Rafferty Seeks Pension Support

Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP John Rafferty is making a last minute push to get his pension bill passed.

He's making a statement in the house today looking for all-party support.

"What I'm asking the other parties to agree to is to open up the scope of C-501 just a little bit," says Rafferty, "to see if we can make some amendments to the bill that will bring enough MPs on board that we can pass this and get something done."

The proposed bill went through committee hearings before Christmas with Conservative MP's wavering on their support.

Municipalities Asked to Sign U.N. Initiative

Municipalities across the Rainy River District are being asked to become signatories to a United Nations backed initiative to combat racism and and discrimination.

Lincoln Dunn of Celebrating Diversity says local support sends a strong message to newcomers thinking of moving to the district.

"How powerful a statement is to people from outside our district who are thinking about coming here that we, as a district, are all signatories to an anti-discrimination and anti-racism common commitment developed at the United Nations level."

Dunn says by signing, area towns would have to adhere to a set of commitments in dealing with the issues.

More Elk Sought

The Lake of the Woods Elk Restoration Committee is looking to increase the number of Elk in northwestern Ontario.

Committee co-chair Murray English says they're asking the Ministry of Natural Resources to move some of the Elk from the Bancroft area in southwestern Ontario.

"Our preference would still be out on the Aulneau Peninsula (on Lake of the Woods)," says English. "That depends on ice conditions to get them out there."

Only 39 of the over one hundred elk released about a decade ago in the Cameron Lake area near Nestor Falls are believed to be still alive.

Bonding Bill Proposed

Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton is asking the State's lawmakers to borrow one billion for state-backed construction projects.

They include replacing the roof at Rainy River Community College in International Falls.

Republican House Majority Leader Matt Dean isn't ruling out a bonding bill, but says the GOP focus will be on rerouting unspent money from past projects that never got off the ground.

Hand-Held Devices Ban

Almost 50-thousand motorists have been charged in the first year of Ontario's ban on the use of hand-held cell phones while driving.

It was one year ago today that police began enforcing the ban.

More than six-hundred charges have been laid by police in northwestern Ontario.

Regional Airport Gets Conditional Approval

Municipal leaders across the Rainy River district have given their support to the concept of turning the Fort Frances municipal airport into a regional one.

Fort Frances councillor Rick Wiedenhoeft says the passing of a resolution at this past weekend's Rainy River District Municipal Association meeting allows them to take the idea a step further.

"That's probably where we'll go from here where we're giong to create a committee that will look at how we can fund this regional airport," says Wiedenhoeft.

Wiedenhoeft says they also plan to talk with senior levels of government to determine how First Nations and residents living in the unincorporated areas would contribute.

Good Relations with First Nations Required

Kenora-Rainy River MPP Howard Hampton is encouraging Rainy River district municipalities to have good working relations with First Nation communities.

Speaking at the Rainy River District Municipal Association meeting, Hampton says it ensure the entire district can benefit from a blossoming mining industry.

"It is really important for our collective future and for our collective economic future," says Hampton. "In many cases, those working relationships already exist and have existed for some time."

Hampton says mining companies are looking to the Rainy River area because it's easy to access and infrastructure and the workforce needed are already in place.

Health Unit Holds Line on Municipal Levies

The rate charged to municipalities to help fund the Northwestern Health Unit will remain the same as last year.

CAO Mark Perrault says combined with declines in population, area cities and towns will actually pay less this year than they did in 2010.

"This time everybody's numbers dropped across the region," says Perreault. "Some dramatically. I think there's nobody less than a 3 per cent decrease."

Perrault says staff reductions through attrition have allowed the Health Unit to work with less money from municipalities.

Atikokan Announcement Today

A news conference today in Atikokan is garnering the attention of Atikokan Renewable Fuels.

There's speculation that Thunder Bay-Atikokan MPP Bill Mauro will make an announcement about the company's wood allocation rights.

Thunder Bay's Ed Fukishima says he'll comment on the company's fate after the announcement.

Parliament Resumes

MP's get back to work today with election speculation running rampant in Ottawa.

Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP John Rafferty says it's up to the Prime Minister to determine if that election happens sooner than later.

"What we're telling Stephen Harper is, this is the first day of work on Monday,"says Rafferty. "Either tackle the problems Canadians are facing or gear up for a spring election."

Rafferty is hoping that his pension bill becomes law before any election call.

New Duties for Kenora MP

Kenora MP Greg Rickford will have new duties when parliament resumes sitting today.

He has been appointed the parliamentary secretary for Indian and Northern Affairs.

Flu Deaths in Minnesota

Two more flu deaths have been reported in Minnesota this season.

The Minnesota Department of Health reports one person died in the last week of December and another in the second week of January.

Health officials continue to encourage Minnesotans to get their flu shots.

Chamber Awards Nominees Announced

A total of 68 businesses, individuals and organizations have been nominated for next month's Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce awards.

Winners will be presented February 10



Accessibility Award
Fort Frances Public Library
Canada Safeway
Community Living Fort Frances





Business of the Year - 1 to 15 employees
Ron's Auto Body
Lidkea's Optometry
Greenside General Store
Northern Lights Credit Union
Citi Financial
A Little off the Top
Nor-West Animal Clinic
Webb's Power Shack
Causeway Insurance
Camp Narrows
Rainy River True Value
John Gavel Custom Manufacturing
Fort Duty Free



Business of the Year - 15 employees or more
MacDonald Motors
La Place Rendez Vous
Iron Range Bus Lines
Tompkins Hardware
Iron Range Bus Lines
Shaw Communications



Businesswoman of the Year
Roberta Parker - Mr. Sub
Sherry Kaun - Share Bears
Angela Korzinski - Rusty Myers
Erin Wood - Simplicity Body Care
Tonia Dolph - Northland Kitchen and Design Consulting
Dawn Gustafson - Life Time Smiles



Customer Service - Business
Manitou Forest Products
North Auto
Lowes Furniture
Fort Frances General Supply
Nor-West Animal Clinic
CIBC
Badiuk Equipment
Stan's Carpet
Starbucks
Darryl's Custom Landscapes

Customer Service - Individual
Debra Elias - Revco Carpet
Matt Sweigard - Sight and Sound
Krista Kellar - Citi Financial
Russ Ling - Taggs Source for Sports
Shelly Matias - RBC
Neila Booth - Northwoods Gallery and Gifts
Chris Dittaro


Employee of the Year
Don Larson - Ed Kaun and Sons
Gord Watson - Ed Kaun and Sons
Rochelle Mosbeck - CIBC
Penny Flatt - Northwoods Gallery and Gift

Entrepreneur of the Year
Dale and Elizabeth Fortes - Boston Pizza
Cecile Lavigne - Squeek E Klean
Randy Hogan - Hogan Hockey
Todd Moxam
Badiuk Equipment
Lindsay Hamilton - Little Beaver Snow Cultural Centre
Monique Dufresne - The Lawg Caybun Restaurant

Safety Award
Union Gas
Rainy River District School Board
Gingrich Wood Craft Inc.

Small Business Trainer of the Year
Mark Caron - M.L. Caron Electric
Valley Adult Learning Association
Strachan Trucking
BDO Dunwoody

Volunteer of the Year
Joelle Blanc
Doug Cain
Allan Bedard
Bill Krukoski
Joan Anderson

Two Charged

Two Fort Frances residents face charges after Provincial Police discovered more than five pounds of marijuana in a vehicle they pulled over earlier this week.

The vehicle was stopped on Highway 11 near Emo on Tuesday.

A 44-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman will appear in a Fort Frances court room in March on trafficking charges.

Another Snow Day

Winter storm warning have been issued on both sides of the border as an strong Alberta clipper moves toward the Rainy River district and Koochiching Country.

Meteorologist Bill Laidlaw says the system is expected to bring upwards of 15 centimetres of snow in most areas today.

The storm is expected to last until midnight.

More Anti-Smoking Efforts Needed

Ontario's chief medical officer of health says the province needs to put more money in programs that will help smokers butt out.

Stepping up anti-smoking efforts are among the recommendations Dr. Arlene King is making in her first annual report.

She says government funding for tobacco control has dropped in recent years, even though smoking is costing Ontario about $8-billion a year in health care and lost productivity.

Soldi to Start Drilling

Mining exploration company Soldi Ventures is set to begin a winter drilling program on its properties in the Nestor Falls and Black Hawk areas.

The company says a recent airborne survey helped identify the areas it will begin drilling.

Oberstar Future Clarified

Former Minnesota Congressman Jim Oberstar says another run for the 8th district isn't in his future.

The veteran Democratic congressman was defeated in November's election and speculation about a another run surfaced recently.

But, Oberstar says that things have changed and that he's moving in another direction.

Oberstar is to be recognized by the city of International Falls with the renaming of its waterfront development project this summer.

Special Ed Students Benefit Through Technology

(Rainy River District School Board photo)


The introduction of technology in the classroom by the Rainy River District School Board is proving to be a huge benefit to special education students.

Special Education Coordinator Kevin Knutsen says equipment such as smart boards and assistive technology is provide for more independence.

"The technology certainly allows them to feel more successful and to demonstrate their learning in ways they weren't able to prior to the technology," says Knutsen.

Knutsen says some of the new programs include software that reads text on a computer to the student.

I. Falls Not So Cold After All

International Falls may be the Ice Box of the Nation, but it's not the coldest city in the United States.

That distinction has been given to Barrow, Alaska by the U-S Weather Channel's Global Forecast Centre.

International Falls is placed third.

Only cities over 5-thousand were considered in the rankings.