Davidson Returns To Head Atikokan Metis

File photo

Marlene Davidson will again serve as president of the Atikokan Metis Council for the next two years.

Her position was one of nine acclaimed after nominations for the Council's elections closed May 18.

Elections were planned for June 1.

Three other positions on the Council are still vacant.

No Bad Roads In Northwestern Ontario Apparently

We love to complain about them, but northwestern Ontario's road have been left out of the Canadian Automobile Association's worst roads list for this year.

The annual list is compiled by public nominations.

Dufferin Road in Toronto tops this year's list for a third straight time.

The remainder of the top ten were either located in Toronto or elsewhere in southern Ontario.

Water Now Flowing Freely

Fort Frances residents can stop trickling their water.

The directive was issued after an outbreak of frozen water lines this past winter.

Operations and Facilities manager Doug Brown says the last problem area was resolved just last week.

Effected users on water meters won't be taxed with higher water bills for keeping the water running.

Brown says their bills will be based on their water usage last year.  

Meantime, town crews are still working to repair broken water and sewer pipes with with three of over 40 this year yet to fix.

Laid Off Workers Recognized In New Contract

While the mill itself is no longer operating, laid off workers at Resolute Forest Products in Fort Frances are being recognized in a new contract with Unifor.

Unifor's Mike Lambert says the new four-year deal secures preferential hiring for the workers at the new sawmill in Atikokan.

That sawmill is to open next spring.

Lambert says workers in Fort Frances were included in the contract because talks had started well before the closure announcement.

Lambert says the contract would also in place if there were efforts by someone else to restart the now shuttered Fort Frances mill.

Resolute said it explored a potential sale before making the closure decision, but has not said if anyone is now interested in the mill.

Tax Break For Some Big Falls Area Residents

Koochiching County's board of commissioners is agreeing to provide tax relief to property owners who now fall under two hospital taxing districts.

The duplication, effecting some owners in the Big Falls area, came when a new district was created to help Littlefork Medical Center repay a million dollar County loan for capital improvements.

The County will now provide a yearly grant to the city of Big Falls equal to the amount of tax assessed on effect properties.

Do One Thing Underway

Northwestern Health Unit has officially opened its Do One Thing Conference in Kenora.

Chief Executive Officer  Mark Perrault says health is not accomplished by one single entity.

Perrault says the goal is to get ideas won which direction they can take to improve the health of area communities.

More than 300 people from across the region are attending.

New Name For Pither's Point Park

A new name for Pither's Point Park is being explored.

It comes out of meetings recently held between the town of Fort Frances and First Nations leaders with the band's who've laid title to the park.

The town's Chief Administrative Officer Mark McCaig says it will now be referred for now as the Point while the two sides come up with a new name.

McCaig say the two sides have also agreed to ongoing dialogue with the aim of solving some, if not all, the issues that have been, in the past, before the courts.

Input Sought On Bicycle Plan

Minnesota continues to seek public comment on its statewide bicycle plan.

The Department of Transportation has set up an interactive map and survey on its website to gather input on how to address the needs of bicycle riders across the State.

They will stay in place until June 1 with the Department expected to complete its plan by the end of this year.

Minnesota Warns Of Tick Problems

The snowy and cold winter is apparently not hurting ticks in Minnesota.

Fields studies in southwestern parts of the State are finding large numbers of adult deer ticks.

The Department's David Neitzel says ticks were likely insulated from the cold by deep snow, meaning the risk of tick-transmitted disease to be high again this year.

Last year, the department reported a record 14-hundred Lyme disease cases around the State.

Northern Ontario Debate

Liberal Premier Kathleen Wynne and NDP Leader Andrea Horwath are fresh off the Northern Ontario debate in Thunder Bay Monday.

The two went head to head on a variety of issues including revamping the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation.

Horwath says she would tackle the problem immediately.

Wynne focused more on the current economic programs her party offers.


The two leaders also indicated a willingness to consider taking back OPP policing costs from municipalities under 5,000 population.

Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak didn't attend because of scheduling conflicts.

NOMA Remembering What Leaders Said

The proof is in the pudding.

That reaction from the president of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association following Monday's debate between Liberal Premier Kathleen Wynne and NDP leader Andrea Horwath in Thunder Bay.


In an interview with NetNewsledger Dave Canfield says he'll be holding the leaders to their word after the election.

Canfield says he did hear from both that they were willing to work with northern Ontario leaders.

Hudak Promotes Wage Freeze

PC leader Tim Hudak is proposing to freeze the wages of all public sector workers and MPP's upon taking office.

Hudak says 97-thousand government workers are already making six figure salaries.

Hudak says a wage freeze would save Ontario taxpayers $2-billion a year and help create new jobs.

Northern Ontario Heritage Party Announces Candidates

The party advocating northern Ontario be its own province is running three candidates in the provincial election.

Leader and founder of the Northern Ontario Heritage Party Ed Deibel is running in Thunder Bay-Atikokan.

Association president Paul Sloan is running in Thunder Bay-Superior North.

The party says it has a registered riding association for Kenora-Rainy River, but no candidate for this election.

New Asset Management Plan

Fort Frances council is adopting a new asset management plan to help it deal future infrastructure needs.

It includes a recommendation that taxes increase 2.3 per cent each year for the next decade to help pay for the work.

Councillor Ken Perry worries it holds future councils to that commitment.

Councillor Rick Wiedenhoeft says the tax increase is just a recommendation, but council needed to approve the plan to ensure it can access future federal and provincial dollars.

The plan focuses on such things as roads, bridges, sewer and water and social housing needs.

Treaty 3 Chiefs Meet

Grand Council Treaty 3 holds its annual spring assembly, beginning today at Rat Portage First Nation.

Grand Chief Warren White says topics includes child welfare and the Energy East Pipeline.

Unlike past conferences, no provincial representatives will be attending partly because of the election.

White says federal Natural Resources Minister and Kenora MP Greg Rickford and Aboriginal Affairs Minister Bernard Valcourt were also invited, but did not respond.

Do One Thing

The Northwestern Health Unit's Do One Thing Conference gets underway today in Kenora.

Over 300 people are attending, representing a wide array of sectors, including health, education and non-profit organizations from across northwestern Ontario as well as Winnipeg.

The conference aims to get people more interested in healthy eating and active lifestyles.

Comedian Rick Mercer is attending as a guest speaker.

Liberal Candidates Challenged On Gas Plants Stance

Progressive Conservatives are challenging Liberals candidates to come clean with voters where they stand on the gas plant scandal issue.

A release from the Party says it's important that each candidate state clearly whether or not the one billion dollars spent to cancel the plants in southern Ontario was a waste of taxpayer money.

Leader Tim Hudak last week announced he's initiate a judicial inquiry into the cancellations upon taking power.

GPS Helps Minnesota Man Get Aid

A distress call though a GPS satellite is being credited with helping a Minnesota man receive emergency help.

OPP were notified of the distress call Friday.

Using the coordinates, police were able to locate the man at this lake only access cabin in the northwest arm of Rainy Lake where he was found to have suffered a leg injury and needed assistance.

Police were able to help the man return home.

His injury did not require urgent emergency medical attention from police or ambulance personnel.

MNR Helps Saskatchewan

The Ministry of Natural Resources is providing some assistance to Saskatchewan.

Two waterbombers, a birddog aircraft and an air attack officer have been sent to assist with a forest fire in the northern part of the province.

The fire forced the evacuation of about 900 residents from the Stanley Mission area.

OPP Auxiliary Information Session

An information session is planned in Fort Frances for those interested in being involved with the OPP's auxiliary program.

Members of the Northwest Region Auxiliary are volunteers who assist police in various ways.

The session takes place Wednesday night at 7 PM at the NCDS boardroom on Scott Street.

You're asked to call the OPP is you plan to attend.