Local College Student Vying for $250,000

Two northwestern Ontario college students are in the early lead of a Doritos' contest that could earn them up to $250-thousand.

Adam Armit of Fort Frances and Joel Popoff of Schreiber entered the contest by creating a video that Armit says if receives the most views, they'll be in line for the top prize.

And so far the video is at the top of the standings.

"The whole point of viral marketing is just to spread it," says Armit. "We just want to it just to get it to everywhere. The more people that watch the more points we get. If everyone just watches the video we get points and it will help us keep the lead."

As of Tuesday morning, the video entitled 'Provocative Pepper' had attracted more than 166-thousand views, about 40-thousand more than its closest competitor.

It can be viewed at http://www.doritos.ca/ or in the 'What's New" section of http://www.b93.ca/.

OMERS Reports Gains

The Ontario public-sector pension manager known as OMERS says it booked a $4.3-billion net gain on its investments for2009.

That represents a 10.6 per cent rate of return on its assets,pulling it back into positive returns after a dismal performance a year earlier.

In 2008, the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System posted a net loss of $8 billion, or a 15.3 per cent negative rate of return.

OMERS says the average rate of return for the past five years now stands at 6.6 per cent. That's above the five-year average benchmark return of 5.8 percent.

OMERS is responsible for pensions for 400,000 current and former employees of local governments in Ontario.

Cable T.V. Fee Approved

Cable television subscribers in International Falls are being asked to help pay for the start up of a new community television station in that city.

City council approved last night a 5 per cent fee with revenues going to the new station.

Crystal Glance of the Falls Cable Commission says the station will be a benefit to the area.

"We could feature local businesses, the chamber of commerce," says Glance. "Interviews with public officials, business leaders, educational and sporting events and other programming."

The increase will mean an extra three-dollars a month on residents' cable bills.

Fort Frances Talks With Cabinet Ministers

The town of Fort Frances has presented its case for the need for government funding.

A contingent of council, led by Mayor Roy Avis, met last week with Northern Development Minister Michael Gravelle to discuss the importance of connecting link funding.

"That's a pretty critical funding for the municipality," says Avis. "Ninety per cent is paid by the province and ten per cent by the municipality on the road that goes right through Fort Frances and is used by all those heavy trucks - that being King's Highway, Scott Street and Colonization Road East and also Central Avenue going to the bridge."

Avis says they also met with Tourism officials during last week's Ontario Good Roads Conference on potential funding to improve Sunny Cove Camp.

The group also met with Environment Minister on the cost of providing recycling programs in northern Ontario.

"He was very receptive to the needs of the north. When we explained to him its over $100 per tonne to do blue box collection and its only $16.00 per tonne for using the landfill site, he was quite concerned about that."

Avis was joined by Councillors Andrew Hallikas and Ken Perry and CAO Mark McCaig in the meetings.

More Passport Concerns

Area tourism officials are expressing their concern with a planned hike in passport fees in the United States.

Ontario's Sunset Country Executive Director Gerry Cariou says they're already forecasting fewer visitors to the region.

"There could be a shorter term booking horizon this year," says Cariou, "because people, if they have their jobs still and if they're feeling better. It's all about consumer confidence. If they're confidence we'll get a late booking surge, but I'm not optimistic this will be a banner tourism year."

Cariou doubts families will be able to afford a more expensive passport, on top of higher gas prices and increased taxes on accommodation.

Forestry Concerns

Grand Council Treaty #3 says it needs to be consulted before any new forestry management deals are made in northwestern Ontario.

Treaty Three Grand Chief, Diane Kelly says the Ministry of Natural Resources is not listening to the owners of the forest.

She says traditional governments in this region pre-date the Province of Ontario and the Government of Canada, and maintains they have the right to authorize development.

Kelly says she supports efforts by individual communities to define their economic interests in the region, but the decision maker is Grand Council Treaty #3.

Chiefs from Treaty Three have been meeting on the Rat Portage First Nation over issues of resource benefit sharing.