Fort High Students Honoured

2009-06-10

11:30:23

Sixty students who reached the honour roll at least seven times where among those receiving awards at Fort Frances High School's recognition ceremony Tuesday

Fort Frances high school students who excelled in the areas of music, athletics and academia were recognized yesterday.

More than two hundred students received awards for reach the honour roll multiple times.

Principal Gord McCabe says it's a reflection of the students' commitment to education.

"You always want to see students doing even better," says McCabe, "but when I watched those numbers of students walk across the stage, because its not just being on the honour roll one time, its having been on the honour roll multiple times, it tells me they are really working hard because they're acheiving in a variety of different disciplines to do that."

Co-presidents of the school's student council Dianelle Gustafson and Alex Crichton were this year's recipients of the principal's award for student leadership.

Most Valuable Certificates were award to the following students

Athletic Association - Adam Esselink

Newspaper - Sarah Kellar

Yearbook - Sarah Pryce

First Responders - Micha Gerber

O.S.A.I.D - Dawn Derendorf

Chem-Free Grad - Eric Gustafson

Drama - Cody Caul

Musical - Sam Mueller

Musical Revue - Micha Gerber and Owen Harrison

Music - Christina Empy 

 

Cyclist Travels Throught Rainy River District

2009-06-10

11:19:31

A close friend diagnosed with Cancer has let an Ontario man on a coast-to-coast cycle ride to raise money for Cancer research.

Glen Baxby cycled through the Fort Frances area yesterday.

"We started off at the Pacific Ocean, Victoria, British Columbia, on May 15," says Baxby. "and we're going to dip the bike in the Atlantic on the 14th of July."

"This started at the end of November when I heard of a friend who had been recently diagnosis with cancer. It was a matter of coming to a decision (to do the ride) and getting the proper training and guidance in terms of fitness and nutrition, and putting a committee together to get the logistics of the ride put together."

So far, Baxby has raised just over $25,000. Those wanting to make a donation can go the his Coast to Coast to Cure website.

New Provincial Chief Selected

2009-06-10

11:16:24

Chiefs and representatives from 42 First Nations across Ontario have selected a new chief for the Union of Ontario Indians.

Patrick Madahbee from the Sudbury area is the new provincial chief.

He replaces John Beaucage, who is running for national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, the largest aboriginal group in Canada.

Fantino Appointment Extended

2009-06-10

11:15:00

OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino

Julian Fantino has been re-appointed as Ontario's top cop for one more year.

Premier Dalton McGuinty says Fantino will remain the head of the Ontario Provincial Police until the end of July 2010.

Fantino, whose tenure at the OPP has at times been marred by controversy, has been at the helm of the unit since 2006.

Visitor Restrictions Imposed at Kenora Hospital

2009-06-10

11:04:37

Lake of the Woods Hospital in Kenora has restricted visits to the facility due to an respiratory illness spreading through the northwestern Ontario city

Lake of the Woods District Hospital in Kenora is prohibiting visitors following an outbreak of a
respiratory illness in the community.

The hospital's head of patient care Leslie Brown says the hospital felt it necessary to impose the restrictions to limit reduce the risk of patients coming down with the illness.

Birchwood Terrace Nursing Home, also in Kenora, also closed its doors to visitors for similar reasons.

Health Care Wait Times

2009-06-10

11:00:21

The Ontario Health Quality Council says the majority of Ontario cancer patients who need urgent surgery within two weeks are waiting twice that time for their operation.

Council chair Lyn McLeod says some health care wait times have been reduced over the past few years, but not all.

"Thanks to Ontario's Wait Time Strategy, waits have been greatly shortened for cataract surgeries, hip and knee replacements, and some cardiac procedures," says McLeod. "But when half of cancer patients  who need urgent surgery have to wait longer than is medically acceptable, when waits for MRI scans are three to four times longer than the target, and when waits for nursing home spaces have doubled in just two years, it's pretty clear that everyone involved in delivering healthcare has to take action."

McLeod adds it's very important that the controversy surrounding the management of eHealth Ontario doesn't push back the province's 2015 date for implementing electronic health records.

 

Condo Agreement Extended

2009-06-10

10:58:14

The developer of a proposed condominum project in Fort Frances has received more time to find potential buyers for the Nelson Street project.

Fort Frances town councillors agreed to extend the deadline of a purchase agreement with Robert Zanette to July 1st.

Zanette is hoping to have at least twenty of the twenty-three units available sold before beginning construction.

No News Yet on Infrastructure Funding

2009-06-10

08:44:40

While communities in the Rainy River district wait for news on their infrastructure funding, so does the area's MP.

John Rafferty says he's been trying to determine what programs will receive funding from the federal and provincial programs governments. Several communities elsewhere in northwestern Ontario have already received funding commitments.

Rafferty suspects the lack of an announcement for the Rainy River district is just another game of politics.

"I think they're always playing politics," says Rafferty. "I spoke to a high-ranking Conservative a couple of days ago and I mentioned at least as a courtesy, so were ready when the media calls, we should get a little advance notice when the spending announcements are coming. The reply was 'we don't have to tell you a thing'."

Neither Rafferty or fellow NDP member Bruce Hyer were invited to last Friday's announcements meant for Thunder Bay and area municipalities in their ridings.