A Good Man's Life

A former Rainy River district man who fought in World War Two is the subject of a book.

A Good Man's Life chronicles the life of Jack MacDonald who left the family farm near Fort Frances to join Canada's war effort.

His son, Wayne Kehl, says the stories of war vets are important to tell.

"My kids, who are now in their 30's, know nothing of this," says Kehl. "I think most of the children of boomers have no real idea of what went on in the war. If you think about it, most boomers don't know much about it either."

MacDonald now lives in British Columbia.

Heritage Party Candidate to Enter Race

(Northern Ontario Heritage Party Leader Ed Deibel)

It appears the fledgling Northern Ontario Heritage Party plans to run a candidate in the Kenora-Rainy river riding.

Published reports say an announcement will come this week.

The party, formed by now leader Ed Deibel of North Bay, has planned to field candidates in all eleven northern ridings.

City Recognizes Local Flyers

The city of International Falls is planning to recognize a local family well-known to the flying community in Minnesota.

The airport terminal will be renamed after Francis Einarson with the field to be called Einarson field.

Francis Einarson, along with his brother Jim, purchased the airport after World War II, later lobbying State and federal governments for improvements.

NDP Select Candidate

NDP in Kenora-Rainy River have selected MPP Howard Hampton's constituency assistant in Dryden as their candidate for the October 6 provincial election.

Sarah Campbell of Oxdrift beat out Kenora lawyer Robert Sinding following a series of nomination meetings that concluded Monday night in Fort Frances.

Campbell says the campaign for her is now underway.

"I've been meeting with people and advocating on their behalf and doing some of that work already," says Campbell. "I can tell you Howard has set the pace and I just have to keep going and work just as hard as I possibly can."

No results were given, but a total of 137 people cast ballots in meeting held in Sioux Lookout, Red Lake, Dryden, Kenora and Fort Frances.

Howarth Happy with NDP Team

NDP leader Andrea Horwath is expressing confidence in her party's fortunes in the upcoming provincial election.

Horwath says they have strong candidates and supporters across the province that are anxious to get to work.

"We have a great slate of candidates, but our volunteers are coming out in droves," says Horwath. "Already in many of the ridings they're knocking on doors. Our candidates are knocking on doors. We're getting ready for once the writ drops our campaigns are off and running right off the mark."

Horwath was in Fort Frances for Monday's nomination meeting of the riding's NDP candidate.

Hampton Says Thanks

Kenora-Rainy River MPP Howard Hampton is giving thanks to the people who supported him in past elections.

Hampton, who decided earlier this month not to seek reelection, says the hard work of so many volunteers helped keep him at Queen's Park for nearly a quarter of a century.

"There are many people who worked on every campaign. They've contributed financially. They put up signs. They knocked on doors," says Hampton. "I can't thank them enough. These aren't people who were paid for this. They gave of their free time. They volunteered."

Hampton will participate in one more election by helping campaign for the riding's new NDP candidate Sarah Campbell.

Conservative to Pick Candidate Soon

The Conservatives should have their candidate in the Kenora-Rainy River Riding in place by this weekend.

Plans are being finalized for a travelling ballot box to visit, Fort Frances, Dryden and Kenora.

So far the times and locations of where the ballot box will be have not been finalized.

Two Kenora city councillors, Rod McKay and Louis Roussin, are duking it out for the nomination.

Search for Time Capsule

The demolition of the former Robert Moore School in Fort Frances is expected to continue for at least another week.

Crews began knocking down the old school Friday.

They're also searching for a time capsule believed to have been placed in the school at the time of construction.

So far no such capsule has been found.

Town Report Being Reviewed

The company interested in acquiring the former Atikokan Forest Products mill is mulling over a report identified possible wood supplies to open the shuttered mill.

The report was commissioned by the town of Atikokan.

Mayor Dennis Brown says it's identifies wood coming from a number of private woodlot owners.

The mill is currently slated to be sold off for scrap.

CEP Adds AbitibiBowater Sawmill Workers

Maintenance and production workers at AbitibiBowater's sawmill in Thunder Bay have agreed to join the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers union.

The union conducted a six-month organizing drive that led up to Friday's vote.

NDP Final Vote

NDP bring their travelling ballot box to Fort Frances in their selection of a provincial candidate for Kenora-Rainy River.

Tonight's meeting at the Adventure Inn is the last of four nominations meetings for Sarah Campbell of Oxdrift and Robert Sinding of Kenora.

It begins at 6 p.m.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath is expected to be in attendance.

Renewable Energy Program Debated

The McGuinty government's renewable energy program is shaping up to be an election issue this fall.

Progressive Conservative Energy Critic John Yakabuski says they'll scrap the program if elected.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath says she'd look to making changes to the program before allowing any new contracts to proceed.

More Forest Fires

(MNR photo)


The forest fire situation in northwestern Ontario doesn't seem to be letting up.

The Ministry of Natural Resources says there were 28 new starts on the weekend, bring the number of active fires back to over 110.

None of the new fires are in the Rainy River district, but the Ministry is watching to see if a storm the passed through Friday will result in any lightning fires.

Task Force Report Gets Public Review

The International Joint Commission kicks off a series of meetings tonight in Fort Frances to discuss the future management of the Lake of the Woods and Rainy Lake basins.

Nick Heisler, a senior advisor, says they want the public to provide input on recommendations made by a task force.

"These include a summit to be convened by the International Joint Commission to encourage the development of a water shed vision to look at common goals and objectives," says Heisler. "The second recommendation is to combine the two existing IJC boards, the Water Control Board and Pollution Control Board, into a single international water shed board."

The meeting takes place at the La Place Rendez-Vous beginning at 7 p.m.

Pawlenty Drops Out

Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty is dropping out of the race for the G-O-P presidential nomination.

His decision came after a disappointing 3rd place finish in the Iowa straw poll Saturday.

Nomination Meetings Begin

NDP in Kenora-Rainy River kick off a series of nomination meetings in Sioux Lookout tonight in the selection of their candidate for the October provincial election.

There are two nominees.

Sarah Campbell, a constituency assistant in Dryden and Kenora lawyer Robert Sinding.

Nomination meetings will also be held in Kenora and Dryden this weekend with the final balloting coming in Fort Frances where the winner will be announced Monday night.

Service Guarantee Proposed

The Liberals want to make it easier and faster to renew your driver's licence or health card if the party wins the October election.

They're proposing a service guarantee to refund any provincial fees if people have to wait more than 20 minutes at a Service Ontario outlet.

Solar Panels Now Up

(Solar panel atop the Memorial Sports Centre - town of Fort Frances photo)

Solar panels on four municipal buildings in Fort Frances have now been installed.

They're located on the roofs of the Memorial Sports Centre, water treatment plant, Public Works garage, and day care centre.

It's expected they'll be connected to the grid as early as next week.

A 20-year deal to sell the power back will see the town earn about $12-thousand annually over the next decade and $49-thousand in each of the final ten years.

Warp 9 to Open?

It appears the former Warp 9 bar in Fort Frances has been sold.

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario is considering an application for a liquor license for the facility to be known as Club 88.

The facility, which is in a former theatre, has been closed for the past five years and put up for sale.

No official word yet on who the new operators will be.

Jury Review

A former Supreme Court of Canada justice is going to look at why aboriginals are being shut out from juries in Ontario.

First Nations who live on reserves in the province say they have been excluded from juries for years.

The province has asked former Supreme Court justice Frank Iacobucci to look at the issue and come up with ways to fix the problem.

Atikokan Bass Classic Underway

(Atikokan Bass Classic photo)


Fishing at the Atikokan Bass Classic gets underway today.

One hundred and seven angling teams are competing for a share of the nearly 48-thousand dollars in cash being offered with a top prize of 10-thousand.

Darwin King of Atikokan and Guy Lagarrie of Thunder Bay are the defending champions.

Weigh-ins are at 3 p.m. today under the big tent at the Atikokan arena.

Go-Karting Club on the Rise

(Kim Williamson photo)


Go-karting in the Rainy River district is growing in popularity.

The Borderland Racing Go-Kart Club races each Friday night at Emo Speedway.

One of the organizers, Kim Williamson says they're getting close to 20 drivers a night.

"Our novice groups starts out at about age 6," says Williamson. "The advance is for the most skilled seniors drivers up the 16, but we also have one adult now. But interest is growing so we might be able to introduce more classes as people get their karts ready."

Williamson says a new club in International Falls is also attracting some Americans to Emo.

Cost Reduction Priority One

AbitibiBowater is looking at making more cost reductions to a company that has already seen deep cuts.

The company enjoyed a net profit of $61-million in the last quarter of this year.

But in a conference call to investors yesterday, CEO Richard Garneau says reducing costs remains at the top of the list.

Garneau says the company is still looking at $120-million on capital improvements at some of its mills.

Production Increases at Barwick

Ainsworth says production at its OSB mill in Barwick was at its best in the last three months of this year since acquiring it in 2004.

The mill saw a 10 per cent increase in production relative to the second quarter of 2010

CEO Rick Huff says the mill benefited from an extensive list maintenance and improvements done near the end of last year.

Energy Audit Planned

A number of municipal buildings in Fort Frances will get a thorough look over to see how the town can reduce its energy costs.

Honeywell will soon be starting energy audits on buildings considered high energy users or older facilities.

Travis Rob, the town's Sustainability Coordinator, says its findings will help identify improvements.

"Part of the project is to develop a five year plan," says Travis, "how to move forward on it, what should we tackle first, what's going to give us the best return first so we start generating as much cost savings as possible right off the start."

Rob says council could have a final report to consider by the time it begins next year's budget deliberations.

Comprehensive Study on Mine Started

The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency is giving the public an opportunity to comment on Osisko Mining's proposed Hammond Reef Gold Mine north of Atikokan.

It's to include two open pit mines, a mineral processing facility and a tailings management facility.

The agency has begun a so-called comprehensive study to examine the potential environmental issues and other concerns.

It will begin accepting comments beginning Monday for a one month period.

It's also providing $50,000 for individuals and groups to participate.

Post-Secondary Education Protest

Post-secondary student groups plan to scribble their priority issues for the October election outside Queen's Park today.

The University of Toronto Students' Union and the Canadian Federation of Students want parties to tackle what they call an underfunding crisis in provincial colleges and universities.

Docs Back Bicycling

The Ontario Medical Association wants to see the provincial government give bicycle safety a higher priority.

An O.M.A. report says with 26-thousand cycling-related emergency room visits in 2009, it's time to focus more on bike safety.

The doctors' group would like to see bicycle-safety lessons added to the curriculum in primary schools, and new drivers tested on how to share the road with cyclists.

Vehicle Disposal Program Wanted

A group representing auto recyclers wants Ontario's political parties to endorse a program that would regulate the disposal of old vehicles.

The Ontario Automotive Recyclers Association says two out of three so-called "end of life" vehicles in the province aren't managed to any environmental standard.

The association says an industry-led removal program wouldn't need consumer fees because recyclers make enough money from each vehicle to recover the disposal costs.

Catalina Adds Property

Catalina Metals is expanding its land base in northwestern Ontario.

The mining company says it's signed an agreement with Rubicon Minerals to obtain over 930 hectares near Cameron Lake.

Catalina intends to begin an exploration program of the area this year.

Horwath to Scrap Forest Tenure Policy

(CJUK photo)


The NDP are promising to scrap the current wood allocation process in the north if they form the next government at Queen's Park.

It's part of their northern Ontario election platform.

Leader Andrea Horwath says Forestry Minister Michael Gravelle has it all wrong.

"I think northerners are tired of hearing from a Minister who talks about what can't be done and how we can't fix the problems facing northern Ontario," says Horwath. "I disagree. I believe this and should be done and must be done amongst other policies."

Horwath also says the NDP would force mining companies to process the minerals they mine in Ontario.

Second Councillor Seeks Conservative Nomination

Conservatives in the Kenora-Rainy River Riding now have some choice in their selection of a candidate for the upcoming provincial election.

Kenora councillor Louis Roussin has announced his intention to seek the nomination.

He joins Rod McKay, also a Kenora councillor, in the race.

No word yet when a nomination meeting will be held.

Rainy Lake Fisheries Surveyed

(David Denyes and Alex Crichton conduct a survey on the North Arm of Rainy Lake to monitor angling effort on the lake and to gauge the number and weight of fish harvested during the open-water fishing season - MNR photo)


The Ministry of Natural Resources is in the midst of a creel survey on Rainy Lake.

A survey crew is working in the north arm of the lake until the end of September.

Area Biologist Darryl McLeod says it will give the MNR good information on the lake's fishery.

"It helps us evaluate the fishing regulations on the lake," says McLeod. "For example, the walleye slot-size that's on Rainy Lake. It also helps us evaluate our management objectives so we can look at what our target harvest levels are."

McLeod says the findings will also help in a possible re-write of the Ontario-Minnesota Boundary Waters Fisheries Atlas in 2014.

Park Officials Kill Bear

Officials believe they've killed a bear that attacked a Pukaskwa National Park visitor last week.

The bear matches the physical and behavioural description provided by the victim.

Tests are being conducted to determine if the DNA of the killed bear matches evidence collected from the scene.

Pukaskwa is located about 300 kilometres east of Thunder Bay.

No Fires Yesterday

(MNR photo)

Low temperatures and much needed precipitation is helping forest firefighters get the upper hand on the more than 110 fires still active in northwestern Ontario.

And first time since June 10, there were no new fires reported yesterday.

Mineral Mountain Adds Property

Mineral Mountain Resources has acquired more property around it's now-held former Straw Lake Gold Mine.

The company says it has purchased 64 hectares containing six mining patents from a Fort Frances resident for $600-thousand and 350-thousand shares.

The area is located in Richardson township, 60 kilometres north of Fort Frances.

Retired Teacher Goes to Sports Hall

A retired teacher from Rainy River who spent the better part of four decades coaching will be headed to Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame.

Don Gale says the selection came as a complete surprise.

"It really shook me up that I would be inducted," says Gale. "I never thought that it would happen. I played a lot of sports and I coached a few. I was just kind of overwhelmed, but very honoured."

Gale began coaching hockey when he moved to Rainy River in 1969 before switching to curling and golf.

Drunk Drivers Nabbed

Three men will be making appearances later this month in an Atikokan court room on separate impaired driving related offences.

O-P-P first charged a 35-year-old man from B-C with failing to provide a suitable breath sample during a traffic stop early Saturday morning.

Later that day, police charged a 19-year-old Atikokan man suspected of operating a dirt bike while impaired.

Then that night, a 51-year-old Atikokan man was charged with impaired after police acted on a public complaint.

Copper Theft

Hydro One is expressing concern with a rise in theft of copper from its stations and facilities across the province.

The Utility says it's been a frequent target, but a dangerously one for thieves.

A recent incident in Toronto led to a young man being badly burned while allegedly attempted to steal copper from a transformer station.

Avis Comments on Vandalism

(Lion's Park fountain as been a frequent target of vandals this summer)


Fort Frances Mayor Roy Avis is expressing disappointment over a rash of vandalism that has struck town parks this summer.

Avis says vandals are only targeting the hard work of people who helped create the parks and force the town to exhaust resources on the clean-up.

"What happens in those cases people who should be doing other things in town like maintaining cemeteries, parks and the waterfront, they're tied up doing that kind of repair," says Avis. "So what happens is the other assets suffer because we don't have the manpower to do that work."

Avis is hoping someone will come forward with information that will lead to arrests and charges.

Airport Fence Contract

Work crews are expected to begin next week on erecting a new fence around the Fort Frances airport.

It's intended to keep deer from wandering on the runway.

The town has awarded the more than $380,000 contract to Thunder Bay-based Wilco Contractors.

A grant from the federal government is covering the full cost of the work.

Trail Development in Rainy River

(Town of Rainy River photo)

The town of Rainy River has received $65,000 from the Ontario Trillium Foundation towards building a network of multi-use trails through the community.

Recreation Manager Meaghan Shanks says they're hoping to start some of the development this year.

"We're making these available for residents, but also to try and attract visitors and travels to stop and stretch their legs and walk on our trails that we have, " says Shanks.

The eventual goal is to extend the trails beyond town limits.

Area Youth Travel to World Youth Day

Three youth from the Rainy River District will be among the hundreds of thousands of young catholics taking part in this year's World Youth Day festivities.

Joshua Zimmerman, Thomas Lepine and Ryan Brady have been preparing themselves for months for the pilgrimage to Spain.

The six-day event begins August 16.

Mineral Mountain Joins U.S. Exchange

The mining company that's exploring the former Straw Lake Gold Mine near Fort Frances has expanded its ability to acquire funds.

Mineral Mountains began trading on the OTCQX International Monday.

It's allows non-U.S. companies access to U.S. investors without additional regulatory costs required of listing on a traditional U.S. exchange.

MNR Watching Weather

(MNR photo)

Ministry of Natural Resources fire managers are nervous as a low pressure system treks across northwestern Ontario.

They are hoping for rain but may get more lightning as the storm passes.

Meantime, new lightning fires from the weekend in the Rainy River district are now out.

Three lightning fires started at the end of July in Quetico Provincial Park are still smoldering.

Horwath Visits

The province's NDP leader is planning to make some election promises in Thunder Bay today.

Andrea Horwath will announce her plan to protect jobs in the forestry and mining sectors in northwestern Ontario.

She's expected in Fort Frances next Monday.

Lightning Fires Strike Rainy River District

(MNR photo)

Some rain is expected in northwestern Ontario today, which could help reduce the number of new fires as well as dampen existing ones.

Lightning strikes ignited about two dozen more fires over the weekend, including five in the Rainy River district.

There was also a human caused blaze at east end of Rainy Lake.

119 fires are still active across the northwest - four in the Rainy River district.

Natural Area Plan Developed

A new Conservation plan for Lake of the Woods and Rainy Lake is close to being finalized.

It's being developed by the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

Regional vice-president Chris Maher says the plan is important to the area.

"Certainly Lake of the Woods and Rainy Lake is an impressive bio-diverse area and there's huge opportunity," says Maher. "We've been looking forward to it to about ten years now. We think we're at the position where we can afford to move ahead and we have the scientific basis to do so."

Maher says the plan would help protect the area and several plant and animal species from the endangered lists.

Canoeing Capital Challenge

Atikokan is challenging its residents to help build on its moniker as the Canoeing Capital of Canada.

Paula Sanders of the Atikokan Economic Development Corporation says they've created a contest that aims to develop idea or products around the theme.

"There is money set aside if people need some financial help to actually develop one prototype so that we can see what it looks like," says Sanders. "We will also be giving money to those top three ideas to produce as many as them as they can with the money that's allotted so we can sell them to residents and visitors."
The contest will close August 31.

Elections Ontario Readys

The Ontario provincial election is just under two months away.

Elections Ontario, the agency tasked with managing the election, is getting prepared.

Deputy chief electoral officer Loren Wells says for the first time, voters will get the chance to vote by mail.

"It's a special ballot you can apply for in person, by mail, using fax or e-mail," says Wells. "Then you mail it back to either your local returning office or if you applied to the Chief Electoral Officer, then back to our office back here in Toronto."

Wells says Elections Ontario will have its returning offices up and running by September 7.

Minnesota Washing Away Zebra Mussels

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has launched a new weapon against the spread of the invasive zebra mussels.

DNR workers used high-pressure washers to decontaminate boats at three lakes over the weekend.

It intends to move its decontamination units around the state to some of the 50 Minnesota water bodies known to be infested with zebra mussels.