Conservative Candidate Selected

It's now official.

Maureen Comuzzi-Stehmann is the Conservative candidate for Thunder Bay-Rainy River.

The announcement was made Friday by Patrick Doherty, President of the Thunder Bay-Rainy River Conservative Electoral District Association.

Comuzzi-Stehmann will most likely face Ken Boshcoff for the Liberals as well as sitting NDP MP John Rafferty in the next federal election.

Child Ident Program Offered

Masonic Lodges in the Rainy River district are giving area parents an opportunity to help their children safe.

Project coordinator Ken McDonald says they'll be carrying out a child identification program at the Rainy River Valley Agricultural Fall Fair this week in Emo.

"Basically they do digitalized photographs, digitalized fingerprints," says MacDonald. "We have hygienists who do a wafer bite of their mouth and a swab. Everything is burnt on to a CD-rom. It is given to the parents and if a child goes missing, they can take it to the police and within thirty seconds it's all over the country, all of the information that's on that child.

There is no cost to participate.

First Riders Program Planned

The start of school is just two weeks away, but area school boards are giving students going to classes for the first time, a chance to ride a school bus.

Darlene Madill of the Rainy River District School Board says a first rider's program will be held this week in Thursday in Fort Frances and next week in Atikokan.

"The first rider program is for kindergarten children," says Madill. "They'll have the opportunity to ride a school bus for the first time and learn about school bus safety rules with their parents at an information session."

Parents interested in having their children take part are asked to first call the board office.

Man Sought by Police

Police are on the alert in northwestern Ontario for a man wanted for attempted murder in Brampton.

Police says 22- year-old Troy Moulton is believed to be in the area.

Police says if he's spotted, not to capture him, but call police right away.

He is believed to be driving a 2000 Grey Impala.

Mayoral Candiate in Emo

An Emo resident, who once worked on former MP Bob Nault's campaign, is looking at taking a step into municipal politics.

Vince Sheppard is seeking the mayoral seat in the township of Emo.

Sheppard says he intends to work hard in getting his message out.

"I think we're going to make up some pamphlets and hand them around and talk with the people in town," says Sheppard. "I know I have a lot of support behind me right now and that's another one of the reasons why I'm running."

Sheppard is also campaigning for more openness in council.

One Month Left in Civic Election Filings

The deadline for candidates looking to run in this year's civic elections in Ontario will end in exactly four weeks from today.

Right now the list for those seeking election in the Rainy River district is quite short.

Only incumbent Sharon Tibbs in Fort Frances, April Chojko-Bolec and Hugh O'Hare in Lake of the Woods Township, and incumbent Mary Makarenko in Atikokan have filed nomination papers for councillor positions.

Vince Sheppard in Emo and Atikokan Mayor Dennis Brown have filed for the mayoral spots in their communities.

Mike Lewis in Atikokan, Dan Belluz and David Kircher in Fort Frances, Glenda Belluz for Alberton and LaVallee township areas and Margaret Heyens for the area covering Emo, Chapple and Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls are seeking seats on the Rainy River District School Board.

Work on Fifth Street Again

For the third straight day, there will be a traffic interruption on Fifth Street in Fort Frances.

Work crews will be in the 100 block of Fifth Street East beginning at 7:30 a.m., reducing traffic to one lane for much of the day.

Torys to Kill Far North Act

(NOACC President Harold Wilson with P.C. Leader Tim Hudak in Thunder Bay - Magic 99.9 FM Photo)


Ontario's Progressive Conservative leader is promising to scrap the Far North Act.

Hudak, who visited Thunder Bay yesterday, says the pending legislation does nothing for job creation.

"If Dalton McGuinty's Far North Act been passed years ago we never would have known about the Ring of Fire," says Hudak. "We would never have seen the Victor Mine in Attiwapiskat. Dalton McGuinty basically wants to turn the entire Far North into a park and kiss all of those opportunities good-bye."

Hudak says the bill has been rammed through the Legisature without consultation.

Crown Forest Sustainability Act Concerns

The Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association is speaking out against a section of Bill 68 - a bill that proposes changes to the Crown Forest Sustainability Act.

President Anne Krassilowsky says it's one that could hurt the forest industry.

"Although both acts are there, the Forest Management Plans and the Forest Sustainability Act, the Endangered Species Act will have more have power, will override the Forest Management plans," says Krassilowsky.

Krassilowsky says the Bill will only add duplication and expose the industry to on-going and expensive legal challenges from special interests groups.

Atikokan Bass Classic

(Atikokan Bass Classic Photo)


Teams are on the waters for the first day of fishing at Atikokan Bass Classic.

Chair Jim Johnson is expecting some big fish to be weighed in this year.

"If the pre-fishing that's been going on in the flood waters is any indication, I believe we're going to outdo last year's record limits," says Johnson.

The over one-hundred team field will be back for weigh-ins at 3 p.m.

Thunder Bay's Glenn Leroux and Trevor Zimack are the defending champions.

Man Arrested in April Fatal Stabbing Incident

Treaty Three Police Service have made an arrest in connection with stabbing death of a man on the Onigaming First Nation back in April.

22-year-old Thomas Ryan Indian of Onigaming will appear in a Kenora court tomorrow on a charge of second degree murder in the death of 45-year-old William Kelly.

Kelly's body was found in a home at the reserve near Nestor Falls April 8.

Police say he died as a result of a single stab wound.

More Reaction to Border Enforcement

Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP John Rafferty wants to know if the enforcement of border crossings in northwestern Ontario is stiffer than elsewhere in Canada.

Rafferty says recent media reports of an Illinois man denied entry at the Fort Frances border because of a criminal report dating back to his high school days, highlight the need for such a review.

"We do have a pending freedom of access to information request," says Rafferty. "What that request is asking for is comparing border crossings right across Canada and seeing how many tourists are coming, how many are turned back, and if the information is available, why they're turned back."

Rafferty says he understands the difficult role customs officers must perform, but is concerned with the number of complaints being received.

Meantime, the Canada Border Service Agency says its officers in Fort Frances and Rainy River do nothing different.

In an e-mail to CFOB-News, spokesperson Louise Rochon says all persons seeking entry to Canada, regardless of the point of entry, are subject to the same rules and regulations.

She adds the admissibility of travelers seeking entry is considered on a case-by-case basis, but each person must show to customs officer they meet the requirements for entry.

Fifth Street Closed Again

The town of Fort Frances is scheduling another closure of Fifth Street West today.

It's scheduled for 7:30 a.m. and impacts the section between Portage Avenue to York Avenue as crews continue their preparations for this month's surface treatment.

The road will reopen by 4 p.m.

Deal Reached with Greyhound Workers

It's business as usual today for Greyhound Canada.

An eleventh hour tentative deal was struck with about 500 of its unionized workers yesterday.

They were set to walk off the job just after midnight if a deal wasn't reached.

The new agreement still needs to be ratified.

Heart and Stroke Funding Issued

Atikokan and Thunder Bay will share just over eight-thousand dollars from the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

Spokesperson Wendy Savoy says the money will go towards advocating against childhood obesity.

"If the trends continue this generation of children will not out-live their parents," says Savoy. "The statistics are worse in northwestern Ontario. For the province its 28 per cent and northwestern Ontario it can be as high as 32 per cent and some of our remote communities it's even higher than that."

The Northwestern Ontario Women's Centre received $5,000 while the Atikokan Youth Initiatives Group will received over $3,000.

American Speaks Out over Border Incident

An Illinois man is speaking out after being denied entry into Canada at the Fort Frances border crossing last month.

55-year-old Paul Pepper was part of a bus tour headed for a fishing lodge near Dryden and was questioned about a criminal report dating back to 1972.

Pepper claims charges laid were eventually dismissed, but was denied entry and forced to walk back to International Falls.

"I could believe the way the whole thing happened," says Pepper. "What gets me is that I've been to Canada for years before this. I never seen this coming."

Pepper has written to a variety of government agencies and the Canada Border Service Agency, but so far there's been no response.

Arthritis Society Seeking Help

(Arthritis Society's Linda Urry (left) and Charlene Snow were in Fort Frances this week looking for more help for the agency)


The Arthritis Society is looking at growing its fundraising efforts in the Fort Frances area.

Manger of Community Engagement Charlene Snow says their annual door-to-door campaign in the Fort has been one of the best in northwestern Ontario, but hopes to find a group that will spearhead another fundraising project that can be just as successful.

"We're trying to find something new and exciting to do," says Snow, "something that will benefit the community and something that will bring out people for a really good cause."

Snow says they are also looking for more help to carry out its door-to-door campaign.

Minnesotans Select Candidates

The list of candidates for Minnesota's general election in November has been established.

Former Senator Mark Dayton was the Democratic choose for the race for governor.

He'll go up against state Rep. Tom Emmer, who is the Republican Party-endorsed candidate and Tom Horner, who won last night's primary for the Independence Party.

In Koochiching County, Bob Anderson and Robert Ecklund finished one-two in the primary for the position of County Commissioner in District 4 and will have their names on the ballot in the November 2 election.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar defeated Bill Hamm as he tries for an eighteenth term eighteenth term representing his northeastern Minnesota district that includes Koochiching County.

Emo Break In

Police are looking into a break in at a drug store in Emo yesterday.

An undisclosed number of items were taken.

An alarm triggered officers with the OPP and Treaty Three Police Service to arrive on scene.

The Northwest Region Emergency Response Team and an O-P-P K-9 unit were also brought in to assist.

North End Road Closed Today

There will be another road closure in Fort Frances' north end today.

Fifth Street West will be closed from Portage Avenue to Cornwall Avenue to through traffic beginning at 7:30 a.m., reopening at 4 p.m.

It's to allow town crews to replace a storm sewer line in preparation for a surface treatment of the roadway later this month.