Osisko Shareholders Still Asked To Reject Goldcorp Take-over Bid

Osisko Mining continues to urge its shareholders to reject the unsolicited take-over bid from Goldcorp.

Chief Executive Officer Sean Roosen says that bid is preventing shareholders from getting a dividend on their investment.

Roosen says Osisko planned for a significant dividend policy, but claims that some of the money is now being spent on lawyers and bankers dealing with the legal challenge against Goldcorp.

A Quebec court is to hear matter March 3.

Ring Of Fire Progress Questioned At Queen's Park

At  Queen's Park,  the NDP is accusing the province of dragging its feet on the Ring of Fire mining project.

The opposition points to a lack of progress with establishing the development corporation.

Mines Minister Michael Gravelle says there's plenty going on behind the scenes to come up with a transportation route.

Gravelle says the hiring of the consulting firm Deloitte is an important part of the equation.

Thunder Bay Hospital Faces Fire Code Violation

The Thunder Bay Regional Health Science Centre is facing a fire code violation.

It's because patients are being placed in alcoves not designated for their care.

The hospital is currently facing an overcrowding problem.

International Falls Wants Hockey Day In Minnesota

International Falls wants to host Hockey Day in Minnesota.

The event celebrations the sport in the State with televised high school, college and NHL games on Fox.

The city's economic development director Shawn Mason says she's working on forming an exploratory committee to see what it will take to host the event.

Mason says since the location for next year has already been set, they'll hoping to be a host in 2016 or 2017.

Scholarships And Bursaries Handed Out To College Students

Over 250 Confederation College students have one less financial worry.

They have been awarded scholarships and bursaries totaling $120-thousand to continue their education.

President Jim Madder says it's all made possible by private donations.

The ceremony was held at the College's Thunder Bay campus yesterday.

Construction Boom Predicted For Northern Ontario

A series of large resource and infrastructure projects are been seen as boosting the construction industry in northern Ontario.

A report from BuildForce Canada predicts projects such as the Ring of Fire, the Energy East pipeline and ongoing transmission work, will bring new workers to the region over the next five years.

It also sees the demand for workers exceeding the existing workforce, forcing recruitment efforts to focus on youth and the Aboriginal community.

Ontario Wants More Immigrants

Ontario wants to attract more skilled immigrants to the province.

The Liberals are introducing an Ontario Immigration Act, aimed at strengthening its role in the immigrant selection process.

Ontario also wants the number of individuals who fall under a nominee program to increase to five-thousand from the current 13-hundred.

The program allows employers to fill skilled-labour vacancies with immigrants when suitable workers can't be found in Canada.

Retirement Benefits Changed

Retirement benefits for Ontario's civil service are being changed

Employees who retire on or after January 1, 2017 will be required to pay 50 per cent of their benefits premiums.

Currently the government pays the full cost.

Workers will also have to work 20 years, up from 10, to qualify for benefits.

The moves expect to save the province $1.2 billion over five years.

More Hunting Fines Issued

The hammer is coming down on more illegal hunting in the region.

This time it's a southern Ontario man who has been fined a total of $3,700 for illegally hunting two cow moose and for shooting across a road.

He has also been banned from hunting for a year.

The Ministry of Natural Resources says the incidents happened at a resort in the Lac des Mille Lacs area, west of Thunder Bay, last fall.

Student Tests Reviewed

The agency responsible for administering the province-wide tests in Ontario says most students do well in the three R's by the time they reach high school.

The Education Quality and Accountability Office say it's tracked students scores over the past seven years and found that students not doing well at the high school level also struggled in elementary school.

Chief Executive Officer Bruce Rodriques says it shows that educators and parents need to pay close attention to students' results on the provincial assessments.