Horwath Visits Fort Frances

A visit to Fort Frances by Ontario's NDP Leader.

Andrea Horwath met for about 30 minutes with members of the Assisted Living Action Group who outlined to her their proposal to develop an assisted living facility in the Fort Frances area.

She later attended a party fundraiser.

Earlier in the day she was in Thunder Bay where she called on the Premier Kathleen Wynne to help communities struggling with property tax reassessments.

Horwath says it's unaceptable for communities to bleed taxpayers dry for decisions made by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation.

NDP Pans Bear Hunting Plan

The Ontario Government is once again allowing the hunting of bears this spring, but not in the Rainy River district.

A limited hunt will be offered over the next two springs in certain parts of the north, including areas around Thunder Bay.

NDP critic John Vanthof says it's really a step backwards given that all communities in the north aren't eligible to participate.

The hunt will also be open only to Ontario residents.

Wear Purple

Area residents are being encouraged to wear purple today.

It's part of the Shine the Light Campaign being promoted by Riverside Community Counseling as part of Women Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month.

The campaign aims to raise awareness of woman abuse

Area businesses have also been asked to dress up their window displays in purple in support of the cause.

Area Woman Appears In Farming Calender

A familiar face to the Rainy River district's agricultural community is among those in a calender promoting the faces of farming in Ontario.

Kim Jo-Bliss, who manages the Emo Agricultural Research Station and her great uncle's farm, was selected during the summer to participate in the 2014 edition put out by Farm and Food Care Ontario.

Bliss and her story can be found on September of the calender available through her.

Bliss is the first from northwestern Ontario to be included in annual calender.

Limited Spring Bear Hunt Planned

Supplied photo

It will be legal to hunt bear in the spring again in some parts of Ontario.

The province will conduct a two-year hunt in eight different wildlife management units in and around the communities of Timmins, Thunder Bay, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie and North Bay.

Natural Resources Minister David Orazetti says the initiative is a response to nuisance bear complaints by some municipalities this past year.

The hunt would be open only to Ontario residents with bear cubs and females off limits.

Fewer Deer Taken By Hunters

Fewer deer are being shot by Minnesota hunters this season.

The Department of Natural Resources says hunters harvested 77-thousand deer in the first three days of the State's firearms season.

That's down 8 per cent from last year's numbers.

The DNR still expects the final 2013 harvest to be similar to last year when about 185-thousand deer were taken.

Province Seeks Pipeline Hearings

The Ontario government is asking the Ontario Energy Board to hold public consultations on the proposed Energy East Pipeline.

A release from the province says it acknowledges the potential economic benefits of the proposed pipeline, but adds the consultation process will provide an opportunity for all Ontarians to share views on the proposal.

The findings will form the basis of a submission to the National Energy Board which has jurisdiction over the project.

Students Want Minimum Wage Increased

Students are the latest to call for a jump in Ontario's minimum wage to 14-dollars an hour.

Chair of the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario Alastair Woods says coupled with high tuition fees, low wages make it increasingly difficult for students and their families to pay for post-secondary education.

Woods says by raising the minimum wage, the government would immediately improve the lives of students and youth.

Mine Centre Place 3rd In CardBoard Boat Competition

Students at an area school are some of the best builders of cardboard boats.

A group from Mine Centre School placed third at a regional Elementary Cardboard Boat race in Dryden.

The team included students Prudence Kabatay, Ziggy Skead, Reed Dennis and Ryan Stewart with guidance from teacher Barb Dennis.