$100,000 List Grows

The number of public service employees in the Rainy River District who earned over one-hundred thousand dollars last year has grown.

The so-called Sunshine list was released yesterday by the province.

The Rainy River District School Board leads with twenty employees earning over the salary threshold, compared with nine reported in 2009.

Riverside Health Care Facilities has eight on the so-called sunshine list, compared with five in 2009.

Here is a list of some of public service workers identified

Northwest Catholic District School Board
Alvin Cesiunas, Superintendent of Education, $134,675.97
Teresa Dennis, Principal, $110,697.86
Guy Durand, Principal, $106,306.83
Ronald Fryer, Principal, $100,031.76
Christopher Howarth, Superintendent of Business $134,675.97
Brendan Hyatt, Principal, $100,938.78
Mary Catherine-Kelly, Director of Education, $184,670.45
MArk Lugli, Principal, $110,697.86
Joanne Querel, Assistant to the Superintendent, $121,046.93
Margot Saari, Principal, $110,697.86
David Sharp, Student Success Leader, $121,046.90


Rainy River District School Board
Jennifer Baker, Vice-Principal, $100,964.81
Leslie Barr-Kellar, Principal, $109,487.81
Heather Campbell, Director of Education, $166,748.24
James Chorney, Principal, $105,490.44
William Daley, Principal, $110,609.10
Paul Elliott, Teacher, $162,454.44
Darryl Gannon, Principal, $107,090.40
Pegeen Keffer, Vice-Principal, $104,823.96
Donna Kowalski, Vice-Principal, $100,023.50
Gary Lipinski, Teacher, $119,535.60
Donald McBride, Vice-Principal, $100,934.50
Gord McCabe, Principal, $115,209.85
Al McManaman, Principal, $119,131.77
Lucina Meyers, Principal, $106,253.15
Laura Mills, Superintendent of Business, $148,991.11
Kendall Olsen, Principal, $106,253.15
Sylvia Parker, Assistant to the Director, $124,500.79
Ian Simpson, Vice-Principal, $104,004.05
Casey Slack, Superintendent of Education, $131,138.10
Dianne Thompson, Principal, $112,402.13
Kerri Tolen, Principal, $106,253.15


Town of Fort Frances
Mark McCaig, Chief Administrative Officer, $129,285.70

Atikokan General Hospital
Marie Comell, Laboratory Manager, $103,068.90
Kim Cross, Assistant Executive Director, Finance, $103,568.81
Wayne Smith, Assistant Executive Director, Patient Care Services, $104,704.40
Robert Wilson, Chief Executive Officer, $185,764.48

Riverside Health Care Facilities Inc.
Edith Bodnar, Administrator, Rainycrest Long-Term Care Facility, $110,413.68
Debbie Canfield, Registered Nurse, $103,680.90
Shelley Gustafson, Registered Nurse, $107,518.45
Lori Maki, Executive Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer, $156,610.02
Marna Martin, Registered Nurse First Assist, $113,319.92
Tammy McNally, Manager of Care, Rainy River Health Centre, $100,721.30
Dianna Whalen, Registered Nurse, $101,964.20
Wayne Woods, President/Chief Executive Officer, $228,000.02


Family & Children's Services of the Rainy River District
Vik Nowak, Executive Director, $114,260.83


Rainy River District Social Services Administration Board
Donna Dittaro, Chief Administrative Officer, $147,603.40

Arts Centre Looks at Bankruptcy

The volunteer board responsible for the operations of the Atikokan Arts Centre is considering filing for bankruptcy.

Chair Jada Siegfried says with the centre having run out of funds, the group is left with little choice.

"We would much prefer the building to stay open and the vision of the Arts Centre continue," says Siegfried. "Unfortunately, the funding isn't there for a qualified artistic director and staff to administer the programming and day-to-day operations."

Siegfried says it's likely assets will be sold off and the building eventually closed.

She says the facility, though, will remain available until then to groups wanting to use it, but without staff on site.

More Downtime at AbitibiBowater

There will more downtime for workers at the AbitibiBowater mill in Fort Frances.

The company reports operations will be curtailed for two weeks begin May 2nd.

The mill is currently in the middle of a shutdown that began Monday.

A previous two-week shutdown of the paper machines happened in February.

Poor market conditions are being blamed.

North West CCAC Workers in Strike Position

Workers with the North West Community Care Access Centre are poised to hit the picket lines April 18.

Conciliated talks between the Ontario Nurses Association and the Centre broke off yesterday.

Wages are at the heart of the dispute.

The union says the Centre's case managers and care coordinators are the lowest paid in the province.

Six nurses work out of the office in Fort Frances.

Merger Plans Delayed

Most of the groundwork is done, but it will still be at least a couple of months before a merger of child aid agencies in the Kenora and Rainy River district is complete.

Chair of Family and Children's Services Rainy River Bob McGreevy says they're still awaiting word that the province will take care of Rainy River's debt.

"For a couple of years, FACS has accumulated a debt," says McGreevy, "and before the amalgamation could go forward, we wanted to have that debt eliminated. We anticipate an announcement from in the next coupe of days from the Ministry that they have resolved that debt issue."

McGreevy says approval will allow both boards to cast a final vote on the merger.

Forest Fire Season Underway

Today is the official start to the forest fire season in Ontario. Ministry of Natural Resources spokesperson Debbie Maclean says they're anticipating a quiet start in northwestern Ontario. "We have slightly above average snow fall," says Maclean. "It likes that trend is going to continue with cold, wet weather in April. It's looking like a quiet start to the fire season in 2011." Maclean notes the average number of fires in the northwest Region has dropped in the past few years.

FedNor Dollars Awarded

Two Atikokan group have benefited from recent FedNor money.

The money to the Atikokan Economic Development Corporation and the Friends of Quetico was quietly announced last Friday, prior to the federal election.

The EDC received about half-a-million dollars for loan programs accessible by small and medium sized businesses.

The Friends of Quetico received about $25-thousand to hire a youth intern.