LHIN Looks At Diabetes Care

The number of people living with diabetes in northwestern Ontario remains the highest in the province.

So the Northwest Local Health Integration Network is looking to provide more coordinated diabetes care.

The Network's Susan Pilatzke says they are looking at how they can improve patient needs.

Meetings with current providers will be held to determine what changes are necessary.
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Province Investigating Chemotheraphy Drug Under Dosing

Premier Kathleen Wynne calls the under dosing of 990 chemotherapy patients in the province a "very worrisome'' situation.

Wynne says her government will try to find out why it happened to patients at four southern Ontario hospitals -- some for as long as a year.

Officials say there was too much saline added to the bags containing the chemotherapy medications.

Health Minister Deb Matthews says experts have assured her the health risks from the watered down cancer drugs were minimal.

Riverside Outlines Its Cancer Drug Procedures

Riverside Health Care Facilities is reassuring cancer patients it treats about the drugs it provides in wake of the issue facing hospitals in southern Ontario and New Brunwick.

Riverside says it does not use premixed bags and that the chemotherapy drugs used are mixed into intravenous bags in the pharmacy department of La Verendrye Hospital under strict procedures

The drugs are also prescribed by oncologists from the cancer center in Thunder Bay or Winnipeg

EHealth Will Pay Bonus

EHealth Ontario will pay almost $7-million in bonuses to hundreds of workers after agreeing to settle a lawsuit filed by the employees.

The workers launched a class-action suit last summer to recover bonuses promised in 2011, but denied by the Liberal government.

Elementary Teachers Close To New Deal With Province

The union representing public elementary teachers says it's close to reaching a new deal with the provincial government on changes to teachers' current contracts.

The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario says it has come to "understandings'' with the governing Liberals on several issues.

The news comes as the union representing high school teachers is about to share details of its agreement with the province to its members.

College President Seeks Program Expansion

Confederation College wants to see a number of post secondary programs expanded in the upcoming provincial budget.

President Jim Madder is calling for a dual credit program, now offered at the campus in Fort Frances, expanded to attract more aboriginal students.

He also wants the province to extend a rebate program for students who wait
a few years after high school before attending college.

Just Call Me Lucille

A new teaching tool dealing with bullying will be launched next week by the Rainy River District School Board.

"Just Call Me Lucille" is a book co-written by Mike Parkhill, who's worked with the board on other native language programs.


The book focuses on a young bear who's bullied in school and how she deals with it.

Education Director Heather Campbell says it's written in both English and Ojibwa.

The book will be launched in conjunction with Day of Pink April 10.

AT&T Tower Completed

AT&T has completed constructed of a 450-foot tall communications tower just outside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.

It's to be operational this summer.

AT&T says it will improve the reliability of cell phone service in the area.

The Friends of the Wilderness Area had fought unsuccessfully
against the tower in court.

Kiss 'N' Ride A Go

Google Earth

An effort to ease traffic congestion in front of some Fort Frances schools is going ahead.

Rainy River District School Board trustees voted at their meeting last night to support the Kiss 'N' Ride initiative so project components can go to tender.

Education Director Heather Campbell says it includes a new bus loop on the southeast side of Robert Moore School.

J.W. Walker School will have a new bus loop off Flinders Avenue while an existing loop in front will be used by parents dropping off their children.

Woman Hurt In Accident

A woman from Fort France remains in hospital in Thunder Bay following an accident at Riverwalk Condominiums last week.

OPP says the woman was driving her vehicle into the underground parking area when her vehicle accelerated rapidly and collided first with the inside garage door and then a cement support pole.

Police describe the woman's in
juries as serious.

Fire Not Suspicious

Fire officials have found nothing suspicious to a weekend fire that caused extensive damage to a commercial structure in Watten township.

No one was injured in Sunday morning's blaze on Highway 11 near George Armstrong Road, but two vehicles parked inside and the building suffered extensive smoke, fire and water damage.

Officials says the owner of the building was doing some mechanical

work on a vehicle when the fire started.

Fire Protection Rates Stay The Same

Some residents in Koochiching County won't be paying more for fire protection in 2013.

Randy Pozniak of the Rural Fire Protection Association says they're holding the line on fees charged.

Residential property owners pay a85-dollars a year while commercial properties are charged on a sliding scale

The city of Ranier will pay $29, 500 which covers the costs to all residents in the community.

Cancer Patients Given Low Doses Of Chemotherapy Drugs

Four southern Ontario hospitals are in the process of contacting nearly a thousand cancer patients who received lower than intended doses of chemotherapy drugs.

The hospitals say the probability that the reduced doses will have an overall serious effect is small.

But Cancer Care Ontario is encouraging  affected patients to discuss the possible effects of the under dosing
with their oncologists.

Quilts Distributed

The Alzheimer Society of Kenora and Rainy River Districts is delivering new touch quilts to dementia patients.

Executive Director Lynn Moffatt says quilts bring many benefits from easing stress to improving memory.

Moffatt says 250 quilts are being given to patients across the Kenora and Rainy River Districts.