Relay for Life Planned

The town of Rainy River is planning to host a Relay for Life event this summer to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society.

Co-chair Andrew Hartnell says the 12-hour relay will be held June 11 at the Rainy River High School.

"Last year during our Railroad Days we had our Cuts for Cancer fundraiser," says Hartnell. "Margaret Saville in Dryden (of the Canadian Cancer Society) contact me and said that since we did such a good job on Cuts for Cancer she felt it would be a good idea for us to do a relay."

Hartnell says seven teams have already registered and organizers are hoping for at least ten.

Team can register on-line at http://convio.cancer.ca/site/PageServer?pagename=RFL_CAN_home_accueil&s_locale=en_CA or by calling Hartnell at the Rainy River Municipal office.

Native Health Discussed

Health issues impacting First Nations communities will be the focus of a meeting in Toronto today.

The Health Forum is expected to attract a diverse audience from First Nations Chiefs, community health workers, and policy and program officers from First Nations and government.

Key topics to be addressed include prescription drug abuse, health promotion, injury prevention and public health.

No Hospital Meetings in North

There will be no no meetings in northwestern Ontario, but the Ontario Health Coalition says it is willing to consider giving northerners a chance to voice their concerns over the future of rural and northern hospitals.

The Coalition is holding a series of meetings elsewhere, but Executive Director Natalie Mehra says they are open to more sessions.

"Because we're paying for these ourselves and we have to fundraise to do everything we do we couldn't do an endless number of hearings," says Mehra. "But if people request hearing in their area they just have to let us know."

The coalition plans to start hearings March 4.

Air Pollution Fight Abandoned?

Ontario's environmental commissioner says the province appears to be abandoning efforts to combat air pollution.

Gord Miller says that pollution is responsible for 27-hundred premature deaths and thousands of hospital visits every year.

Miller says the Ministry of the Environment has disbanded its transboundary air unit, stopped holding shared-air summits after 2007 and is no longer engaging the EPA in the United States.

Pension Support Demanded

Demands for pension assistance for Ontario's AbitibiBowater workers in the Legislature yesterday.

Kenora-Rainy River MPP Howard Hampton says support recently given to Nortel's pension plan should be offered to AbitibiBowater's underfunding pension plan.

"What the thousands of workers in Thunder Bay, Kenora, Fort Frances, Iroquois Falls and Thorold heard is that the government has $200 million for the underfunded Nortel pension plan," said Hampton. "Many of these workers have worked for AbitibiBowater for 30 or 40 years and have contributed to their pension plan. They were told that their pension plan is a sacred trust beyond financial or political manipulation."

"So their question is this: Will the McGuinty Liberals, who suddenly found $200 million for the Nortel pension plan, show the same concern for these workers at AbitibiBowater?"

Education Minister Leona Dombrowsky says the money given to Nortel was from a pension benefits guarantee fund that will provide each worker one-thousand dollars per month.

Sunny Cove to Open Longer

The town of Fort Frances has begun the process of the making Sunny Cove Camp more available to residents.

The town plans to open the camp in the spring and into the fall to permit events such as weddings.

Council Appointments

Town of Fort Frances is reducing the length of times individuals can serve on town appointed boards and committees.

Councillors approved last night two-year terms from four and no one serving more than eight years in a row.

Councillor Rick Wiedenhoeft says the changes don't restrict people's ability to serve.

"If you do sit out for one year then you have the right to reapply to that committee and get back on," says Wiedenhoeft. "We're not to eliminate people from serving on committees but the possibility of sitting out for one year may give other people to get on that committee as well."

Councillor Paul Ryan says a shorter term may also help attract more people to consider serving on a committee.

The changes take effect this December

appointments