Fort Frances Council Sworn-In

Fort Frances town council is back on the job.

The town's elected officials were officially sworn-into office last night after being acclaimed in October's municipal election.

Mayor Roy Avis says many challenges await.

"As our population ages we must work with our citizens in supportive assisted living units," says Avis. "The condo project will also be an very important order of business. Doctor shortage has been an ongoing problem and we must have a continual focus in that area."

Avis said council will also work in the best interests of the residents, lobby government for adequate financial support in dealing with aging infrastructure and put attention on business retention."

Avis also assigned councillors to various committees with Sharon Tibbs serving as deputy mayor for the next two years.

Rainy River Council Sworn-In

Inauguration ceremonies were also held for the newly elected council in Rainy River last night.

Councillor Gord Armstrong was selected deputy mayor by Mayor Deb Ewald.

Fort Frances Trustee Re-appointed Chair

Long-time Fort Frances trustee Anne-Marie Fitzgerald has been re-elected as chair of the Northwest Catholic District School Board.

Her appointment came during the board's inaugural meeting on Friday.

Cathy Bowen, a trustee from Sioux Lookout, was elected vice-chair.

Day of Remembrance Ceremony Held in Fort Frances

Women from the Rainy River district who have been victims of violence were recognized as part of yesterday's National Day of Remembrance ceremonies in Fort Frances.

Peggy Loyie of the Rainy River District Victim Services says such an event must continue.

"Because we won't stop doing this until we start to see some radical change in action," says Loyie. "Action in part of perpetrators. Action on part of legislators. Action on part of ourselves as community members to take action against violence against women."

About sixty people attended the vigil held at Knox United Church.

Among the highlights were Marie Hartlin and Leona Grandbois who spoke about how the tragic death of their mother impacted their lives.

Community Dinner Needs Help

The Fort Frances Volunteer Bureau is putting out a call for people interested in helping out with this year's Community Dinner.

Karen Mitchell says the need for volunteers is their biggest need right now.

"We need volunteers," says Mitchell. "I haven't got many volunteers yet for kitchen help like to clean the tables, do the dishes, put food out when it runs out or when somebody gets up to leave put a new placemat and plate out. We don't have anybody yet."

Mitchell says they're also looking for help in the kitchen preparing the food for the December 25 event.

Auditor Concerned About Hospital Overcrowding

Ontario's auditor general says hospitals aren't discharging patients on time and still face overcrowding and delays in their emergency departments.

Jim McCarter says more than 50-thousand patients stayed in hospital longer than necessary last year because their ongoing care couldn't be arranged.

McCarter also says only 16 per cent of government stimulus cash was actually spent in the province in the first year.

Half the money went to a small number of infrastructure projects that, in most cases, weren't shovel ready.

Border Skating Club Seeks Kurt Browning Visit

The Border Skating Club is trying woe Kurt Browning.

President Doctor Lorena Jenks says they're involved in a Skate Canada contest that asks clubs to show how they're using it's new logo with a seminar from the four-time Canadian and World Champion up for grabs.

"What we did for our club is we used a digital version of the logo in the background and then interviewed many of our skaters why liked about skating," says Dr. Jenks, "and tried to highlight the Skate Canada motto which is compassion, spirit, triumph."

Click the link to vote for the Border Skating Club's submission.

Voting continues until the end of December