Hudak Promotes Wage Freeze

PC leader Tim Hudak is proposing to freeze the wages of all public sector workers and MPP's upon taking office.

Hudak says 97-thousand government workers are already making six figure salaries.

Hudak says a wage freeze would save Ontario taxpayers $2-billion a year and help create new jobs.

Northern Ontario Heritage Party Announces Candidates

The party advocating northern Ontario be its own province is running three candidates in the provincial election.

Leader and founder of the Northern Ontario Heritage Party Ed Deibel is running in Thunder Bay-Atikokan.

Association president Paul Sloan is running in Thunder Bay-Superior North.

The party says it has a registered riding association for Kenora-Rainy River, but no candidate for this election.

New Asset Management Plan

Fort Frances council is adopting a new asset management plan to help it deal future infrastructure needs.

It includes a recommendation that taxes increase 2.3 per cent each year for the next decade to help pay for the work.

Councillor Ken Perry worries it holds future councils to that commitment.

Councillor Rick Wiedenhoeft says the tax increase is just a recommendation, but council needed to approve the plan to ensure it can access future federal and provincial dollars.

The plan focuses on such things as roads, bridges, sewer and water and social housing needs.

Treaty 3 Chiefs Meet

Grand Council Treaty 3 holds its annual spring assembly, beginning today at Rat Portage First Nation.

Grand Chief Warren White says topics includes child welfare and the Energy East Pipeline.

Unlike past conferences, no provincial representatives will be attending partly because of the election.

White says federal Natural Resources Minister and Kenora MP Greg Rickford and Aboriginal Affairs Minister Bernard Valcourt were also invited, but did not respond.

Do One Thing

The Northwestern Health Unit's Do One Thing Conference gets underway today in Kenora.

Over 300 people are attending, representing a wide array of sectors, including health, education and non-profit organizations from across northwestern Ontario as well as Winnipeg.

The conference aims to get people more interested in healthy eating and active lifestyles.

Comedian Rick Mercer is attending as a guest speaker.

Liberal Candidates Challenged On Gas Plants Stance

Progressive Conservatives are challenging Liberals candidates to come clean with voters where they stand on the gas plant scandal issue.

A release from the Party says it's important that each candidate state clearly whether or not the one billion dollars spent to cancel the plants in southern Ontario was a waste of taxpayer money.

Leader Tim Hudak last week announced he's initiate a judicial inquiry into the cancellations upon taking power.

GPS Helps Minnesota Man Get Aid

A distress call though a GPS satellite is being credited with helping a Minnesota man receive emergency help.

OPP were notified of the distress call Friday.

Using the coordinates, police were able to locate the man at this lake only access cabin in the northwest arm of Rainy Lake where he was found to have suffered a leg injury and needed assistance.

Police were able to help the man return home.

His injury did not require urgent emergency medical attention from police or ambulance personnel.

MNR Helps Saskatchewan

The Ministry of Natural Resources is providing some assistance to Saskatchewan.

Two waterbombers, a birddog aircraft and an air attack officer have been sent to assist with a forest fire in the northern part of the province.

The fire forced the evacuation of about 900 residents from the Stanley Mission area.

OPP Auxiliary Information Session

An information session is planned in Fort Frances for those interested in being involved with the OPP's auxiliary program.

Members of the Northwest Region Auxiliary are volunteers who assist police in various ways.

The session takes place Wednesday night at 7 PM at the NCDS boardroom on Scott Street.

You're asked to call the OPP is you plan to attend.