More Downtime Possible

Resolute Forest Products is not ruling out more production downtime at its mills this year.

Lower demand and weaker pricing played a role in the $6-million dollar loss in the 4th quarter of last year.

CEO Richard Garneau doesn't see much immediate change.

The reported loss was the second straight since the company emerged from creditor protection a year ago.

Population Growth in Atikokan Expected

The mayor of Atikokan is somewhat surprised to learn his community experienced a 15 per cent drop in population over the last five years.

But Dennis Brown says there are signs it will turn around.

Brown says the closure of two local mills was a factor in the population loss.

MP Happy Gun Registry Debate Ending Soon

Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP John Rafferty is happy to see the long gun registry debate come to an end.

A final vote for the bill is expected  Wednesday.

Rafferty support ending the registry and was sanctioned by his party for giving support to ending it.

Rafferty says he hasn't had any further blow back from his party over his recent voting on the gun registry bill.

Business Workshop Next Week

It's time to learn the ABC's of Entrepreneurship.

The Northwest Business Centre is hosting a workshop in Couchiching next Thursday.

Manager Diane Schwartz-Williams says it will help those either in and wanting to start a business.

Pre-registration is required through the Centre's website.

More Cubs Born Over Internet

North American Bear Centre photo

Researchers believe a 3-year-old bear in Minnesota gave birth to a pair of cubs before an Internet audience last month.

A camera, placed in the den near Ely, was bumped as Jewel gave birth to a male cub and a female cub.

Researchers have since readjusted camera for a better view.

Coventry Starts Drilling Program

Another mining company has began a search for gold in the Rainy River district.

Australian based Coventry Resources has started a drilling a program at its gold project.

It's the first work the company has done on the 120 square kilometre site, located adjacent to Rainy River Resource's project, north of Barwick.

The company is also doing exploration  work at Cameron Lake near Nestor Falls.

Gun Bill Vote Next Week

A bill to scrap the federal long gun registry could be passed into law as early as next week.

That's the prediction of Kenora MP Greg Rickford.

He says the government's decision to curtail debate on the issue means the bill should be passed sooner rather than later.

Not All People Counted in Census

It appears not all of the people in northwestern Ontario were included in the population figures released this week.

Stats Canada's Gary Dillon says last year's forest fires caused some problems for Census takers.

Thirteen remote First Nations communities could not be be counted until November and were not included in the numbers released this week.

Dillon says those figures will be released at a later date.

Population Drop in Northwestern Ontario.

Statistics Canada is confirming a long suspected drop in the number of people living in the Rainy River district.

There's now 20,370 people in the district, a 5.5 per cent drop since 2006.

Stats Canada Gary Dillon says that differs from the rest of the Ontario where a 5.7 per cent increase overall is reported.

Every town in the district saw decreases with Atikokan having the greatest shift at over 15 per cent.

Fort Frances fell below 8 thousand people, a 1.9 per cent drop since 2006.

No Surprises in Population Figures

A Lakehead University professor is not surprised northwestern Ontario has less people than it did five years ago.

Livo Di Matteo says its a reflection of the state of the region's forest industry.

Di Matteo says the growth among First Nations communities is also something worth watching.

Snow Sculptures a Go

The creation of a number of snow sculptures in Fort Frances is a go.

But the Rainy River Arts Collective's Winter Sculpture Garden is no longer a contest.

Spokesperson Lindsay Hamilton says only a couple of groups actually registered.

So those groups and a couple of other artists will instead craft the 8 foot cubed snow piles over the next ten days as part of a demonstration project.

Hamilton is hoping it will lead to greater interest for next year.

Seven Gens Expands Programming

Fort Frances-based Seven Generations Education Institute has a new partnership with the public board for the Kenora and Dryden area.

CEO Delbert Horton says it helps launch a new Aboriginal Adult Education program in those areas.

The program is expected to begin this fall.