Gas Tax To Hurt Northern Ontario

Progressive Conservatives says Liberal plans to add a new province-wide gas tax to fund rapid transit in southern Ontario will have a huge impact in northern Ontario.

Critic Vic Fedeli says an extra 10 cent a litre charge will result in higher prices for other goods trucked to the north.

Fedeli says it's also a slap in the face by asking northerners to help fund the southern Ontario they likely won't benefit from.

Chamber Announced New Board

The Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce has returned Mark Caron as its president.

The owner of M.L. Caron Electric was elected to a third term in voting that concluded Monday.

Myles Kuharski of Gillons' Insurance takes over as first vice-president while Jordan Forbes of Saulteau Consulting and Engineering is the second vice-president.

Here is the full slate of officers.

EXECUTIVE:


President:  Mark Caron, ML Caron Electric
1st Vice President:  Myles Kuharski, Gillons' Insurance
2nd Vice President: Jordan Forbes, Saulteaux Consulting & Engineering
Treasurer: vacant - pending election in January
Secretary:  Annely Armstrong, NCDS & Chamber Manager
Past President: Cathy Emes

DIRECTORS:

Robin Payeur, Causeway Insurance / Main Street Market
Lisa Plourde, RBC Royal Bank
Steve Gushulak, Fort Frances General Supply
Mike Vanderwater, Acklands-Grainer
Travis Glowasky, Studio Gibbous
Paul Noonan, La Place Rendez Vous Hotel
Jennifer Greenhalgh, NCDS
Marie Allan, BDO & Company LLP
Ben Morelli, From the Grind Up

Rounding out the Board for 2014 are the Appointee and Ex-Officio positions:

APPOINTEES:
John Albanese, Town of Fort Frances
Angela Halvorsen, Rainy River Future Development Corporation
Toby Munro, Resolute Forest Products

Appointments from the Fort Frances Downtown Business Improvement Association and the Pwi-Di-Goo-Zing Ne-Yaa-Zhing Aboriginal Business Development Advisory Services have yet to be announced.

Coffee Break Time

It's time to take a coffee break.

The Alzheimer Society for the Kenora-Rainy River Districts is bringing back its Coffee Break Challenge next month.

Acting Executive Director Rossana Tomashowski says residents, groups and businesses are invited to host a coffee break to help raise funds for the Society.

Last January's event brought in almost $5,000.

Register by contacting the Society in Kenora or through its website.

OPP Intercept Drug Package

One person is in custody after OPP intercepted a courier package containing drugs.

Police says the parcel, shipped from British Columbia and destined for a man in Emo contained approximately eight pounds of marijuana.

The Emo resident is now facing drug trafficking charges and will appear in court in January.

Iron Range Stops Travel Along Hwy 502

Supplied photo

Iron Range Bus Lines is no longer allowing its buses to run along Highway 502 because of concerns it has with road conditions this winter.

That's impacting Fort Frances High School teams who charter the bus carrier to get to places like Dryden and Sioux Lookout.

Athletic Director Shane Beckett says taking a longer route through Highway 71 and the Trans Canada Highway creates its own safety issues with students on the bus for longer periods of time.

No games have been cancelled, but some starts times have had been adjusted to accommodate the longer trips.

Tax Levy Stays The Same

There will be no tax increase in International Falls in 2014.

City council gave formal approval to its budget and levy at its meeting last night.

Councillor Cynthia Jacksa says an increase in local government aid from the State prevented a potential increase in the levy.

Overall, the city will spend just over $14-million, with about levy staying at $2.1 million.

Cost Study Suggested

Water and sewer rates will go up in International Falls next year.

The five per cent increase is the second of a three-year plan.

Koochiching County Commissioner Wade Pavleck says  now might be the time for the city to consider a costing study involved all those impacted by the city's rates to see if some savings can be identified.

Falls Mayor Bob Anderson says a costing study is something they have budgeted for in 2014.

Councillor Cynthia Jacka believes it may come down to getting more users of the system to bring down rates.

Ontario To Go Ahead With Pension Reform

Ontario is set to go it alone with pension reform after Ottawa blocked a consensus on reforms to the program.

Following a meeting with his provincial counterparts in Meech Lake, Quebec, federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty says now is not the time to move on the pension issue.

Ontario Minister Charles Sousa disagrees, saying the province will move forward to implement a "made-in-Ontario alternative" to protect Ontario workers in their retirement.

Details on how that will happen are still to come.

Festive RIDE Stats

OPP's stepped up enforcement on drunk driving this month has resulted in seventeen motorists in northwestern Ontario being charged with impaired driving.

Just one charge has been laid in the Rainy River district.

There have also been 13 license suspensions issued to drivers blowing in the "warn range."

Three of those in our district.

This is the fourth week of the Festive RIDE program that concludes after New Years Day.

Ambulance Service Helps Salvation Army

The Salvation Army in International Falls is benefiting from the generosity of residents in that city.

Calls to fill an ambulance helped bring in a variety of gifts, food items and clothes.

Paramedic Nathan Meyers was happy with the first ever drive.

Meyers says along with the gift items children's clothing and food, over 721-dollars was also received for the Salvation Army.

Province Expands Dental Program Eligibility

More children in Ontario will be able to see a dentist free of charge.

The province is expanding the eligibility for its "Healthy Smiles Ontario" program, it says will help more than 70-thousand children and youth in low income families

Beginning in April, families with one child must have a net income of $21,500 or less to qualify.

The figure increases $1,500 for each additional child.

Crash Victim Named

The man killed in a single vehicle crash on Highway 11-17 near Shabaqua has been identified as 55-year-old John Lackey of Keswick, Ontario.

Provincial Police say Lackey was a passenger in a pick-up truck that rolled over Sunday afternoon and was struck in the back by a large fuel tank that came through the bed of the truck.

The 27-year-old driver was transported to hospital in Thunder Bay with unknown injuries.

Commissioner To Retire

Ontario's Top Cop is stepping down.

OPP Commissioner Chris Lewis has announced he's retiring at the end of next March, ending a 35-year policing career.

Lewis joined as constable in 1978 in Kapuskasing, becoming Commissioner in August 2010.

A search for his replacement is underway.

Cruisers Over-Stuffed

OPP photo

A huge show of support from Rainy River District food banks.

Area residents helped stuff 37-and-a-half cruisers in the OPP's annual stuff a cruiser campaign held in Fort Frances, Emo and Rainy River.

Constable Anne McCoy is thankful to those who donated food and other items fur local food banks.

McCoy says the food will help them get through want is a normally busy time of the year.

The campaign also filled four ambulances and brought in a cruiser full of diapers.

The items are being distributed to the Salvation Army, the United Native Friendship Centre and Sunset Country Metis in Fort Frances, the Emo Food Bank and the Rainy River-West End Food Bank.

An earlier campaign in Atikokan helped fill ten cruisers.

More Food Drives

Area food banks are getting more support this week.

Staff and students at J.W. Walker School in Fort Frances are holding their own food drive today and tomorrow to help those in our community.

Food Bank Use On The Rise

The demand for food banks across Ontario is growing.

The Ontario Association of Food Banks finds 375-thousand people now relying on food banks every month with over 16-thousand first time users identified this year.

Executive Director Bill Laidlaw says it's an trend that has been on the rise in the past decade.

Laidlaw says those on social assistance, seniors, single parent families and students among the greatest users.

NDP Calls For HST Removal From Home Heating Costs

Provincial NDP are renewing their calls to have the HST removed from the cost of home heating.

MPP Michael Mantha introduced a private members bill on the final day of the fall sitting.

Mantha says with recent examples of government waste and the threat of huge increases in electricity rates in the near future, removal of the sales tax is needed more than ever for people already struggling to pay their bills.

Debate on the bill isn't likely until sometime in the new year.

LHINS Get A Review

Regional health authorities will get a review in the new year.

A provincial legislative committee intends to hold public meetings in late January and February to review the Local Health System Integration Act.

It include a meeting in Thunder Bay on February 3.

The 7-year-old act led to the creation of 14 Local Health Integration Networks, including one for the Northwest, to oversee the planning, integration and funding of local health.

Fatal Weekend Accident

One person is dead following a motor vehicle accident west of Thunder Bay.

OPP says the 53-year-old man died yesterday afternoon after a pick-up truck rolled over on Highway 11-17 west of Thunder Bay near Finmark road.

His identify has not been released.

Trains Moving Again

Trains are moving again on the CP rail line in northwestern Ontario.

A derailment about 10-kilometres east of Ignace forced the closure of the line early Saturday morning.

Fourteen grain cars left the track.

No one was injured.