Tug of War of Words

A "friendly" war of words is being waged in advance of the International Pulling for Peace tug of war between International Falls and Fort Frances.

America's captain, former Minnesota Viking great Matt Blair, complains Canada's team doesn't have enough women on its squad.

Fort Frances councillor Rick Wiedenhoeft counters with accusations of a lack of homegrown talent on the U.S. team.

"The celebrities on the Fort Frances team are all from Fort Frances," says Weidenhoeft. "where International Falls brought in celebrities from across the state of Minnesota so he has nothing to protest about."

The "friendly" tug of war competitions go this Saturday.

Time of Use Billing Explained

Fort Frances Power Corporation customers will soon be getting more information about changes to their hydro bills.

CEO Jorge Ruppenstein says they're in the process of transitioning residential and small businesses customers onto the new time-of-use billing system.

"Our big users will be staying on the existing rate structure," says Ruppenstein. "We were not mandated to transition large customers to time-of-use rates."

Ruppenstein says pamphlets explaining the new billing system will soon be mailed out to customers.

Volunteer Firefighters Get Pay Hike

The town of Fort Frances is revising the pay received by its volunteer firefighters.

They'll now receive an hourly rate that's equal to that of a fourth-class firefighter.

The increase moves the current rate of $20.70 an hour to $22.42.

The wage for new hires will be 70 per cent of the new rate for a one year period.

There are about twenty volunteer firefighters now with the Fort Frances Fire and Rescue Service.

Moffat Funding Distributed

Nine groups will share in more than $37-thousand from Winnipeg's Moffat Foundation.

The largest share, $8,500, is going to the Salvation Army for the purchase of bedding, blankets and mattresses for people in need.

The town of Fort Frances is getting $5,800 to purchase new equipment at Sunny Cove Camp.

Five-thousand dollars was given to the group coordinating the community garden in Fort Frances.

The Fort Frances Highlanders Pipes and Drums, the 908 Rainy Lake Air Cadet Squadron and Friends of Little League also received funds.

Visitor Restrictions Lifted

Visitor restrictions at Rainycrest Long Term Care have been lifted.

The Fort Frances home put restrictions in place two weeks ago due to an increase in the number of cases of gastroenteritis.

Although the restrictions are lifted, the home is still advising the public to take precautions when visiting and recommends people with flu-like symptoms not to visit at all.

Housing Funds

The cities of International Falls and Littlefork are receiving State funds to help upgrade the homes of some low-to-moderate income families.

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development is proving over $346-thousand toward the program that's coordinated by Kootasca Community Action.

It will help upgrade about 14 homes in the two cities.

Shuttle Service to Concert Available

Organizers of the July 2 concert in International Falls featuring Loverboy will be providing some help for concertgoers to get to the event.

City councillor Tim McBride says shuffle service will be available at the Falls Chamber of Commerce office.

"We will have some cab shuttle service going on most of the day," says McBride, "beginning shortly after 2 p.m. until the end of the concert. It won't be that much of a wait time. You should be able to get on a cab, a van or small bus and get back to your destination.

McBride says people may also bring folding chairs and blankets, but coolers will not be permitted.

Atikokan Canoer Reaches Northwestern Ontario

An Atikokan man on a cross country canoe trip is close to reaching his hometown.

Mike Ranta is paddling the Voyageurs route.

He began his journey in late April from Rocky Mountain House, British Columbia.

Ranta is doing it to raise awareness about the Atikokan youth centre.

"I'm just trying to instill in the kids there that through hard work and some dedication and being true and honest, there's nothing we can't do in their lives," says Ranta. "If we don't set out mind to it, we can't do it."

He hopes to reach Atikokan on Canada Day and conclude the trip in Montreal in August.

Child Care Agencies Set to Merge Friday

The merger of two child care agencies in northwestern Ontario should be complete this week.

Kenora-Patricia Child and Family Services is joining forces with Family and Children Services of Rainy River July 1.

The new agency will be known as Kenora-Rainy River Districts Child and Family Services

The amalgamation was supposed to be complete in April, but some financial issues held up the merger.

Liberals Holding Off on Election Platform

Premier McGuinty says the Liberal election platform will be released "in the fullness of time."

The Tories and New Democrats have issued platforms for the October 6 election but McGuinty says he's in no hurry to join them.

The premier says when it comes, the Liberal platform will be a "natural extension" of what his government has been doing over the last eight years to strengthen public services and the economy.

Liberals Optomistic - Auditor General

Ontario's Auditor General says the Liberal government's plan to slash the increase in annual spending by almost 400 per cent is too optimistic.

The Liberals have increased spending about seven per cent a year since they were first elected in 2003, but in this year's budget said they would slash it to 1.8 per cent annually.

Auditor General Jim McCarter says the Liberals' estimates are based on optimistic assumptions when they are supposed to be more cautious and less risky.

More Female Candidates Needed

A national organization is warning there aren't enough women running in the fall election to improve female representation in Ontario politics.

Equal Voice says only 28 per cent of the nominated candidates to date are women.

The Liberals have 23 candidates compared with the NDP's 20 and Conservatives 19.

Cash Lottery Nearly Sold Out

Riverside Foundation for Health says tickets for its Canada Day Cash Lottery are nearly gone.

90 per cent of tickets have been sold with the top prize of 10-thousand dollars to be given out on Canada Day.

Volunteers will be selling tickets this week during Mall Days in Fort Frances and on Canada Day.

They can also be obtained by calling the Foundation office.

Catholic Board Faces Budget Shortfall

The Northwest Catholic District School Board will begin the next school year with a sizable deficit.

Superintendent of business Chris Howarth says the more than $930-thousand shortfall was brought upon by increasing expenses and declining revenues from the province.

"Unfortunately we had to trim the literacy coach teaching position in the school which saved approximately half-a-million dollars," says Howarth. "We were able to maintain all of our other programs and we were actually able to expand a few of them where we could. The province is in difficult fiscal times and this is kind of a reflection of that."

Four-and-a-half positions will be eliminated with the end of the Literacy coach program.

Building to Fall

The city of International Falls is giving owners of a burned out downtown building five days to have its torn down.

Mayor Shawn Mason says council decided it should not be the city's responsibility for tearing down the former Ace Hardware building.

"It was the Corporation that made the decision not to purchase insurance from an insurance carrier," says Mason, "so therefore they are self-insured and the taxpayers should not bear the burden of this cost."

The city is also giving owners an additional nine days to removal the rubble.

Demolition started Monday.

Union Gas Hikes

Union Gas Customers in northwestern Ontario can expect to see higher bills starting July 1st.

It's because of changes in the cost of natural gas.

The increase will mean an average of $46.00 extra a year for Fort Frances customers.

Union Gas's customers elsewhere in northwestern Ontario will see about a $44.00 a year increase.

NDP Releases Platform

Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath thinks her election platform will appeal to a broader base than that traditionally targeted by her party.

Horwath, who released the bulk of her party's promises for the fall election on the weekend, describes it as a practical approach that deals with the concerns of people across all political spectrums.

OPP Youth Camp Opens

Forty youth from across northwestern Ontario have gathered at Sunny Cove Camp in Fort Frances for the Ontario Provincial Police's annual summer camp.
Constable Anne McCoy says it's aimed at young people who may not get such an opportunity otherwise.

"And helping them with team building, mentoring opportunities, self-esteem building exercises," says McCoy, "and spending some time together in a none-crisis type of situation."

The youth will take part in a variety of events during the week.

Relay for Life - Fort Frances

Nearly two hundred people took part in the Relay for Life fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society in Fort Frances on the weekend. Chair Duane Cridland says over $68-thousand was raised. "A real great successful (event)," says Cridland. "Fort Frances again showing its true colours when it comes to donating and getting behind the spirit of a good cause." The event was highlighted by an impromptu Cuts for Cancers event which raised about $10-thousand.

Gold-Silver Deposit Discovered

A mining company doing work north of Barwick is reporting the discovery of a new gold and silver deposit.

Bayfield Ventures released details of it find in a news release this morning.

The company says it was discovered during recent drilling done to determine the extent of gold and silver mineralization in its so-called Burns block, found last year.

The property is located adjacent to the Rainy River Resources gold project.

Fire Fight Continues

Fire crews are working round-the-clock to stop a raging wildfire from reaching the Mishkeegogamang First Nation near Pickle Lake.

The fire is blazing out-of-control about nine kilometres east of the community.

It's been burning for two weeks and now covers 577 square kilometres -- doubling its size over the weekend.

Residents were evacuated to Sioux Lookout, Geraldton and Ignace last week because of smoke.

Company Faces Order in Industrial Accident

A total of eight work orders have been issued to a Sudbury company after a fatal industrial accident near Thunder Bay Friday.

Tera North Construction is facing the orders issued by the Ministry of Labour after a 24-year-old man fell from a scissor lift.

The accident happened while the company doing work at a bridge on the Trans Canada Highway.

Cops Want Improvements to Mental Health Services

Ontario's police chiefs want the McGuinty government to boost mental health services.

They say an ever growing number of people with mental health problems are getting into trouble with the law, forcing police to spend more and more time doing work that should be assigned to health care workers.

Relay for Life - Rainy River

Another huge fundraising total for Relay for Life in in Rainy River.

About a dozen teams raised more than $37-thousand in this past weekend's fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society.

The event included a Cuts for Cancer event that collected about $2,700.

First Nations Community Evacuated

A raging wildfire has prompted the Chief of Mishkeegogaming First Nation to order the evacuation of the entire community near Pickle Lake.

About 150 residents are now in Geraldton, 195 in Sioux Lookout and 105 in Ignace.

The fire is burning 15 kilometres east of New Osnaburgh, and has grown to 300 square kilometres.

Drownings Report Released

A team looking at last summer's drowning deaths in Ontario has made 12 recommendations to try to prevent such needless tragedies.

Topping the list -- learning to swim, avoiding alcohol while swimming and boating, wearing a life-jacket and closely supervising children around water.

Two drownings involving Fort Frances area men were part of incidents reviewed.

Relay for Life - Fort Frances

Almost twenty teams will participate in a Relay for Life event at Fort Frances High School tonight.

Committee member John Homer says the public can also come out to help support the teams or take in the festivities.

"Everybody is invited, you don't have to be from Fort Frances," says Homer. "Come on down and get out for this event. Bring a little bit of cash. We're going to have pulled-pork sandwiches and all kinds of stuff going on. The teams are selling bracelets and all kinds of other things so come on down."

Homer is also encouraged by the number of young people taking part this year.

Relay for Life - Rainy River

Relay for Life is also taking place Friday night at Riverview School in Rainy River.

Organizer Andrew Hartnell says they have twelve teams signed up.

"We have different team competitions," says Hartnell. "We give each other points and whoever gets the most points at the end of the night gets a prize. We have a bunch of entertainment. We have karaoke. We have different singers, belly dancers and different kinds of competitions throughout the night to keep everyone busy."

A Cuts for Cancers event is also planned.

Community Garden Underway

Planting is well underway at a community garden in Fort Frances.

Becky Holden of the Northwestern Health Unit says all plots are spoken for, but they are still taking names.

"We are bringing a couple of raised beds out," says Holden, "and just in case anyone changes their mind. People have until the end of June to plant their beds before we take them off our list. If anyone is interested, we encourage them to contact me."

An official opening for the town's first-ever garden happen Thursday night.

Back-to-Work Debate On

Debate on the back to work legislation is underway in the House of Commons.

MP's were to head home Friday, but debate on the bill to end Canada Post's lock-out of its workers isn't likely to come to an end sometime Saturday.

Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP John Rafferty says he can't support the bill.

"We have a government that believes it's okay to look into collective agreements," says Rafferty, "get rid of collective bargaining, lock workers out and then to bring forward back-to-work legislation, that if you read it, is disastrous for postal workers and good for Canada Post."

Rafferty says he won't have his say on the bill until today or early Saturday morning.

Wood Supply Alloted

AbiBow Canada's mill in Fort Frances has secured a new wood supply from the province.

General Manager for its Ontario operations Roger Barber says they'll receive 317-thousand cubic metres of wood annually.

"It includes merchantable softwood fibre for our pulp and paper facility," says Barber, "as well as unmerchantable fibre that will become biomass as a feed stock for our biomass boiler."

Barber says the supply provides the mill with more long term security and a better fibre cost structure.

Enforcement Blitz

Nineteen charges and 18 warnings were made during an enforcement blitz earlier this month by the Ministry of Natural Resources in the Fort Frances area.

Nearly 800 people were checked during the June 11 inspection conducted on Highway 11 in Couchiching First Nations.

Most of them were out-of-town residents.

The charges and warnings were for such things as over-limits, improperly packaged fish and fish that could not be easily identified.

Mine Centre School

(Mine Centre School principals, past and present, gathered recently to bid farewell to old facility)

Students attending Mine Centre School in September might be starting the school year in the existing school.

A new school is being constructed, but officials with the Rainy River District School Board say it may not be complete by the time students return in the fall.

School staff have been instructed to prepare to begin the new year in the current facility.

New City Manager

Dryden has a new City Manager.

Joe van Koeverden will assume his new duties July 11.

He's currently the regional director for Northwestern Ontario at the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing in Thunder Bay.

Colleges Budget Approved

The trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system have approved a budget that raises tuition, cuts programs and eliminates positions.

Tuition at the State's 25 colleges, including Rainy River in International Falls, will go up an average of nearly 4 per cent.

Overall, the system will operate with about $76-million less than it had in the current fiscal year, primarily because of anticipated cuts in state aid.

Golf Tournament Looks For More Golfers

The RBC Charity Golf Classic at Heron Landing Golf Course this Saturday is in search of more participants.

The event raises money for the Fort Frances Community Chest.

Spokesperson Joelle Blanc says it's an important program to the Rainy River District.

"We're here to help people in medical emergencies," says Blanc. "If they're sent to Winnipeg, Thunder Bay or elsewhere, we can help them maybe with hotel accommodations or meals while they are there with their loved ones."

Teams or individuals can register by calling Lisa at 274-7271.

DARE Wraps Up

OPP have wrapped up its DARE program.

Graduation ceremonies and a dance were held Tuesday night for the final group of students from the Fort Frances area who participated in the program aimed at making youth more aware of the dangers of alcohol and drugs.

The night also included a cheque presentation of just over $3,800 from the local Tim Hortons store its recent Smile Cookie campaign.

Police will be introducing a new program to schools in the fall around Internet safety and bullying Tim Hortons remaining a key sponsor.

Search for Driver Continues

OPP continue to search for the driver of a vehicle involved in an accident on the Trans Canada Highway west of Marathon.

An arrest warrant is out for 23-year-old Ibrahim Lugoloobi Sendagire.

Police suspect him as the driver who fled on foot Monday afternoon after a vehicle first struck a construction flagman and then hit a rock cut.

Police have issued warnings to motorists in the area to avoid picking up anyone who fits his description.

Equipment Fails

Hydro One is blaming Wednesday morning's lengthy outage in the Rainy river district on equipment failure.

As many as 500 residents living in parts of Alberton and LaVallee townships were without electricity for several hours.

Crews had power back on by 9 a.m.

Enforcement Blitz - Ear Falls

A two-day enforcement blitz in the Ear Falls area has resulted in the Ministry of Natural Resources laying eleven charges and issuing eleven warning for fishing-related infractions.

MNR Conservation officers checked almost 400 hundred people at 22 tourist camps and four lakes during the inspections.

School Board Budget Approved

Trustees with the Rainy River District School Board have approved the budget for the next school year.

Board chair Mike Lewis says he's happy with the balanced budget coming in at just over $48-million.

"We're really pleased with the budget," says Lewis. "We we're able to keep things that we want that will improve things in the classroom, improve things for the teachers. We didn't have to cut those kind of programs that this board has worked hard for years to put in place but we were able to do it only by bringing money out of reserves."

The budget also reflects a projected enrolment decrease of 3.5 per cent and changes in Ministry of Education funding that's almost $1.8 million higher.

Funds for Demolition Provided

The Ministry of Education is providing the Rainy River District School Board with funding to help demolish the former Robert Moore School in Fort Frances.

Up to a million dollars will be given.

Demolition is expected this August.

Power Out

The power is out in some homes to the west of Fort Frances this morning.

Hydro One says more than 500 residents living in parts of Alberton and LaVallee township, including the Devlin area are in the dark.

Crews are now working in the area and hope to have power restored by 10:30 a.m.

Library Celebrates

Celebrations for the staff at the Fort Frances Public Library and Technology Centre yesterday.

The Library reached its first anniversary.

Librarian Margaret Sedgwich says there's been a lot growth over the past year.

"I think I'm surprised circulation is up," says Sedgwick. "With e-books and e-readers there's is the concern that maybe people aren't reading but that shows that people are reading. We're up 12.5 per cent in the number of books, DVDs and other media."

Computer use at the Library is up 46 per cent while the library has attracted six hundred people who where not members previously.

New State Rules Concern Area Tournament

New State rules to prevent the spread of invasive species is causing concern to organizers of the International Falls Bass Championship.

Chair Gary Potter says it could impact on fish mortality at the tournament.

"What they want you do do is come off a lake or river, drain everything and then proceed," says Potter. "They want us to do that same. What we're asking for is a little common sense. Let us get down to the park and drain our live-wells there. It's one mile away."

Potter says the tournament would be not be able to afford equipment to re-fill live-wells that ensures fish stay alive when they reach the weigh scales.

Building Concerns

The city of International Falls is pushing to have the owners covers the cost of demolishing a downtown building destroyed by fire last month.

City officials says the building, which housed an antique store, has become a hazard, and are exploring how to bring it down as quickly and safely as possible.

But Mayor Shawn Mason says the cost of demolition shouldn't be borne on the backs of local taxpayers.

Rachel's Challenge Coming to Rainy River District

(Banner Signed by International Falls students last year promising to uphold Rachel's Challenge)


An anti-bullying program named after one of the victims of the Columbine School shooting is coming to the Rainy River District.

Steve Latimer, the United Native Friendship Centre's Youth Justice Coordinator sees Rachel's Challenge an important program to introduce.

"With the calibre of students and the amazing things that some of them do in this area, we have a great many more positive peers out there," says Latimer, "but that just wasn't coming through. I was looking for a program that would reinforce positive peers and Rachel's Challenge is 100 per cent that"

Latimer says the program will be presented to area high schools and the public this fall.

Missing Girl Found

A 16-year-old girl from Young Star House, north of Emo, who was the subject of a police search for the past week.

OPP says Belinda Paishk was located at a Fort Frances home yesterday.

Seniors Poverty Debated

Opposition MP's are calling for an increase to the Guaranteed Income Supplement for seniors.

During debate yesterday, Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP John Rafferty plead the case of an Atikokan resident who was having difficulty paying for electricity as a reason for the increase.

"I asked if he had tried some strategies to reduce the use of electricity," says Rafferty. "He told me that he uses one light bulb and every second day he unplugs the refrigerator. That is what seniors go through in this country. That is what seniors go through in my riding."

Rafferty blames the HST as a turning point for many seniors forced into poverty.

Senior Games Come to Fort Frances

Seniors from across the Kenora-Rainy River district are gathering in Fort Frances today for the start of the District Senior Games.

Organizer Nick Wihnan says they'll participate in a variety of games.

"There's table shuffleboard, euchre, cribbage, floor shuffleboard, golf, carpet bowling, bridge, bowling, horseshoes and of course a nice banquet," says Wihnan.

Opening ceremonies will be held this morning at the Sister Kennedy Centre.

Long Border Line

No charges, but there was plenty of police presence this weekend to watch over a long line of traffic entering the United States at International Falls.

At one point Saturday, the line stretched along King's Highway to the westerly limits of Fort Frances.

OPP says they did receive a complaint about the long-line, but no other issues were reported.

US Customs and Border Protection was processing two vehicles at one time in some of its lanes, but officials says the wait was still up to 90 minutes long.

Operation Corridor Results

Fewer charges were laid in the OPP's latest 24-hour blitz targeting commercial drivers and their vehicles.

During Operation Corridor, officers laid 320 charges - a third of which were for equipment violations.

Fifty vehicles were also pulled off the road due to equipment issues or hours of service violations.

Drilling Begins at Former Gold Mine

Mineral Mountain Resources has started the first phase of a drilling program at a historic gold mine north of Fort Frances.

The B.C. company is exploring the Straw Lake Beach Mine.

The mine operated during World War two, but shutdown in 1941 because of a lack of power for ventilation and milling operations.

Osisko Mining Project Outlined

Osisko Mining has kicked off what it says will be a lengthy public consultation process on its Hammond Reef Gold project north of Atikokan.

The company held an open house Saturday in Atikokan to outline its plans to area residents.

Project Manager Anne Charland says they're in the pre-feasibility stage right now.

"Right now what were doing is that we have an extensive drill program that aims at defining the resource we have so we can go to (the)feasibility (stage)," says Charland.

Charland says on average the company is drilling about 22-thousand metres each month with as many as 17 drills on site.

New Forest Fires Reported

(Ministry of Natural Resources photo)

Ministry of Natural Resources forest fire fighters in the Rainy River district responded to four fires on the weekend.

Two of the fires, one near Cuttle Lake, northeast of Fort Frances and one at Marmion Lake, north of Atikokan, were small lightning fires.

Another fire at Marmion and one near Bat Fly Lake, north of Fort Frances, were human caused.

The MNR is still monitoring two fires in Quetico Provincial Park.

Relays For Life Set to Go

Relays for Life are set for this Friday in both Fort Frances and Rainy River.

Committee spokesperson for the Fort Frances event John Homer says all is set to go at the Fort Frances High School.

"We've got a really good core committee," says Homer. "Couple of us have been on the committee for a while. A couple that have been on for a couple years. Some brand new people. We all kind of pull together and it's going to be really fun. We've got some really exciting new thing."

Friday, the Fort Frances event was boosted with separate fundraisers at M and M Meats and Boston Pizza.

Hospital Tour Planned

It's going to be a busy summer for the CEO of the Thunder Bay Health Sciences Centre.

Andree Robichaud says she'll be making the rounds of the region's hospitals.

"For me when I listen to their issues, I have to see, I want to visit and I really want have the time to sit with each and every one of them and see how we can help each other," says Robichaud.

Robichaud says she'll start her tour in August.

Missing Angler Found

The body of a Wisconsin man has been pulled from a lake in Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

Emergency personnel recovered by the body of 23-year-old Ty Sitter from 90 feet of water in Swan Lake, north of Grand Marie.

Sitter disappeared June 9 when he left his family campsite to go fishing.

Meantime, the body of an 80-year-old Minnesota man has been recovered by a provincial police dive team in Nipigon.

Ronald Lee Hilsen was reported missing last Thursday after failing to return from a fishing trip on Lake Superior.

Divers found his body not far from where he had been fishing.

Atikokan College Grads

It was graduation day for Confederation College students in Atikokan Friday.

It's the first time a Convocation ceremony has been held in the community.

College President Pat Lang says it's a result of strong partnerships.

"Any time we move into a community to offer programing it's always successful," says Lang. "We have our community partners involved. In this case it was the Atikokan High School, Atikokan General Hospital and Contact North."

A total of 13 students were recognized at ceremonies held at the Atikokan High School.

Strategic Planning

It was a long day of discussions for Fort Frances town councillors Thursday.

The town's elected officials were joined by members of the administrative team in coming up with a new strategic plan.

Mayor Roy Avis says it was an important exercise.

"What we're trying to do is evolve a plan that will make it a better community to live in," says Avis. "It will be better for the future economic viability of our community. It will also deal with the hardships that we're going to be be faced with in the near future."

Councillors also discussed suggestions from local residents on such things as bus service, eliminating heavy trucks down Scott Street and water metres.

Time-of-Use Billing in Place

Time-of-use billing is starting to take effect in Fort Frances.

Some Fort Frances Power Corporation customers are now being charged rates based on when they use power.

CEO Jorge Ruppenstein says customers will see the difference when their bills are issued in July.

"On the new bill, it will actually total how much electricity was consumed during these three time periods," says Ruppenstein, "on-peak, off-peak and mid-peak."

All Power Corp customers will be on the new billing system July 1st.

Literacy Test Numbers Reviewed

The Rainy River District School Board is taking a close look at the latest results from standardized literacy tests written by its students.

Eighty-per cent of students who wrote the March tests met or exceeded provincials standards.

Superintendent of Education Casey Slack says they're now looking at where improvements can be made.

"Senior administration and the school level leaders can articulate next steps working with out program support team to ensure that come September we've got some enriched practices in place to enhance performance on the test," says Slack.

The results were slightly lower than last year.

MNR Crews Returning

The Ministry of Natural Resources has started the process of bringing back its forest fire fighters and other support staff from Alberta.

The first one hundred will return home soon with the rest of the 273 personnel coming back to Ontario over the next few days.

An increase in the fire hazard in northwestern Ontario has prompted the MNR not replace the crews who have been in Alberta since the middle of May.

Earthroots Apologizes

The environmental group Earthroots is offering an apology to Weyerhaeuser.

Earlier this week, the group claimed the company's mill in Kenora used formaldehyde in the production of its engineered lumber, a fact strongly denied by Weyerhauser.

Yesterday, Earthroots issued an apology and says it will do a review of its report to check its accuracy.

Fort Frances Posties Walk the Line

Twenty-one unionized workers at the Fort Frances post office are among those on the streets because of a lock-out by Canada Post.

Local union president Sandra Lange says for the most part, the local public is understanding of what's taking place.

"It seems that most people are because they sure seem to support us, " says Lange. "I guess they're paying attention. Anyone who came into the post office we had nothing but support. Same on the picket line. We're getting a lot of honking and waves."

Lange says the lock-out will actually force Canada Post back to the bargaining table.

The federal government has served notice it will implement back-to-work legislation if the two sides don't settle their differences through negotiations.

Strategic Plan Discussions Today

Fort Frances council sits down today at Sunny Cove Camp to come up with a new strategic plan.

CAO Mark McCaig says it will serve as a blueprint for council over the next four years.

"So we put timelines and benchmarks that we monitor on an ongoing basis," says McCaig, "and we try to wrap everything up during the term of council or at least begin the initiative during the term of council."

McCaig says ideas from the public and a variety of town committees will be part of today's discussions.

Border Funds Spending Questioned

Thunder Bay Rainy River MP John Rafferty isn't giving up the fight for Northwestern Ontario's border communities taking up the issue in the House of Commons.

"For our communities, tourism is a key part of the economy, "says Rafferty. "Yet, the government diverted $50 million from the border infrastructure fund to beautify communities in the minister's riding, using the fund as a private wish list, while ignoring border regions like northwestern Ontario."

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird disputes the funds were misspend.

Board Test Results Released

Eighty-per cent of students from the Rainy River district who wrote the standardized literacy test this spring met or exceeded the provincial standard.

Results for individuals boards were released yesterday.

Atikokan had the highest rate of success among the district's three high schools at 83 per cent.

Rainy River High School had 81 per cent while 79 per cent of Fort Frances High students successfully completed the test in March.

Tuitions Increase

The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system is moving ahead with a budget that would raise tuition an average of nearly 4 percent at its 25 two-year colleges, including Rainy River College in International Falls.

Chancellor James McCormick says requests to hold the line at 3 per cent were not possible because the system is expected to lose nearly 11 per cent in state funding.

Fire in Minnesota Watched

Authorities in Minnesota are keeping an eye on a forest fire smoldering in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.

The fire, near Gaskin Lake, 20 kilometres northwest of Grand Marias, is about six acres in size.

The strategy is to let the fire burn to the south and west of the lake while limiting its spread on the north side.

It was reported by campers in the area, but it's not clear how it started.

Canada Post Workers Locked Out

(Canadaa Post workers on line in Thunder Bay last week - CJUK photo)

Rotating strikes at Canada Post have given way to a lockout of workers in urban areas.

The Crown corporation made the decision after almost two weeks of rotating walkouts.

Canada Post says the walkouts were becoming too expensive.

The post office and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers are said to remain "far apart" on several key issues, with no progress being made at the bargaining table.

OPP Reviewing Community Services Initiatives

The new policing contract with the town of Fort Frances has forced the OPP to re-think its community services strategies.
Police, in the past, have been involved or helped start programs.

Detachment Commander Inspector John Kendrick says that will change with changing staff levels.

"What's that basically had us do is review our current programs that we have in place to make sure that we're getting basically the most bang for the buck for the community," says Kendrick, "and ensuring that our Community Services is hitting the mark."

Kendrick says the primary focus will be partnerships that have an element of policing or public safety.

Policy Institute Taking Shape

The Northern Policy Institute is taking shape.

The think tank is to help create economic development initiatives for the region.

Northern Development Minister Michael Gravelle says it's mandate has been identified.

"Based on what northerners have told us," says Gravelle, "is to develop and promote proactive evidence-based purpose-driven policy options that deepen the understanding about the unique challenges and opportunities in northern Ontario and support the sustainability development and long-term economic prosperity of northern Ontario."

Gravelle discussed the institute during a conference in Thunder Bay yesterday.

Internet Safety Being Discussed

Cyber-bullying and Internet safety will be the focus of a public meeting in Atikokan tonight.

The event at St. Patrick's School is the outcome of a recent school survey.

OPP Constable Anne McCoy says it's just as important parents know what they're children are doing on-line.

"Some of the parents are now familiar at all with social networking sites such like Facebook and YouTube," says McCoy. "What we're doing is we're encouraging them to get educated about them. Take a class or have their kids teach them. Sit down with them at the computer and get them to show them the websites they're visiting."

McCoy says similar sessions could be coming to other communities in the future.

Solar Projects Not Concerning

The Fort Frances Power Corporation is welcoming the increase in the number of solar projects to the area.

The latest is at Fort Frances High School.

The Corporation's CEO Jorge Ruppenstein says each project gets thoroughly tested.

"Before any of theses projects get off the ground we actually do what's called a connection impact assessment," says Ruppenstein. "where we do a computer simulation of the effect that an installation like this would have on our plant with respect to safety and electrical performance."

The high school project is the first to involve the Corporation directly.