Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Festival Opens

2009-04-14

07:57:54

The Rainy River District Festival of the Performing Arts is underway.

The event opened with vocal competitions yesterday with Anne Jean, Caitlin Sande and Lauren Gurski each winning honours in two separate categories.

The vocal competitions continue Tuesday at Donald Young School. Here is a list of all winners from the first event's first day.

FESTIVAL RESULTS, VOCAL DIVISION, Monday, April 13, 2009

 

CLASS V175

                First – Karrigan Johnston

CLASS V100

                First – Naomi Carradice

                Second – Karrigan Johnston

CLASS V101

                First – Star Jewell Martin

CLASS V102        

                First – Anne Jean

CLASS V103

                First – Alyssa Van Drunen

CLASS V104

                First – Isaac Firth

CLASS V106

                First – Emily Brown

CLASS V107

                First – Phoebe Firth

                Second – Ericka Tymkin

CLASS V108

                First – Caitlyn Sande

                Second – Jessica Whalen

CLASS V109

                First – Lauren Gurski

                Second – Katelyn Shortreed

CLASS V144

                First – Anne Jean

CLASS V145

                First – Maggie Gauthier

CLASS V146

                First – Caitlin Sande

                Second – Ericka Tymkin

CLASS V148

                First – Lauren Gurski

CLASS V168

                First – Dylan Ossachuk

CLASS V169

                First – Taylor Shouldice

                Second – Kenzie Godin

CLASS V170

                First – Ericka Tymkin

                Second – Phoebe Firth

CLASS V171

                First – Katelyn Shortreed

                Second – Jessica Whalen

CLASS V172

                First – Melissa Friesen

                Second – Rebecca Sokoliuk

CLASS V173

                First – Debbie Friesen

Zebra Mussels Found

2009-04-14

07:51:38

A recent discovery of zebra mussel shells in a Minnesota lake has the state's Department of Natural Resources issuing warnings to boaters of the importance of making sure their vessels are free of invasive species before launching.

The D.N.R. is not certain if the shells found in Prior Lake were from living mussels or were brought there, the department says its likely the lake is infested.

Zebra mussels were first discovered in Minnesota 20 years ago in the Duluth harbour and have since spread to a number of inland lakes.

Road Work Starts in May

2009-04-14

07:39:44

A major road project is about to begin in Fort Frances next month.

The $5.4 million dollar project will see upgrades to Portage Avenue beginning at First Street, Nelson Street and parts of Victoria Avenue. Operations and Facilities Manager Doug Brown says a public meeting will be held in the near future to discuss the work because of the impact it will have to several facilities.

"We are going to affect (access to) the hospital, police station, fire hall, and others," says Brown. "A preconstruction meeting is of the essence so that we haven't forgotten something."

The town has secured more than $2 million in government grants for the project with a large portion of the remaining costs being covered through its share of the federal gas tax allocation. C-A-O Mark McCaig says the project will address a number of safety issues in the area.

"There's going to be a lot of trucks travelling from the biomass land-mining sites at the landfill," says McCaig. "There's going to be travelling under our underpass and the road needs to be truck ready."

Work is to begin May 4 with a target end date of September 18.

Hallet and Fire Tower Contract Decision Delayed

2009-04-14

07:25:24

There was no decision from Fort Frances town councillors Monday night on a contract to move the tugboat Hallet and fire tower from Pither's Point Park to the waterfront.

Community Services Manager George Bell says a conference call with the contractor to get further information had to be postponed until next week. That will delay council's decision on the proposed $1.3 million contract until its next week in two weeks.

Councillor Paul Ryan questioned whether the pending end of a lease for Pither's Point Park would impact the project.

"If we do do this job and the contract is awarded, there could be a possibility our assets are on somebody else's property, said Ryan. "I'm just wondering if that will create a problem when we go on the property and try to get our stuff off of it."

The town's lease for the Park expires at the end of the month. Town lawyers will be in court Wednesday seeking an extension.

 

Council Says No to Building Contract

2009-04-14

06:51:19

Fort Frances town councillors voted down last night a construction contract for the new library and technology centre.

Nearly fifty library supporters left dejected after a 5 to 2 vote against accepting the $3.7 million contract. Councillor Rick Wiedenhoeft says it was the overall costs of $4.7 million and the town's portion that swayed him to vote no.

"My concern is that if you look at the potential expenditure of this project," say Wiedenhoeft, "the potential expenditure could be in the high of $1.5 to $1.6 million....if things don't fall into place. I think if you look at a project of this size, you have to look at the potential expenditure as being a possibility."

Councillor Ken Perry also felt the town was not in a position to proceed.

"I think the plan for the library is too grand of scheme for us," says Perry. "I'm afraid that down the road we're not going to be able to afford the budget of a new library. When you build a bigger building, the budget for the new building is bigger than the old one and that's what's going to happen here."

Chair of the Fort Frances Library Board Joyce Cunningham was disappointed by the decision. The board's been working toward a new library for nearly 15 years. Cunningham doesn't believe there's anything more than board can do.

"This is something that would be good for the citizens of the community, but it would also be an economic stimulus," says Cunningham, "and in fact when we received the $1.6 million (from the Ministry of Culture) that was a major part of the reason we got that. so I'm extremely disappointed by what has happened."

Cunningham also stands by comments made last week that a no vote would essentially kill the project. The decision by council came as word of a $25,000 donation from an unidentified donor was set to be announced.

While all of council agreed there was a need for a new library, only councillors Sharon Tibbs and Andrew Hallikas felt council should have accepted the contract.

Monday, April 13, 2009

On-Line Passport Service Shutting Down

2009-04-13

12:31:42

In a couple of weeks, it'll be the end of the line for Passport On-Line.

Passport Canada says it will stop accepting online applications at the end of the month. The move to cancel the service follows complaints from Canada's privacy commissioner about sloppy security and an embarrassing online security breach more than a year ago.

 

Support for Christine Elliot

2009-04-13

12:30:45

Christine Elliott picked up a couple of endorsements today in her bid to become the new Ontario's Progressive Conservative leader.

Both Janet Ecker and David Tsubouchi _ cabinet ministers in the Ernie Eves and Mike Harris governments _ say they'll vote for Elliott. Elliott _ the wife of federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty _ is one of four declared candidates vying to replace John Tory as party leader.

The others are Tim Hudak, Frank Klees and Randy Hillier.

U-I Claims Up in Koochiching County

2009-04-13

12:29:55

More than 200 claims for unemployment insurance were made in Koochiching County during the month of March.

According to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, that's almost double from February's figure of 104.

Seatbelt Blitz

2009-04-13

12:28:48

The Ontario Provincial Police will be on the lookout for drivers who fail to wear their seatbelts.

The OPP's Spring Seatbelt campaign gets underway this week, and officers will be checking for proper seatbelt use. The annual campaign also targets children's car seats.

The blitz will run from Wednesday through to April 26.

More Council Decisions

2009-04-13

12:27:42

The proposal to move the tugboat Hallet and fire tower is also up for discussion at tonight's council meeting.

That project also faced opposition at last week's meeting - most aimed at the fire tower with some councillors suggesting it not be saved.

Also tonight, the Northwest Youth Action Alliance will be recognized for its promotion of no-smoking at the Memorial Sports Centre. The town recently changed its by-laws to prohibit smoking in front of the centre's doorways.

The public portion of tonight meeting begins about 5:45 p.m.

 

Chamber Supports Library Project

2009-04-13

12:24:58

Monday night's Fort Frances town council meeting could have a very large audience on hand.

Members of the Library Board are expected to be joined by members of the Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce in a show of support when council decides if it will move forward on the new Library and Technology Centre.

President Cathy Emes says council should proceed.

"All of the time and effort and fundraising that's gone into it," says Emes, "as well as the need for a new library. It's not just the library, it's the technology centre, that's important for the community."

Council deferred making a decision on a construction contract at a meeting last week after some councillors expressed concern with the town's commitment toward the project estimated at little more than a million dollars.

Sunset Country Bowlers Win Team Title

2009-04-13

07:21:55

Members of the Men's Sunset Country Bowling team captured the team title at the Northern Ontario provincial 5-pin bowling championships held in Dryden on the weekend.

The team, which included Fort Frances' Andrew Stamarski, defeated a team representing the North Bay area.

Medical Officer of Health Welcoming Role

2009-04-13

07:17:41

The Medical Officer of Health for the Northwestern Health Unit is settling into to his position just fine.

Doctor James Arthurs has been the region's acting chief medical officer since January 1st, and says its been a rewarding experience so far.

"I'm really having a good time," says Arthurs, " and enjoying learning more about where Kenora fits into the northwest, where the northwest fits in with the province and how all of us need to work together for better health for all of us who live here"

Arthurs is not sure when the "acting" part of his title will be removed. The Minister of Health still has to confirm his appointment.

Minnesota Elk Public Meeting

2009-04-13

06:57:28

Minnesota’s elk management plan will be the focus of an upcoming public meetings to be held by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in Greenbush.

The D-N-R says the plan will address population levels, crop depredation and hunting season management of wild elk in northwestern Minnesota.

Elk are native to the state but faced near extinction in the early 20th century.

Ontario Graduation Rates

2009-04-13

06:56:30

Five years after Ontario eliminated Grade 13, only 69 per cent of students completed the four-year high school program in four years.

The Education Ministry reported a 77 per cent graduation rate for Ontario high schools last month, but that included students who go back for a fifth year.

Education Minister Kathleen Wynne says both graduation rates are good news because they show more students are completing high school.

Confederation College Graduate Survey

2009-04-13

06:53:46

Confederation College has scored high marks from its graduates and the companies who hire them.

A survey conducted by College's Ontario says almost 87 per cent of the graduates were satisfied with the education received at the college. Eight per cent seemed pleased with the overall quality of services, programming and resources available.

Almost 98 per cent of employers, the highest of any college in Ontario, expressed satisfaction with the quality of the educational preparation of Confederation's graduates.

 

 

Koochiching County Road Work

2009-04-13

06:52:03

Two projects in the Koochiching County area are among this year's work planned by the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

This July, M-DOT will begin replacement of a bridge on Highway 11 in Clementson at a cost of $2.9 million dollars.

M-DOT also plans to dismantle the historic Silverdale Bridge on Highway 65 in August. The bridge will be moved to the St. Paul area where it will reconstructed as a recreational trail bridge. 

Emergency Food Program Assistance

2009-04-13

06:50:57

Koochiching County is receiving some federal dollars to assist with area emergency food and shelter programs.

The county received almost $12,000 through the Emergency Food and Shelter National Board and another $5,600 in federal stimulus dollars.

The money will be disbursed among local service agencies.

Robert Moore School Goes to Tender

2009-04-13

06:46:29

The Rainy River District School Board is planning to seek tenders this week on the new Robert Moore School.

Manager of Plant operations, Raymond Roy says prospective contractors will have about a month to make their submissions. Roy says site preparation continues.

"We've elected to use a strategy known as pre-loading," says Roy. "We've preloaded the site of the new school. This generally that will consolidate the soils. We had two options to do the current pre-load option or go with piles."

Roy says because of the soils, using piles would have driven up the cost of construction significantly. Construction of the school could begin as early as this June.

 

Council Meets Monday Night

2009-04-13

06:43:56

The fate of two projects in Fort Frances could be decided Monday night when town councillors gather for their regular meeting of council at the Civic Centre.

Council will review a Fort Frances Library Board recommendation to accept a tender with Aurora Construction for the building of the new library and Technology Centre at a cost of $3.7 million. At a special meeting last week, some councillors expressed concern with the town's commitment of a about a million dollars toward the total budget of $4.7 million.

Council is also expected to discuss a proposed contract to refurbish and relocate the tugboat Hallet and fire tower. At last week's meeting, some councillors felt the fire tower should not be saved. Tonight's meeting begins at about 5:45