay.

Pharmistics Express Concern

Pharmacy retailers say Ontario's plan to scrap pharmacy allowances for generic drugs will inflict suffering on the industry as pharmacists slash jobs and services.

Ben Shenouda of the Independent Pharmacists of Ontario says pharmacists would have to cut hours to cut costs and some wouldn't survive.

He fears about 400 to 600 of Ontario's 32-hundred independent pharmacies could close if the plan becomes law.

Forest Fire Update

There have been no new forest fires since last weekend, but the fire hazard in the Rainy River district still remains high.

The Ministry of Natural Resources says the warmer than normal temperatures and moderate winds are both contributing to the hazard.

Many municipalities and First Nations communities have implemented fire bans since the start of the fire season April 1st.

To date there have been 22 fires across northwestern Ontario - six in the Rainy River district.

Lawsuit to Proceed

A class action lawsuit against George Brown College in Toronto has received certification from a judge to proceed.

Former students of the school's international business management program are alleging it didn't have to ability to confer the industry designations it promised.

The suit represents 119 former students.

B-93 Facebooks

B-93 has joined the social networking site Facebook.

Listeners and computer user can now go to B-93 Borderland's Best Music for news and sports headlines, contest details and local information.

Crimestoppers Numbers Up

Crime Stoppers of Northwestern Ontario and Northern Minnesota is showing some impressive numbers in the first three months of 2010.

Coordinator Doug Anderson says there's been large increases in tips received, cases cleared and rewards issued.

"January started strong and February kind of followed suite," says Anderson. "March was a little slower than the first two month, but all-in-all, when you compare things to last year where up all across the board so we're very please."

Anderson says continued media support and initiatives such as an improved website and a new Facebook page are helping increase the organization's public profile.

High Dollar Good News to U.S. Businesses

The Canadian dollar continues to hover just above or below parity with its American cousin.

Betsy Jensen, president of the International Falls Chamber of Commerce, says that can only lead to more Canadians travelling across the border.

"International Falls businesses prosper when the dollar is more equal," says Jensen, "because we have more (Canadian) shoppers over here with their dollar worth just as much as ours. We look at it as a good thing."

Jensen says its too early to tell if the dollar is having an immediate impact, but is seeing a few more Ontario plates at local gas stations.

More Energy Projects on the Way

The Ontario government is reportedly poised to start awarding just over $8 billion dollars in renewable energy projects to dozens of companies.

Sources say the government is awarding contracts to entities ranging from first nations communities to major corporations who will develop wind, solar and run-of-river hydro projects.

It's not immediately know if any of the projects are slated for the Rainy River district.

Prescription Changes

People in Ontario will soon pay less when getting their prescriptions filled after the province announced it will scrap an allowance pharmacists receive on generic drugs.

But that isn't sitting well with pharmacists who say the compensation is not enough.

Shoppers Drug Mart says it is strongly opposed to the changes and believes they will have a direct negative impact on pharmacy services and patient care.

Seven Generations Anniversary

An anniversary today for the Seven Generations Education Institute.

It's been 25 years since it was set up to provide education and training opportunities for Aboriginal people.

Director of Post Secondary Education programs Laura Horton says much has changed over time.

"Ten Chief originally started it and named it the Rainy Lake Ojibway Education Authority back in 1985," says Horton. "Over the years the name has been changed, our work has expanded, but always its our ten First Nations at the center of it all.

A sunrise ceremony and public tours of its facility at Couchiching First Nation will be held to mark the event.

All events are open to the public.

Voyageur's Celebrates

Voyageur's National Park celebrates its thirty-fifth anniversary today.

The park is hosting a variety of event throughout the month, but tonight it will hold an open house for the public at the Rainy Lake Visitor Center with former and current employees on hand.

This free event goes from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Encore Winner

A Sioux Narrows resident is happy he said 'yes' to Encore when he purchased his Lotto Max ticket back in February.

Tyler Cole Marquis during his extra one-dollar decision into a reward of $100-thousand dollars.

The self-employed contractor and new father plans to pay off his mortgage.

The winning ticket was bought at Dalseg's Fine Foods in Nestor Falls.

New Education Director Named

(Left: Board Chair, Dan Belluz with Heather Campbell, Director of Education - courtesy Rainy River District School Board)

The Rainy River District School Board has promoted from within for its new director of education.

Heather Campbell takes over from Jack McMaster who left last month for a position with the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board.

"I've first of all privileged and honoured and really excited to work with the board of trustees and staff of the Rainy River District School Board to continue enhancing student success for our students," says Campbell.

Campbell has been an educator for the past fourteen years, the last four as the board's Superintendent of Education.

Vote By Mail Accepted

Public school supporters living in the Rainy River District's unorganized areas will vote by-mail this fall in the election of school board trustees.

Trustees with the Rainy River District Board gave approval to mail-in balloting at their meeting last night.

The board had contracted services to area municipalities in the past for polling stations, but with many communities going to mail-in ballots themselves, polling stations were as not seen an option this year.

Mercury Poisoning Study

A protest is expected outside Queen's Park today by activists demanding more be done to deal with mercury poisoning at a FirstNations reserve in northwestern Ontario.

A study released yesterday suggests the health effects of mercury poisoning at Grassy Narrows are worse now than in the 1970's.

Activists are calling for permanent mercury monitoring through an environmental centre in the community and tougher federal mercury guidelines.

The study says mercury dumped into the Wabigoon River between 1962 and 1970 continued harming area residents as recently as 2004.

Raw Sewage into River

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is looking into an incident in which raw sewage was pumped into the Rainy River.

Acting on a recent complaint, a DNR conservation officer found a septic tank being pumped into a ravine running into the river near Baudette.

The property owner claimed his drain field had not worked for some time and that bringing it up to code would cost to much.

The DNR's Soil and Water Bureau is investigating.

Bids for Forests Received

The forest allocation competition for eleven million cubic metres of fibre in Ontario has come to a close.

Forestry Minister Michael Gravelle says a number of companies have placed bids, some on the value-added side of the industry.

"A lot of the new entrants did not have access to a wood supply," says Gravelle, "so the goal is to try to find some way of evening the playing field."

Gravelle expects to announced recommendation within six months.

Library Grant

The town of Atikokan has received an Ontario Trillium Foundation grant for upgrades to its library.

The more than $20-thousand will be used to purchase and install new energy efficient doors and windows in the children's area.