Tug Of War Celebrities Expected

There some key political figures expected for this year's Pulling For Peace Tug of War between Fort Frances and International Falls.

Fort Frances councillor Rick Wiedenhoeft says the U.S. Consulate General of Canada has confirmed his attendance to both the Tug of War and Canada Day festivities.

Ontario's Lieutenant Governor David Onley has also expressed interested in visiting, but Wiedenhoeft says arrangements his visit are still to be confirmed.

Meantime, Fort Frances is calling out to residents interested in taking part in the tug of war.

Forty-four pullers, consisting of 28 men and 16 women, are needed for the "Power Pull," the event that will decide who takes home the trophy.

Call Jackie Lampi-Hughes at Energy Fitness if you are interested.

Road Work To Begin Next Month

Google Earth

Planned road improvements to a section of 2nd Street East in Fort Frances will start at the end of the month.

The project includes sewer and water upgrades and paving along 2nd between Mowat and Central Avenues, and Mowat between 2nd and 3rd Streets East.

The work was to begin in May, but Operations and Facilities Manager Doug Brown says rain during the month changed those plans.

Brown says a move to July will also minimize the impact on traffic.

The nearly $1.3 million project is scheduled to be done by September.

MNR Watching For Lightning Fires

MNR file photo

A good and bad weather forecast for the Ministry of Natural Resources fire crews.

Information Officer Debbie McLean says the rain was good but came with a lot of lightning that could translate into new fire starts.

To date over 38-hundred hectares of forest have been burnt this season with just seven of the 139 fires occurring the Rainy River district.

B.C. Artist Seeks Residential School Artifacts

An artist from British Columbia is hoping to collect 25-thousand residential schools artifacts so he can help ensure that the stories of survivors aren't lost.

Carey Newman wants to assemble the pieces onto a cedar base to create a "witness blanket.''

He says his ``must-have'' pieces include something from each of the nearly 150 residential and day schools that once existed in Canada.

One Dead In Boating Mishap

More tragedy on northwestern Ontario waters.

A 64-year old Minnesota man is dead after falling out of boat while on a fishing trip northwest of Thunder Bay.

OPP say Douglas Davis of North Mankato and two other men, also from Minnesota, were in the boat on Manion Lake Saturday afternoon when they somehow all ended up in the water.

Police say the three were pulled from the lake by another group of fisherman.

Town Council Seeks Improvements To Road Out Of Its Jurisdication

Google Map

Fort Frances wants some improvements to the road leading to its airport.

Frog Creek Road is under the control of the Miscampbell Roads Board.

Mayor Roy Avis says they'll calling on both the roads board and the Ministry of Transportation for upgrades.

He suggests the Ministry provide money  normally gives to the roads board to the town to fix the road.

The town estimates the cost to resurface the section by the airport to be about $55-thousand.

New Parking Rules Around Schools Wanted

Members of the Fort Frances Traffic Safety Group want some changes to parking rules around three elementary schools.

They say the measures will help in their efforts to improve the flow of buses and parents who drop off and pick up children at Robert Moore, J.W. Walker and St. Francis Schools.

They include no parking or stopping on certain streets around the schools between the hours of 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. and between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. and modified calender parking on some streets.

A ban on u-turns on roads near the schools and new stop signs on Flinders Avenue at First Street West and on Armit Avenue at Fourth Street East creating a new fourway stop are also be sought.

The group hopes to have the new parking restrictions in place by September.

The Safety Groups request is now before town
council for its consideration.

Demolition Of Former School Goes Next Week

Demolition of a former school in the east end of Fort Frances will begin next week.

The tear down of the former Huffman School is to accommodate construction of a new 16-lot housing subdivision.

None of the lots have yet been purchased, but the town is reworking pricing and sale conditions.

Cost of the development is being paid for out of reserve funds that will be paid back through the sale of the lots.

Budget Vote Today

A vote on the provincial budget goes today.

The New Democrats are promising to vote with the the minority Liberal government to avoid a general election.

The Conservatives say they don't understand how the NDP can call the Liberals corrupt for deleting emails to cover up the cost of cancelling gas plants and then prop up the government by voting for the budget.

Unemployment Claims Stable

The number of people in Koochiching County claiming unemployment benefits is unchanged.

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development says a total of 100 claims were filed in May, down just one from April.

That compares with the 59 filed in May 2012.

New Bird Homes Coming To Downtown Fort Frances

Birds will soon find a new home in downtown Fort Frances.

Bird houses will be going up in the core in the near future.

Chair of the Fort Frances Downtown Business Improvement Association Doug Anderson acquired the houses and turned them over to students of the early learning program at Robert Moore School to paint.

Anderson says the final product is thirty-three unique and distinct bird houses with no two being the same.

The BIA is also looking at installing wind chimes.

Busy Weekend For MNR Firefighters

It was a busy weekend for Ministry of Natural Resources forest fire fighters.

Nearly thirty new fires were reported, mostly caused by lightning.

One of the largest is a 15-hundred hectare blaze near the community of Summer Beaver that is being observed.

None of the new fires were in the Rainy River district where the fire hazard is currently moderate.

Canoeing Accident In Quetico

A tragic end to the search of a missing Minnesota man in Quetico Provincial Park.

The body of 78-year-old Richard Barber was located Thursday in Basswood Lake by Provincial Police and the Ministry of Natural Resources.

Richard and his wife Elaine were in the boundary of the park for a canoe trip when their canoe capsized.

Rescue crews were able to locate Elaine and return her safely to Atikokan.

OFIA Happy With New Endangered Species Act

Forestry companies will find it easier to operate with changes to the Endangered Species Act.

President of the Ontario Forest Industries Association Jamie Lim says the changes will streamline how companies operate.

The changes will be in place for the next five years.

Local MP Not Surprised By Conservative MP Decision To Quit

Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP John Rafferty isn't surprised an Alberta MP has quit the Conservative caucus over what is being called the Federal Government's lack of transparency.

Rafferty says Brent Rathgeber resigned after his private member's bill was rewritten by a largely Conservative committee.

The NDP member claims there are a lot of unhappy Conservative MPs.

Bike Safety Promoted In Minnesota

The Minnesota Department of Transportation is warning motorists and bicyclists to be aware of each other and share the road.

The agency says in the last four years, 44 cyclists have died on Minnesota roads while almost 46-hundred were injured.

More than half the deaths and injuries occurred between June and September.

MP John Rafferty Discusses Conservative Unrest

Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP John Rafferty says he's not surprised an Alberta MP quit the Conservative caucus over what is being called the Federal Government's lack of transparency.

Rafferty says Brent Rathgeber resigned after his private member's bill was rewritten by a largely Conservative committee.

The NDP member claims there are a lot of unhappy Conservative MP's and notes there's trouble in the ranks.

Lakehead University Holding Summer Health Sciences Camps

A "Crime Scene Investigation" experience for local high school students.

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine is back with their Summer Health Sciences Camps, where youth will be able to learn about DNA analysis and much more.

Dean Dr. Roger Strasser says it's open to those going into grade 10 or 11 this year.

The camps are free and run from July 8th to 12th at Lakehead University.

Contact Josee Lalanne at 1-800-461-8777 ext 7260 or jlalanne@nosm.ca.

HNO to Teach Body Contact

Local hockey coaches will soon receive training on body contact skills.


The new certification program is part of Hockey Canada changes to eliminate body checking at the peewee level.

Hockey Northwestern Ontario General Manager Trevor Hosanna says they plan to implement the training shortly.

Hosanna stresses there needs to be more education on body contact skills.

Forest Fire Near Hudson

One new fire has sparked in Northwestern Ontario.


The Ministry of Natural Resources says it's about 2km east of Hudson along the railway tracks.

Officials say the fire hazard is moderate for this area, but remains high to extreme in the Far North.

RN Program Being Brought Back

It's a program that has received nothing but positive feedback in communities across the region and it's being offered once again.

Confederation College and Lakehead University are extending their Bachelor of Science Nursing program through the Collete's regional campuses.

Corrine Gallagher is one of the instructors and says there is great demand for these positions.

Anyone interested in a career in nursing is urged to attend a meeting next Thursday.

The meeting starts at 3:30 at the Confederation campuses in Fort Frances, Kenora, Dryden, and Sioux Lookout.

Body of Minnesota Man Found in Quetico

Provincial Police have found the body of a missing Minnesota man in Basswood Lake within Quetico Provincial Park.
The remains of 78-year-old Richard Barber were found yesterday by OPP and the Ministry of Natural Resources.

Richard and his wife Elaine were in the boundary of the park for a canoe trip when their canoe capsized.

Rescue crews were able to locate Elaine and return her safely to Atikokan.

County Agreed To Airport Commission Nominee

Koochiching County is allowing a vacancy on the International Falls Airport Commission to be filled.

County commissioners have agreed to accept the city's nomination of Paul Nevanan, but only for the remainder of this year.

Commissioner Wade Pavleck says they want a review of how members are selected before committing to a longer term.

Some commissioners are concerned with Nevanan being on the board, suggesting he'd be in conflict with others he now reports to as head of the Koochiching Economic Development Authority.

LCBO Workers Ratify Deal

Unionized workers at the Liquor Control Board of Ontario have ratified a new four-year collective agreement.

Their union says the new deal provides some improvements, but doesn't outline them, and more full-time jobs.

The union says it fought off a long list of concession demands but adds that the critical issue of the LCBO's ''overuse of casual workers" remains.

Opposition Claims Long Term Homes Not Getting Proper Inspections

The opposition is accusing the Liberal government of falling down on its commitment to long-term care homes in the province.

They says government is not ensuring full inspection of facilities are done at least once a year

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath says only 123 of Ontario's 600 nursing homes received the proper look-over by the Ministry of Health since 2010.

Camp Day

It's Camp Day at Tim Hortons.

A portion of coffee from today is used to help offset the cost of sending children to Tim Hortons Summer Camps.

Six youngsters from the Rainy River district will benefit this year, including three first time campers.

A number of celebrity pourers will be lending a hand, including 93.1 The Border's own Andy Cee.

Air Ambulance Helicopters Fly Again

Ornge Air helicopters in northwestern Ontario are back in the air.

The province's air ambulance service grounded its five helicopters following the last Friday's fatal accident in Moosonee that left two pilots and two paramedics dead.

Ornge says while the crash remains under investigation, preliminary information from the Transportation Safety Board did not raise concerns regarding the S76 fleet.

New Board Seeks Representatives

A new advisory board for the area's border waters is looking for some bodies.

The new International Rainy-Lake of the Woods Watershed Board is seeking individuals for its Industry Advisory Group.

The group will allow industry on both sides of the border to provide input into the board's activities related to water management and water quality.

Interested individuals must apply to the end of this month.

School Staffing Changes

There will be some staffing changes among area public schools next fall.

Peg Keefer becomes the new principal of Fort Frances High School after serving in an interim basis.

Shane Bliss will take over as vice-principal.

Principals at the Robert Moore and J.W. Walker Schools will be changing locations.

Bill Daley is taking over at Robert Moore and Dianne Thompson moves over to J.W. Walker in August.

Victim In House Fire Named

The victim of last week's tragic house fire in Devlin has been identified.

She's been identified as 49-year-old Laureen McKay.

OPP and the Office of the Ontario Fire Marshall continue to investigate the the cause of the fire which completely destroyed the home located just west of the main village on Highway 11-71.

Energy Warning From NOMA

The Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association feels power needs in the north are being over looked.

President Dave Canfield says the province and energy companies still don't have the right numbers for how much power will be needed when the mining sector takes off.

Canfield says it wouldn't be an issue if we were in the South.

Canfield also warns the region could experience ongoing blackouts within the next years.

Some Young Students Failing To Meet Provincial Standards

A new study suggests up to third of Ontario's kindergarten students may fail to meet provincial standards in reading, writing and math by Grade 3.

The Education Quality and Accountability Office looked at the early progress of over 72-thousand students in the province.

It says 29 per cent were deemed by their teachers to be "vulnerable'' or ``at risk'' in their language and cognitive development.

Former Mill Social Club Being Revived

An effort is underway to revive a once popular mill workers social group in Fort Frances.

The Quarter Century Club died out when then Abitibi-Bowater entered into creditor protection five years ago.

A member of group working to restart the club, Bill Morrison says it was quite active.

Morrison says the new group will hold its first event, a banquet at the Royal Canadian Legion in Fort Frances June 27.

Firefly Likes Anti-Bullying Initiative

A new national anti-bullying program is being welcomed by one area agency.

Chief Executive Officer of Firefly Karen Ingebritson says it's still a bit too early to see how it will work, but says it's a great initiative.

The program will focus on young people helping each other.

TBay Tel Review CRTC Ruling

TBaytel is still mulling over news the federal government is making changes to wireless contracts.

This December, customers will be able to cancel their cellphone contracts after two years without any penalties.

Tbaytel's Katie Crowe says they are looking over the decision, but early indications show that it is in line with what the company is already doing.

Murder Charge Laid

A murder charge has now been laid in connection with a death last month at a remote First Nations community.

34-year-old Leslie Fiddler of Sandy Lake First Nation will appear in court today on a charge of second degree murder.

The charge come after an investigation into the death of 29-year-old Uriah Kakepetum who died at the community's nursing station May 12th.

Provinces Defend Boreal Forest Protection

Manitoba and Ontario are defending the decision to commit more than 15 million dollars to get UNESCO recognition for a large stretch of boreal forest along their borders.

Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger says having the area designated a world heritage site will attract tourists to the remote area.

Michelle Nowak of Ontario's Natural Resources Ministry says the site could fill a gap in boreal forest representation in the world heritage system.

New Gold Committing To Project

New Gold says it's committed to continuing the work started by Rainy River Resources in the development of a new gold mine north of Barwick.

New Gold announced last week it would be assuming control of Rainy River in a friendly take-over bid.

President Bob Gallagher says they intend to do a thorough review of the project, but have no plans to shelve it.

Gallagher says they also want to get to know the area and meet with First Nations and community leaders who've support the project so far.

He says they also intend to honour the agreements Rainy River Resources signed with area First Nations.

Gallagher says they had been eying Rainy River for almost two years before putting forward a bid.

Education Director Honoured

The outgoing Education Director with the Northwest Catholic District School Board is being recognized a Catholic parents group.

The Ontario Association of Catholic Parents in Education is giving Mary-Catherine Kelly an Honorary Lifetime membership.

The groups' president Aimee Gerdevich says Kelly's been a strong and consistent advocate for the parent voice and a strong supporter of the Association.

Kelly was presented the honour at the Association's recent meeting in Peterborough.

No Records Set Here

No records set in Fort Frances following a weekend of wet weather across much of northwestern Ontario.

Almost 21 millimeters of rain fell over a four day period beginning last Thursday.

But that's nowhere near amounts received in areas around Dryden which topped 5 centimeters over that period.

Atikokan's rainfall was not recorded because of problems with equipment.

Plane Crash Victims Identified

OPP have recovered two bodies from a fatal plane crash in northwestern Ontario.

OPP says 59-year-old Jim Beauchene and 58-year-old Brenda Beauchene, both of Phoenix, Arizona, were found amongst the wreckage at the bottom of Red Lake by a police dive team Saturday evening.

The float plane they were in crashed into the water, shortly after taking off Thursday.

Medical School Featured in New Television Drama

A television series based on the Northern Ontario Medical School makes its debut on TV Ontario next Sunday.

It's called Hard Rock Medical

Actress Tamara Duarte plays Gina Russo, a first year med student and feels it's a good portrayal of the medical challenges facing the north.

Fort Frances Public Library will be advance screen the first two episodes Thursday night.

The show will air on Sunday on TV Ontario.

Chilly Morning

It's June, but residents around the Borderland are waking up to sub-freezing temperatures.

Frost warnings were issued by Environment Canada earlier this morning as temperatures
Yesterday morning, International Falls reported a low of 30 degrees, a record low for the date.

Crane Lake reported a morning low of 28.

Weather Keeps Forest Fire Hazard Down

The weekend's wet and cool weather helped keep the forest fire situation in northwestern Ontario down.

No new fires were reported on the weekend while there is just one still active.

That being a blaze near Webequie First Nation which is classed as under control.

Careful Of Ticks

The Northwestern Health Unit is advising the public to protect themselves from Lyme Disease.

It's something that can be transmitted through deer ticks.

Public Health Inspector Kurt Casey says the tick must be on the person for 24-hours for the bacteria to enter the body.

The Health Unit is also offering Tick Kit at its offices.

Rainy River Resources Welcome New Operators

The current developers of a planned open pit gold mine north of Barwick are confident the project will become a reality under new owners.

Rainy River Resources is agreeing to a friendly buy-out by New Gold.

Rainy River's Nick Nikolakakis says feels the decision to accept the deal now makes good sense.

Nikolakakis says New Gold has a good track record of developing mines and excellent management team that fits well with the Rainy River gold project.

House Fire Claims One

One person is dead following a house fire in LaVallee township.

Members of the LaVallee Fire Department were called to the home on Highway 11 just before 5 Friday morning.

No name has been released at this time.

Cause of the fire is still under investigation.

College Grad Set

Graduation ceremonies at Confederation College's campus in Fort Frances have been announced.

They are set for June 17 at the Townshend Theatre, and for the first time, there will be two separate ceremonies.

One will feature 50 students who have earned certificates and diplomas from various College programs.

The other will recognize students participating in the "School Within A College" program.

That program allowed students to gain College credits that were also credited toward receiving
their Secondary School diploma.

Take Over Of Rainy River Resources Announced

There's a new owner of a major gold project in the Rainy River district.

Vancouver based New Gold has reached a friendly deal to acquire Rainy River Resources.

The offer values Rainy River at about $310 million.

New Gold would pay up to $198 million in cash with the remainder in stock.

Rainy River's board is supporting the deal.

New Life-Saving Training Coming To Area High Schools

A new life saving initiative is coming to high schools in the Rainy River district.

The ACT Foundation is offering a new CPR and defibrillator training program for students.

Executive Director Sandra Clark teachers are getting the qualification to train the students.

The initiative is also providing Atikokan High School with 2 AED training units and 15 training mannequins while Fort Frances High is getting four training units and thirty mannequins.