Fort Frances Business Hit by Fire

Fire officials describe damage to a Fort Frances business caused by an overnight fire as extensive.

Firefighters with the Fort Frances Fire and Rescue service were called to Kitchen and Bath Plus on 5th Street West around midnight last night.

Cause of the fire is still unknown at this time.

Electricty Concerns Expressed

Electricity concerns are high on the list of many community leaders in the northwest.

Vice-president of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association, Dave Canfield, told a provincial finance committee yesterday a northern energy plan is needed.

"There's a lot of mining activity and opportunities in northwestern Ontario," says Canfield, "but with the closure of the coal plants, there's going to be a short fall in energy as we move forward in some of these projects. There's going to be some upgrades, not only in the production, but in the grid as well."

Canfield says the current grids are inadequate and shouldn't be acceptable.

Liberals Called Out by Tory Critic

The Progressive Conservative's Northern Development critic Randy Hillier tried to call out the area Liberal MPPs at the pre-budget consultation session yesterday in Thunder Bay.

Hiller sent out a media release asking why none of the Thunder Bay-area MPP's were at the meeting.

Moments after making the release public, Thunder Bay-Atikokan MPP Bill Mauro showed up.

He was late because he was attending a Health Sciences Centre news conference.

The two MPP's were seen later have a friendly chat with each other.

Former L.U. Pres. Seeks Tory Nomination

(Lakehead University photo)


A former Lakehead University president is looking at making at run at provincial politics.

Fred Gilbert says he'll seek the Conservative nomination in the Thunder Bay-Atikokan riding in this fall's election.

Gilbert retired as L.U. president last year.

Chronic Wasting Disease Confirmed

(File photo)


A federal laboratory has now confirmed that a white-tailed deer killed near the southeastern Minnesota town of Pine Island has tested positive for chronic wasting disease.

It's the first such confirmed case in the State.

Airport Superintendent Retires

A superintendent who spent his entire career as an employee at the Fort Frances Airport worked his last day yesterday.

Bill Caul started over 36 years ago as an airport attendant.

Caul says he's seen a lot of changes take place.

"The new terminal was one of the big projects," says Caul. "Back in '84, '85, the expansion of the runways when the cross-runway was built. We've go a fair amount of development over the years with new hangers."

Caul now enjoys vacation time that will take him to the end of March when his official retirement starts.

Glen Wood takes over as airport superintendent.