Acts of Kindness Fundraiser Successful

(Emcees Dale Fortes and Joelle Blanc-Paull selected a winner at Friday's Acts of Kindness Fundraiser)

The first ever Acts of Kindness fundraiser for the Fort Frances Community Chest is being hailed an overwhelming success.

About $20-thousand was raised in Friday's event.

Community Chest committee member Larry Cousineau says it's great support for the fund.

"This is helping people tremendously," says Cousineau. "The Community Chest is just what it is - a chest of money that's kept to one side for people who need it for medical reasons."

Over one-hundred services and products were auctioned off both at the Fort Frances Legion and on-line.

Tax Bill Payment Deadline Extended

Northerners living or with property in unorganized areas will get some extra time to pay their tax bills.

First payment was due last Friday, but it will now be at the end of January.

Kenora-Rainy River MPP Howard Hampton says the bills, delivered only last week, should never have come out during the winter in the first place.

"People are getting hydro bills that are totally unreasonable," says Hampton. "People are being forced to pay the HST on any purchases they make and people are trying to get ready for Christmas. Then this arrives in the mail."

Hampton says complaints from property owners to his office prompted government to change the deadlines.

Rafferty Disappointed by Stimulus Rpoert

Thunder Bay-Rainy River M.P. John Rafferty is disappointed to hear the federal stimulus program hasn't lived up to the government's promise of job creation.

A report from the Parliamentary budget officer suggests few municipalities receiving money experienced employment growth.

"We all know that when some governments make those kind of declarations there's a lot of political-puffery, but the proof in the pudding on this one," says Rafferty, "and I think Canadians are pretty disappointed that that's what has happened."

Rafferty says the development of a national job strategy would have gone a long way to getting more people employed

National Day of Remembrance

Sombre memorials will be held in many centres across Canada today, on this, the 21st anniversary of the Montreal massacre.

On this day in 1989, an enraged gunman killed 14 women at L'Ecole Polytechnique.

In Fort Frances, a vigil is planned at Knox United Church beginning at 6 p.m.

Foundation Seeks New Operating Table

Riverside Foundation for Health Care is hoping to deliver a new state of the art operating table to the emergency department at LaVerendrye Hospital this Christmas.

It's this year's Christmas appeal objective.

Director Nicke Baird says letters seeking donations were issued last week.

"Inside is a pledge card and if they would like to donate they can fill out the pledge card and mail it back with a cheque," says Baird.

Cost of the operating table is about 45-thousand dollars.

Local Project Seeks Votes

An area woman is looking for district wide support to help win a Pepsi Canada contest.

Jackie Badiuk has proposed the idea of creating more green spaces at area schools to the Pepsi Refresh Everything Project contest in hopes of winning $25-thousand.

"I work at the high school at lot and I'm part of the Big Green Committee, the environmental club, and we've tried to come up lots of different ideas of ways to green our community," says Badiuk. "I saw the ad for the Refresh Everything and it just popped into my head to apply."

People can link to the project by clicking this link http://www.refresheverything.ca/rrdsbgreenspace