Crews Returning

(Ministry of Natural Resources Photo)

Some of the Ministry of Natural Resources personnel working in western Canada are expected home today.

About 20 MNR fireRangers expect to end their work in Manitoba where they've been since the end of July.

Meantime, the MNR is looking at sending additional crews and equipment to British Columbia where 271 fire personnel are now working.

Another 41 are in Saskatchewan.

Incumbants File

All three incumbents holding down the International Falls city council positions that come up for grabs this November have filed for reelection.

Paul Eklund in East Ward, Gail Rognerud in Central and Cynthia Jaksa in West Ward filed this past week.

Bernie Woods filed for the position of Mayor of Rainer.

The filing period ends August 17 with the general election held November 2nd.

Those filing for the area's local government positions area not be part of primary elections being held in Minnesota tomorrow.

Steep Rock Proposal Given Go-Ahead

The provincial government is giving the go-ahead to plans that could lead to a rehabilitation of the former Steep Rock Mine site in Atikokan.

Bending Lake Iron Ore Group proposes an iron ore processing facility while Brett Resources wants to dump tailings there from a planned gold mine.

Henry Wetalainen of Bending Lake Iron Ore says approval allows their plans to now enter the environmental assessment process.

"Under this we're going to be a year under the Environmental (E.A.)," says Wetalainen. "I would properly look at construction sometime next fall."

Wetaliainen says development of his facility and mine at Bending Lake will cost about $900-million and will create about 700 construction jobs and 300 when up and running.

Charleson Recreation Area Upgrades

(Supplied Photo)


A grand opening of a recreational area near the former Steep Rock Mine in Atikokan took place Saturday.

Just under a million dollars has gone into the Charleson Recreation Area over the years which chair Brian Jackson says will be a benefit to the community.

"The development and expansion of some of the facilities allows us put on events, bigger and better," says Jackson. "New events that can increase the number of people coming to the existing events or attract new people to come to the new events."

Jackson says the site include a number of new buildings and bike and horse riding trails.

Funding was provided by the province and the municipality.

Plant Funding

A home-building company in Kenora is been seen as a potential model for northwestern Ontario's fledgling value-added forest industry.

Wincrief Forestry Products is receiving $1.2 million in the form of a provincial loan and grant to help the plant grow and start a utility pole division.

The company, which started up less than two years ago, builds modular homes for the region's First Nations.

Strike Looms at Medical School

Clerical, administrative and technical staff at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine have voted 97 per cent in favour of a walkout if contract negotiations fail.

The members of OPSEU Local 677 would be in a legal strike position as of August 16.

Outstanding issues include overtime, workload, job classification and sick leave.

Hudak Critical of LHINS

Ontario's Opposition says the Liberal government is wasting money on bureaucrats instead of addressing a growing shortage of long-term care beds.

The Progressive Conservatives say the government's failure to make progress on its aging at home strategy has allowed the wait list for long-term care beds to swell to 24,000 people.

Leader Tim Hudak says the Local Health Integration Networks set up by the Liberals mismanaged the 250-million dollar program that is supposed to help more seniors live at home.

Hudak is promising to scrap the networks and put the money into front-line health services if the Tories win next year's election.

Emo Fair Nears

The Rainy River Valley Agricultural Fall Fair in Emo is just around the corner.

President Emily Watson says exhibitors wanting to display their wares can now pick up the new fair book.

"Those are available at North American Lumber," says Watson, "all the way through to Lowe's Furniture, Lowe's Lumber in Sleeman and the local municipal offices. We also have our own website http://www.emofair.com/.

Watson says they also have volunteer and paid position open.

You can call Watson at 486-3688 or Lois Caul at 486-3341 for more information.

Advance ride tickets for the fair which goes August 19-21 are also on sale.

More Forest Fire Help Sent West

(MNR Photo)

Ontario is sending more support to help western Canada deal with its forest fire situation.

Debbie MacLean of the Ministry of Natural Resources says one-hundred firefighters will depart for British Columbia later this afternoon.

Most are from northwestern Ontario and join those already in the west.

"Right now we have 75 west fire region personal in BC, 21 in Manitoba and 21 in Saskatchewan," says MacLean. "We're sending an additional 63 out of the 107 leaving today."

MNR crews have been in BC and Saskatchewan since Sunday.

Those in Manitoba are into their second week.

Seniors Committee Formed

Ontario Provincial Police are teaming up with the Northwestern Health Unit and the Older Adults Mental Health Program on a new program aimed at seniors.

The Seniors and Law Enforcement Together, or SALT, is intended to give seniors a say into how the agencies can better help them.

Constable Anne McCoy says the first meeting was held yesterday.

"We're just in the beginning stages," says McCoy. "You can come out and be on the committee or come out and just be a part of it on a month by month basis. We're not looking for a huge commitment. We're just looking for some input and some involvement from older adults in our community."

McCoy says part of the committee's role is helping police promote policing programs focusing on seniors.

New Forestry Numbers Released

Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP John Rafferty is calling the latest statistics on Canada forest industry dismal.

Natural Resources Canada figure show the forestry industry significance to the Canadian economy is not at great today as it was four years ago.

Rafferty says the Harper government has played a role in that decline.

"Lots of people say what does government have to do with it, but government has to be a piece," says Rafferty. "and he has failed to stop the decline. He's made no significant investment certainly relative to the size of the sector."

Rafferty feels the numbers will continue to drop without federal support.

Ministers Asked to Step Down

There's a call for three Ontario cabinet ministers to resign because of a police fraud investigation into their ministries.

Provincial police raided the Ministries of Transportation, Economic Development and Trade, and Community and Social Services on July 15 as part of a corruption probe.

No charges have been laid, but NDP justice critic Peter Kormos says the ministers should resign at least until the investigation and any prosecutions are completed.

Fight on Blight Continues

The city of International Falls says its making good progress in its efforts to tear down derelict residential buildings.

The city's initiated a fight-on-blight program about five years ago.

The city's building inspector Kelly Meyers says crews have been fairly busy this year taking care of unsightly properties and removing old buildings.

"Since about the first of the year we've done about eighteen buildings," says Meyers. "They've been house and garages, some of them very dilapidated homes that needed to be removed. We've also done some sheds and individual homes that have gone past their prime."

The city's now looking at some modifications to the ordinance to help it deal with repeat offenders, especially with unsightly lawns.

Cellphone Crackdown

Law enforcement agencies across Minnesota will be conducting a one-day crackdown on motorists who use a cellphone or text while driving today.

It will be part of "Distraction Free Driving Day."

The department's Office of Traffic Safety also is launching a print and radio campaign to educate drivers about Minnesota's two-year-old law banning texting while driving.

Officials say driver distraction is a leading factor in crashes in Minnesota.

Weather Increasing Liquor and Beer Sales

Ontario residents are cracking open more cool ones this summer, a trend some are attributing to the weather.

The LCBO says sales of beer and cider from June 30 to July 17 show an increase of 11.5 per cent over the same period last summer.

Meanwhile, the Beer Store has seen a three per cent increase over last year's sales in June and July.

Odour Complaints Linger

There are more complaints coming from the Minnesota side of Rainy River over an odour that many residents there believe is coming from AbitibiBowater's mill in Fort Frances.

Koochiching County Commissioner Wade Pavleck says the county's fired off letters to the company asking for information on what's been done to stem the smell since an initial meeting three years ago.

"They were going to make quarterly reports to us as they made progress on doing some updates that were going to take of the problem," says Pavleck. "But those meetings never occurred and the odours have continued. It's got to the point that we've got so many complaints that we had to take some action ourselves and try to get the parties back together."

The company maintains its meeting guidelines for air emissions at its mill.

Rainycrest Shortfall Discussed

Discussions are underway between Riverside Health Care Facilities, the Northwest Local Health Integration Network and the Health Ministry to find cost savings at Rainycrest Long Term Care.

CEO Wayne Woods says about half of Riverside's 1-point-1 million dollar shortfall this year is attributed to the Fort Frances home.

"We have to look at Rainycrest," says Woods. "It's been producing a significant deficit for the last three years so we have to be looking at it quite seriously."

Woods says steps to address the shortfall could be similar to those used in dealing with deficits that occurred at Riverside's three hospitals.

Outage Corrected

An outage effecting 9-1-1 service in northern St. Louis County has been corrected.

Officials says the outage was caused by crews working near Aurora, east of Virginia, who damaged a fiber-optic cable.

The outage also impacted some land line, cell phone and Internet services in International Falls and Rainer.

Spray Park Official Opening

Residents of Emo gathered Tuesday night for the official opening of its spray park.

Construction was completed just a few weeks ago.

Fundraising chair Lincoln Dunn says it was a full community effort to make it a reality.

"The support from the community has been unbelievable," says Dunn. "Some of the partners who have worked with us on this project have been there every time we've gone back look for material, labour, assistance or expertise. It's been just outstanding."

Dunn also credits the support of several volunteers in reaching their objective.

More than $225-thousand was raised for the project over a three year period.

NCDS Primary Training Provider

Northern Community Development Services is expecting little change to how it delivers programs after being selected the primary employment and training provider in the Rainy River District.

NCDS will help carry out the province's new Employment Ontario model.

It does include an end to the Job Connect program for youth, but a broader range of programming for all ages.

Ontario's Minister of Training John Milloy says residents now have access to all programs at one location.

Comuzzi Name Back in Political Arena

There's a Comuzzi looking to get back into federal politics.

Maureen Comuzzi-Stehmann, the niece of former longtime Thunder Bay MP Joe Comuzzi, is seeking the federal Tory nomination in the Thunder Bay-Rainy River Riding.

"We'll I feel after many years or service with Mr. Comuzzi that it's time for someone else to pick up the torch," says Comuzzi-Stehmann, "and who better than his niece to do that."

No date has been set for the nomination.

New Terry Fox Run Organizer

There will be a new organizer of the Terry Fox run in Fort Frances this September.

The Church of the Holy Spirit in Fort Frances will coordinate the run's thirtieth anniversary.

Spokesperson Cheryle Wolfe says there's a significant connection to the church.

"We have a member of our congregation, George Walsh and his brother Sandy, who have taken part in the carrying of the colour flag in Thunder Bay since day one," says Wolfe. "It's kind of a special thing for George which is a special thing for all of us."

Wolfe says they are looking at a new route and ways of involving more people from around the district.

Pledge forms and t-shirts are expected to be made available soon.

Bayfield Adds Second Drill Rig

Bayfield Ventures is stepping up its exploration activities north of Barwick.

The company is adding a second drill rig to its Rainy River gold project.

It's hoping the results will lead to an expansion of gold mineralization previously determined by Rainy River Resources on its site which is adjacent to Bayfield's property.

Restructuring Plan Outline Approved

AbitibiBowater has won court approval of its restructuring plan outline, allowing the company to seek the support from its creditors.

Under the plan, unsecured creditors would share the reorganized company’s stock in addition to the right to participate in a 500-million dollar notes offering that would be convertible into equity.

Secured creditors would be paid in full in cash, or get some other other mutually agreed upon treatment that would give them a full recovery.

The company’s existing shareholders would be wiped out under the proposal.

Driver Charged

A motorist faces several charges after trying to allude police in Fort Frances on the weekend.

OPP say as officers turned to follow a motorist driving in an erratic manner in the town's west end early Sunday morning, the driver sped away only to stop along McIrvine Road near Eighth Street.

The driver then fled his vehicle, but was apprehended a short time late by police at a nearby private business.

He now faces several Highway Traffic Act offences, entering a premise where prohibited and impaired driving.

Busy Weekend for OPP

A busy weekend for Provincial Police in the Rainy River district.

Police responded to 135 calls between during the August long weekend.

Among them, nine motor vehicle collisions - four involving wildlife.

No injuries were reported in any of the accidents.

Forty-seven charges were also laid during traffic patrols, including three for motorists having a radar warning device.

Mill Fire

Minimal damage is being reported from a weekend fire at AbitibiBowater's mill in Fort Frances.

It started shortly after midnight Sunday in the area of the paper machines.

Mill staff and the mill's sprinkler system helped contained the blaze by the time firefighters with the Fort Frances Fire and Rescue Service arrived on scene.

Officials says the fire was likely started by an overheated bearing.

Border Blamed for Declining Tourism Numbers

Border crossings in Fort Frances and Rainy River continue to be a bone of contention for the area's tourism officials.

Executive Director of Ontario's Sunset Country Gerry Cariou says area lodges are reporting large declines in American visitors, and point to the area's border as a contributing factors.

"Canada has over the past ten years since 9-11 has established an unfriendly border to American travellers," says Cariou. "Fort Frances and Rainy River, specifically, seem to be the canary in the coal mine where it's almost the serial turnbacks of people of minor criminality much more pronounced than the other entry points across Canada."

Cariou believes millions of dollars in revenue has been lost by the enforcement of rules that restrict Americans with prior drunk driving convictions from entering Canada.

New Strategic Plan in Place

International Falls city council has a new strategic plan.

Mayor Shawn Mason says it outlines a number of goals and objectives for council over the next two years.

"For some people looking at them they might think they're out there in terms of being able to achieve them," says Mason, "but we really have to think big. We have to really have that peripheral vision as a leader."

The plan includes taking a proactive leadership towards economic development and on legislative issues affecting the city.

Election Filings Start Today

Today starts a two week filing period for candidates seeking a number of local government seats in Minnesota.

They include International Falls councillor positions representing west, east and central wards.

Mayoral seats and certain councillor positions in Rainer, Littlefork and Big Falls will also be up for grabs as part of the November 2 general election.

Youth Employment Centre Closing

(Youth Services Officers Jamie Petrin (left) and Dayna Debenedet)


Service Canada's Employment Centre for Youth's season is coming to a close.

The Fort Frances office ends its season Friday.

Youth Services Officer Jamie Petrin says despite a tough economy, they were able to find work for a number students this summer.

" It was really, really awesome this summer," says Petrin. "We had a really successful summer this season. (We) met lots of people. Got lots of jobs posted. Talked to lots of students and employers."

Petrin says until its closing, the office will also be providing information on loans and grants for students returning to school this fall.

SIU Makes Correction

The Special Investigation Unit is correcting information it released last week regarding this past June's police shooting in Kenora.

The S.I.U. had noted there was a two hour delay by the OPP in reporting the shooting of 39-year-old Helen Proulx who had brandished a knife at a female officer.

It now says there was a 51-minute delay.

Director Ian Scott apologizes for the error, but says they would still have liked to have been notified sooner, as required under the Police Service's act.

The officer involved was cleared of any wrongdoing.

Ontario Sends More Help

Ontario is sending more help to western Canada ravaged by forest fires.

Over one hundred Ministry of Natural Resources firefighters and support personnel were sent to northern Saskatchewan and British Columbia on Sunday.

Another twenty firefighters have been in Manitoba since early last week.

The MNR expects to be called on for more assistance, especially in B.C. where the fire situation is worsening.

New Legislation Already Felt

At least two drivers have received licence suspensions under Ontario's new regulations for zero blood alcohol for young drivers.

They were both issued by police in Toronto.

Ontario Provincial Police say they will release complete numbers later today.

Under new regulations in effect this weekend, Ontario drivers age 21 and under must have a blood alcohol level of zero.

Maximum penalties include a 30-day suspension and $500 fine.

Water Park Opens

The township of Emo officially opens its spray park tonight.

A dedication ceremony will be held at 5 p.m.

The park became a reality this year following four years of local fundraising which topped well over $225-thousand.

Warning! Fake Inspectors

The Northwestern Health unit is warning restaurant owners to be on the watch for fake public health inspectors.

The fake inspectors contact restaurant owners by phone asking for detailed business and personal information and threatening them with fines if they don't comply.

Medical Officer of Health Doctor James Arthurs says two restaurants were recently targets in the Kenora and Rainy River districts.

He says Health Unit inspectors usually arrive unannounced and carry photo ID's.

Drownings to be Reviewed

The province's acting Chief Coroner says there will be a review of all drowning deaths in Ontario that have occurred this summer.

Doctor Bert Lauwers says the purpose is to identify common factors that may have played a role in the deaths.

Once complete, Lauwers says the results of this review will be released to the public later in the year.

There have been three drowning-related deaths in the Rainy River district.

Inquests Planned

The deaths of two men in northwestern Ontario last year will be subjects of coroner's inquests later this fall.

A September inquest in Fort Frances will examine the death of 21-year-old Dylan Wreggitt of Atikokan.

He died while in custody at the Rainy River District Jail last August.

Another inquest into the death of 30-year-old Levi Schaeffer will be held in Thunder Bay in October.

Schaeffer died in an altercation with Provincial Police in the Osnaburgh Lake area last June.

E.R Cash Defended

Health Minister Deb Matthews is defending the decision to spend 100-million dollars this year to help cut wait times in E-R's.

Conservative Lisa MacLeod says the money would be better spent creating long-term care beds to free up space in congested hospitals.

Matthews says she understands the program isn't perfect, but she says it's a good start.

One-point-nine million dollars earmarked for the Northwestern Health Integration Network is all going to Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.

Atikokan Bass Classic Nears

(CKDR Photo)

Atikokan will be the next stop on this summer's tournament tour for area anglers.

The Atikokan Bass Classic gets under in two weeks time with a full field of 110 angler teams competing.

Chair Jim Johnson says the push right now is for volunteers to help set up a week from today.

"The big tent is going up and everybody knows that's a big job, " says Johnson. "The more hands that are there, the easy it will be to put it up. Then Saturday and Sunday we'll be filling it up with tables and chairs which is a labourious job. Again, the more people that we have out to help will make the job that much smaller."

Person interested in helping out can register at Bass Classic's office, by calling 597-2757 or on its website http://www.atikokanbassclassic.com/.

Boys Scouts 100th Celebrated in International Falls

Boys Scouts in the International Falls area will gather tomorrow to help celebrate the one-hundredth anniversary of scouting in the United States.

Troop 145 committee member Tammy Riley says they're invited current and former scouts to watch a Centennial Celebration Show originating from the National Scout Jamboree in Fort A-P Hill in Virginia.

"We're going to gather at Faith United Church for the webcast," says Riley. "We also want to consider it an opportunity for past and present scout to gather so we're going to consider it as a reunion also."

The event begins at 6:30 p.m. Saturday night.

Interested community members on both sides of the border are invited.

Abzac Sold

A local manufacturing company has been sold.

Abzac's Fort Frances operation will be taken over by South Carolina-based Sonoco by the end of October.

The plant makes cardboard cores for paper mills and employees 13 people.

Kenora Shooting Report Issued

A Kenora OPP officer has been cleared of any wrongdoing in the June shooting of a woman in that city, but the Special Investigation's Unit is questioning why it took Provincial Police almost two hours to report the incident.

39-year-old Helen Proulx was shot twice in the torso after brandishing a knife at a female officer.

S.I.U. director Ian Scott found no reasonable grounds to believe the officer acted inappropriately.

Witnesses told the S.I.U. Proulx was intoxicated and in a despondent emotional state at the time and failed to comply with the officer's repeated requests to drop the knife

But in his report, Scott expressed concernd with the delay in reporting the shooting to the S.I.U., a contravention under the Police Services Act, and that some officers at the scene were told by an association lawyer not to make notes.

He's asked the OPP Commissioner to investigate.

Teenager Charged with Murder

A 16-year-old boy from Fort Hope First Nation, north of Sioux Lookout, is facing a murder charge.

Ontario Provincial Police say it follows the stabbing death of a 17-year-old boy in that community last week.

The accused will be appear in a Thunder Bay court August 3.

Police to Crackdown on Careless Drivers

A rise in the number of fatal motor vehicle accidents across the province has prompted Provincial Police to be on a close watch for motorists who break the law this August long weekend.

Sergeant Shelly Garr says there have been twelve fatalities in northwestern Ontario this year, compared with eighteen in all of 2009.

"We're always concerned with the number of motor vehicle collisions on our highways," says Garr. "We're always looking for the big three risk factors and will continue to do so this long weekend. We'll be looking for aggressive driving, failing to wear seatbelts and impaired driving."

None of the fatalities have been in Rainy River district, but twenty-six people have been injured in accidents in the district this year.

Staff Changes Before Police Probe

The Ontario Realty Corporation reportedly fired some staff and restructured a department just before a police raid as part of a corruption probe.

The restructuring took place in May and June that saw some staff, including a vice-president , let go.

The Corporation won't say what, if any, link its purge has to the police probe of procurement in three ministries which went public July 15 with search warrants executed at government buildings in Toronto.

Class Action Suit Proceeds

A lawyer says tens of thousands of people across Canada could be part of a sweeping class-action lawsuit from developmentally disabled people alleging decades of abuse at an Ontario institution.

An Ontario Superior Court judge gave the green light for the one-billion-dollar class action suit involving former residents of Huronia Regional Centre and their family members.

The institution opened in 1876 as the Orillia Asylum for Idiots, and closed in March 2009.

Computer Glitch Hits WFN Contest

The World Fishing Network has repaired a computer clitch that impacted Fort Frances' bid to become the Ultimate Fishing Town in Canada.

Wednesday morning, Fort Frances appeared with two separate bids to WFN contest, but residents could not post supporting submissions to the original bid.

The problem has since been corrected.

Low Forest Fire Hazard Prevails

Recent wet weather has dropped the fire hazard to low across much of northwestern Ontario.

Ten fires are burning in the district, including nine in the far north, but are being allowed to burn out.

There are no active fires in the Rainy River district

Meanwhile, twenty firefighters, three aircraft and three Ministry of Natural Resources officers are in Leaf Rapids, Manitoba to help in the fire fight there.

Suspected Drug Kingpin Arrested

A southern Ontario man, police believe is behind a large prescription pill trafficking ring in northern Ontario is now in custody.

37-year-old Jabir Khan was arrested in North York and sent to Thunder Bay to face trafficking charges.

Police believe he's helped in the illegal distribution of Oxycodone to First Nation communities around the region.

During a two-year investigation, police seized more than 360-thousand dollars in Oxycodone tablets and another 60-thousand in cash.

Two other men from Toronto and Thunder Bay and a woman from Toronto have also been charged.

Swimmer Warnings to be Posted

The Northwestern Health Unit is planning to post permanent signs at area beaches to warn swimmers of the potential of bacteria in the waters.

It now issues warnings only after water tests confirms its presence.

But Medical Officer of Health Doctor James Arthurs says the situation often changes by the time it get those results back from a lab in Thunder Bay.

"The potential exposure of the public to high bacterial counts may occur actually before we get the tests back," says Dr. Arthurs, "and because of the run off of our rivers, the water may have actually cleared by the time we get an adverse report and have closed the beach."

Arthurs sees the signage more as a preventative measure than a suggestion to swimmers they enter at their own risk.

Sunny Cove Funding

The town of Fort Frances has been awarded funding for upgrades to Sunny Cove Camp.

The $100-thousand is from the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

The money is to cover the cost of plumbing, electrical and structural renovations done to the camp.

The town had pegged costs coming in at about $134-thousand.

Trillium Money to Atikokan

Two Atikokan organizations will benefit from funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

The Beaten Path Nordic Ski Club is getting almost $15-thousand to purchase an all-terrain vehicle to maintain cross-country ski trails in the Atikokan-Quetico area.

The town of Atikokan will use another $15-thousand to install insulation, siding and new windows in the Mount Fairweather ski chalet.

Board Office on the Move

A move of the Rainy River District School Board administration office is to begin at the end of this week.

Education Director Heather Campbell says the offices will be temporarily located in the main floor of the existing Robert Moore School.

"We are moving the board office (to the existing school) to prepare for the renovations to our offices," says Campbell.

The offices will be closed Friday, reopening in the new location Monday August 9.

Bike Rodeo in Atikokan

The second of two bicycle rodeos in the Rainy River district this week happens in Atikokan today.

The event at North Star Community School begins at 1:30 p.m. and is open to kids aged 4 to 12.

There are also now plans to hold a bike rodeo in Fort Frances at Boston Pizza on August 5 and later this month as part of childrens' camps at the Memorial Sports Centre.

Ministries Identified in Probe

Premier Dalton McGuinty has identified three ministries that were the target of police raids this month, as part of an anti-corruption probe.

McGuinty says they are Transportation, Economic Development and Trade, and Community and Social Services.

McGuinty says he has no details of allegations that sparked the probe, which has not resulted in any charges.

Restructuring Plan Approved

An Ontario Superior Court judge has approved a financial restructuring plan for Terrace Bay Pulp.

Tuesday's decision means the pulp and paper mill will be able to exit bankruptcy protection by August 17 and immediately ramp up ongoing operations to get the plant back into production before fall.

The pulp and paper mill is a division of Thunder Bay-based Buchanan Group and had stopped production in February 2009.

Garden to Open Next Year

Gardeners hoping to be a part of a community garden in Fort Frances will have to wait until next year to plant their vegetables.

A group was hoping to have the garden ready for planting this summer, but Becky Holden of the planning committee says permission needed to use municipal property in the town's north end took longer than expected.

"We will not be moving ahead with gardening this year," says Holden, "but we will be working on the property after we've been given approval form the town of Fort Frances to use to site. The committee will also still be meeting regularly."

Town council held a public meeting Monday night on a potential zoning amendment to permit the Garden at Lillie Avenue and Elizabeth Street West.

A decision is expected next month.

Beach Volleyball Courts Sought

The development of more beach volleyball courts at Pither's Point Park will get another look by the town of Fort Frances during its 2011 budget discussions.

Councillors Monday night discussed the idea put forward by an organizer of a beach volleyball league.

Councillor Rick Wiedenhoeft says with ownership of the park in dispute, it's best the town hold off on the request for now.

"That would be an ideal spot," says Wiedenhoeft, "but given the Point Park is in dispute probably not a wise move at this point in time. Next year, maybe, the disposition of the park may be resolved."

It was suggested the courts could be built at St. Francis Sports Field or Sunny Cove Camp.

Loans Nearly Paid in Full

AbitibiBowater says it's repaid $166-million of its debtor-in-possession loan following an improvement in market conditions and operational performance.

In regulatory filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the company says it now has $40 million outstanding under the loan.

Companies rely on DIP financing to fund operations while in bankruptcy.

Terry Fox Stories Wanted

Terry Fox's Memory of Hope is going onto its thirtieth year.

Terry's brother, Fred Fox wants to hear from northwestern Ontario residents.

"People that saw Terry or touched Terry or even had the change to talk to Terry," says Fox. "We don't hear those stories enough or people haven't had the opportunity to share those stories. One day we're going to lose those stories."

Anyone who wishes to share their story can e-mail ontario2@terryfoxrun.org.

More Support Needed

More public support is needed if Fort Frances is going to have any hope of being considered the Ultimate Fishing Town in Canada.

As of this Tuesday, Fort Frances has seven supporting submissions in its bid to the World Fishing Network Contest.

That pales in compared to Thunder Bay which as 23.

Kenora has 20 with Dryden sitting at 14.

Residents are being asked to submit stories, photos and video to support reasons why their town should be considered the Ultimate Fishing Town before next Monday.

A link to the Fort Frances nomination can be found on our website http://www.b93.c-a/.

Area Man Killed in Timmins Crash

A northwestern Ontario man has been identified as one of the victims of a helicopter crash south of Timmins.

19-year-old Ethan Boucha of Rat Portage was among two people aboard a Bell 206 helicopter that struck a tower last Friday afternoon.

The helicopter belonged to a North Bay company which offers flight training in conjunction with Canadore College.

The Transportation Safety Board is investigating.

Crash Victims Identified

OPP have identified the names of the victims in a crash on Highway 17-A just east of Kenora earlier this month.

46-year-old Chae Nyeo Hyeon and her 19-year-old son Jayson Kim were both killed when the van they were in struck a rock cut on July 22.

47-year-old Soo Hyun Kim and 17-year-old Jewan Kim were transported to Thunder Bay hospital and are still listed in critical condition.