International Falls makes its voice heard

2009-03-27

12:48:53

It will be some time before the city of International Falls knows if its lobbying efforts at the state capital Thursday were effective. City Administrator Rod Otterness joined hundreds of municipal representatives across Minnesota in St. Paul in trying to convince lawmakers of the important of the sustained local government aid.

"It certainly isn't certain how this story is going to end," said Otterness Friday, "but we do believe we got our message across about the importance of the work local government does every day."

The city is trying grapple with a loss of $222 thousand in local government aid from 2008. Otterness says they are looking at delaying some capital projects as a result. Otterness says they may not know if they were effective they were in St. Paul until the state finalizes its budget in May.

Muskies end OFSSA with a tie

2009-03-27

12:43:16

The Fort Frances Muskies have ended their run in this year's OFSSA boy's hockey championship in North Bay Friday morning with a 4-4 draw against Toronto's Senator O'Connor College School. The Muskies looked headed towards their second win of the tournament before giving up the tying goal in the final minute of play.

Zach McCool led the Muskies offense with a pair of goals. Tyler Jorgenson and Blake Wepruk added singles. The Muskies end the tournament with a 1-2-1 record in pool play.

Ontario Flag Purchase

2009-03-27

12:38:38

Ontario and Canadian flags purchased for Ontario's politicians must now be made in Canada and preferably in the province.

Speaker Steve Peters issued the directive after several opposition members expressed anger with the procurement office's move to buy Ontario flags from China. The flags from the Chinese company cost 5-dollars cheaper than those made in Ontario.

But the NDP called the decision to outsource the flags shameful, embarrassing and pathetic.

AbitibiBowater Shares Up

2009-03-27

12:35:34

Shares of AbitibiBowater rose today as the newsprint maker continues to seek a debt restructuring plan with its debt holders.

A deadline to reach a deal was moved to Friday at 4:00 pm CST, but reports suggest the discussions were making progress. At the noon hour trading, shares prices for AbitibiBowater were up 22 per cent from the previous day's market close.

Minimum Wage increase pondered

2009-03-27

12:34:13

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty says he may have to delay next year's planned minimum wage hike.

McGuinty says this year's increase to $9.75 an hour from $9.50 will go ahead as planned on Wednesday. But he says next year's rise to 10-dollars an hour may have to be put off, depending on the state of the economy.

Gravelle reacts to budget

2009-03-27

12:29:05

Northern Development and Mines Minister Michael Gravelle says the provincial budget contains a number of good news announcements for northwestern Ontario.

The Liberal M.P.P. for Thunder Bay-Superior North says it includes a commitment to increase funding to the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund.

"The increase in the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund from $70 million to $80 million is very positive news," says Gravelle. "The heritage fund is the key economic development fund for northern Ontario and it create jobs and stimulates the economy."

Gravelle says there is also a $92 million dollar increase to the northern Ontario highways program to over $650 million. He expect to reveal details of where that money will be spent in the very near future.

Hampton budget reaction

2009-03-27

12:26:14

Opposition members at Queen's Park aren't very happy with the provincial budget.

Kenora-Rainy River M-P-P Howard Hampton says yesterday's budget isn't going to help ordinary Ontarians. Hampton says there seems to be a lot of window dressing, but not a lot of help for communities struggling with job losses.

"If you take out the money the province has to spend every year on infrastructure just to fill the pot holes on the highways, and make sure hospitals and schools roofs don't leak, there's not an incredible amount of new money for infrastructure here," says Hampton.

Hampton adds harmonizing the provincial sales tax and the Goods and Services Tax will make life more expensive.

CBC cuts affect Northwestern Ontario

2009-03-27

08:27:26

Half of the workforce at C-B-C Radio in Thunder Bay are facing layoffs. The elimination of six employees are part of 800 being cut by the public broadcaster across the country.

Thunder Bay-Rainy River M-P John Rafferty calls the cuts unnecessary and places blame on the Harper Government.

"Harper is more than happy to run a $70 billion deficit over the next two years," argues Rafferty, "yet he doesn't think it makes sense to offer the CBC a repayable loan of $60 million to protect local jobs and services." 

School Board reacts to on-line petition

2009-03-27

07:50:37

The education director with the Rainy River District School Board says it has been as open as it can be with a Fort Frances resident who's asking the Education Minister Kathleen Wynne to launch an investigation.

Jack McMaster says David Kircher has every right to ask for the probe, but feels the board has complied with Kircher's many requests for information.

"When the question is posed, and we feel there is a legal entity,we have sought legal advice and have provided the best answers we could," says McMaster.

"I know he was looking for some personnel information," McMaster adds, "that we just could not give him." 

Last week, Kircher set up an on-line petition calling for the investigation.

A number of local residents have signed that petition.

Alberton Township Road Closure

2009-03-27

07:28:13

Flooding has forced the partial closure of Frog Creek Road in the township of Alberton.

The closure is from Hill Road - east for two kilometers.

There is no word how long the road will be closed. 

 

 

 

Boise Watching AbitibiBowater

2009-03-27

07:20:10

Boise Inc. officials in the United States are watching the situation with AbitibiBowater very closely.

Vice president of Minnesota operations Terry Ward says Boise's International Falls paper mill could get by if AbitibiBowater suddenly halted operations across the Rainy River in Fort Frances.

The mill currently receives about 250 tons of pulp daily from Fort Frances. Ward says if those shipments were to suddenly cease, they would look to having pulp shipped from a Boise-owned mill in Washington State.

But Ward worries what the impact a potential closure of the Fort Frances mill could have on the northern Minnesota city. He says many city businesses that benefit from their Canadian neighbours now would be hurt financially.

AbitibiBowater Debt Plans

2009-03-27

07:17:55

A published report suggests AbitibiBowater is making progress on its ability to have a debt restructuring plan accepted by U-S banks. The forest company was given another extension until 400 p-m CST today to come to an agreement.

The New York times reports Citibank, one of the banks that balked at the original plan, may be prepared to accept the company latest offering.

Ontario Budget - Forestry

2009-03-27

07:10:23

The provincial government has some assistance for the ailing forestry sector in its new budget.

Some 58-million dollars are being provided to extend the Northern Pulp and Paper Mill Electricity Transition Program by one year. That will provide electricity rebates of 1-point-8 cents per kilowatt-hour to qualifying mills.

A reduction to white birch and poplar stumpage fees will also be extended another year. The province will also review how wood can be utilize more in construction and infrastructure projects.

Ontario Budget - Northern Ontario

2009-03-27

07:09:12

There is a smattering of programs in Ontario's budget aimed at shoring up northern Ontario's crucial sectors.

Almost 650 million dollars will go into highway projects over the next year.

First Nation Communities will get assistance to boost economic development opportunities and 40-million dollars from the new blended sales tax will go to destination marketing in new tourism regions.

 

Ontario Budget - Tax Merger

2009-03-27

2009-03-27

The centrepiece of the budget is a tax reform package that cuts income tax and introduces a combined federal-provincial sales tax.

Starting in July 2010, the provincial sales tax will be harmonized with the G-S-T in a move Duncan says will help make Ontario businesses more competitive. Taxpayers will get special transition payments of up to $1,000 to offset the combine tax which will apply to programs and services that were not subject to P-S-T prior.

Ontario Budget

2009-03-27

06:54:06

Ontario unveiled its a recession-fighting budget Thursday. The highlight is a move to a single sales tax, one-thousand dollar payments to most households and cuts to income and corporate taxes.

Finance Minister Dwight Duncan says Ontario is in the middle of a global financial storm. The budget includes a deficit that will will hit almost 57-billion dollars by 2015.