PC To Make Ontario First Choice of Destination For Immigrants

PC Leader Tim Hudak wants immigrants to Canada to make Ontario their new home.

Hudak says he'll start by working to eliminate the red tape that restricts immigrant professionals from immediately working in their fields.

Hudak also wants to make it easier for immigrants now studying in Ontario to stay in the province and find jobs in their fields.

NDP Focus on Health Care

New Democrats are promising to cut wait times in hospital emergency rooms in half.

Leader Andrea Horwath says her plan will include the hiring of 250 new nurse practitioners, opening 50 new 24-hour family health clinics and creating 14-hundred more long term care beds.

Horwath is also pledging to implement a five-day home care guarantee.

Liberals Promising To Strengthen Agricultural Industry

A commitment from the Liberals to protect the province's farmland.

Premier Kathleen Wynne is proposing a Farms Forever plan that would ensure farmland isn't taken over for other development.

The Liberals are also promising $400-million over the next decade to help food processing factories and farmers acquire new equipment.

Leaders Wednesday

On the election campaign today, NDP Leader Andrea Horwath is in Brampton and Toronto.

Premier Kathleen Wynne's stops include a visit to the Toyota Plant in Cambridge and a meeting with the Chinese community in Thornhill.

PC leader Tim Hudak visits Coburg and Peterborough.

County Looking To Address Blasting Concerns

Koochiching County is looking at changes to a zoning ordinance to deal with residents complaints about blasting.


Several residents claim the work by a company east of Rainer has led to damages to their homes and well being.

Environmental Services manager Dale Olson says changes in wording may give the County more control.

Lawyer for Bowman Construction Steve Nelson says the County may be wasting its time and energy and should direct residents to pursue their complaints through the courts.

Nelson adds the company is following the rules with its blasts.


The proposed changes to the zoning ordinance will get a legal review before heading to the County's planning commission for public input.

No Fires In Rainy River District Yet

The forest fire situation in the Rainy River district remains quiet.

No fires have been reported yet in 2014.

There was activity elsewhere in northwestern Ontario with nine new blazes reported during the long weekend, all human-caused.

Water Levels Up

Water levels are up at area water.

The International Joint Commission says Rainy Lake has risen about 30 centimetres over the past week, putting its well over the normal levels for this time of year.

The higher level is partly due to the opening of dams at Namakan Lake which are letting water through at maximum levels.

Meantime, Rainy River has risen over 3 metres since April.

Flood Warning In Dryden

CKDR photo

A flood warning remains in effect in the Dryden area.

The Ministry of Natural Resources says the warning will stay in place until Friday.

Flooding has already impacted some roads including a section of Highway 105 to Red Lake.

Missing Youth

OPP are seeking the public's help in locating a missing Fort Frances teenager.

Police says 15-year-old Mariah Wilson was last seen on Armit Avenue Sunday morning.

The First Nations teen is described as being 5'1" and 101 lbs with a thin build.

She was last seen wearing a grey sweater, green shoes and black pants.

Fort Frances Home To Evacuees

Fort Frances is now a temporary home to about 140 residents of Attiwapiskat First Nation.

They are among the one thousand who were evacuated from their community on the weekend because of high water levels on the Attawapiskat River.

Others were airlifted to communities in northeastern Ontario and Quebec.

Their stay, though, may be short.

Emergency Management Ontario says flood risks have diminished and residents evacuated will start heading back home as early as today.

Northern Ontario Leaders Debate Set

2011 NOMA debate

Two of three provincial leaders are confirming their intentions to attend a debate focusing on northern issues.

The Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association will host the May 26 event in Thunder Bay.

Premier Kathleen Wynne committed during NOMA's conference in Fort Frances to attending the debate.

NDP leader Andrea Horwath says she's also excited about the opportunity to engage with the Liberals.

It is still unsure if PC leader Tim Hudak will be attending.

Horwath Wants More Debates

NDP leader Andrea Horwath is calling for more debates.

Along with the northern Ontario debate, a televised debate will take place June 3.

Horwath is asking for another focusing solely on jobs and the economy.

Hudak Promises To Cut Red Tape

File photo

PC Leader Tim Hudak is out with plans to reduce red tape, he says will create 84-thousand new jobs.

The measures include removing rules that prohibit competitive bids on government construction projects, streamlining apprenticeship rules and ending a government monopoly on workplace insurance to employers.

Leaders Tuesday

Today, the leaders are campaigning in southwestern Ontario.

Premier Kathleen Wynne visits a farm in Paris, before traveling to London and Windsor.

NDP leader Andrea Horwath makes a campaign announcement at Queen Park before traveling to London.

PC leader Tim Hudak starts his day in Scarborough before visiting a Woodstock farm and a factory in Nebringville.

Greens Well Represented In Northwestern Ontario

The Green Party now has candidates in all three northwestern Ontario ridings.

John Northey is the candidate in Thunder Bay-Atikokan.

Joseph LeBlanc is challenging Northern Development Minister Michael Gravelle in Superior North.

As previously reported, Tim McKillop is running in Kenora-Rainy River.

Policy Institute Coming Together

The pieces of a new Northern Policy Institute are slowly coming into focus.

President Charles Cirtwill says six people have been selected for the advisory committee and is looking for some more candidates.

Cirtwell says some of the invites have been sent to people in Timmins, Sault Ste. Marie and Fort Frances.

Cirtwill says the recent selections were based on their experience, knowledge and connections in key sectors across the northern Ontario.

The Institute is being created to provide input into the decisions at Queen's Park impacting Northern Ontario

Public Input Expected On Water Plan

A chance to raise concerns of water issues in the Rainy-Lake of the Woods Basin.

A team working on a Water Quality Plan of Study will soon be looking for public input.

Member Kelli Saunders says the goal is to find out where they can improve water quality.

A draft report for public review should be complete in July.

Medicinal Marijuana Approved In Minnesota

Credit: Mark/Flickr

The 2014 Legislature in Minnesota ended with a flurry over the weekend with several bills passed now awaiting the Governor's signature.

One is to legalize medicinal marijuana use.

Starting next summer, approved patients could get marijuana in liquid or pill form at up to eight distribution facilities to open in the state.

Heather Azzi with Minnesotans for Compassionate Care says it won't allow for the sale of plant leaves for smoking, so the fight is not over.

The aims to have rules and manufacturers in place by next winter.

Governor Mark DAyton, who supports the bill, must still attach his signature.

Click Or Ticket It

Law enforcement agencies in northeastern Minnesota are kicking off a seat-belt enforcement campaign today.

It's part of their efforts in the aim to reduce the number of deaths on State highways.

Officials says more than half of all motor vehicle fatalities each year are attributed to a lack of or improper seatbelt use.

Changes To Postal Services In Fort Frances

Fort Frances residents are seeing some changes with their mail delivery service.

The union representing postal workers says one and a half positions were recently cut which has led routes being expanded for the remaining carriers.

Local president Sandra Lange says it's put a strain on workers.

Lange says despite Canada Posts claims, they are seeing an increase in mail locally, particularity with flyers and parcel deliveries.