Worker Wins Case

An employee with Boise Cascade in International Falls, fired for failing a company drug test last year, has been awarded his job back by the Minnesota Bureau of Mediation Services.

The man had disclosed taking a prescribed medication for pain, but the test identified a different type of narcotic in his system.

The arbitrator found the drug was found through an improperly administered test.

He also concluded that the man may have taken the drug for which had no prescription unintentionally, "clearly believing" it was the medication he'd been prescribed.

Regional Unemployment Rate Increases

Another 18-thousand jobs were created in Canada last month, but they were all part-time, and not enough to budge the jobless rate from 8.2 per cent.

In Ontario, the economy added 10-thousand jobs in March, causing a drop in the provincial unemployment rate by 0.3 percentage points to 8.8 per cent.

In northwestern Ontario, the rate increased went from 6.7 in February to 7.3 per cent.

MPP Questions Energy Annoucement

Some questions are being raised about the province's eight billion dollar green energy plan.

One-hundred and 84 new contracts for green-energy projects were approved yesterday by the provincial government.

Kenora-Rainy River MPP Howard Hampton suggests many of the projects could be held up because of Canadian content regulations.

"What we're all ready finding is that many of the projects, even though announced, are having trouble sourcing the goods and services to meet the Goods and Services content level, says Hampton.

Four projects in the Rainy River Districts were given the go-ahead yesterday, while several other await approval.

Consumers will also face higher electricity bills as part of an yesterday's plan to create more renewable energy in Ontario.

There will be a one per cent increase or an additional five dollars per month on hydro bills by 2012.

Premier Dalton McGuinty says that's a small price to pay for the creation of clean power and thousands of jobs.

More Depots Sought

The agency overseeing a program to recycle old electronic equipment isn't giving up on efforts to create more collection sites in northwestern Ontario.

The program was set up a year ago.

Carol Hochu of the Ontario Independent Electronic Stewardship admits they've had some difficulties in setting up depots in northwestern Ontario.

"First of all it's purely voluntarily," says Hochu, "so we can't enforce or make anybody to be collector of the waste electronics. I guess its just a challenge to get the word out about the program and to find companies that are interested and willing to be collector."

The only depots currently in northwestern Ontario are in Thunder Bay.

Pharmistics Express Concern

Pharmacy retailers say Ontario's plan to scrap pharmacy allowances for generic drugs will inflict suffering on the industry as pharmacists slash jobs and services.

Ben Shenouda of the Independent Pharmacists of Ontario says pharmacists would have to cut hours to cut costs and some wouldn't survive.

He fears about 400 to 600 of Ontario's 32-hundred independent pharmacies could close if the plan becomes law.

Forest Fire Update

There have been no new forest fires since last weekend, but the fire hazard in the Rainy River district still remains high.

The Ministry of Natural Resources says the warmer than normal temperatures and moderate winds are both contributing to the hazard.

Many municipalities and First Nations communities have implemented fire bans since the start of the fire season April 1st.

To date there have been 22 fires across northwestern Ontario - six in the Rainy River district.

Lawsuit to Proceed

A class action lawsuit against George Brown College in Toronto has received certification from a judge to proceed.

Former students of the school's international business management program are alleging it didn't have to ability to confer the industry designations it promised.

The suit represents 119 former students.

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