Road Closure In Atikokan Area

A forest access road in the Atikokan area is closed because of a washout.

The Ministry of Natural Resources says a culvert failed on Premier Road at Kekush Creek, about 24 kilometres northeast of Sapawe.

The Ministry hopes to have the road reopened by the end of next week.

It, along with Rainy Lake Tribal Resource Management are monitoring other road conditions, but so far no other problems have been identified.

PCs Reveal Million Jobs Plan Background

Progressive Conservatives says two key agencies helped them come up with the Million Jobs plan being touted in the provincial election.

 

The party says it's derived from detailed economic models created by the Conference Board of Canada and a leading economist from the Fraser Institute.

 

In the first week of the campaign, leader Tim Hudak has unveiled plans to create nearly half those jobs.

Premier To Re-Introduce Failed Budget

File photo

Premier Kathleen Wynne is pledging to re-introduce the Liberal budget that failed to meet the opposition's expectations May 1st, prompting the spring election call.

 

Wynne made that pledge while speaking at the Bloomberg Economic Summit in Toronto.

 

Wynne also touts the Liberal plan as the only one that will continue to create an attractive business climate in the province.

Leaders Campaign Wednesday

In the provincial election campaign today, Premier Kathleen campaigns in Mississauga, Guelph and London.

NDP leader Andrea Horwath makes an announcement at Queen's Park before traveling to St. Catherines and Brantford.

PC Leader Tim Hudak is travelling around the Toronto area.

Budget Surplus Dollars Divided Up

In Minnesota, the House and Senate have agreed on how to divvy up more than $280-million in supplemental spending.

 

Health and Human services will get the bulk of the extra money resulting from the State's budget surplus - nearly $104 million.

 

54 million will go to education with another $22-million to higher education.

 

$15-million has been earmarked for transportation.

County Approves Taxing District

Koochiching County is giving final approval to a new taxing district to offset a million dollar loan to Littefork Medical Centre.

It would impact ratepayers now living within the 362 school district.

The money is for improvements hospital officials say are necessary.

Commissioner Wade Pavleck supports the idea, but would like to see some help for residents in the Big Falls area who now contribute to another hospital district.

Pavleck says it could include having Koochiching Development Authority provide the funding to rebate effected residents.

County Proceeds With Merger Plans

The first steps have been taken in a planned merger of Koochiching County's Health and Community Services departments.

Nancy Lee has been hired as the public health supervisor while new job descriptions for the department's top positions have been written up.

Director Terry Murray says they'll begin next week looking at the overall structure.

The County had been considering such a merger as far back as 2008.

New Entrepreneurial Fund Launched

A new fund to help small businesses set up or expand in the Rainy River district is being created in honour of a long-time businessman who died recently.

The Emes Entrepreneurial Fund is named after George Emes.

He was the long-time chair of the Rainy River Future Development Corporation and a member of the Fort Frances Downtown Business Improvement Association.

The fund will be managed by the Development Corporation and will seek support from senior levels of government as well.

Two Arrested In Child Porn Case

Provincial Police in Dryden are charging two men following a child pornography investigation.

It came after two homes were searched last Thursday with officers seizing computers, cell phones and other items.

Charged are 31-year-old Corey Pyyka and 50-year old Garth Rice.

Both men are due in court next month.

More Festival Acts Named

More names have been announced for the upcoming Harmony of Nations Music festival in Fort Frances this July.

They include award-winning Shy-Anne Hovorka from Thunder Bay and rising young country music star and Metis Fiddler Sierra Noble out of Winnipeg.

The folk-rock band Cornshed from Vancouver featuring three home-grown musicians, Andrew Mueller, Marc Lovisa and Andrew Marusyk, will also play.

Fort Frances' Larissa Desrosiers, song-writer Nick Sherman from Sioux Lookout and Thunder Bay's Jean-Paul De Roover are also on the bill.

They'll join previously announced Buffy Ste. Marie and the Woodpicks out of Thief River, Minnesota.

A number of other local performers will also be on stage with an announcement coming in the near future.

The headline for the first night of the event is also to be announced.