Swimming Advisories Issued

The Northwestern Health Unit has issued swimming advisories at two beaches in the Rainy River district.

Warning signs were posted at Emo beach and Rainy River beach late yesterday after higher than expected levels of E-coli bacteria were discovered during routine water testing.

High e-coli levels can pose a number of health issues for swimmers, including skin, eye, nose and throat infections and gastrointestinal illness.

The advisories will remain in effect until further testing reveals more satisfactory results.

Pither's Point Park Position Outlined

The town of Fort Frances has used a high-gloss pamphlet to outline its position regarding the issues around Pither's Point Park and surrounding lands.

The pamphlet was mailed to residents this week.

It says the town has made many attempts to settle disputes with area First Nations, including offering what it claims to be a financial proposal based on fair market value, but all of its proposals have been rejected.

The town recently won a court motion to continue operating the park which First Nations are attempting to appeal.

Bears Spotted

Officials in Fort Frances say the number of bear sightings in the town are in the "normal range'' this year.

There have been 20 reported sightings since the first one back on April 30.

Garbage is a big draw for the bruins.

Officials says people can help minimize the problem by putting out their garbage on the morning of collection.

Miss Northwestern Ontario heads to Toronto

(Photo Courtesy http://feliciaschmutz.onsugar.com/)

Felicia Schmutz heads to Toronto today where she's taking part in this year's Miss Teen Canada-World Pageant.

The representative for northwestern Ontario says she's received tremendous local support in her bid for the title and is looking forward to meeting the over 60 other young women who are taking part.

"I'm just so excited because of things I've hearing about the event," says Schmutz. "On Sunday night it's going to be a whole night about Free the Children. And also meeting these girls. I've been reading their blogs and got to know them."

Schmutz says she received tremendous support from the area and sponsors who helped her make the trip.

Area residents can show they're support for Schmutz by voting for her in the people choice category by going to http://www.missteencanadaworld.com/this_year/contestants

Teaching Jobs Limited

A federal agency is suggesting the prospects of finding a teaching job in an elementary school in northwestern Ontario over the next few years will be limited.

Human Resources and Skills Development Canada says the profession currently is relatively young with only about a quarter of all teachers now employed over the age of fifty.

Declining enrolments and school closures are also cited as having on impact on job prospects.

The agency says prospects are better for teachers who willing to relocate to remote or First Nation communities or work casual or on-call.

Castin' For Cash Starts

Lake Despair Lodge, north of Devlin, kicks off its tenth annual Casting for Cash this weekend with over sixty angler teams competing in the annual bass fishing tournament.

Nellie Godin says there will be plenty of events around the two day tournament.

"After the weigh-ins on Friday evening there's a big fish-fry supper," says Godin. "There are food booths here who don't care for fish. Then there will be little music afterward. On Saturday after the weigh-ins and presentations we have some more music and dancing."

Fishing gets underway at 8 a.m. with the weigh-ins scheduled for 4 p.m. both today and tomorrow.

Access Roads in Rough Shape

The Ministry of Natural resources is advising people to use caution while travelling on resource access roads.

They say not all roads receive regular maintenance and could be a danger to travellers.

The risks include washouts, water over the road, and heavy rutting.

The advisory comes following last weekend's heavy rainfall across northwestern Ontario.

Fire Hazard Remains Low

High humidity levels are helping to control the forest fire hazard in northwestern Ontario.

Jeff Antoszek of the Ministry of Natural Resources says there is enough moisture in the air to keep forest from getting tinder dry.

"Even though it is hot and muggy out, the fire hazard isn't increasing at the same rate," says Antoszek. "In the spring time when it is very warm and dry, the fire hazard escalates very quickly."

The fire hazard in the Rainy River district is currently low.

Parade of Boats Returns

The Parade of Boats is returning to the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship.

It's being renamed the Boston Pizza Parade of Boats following a sponsorship agreement with the local restaurant operator Dale Fortes.

"When we learning it wasn't part of the Bass tournament last year we were disappointed but understood the reasons for it," says Fortes. "We have the opportunity with Boston Pizza to bring it back and make sure the fans are treated to the Parade of Boats."

As part of its commitment, the restaurant will award $1,000 in cash to the best dressed boat as voted by parade-goers.

Forest Tenure Opposed

The Ontario Forest Industry Association is calling on the provincial government to cancel its plans to reform the forest tenure process.

President Jamie Lim says it's going to have a negative impact on the forest industry.

"It's going to increase costs for the forest sector," says Lim. "It's going to reduce efficiencies. It's going to create a reduction in wood supply in the provincial and local levels. Most importantly it going to create an absolutely large degree of uncertainty."

The Association is part of a province wide coalition made up of unions, forestry groups, municipalities and business leaders voicing their opposition to the changes how the province's forest are allocated and managed.

However, the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association isn't taking a stand for or against the province's proposed reforms.

President Anne Krassilowsky says there's too diverse a forest industry for them to determine if the province's proposed changes is right for the region.