School Budget Approved

Trustees with the Rainy River District School Board have approved a new budget.

Superintendent of Business Laura Mills says the balanced budget of almost $47-million focuses on student learning.

"In this budget, even though we've had some funding increases and funding constraints, we've managed to provide a balanced budget that has many programs in it that supports student success."

The board will also draw $1.1. million from reserves to help support a variety of programs.

F.H. Huffman Remembered

The Rainy River District School Board is renamed the primary wing at the new Robert Moore School in Fort Frances in honour of F-H Huffman School.

Huffman will close for good at the end of the month, and principal Donna Kowalchuk says it will be a new beginning for the students who will transfer to the new school in the fall.

"Staff, the students, parents community and school council have provided wonderful support over the years," says Kowalchuk, "and they'll all looking to the future.

The board also officially declared Huffman school surplus and will be offered up for sale.

Future Relations Discussed

Couchiching First Nations toll booth may be down, but its effect in the Rainy River district may be a bit lasting.

The issue generated much debate, and band councillor Sarah Mainville says it was a real eye opener for Couchiching.

"It was a bit of a wake-up call for our community," says Mainville, "about our relationship with our neighbours. We did talk to the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs about that and our concerns, particularly about our relationship with the town of Fort Frances."

Mainville says the band would be open to a meeting with town officials as a means of improving relations between the two communities.

Physicians Appreciation Week - Part 3

We continue with our series as part of Physician Appreciation week.

Speaking on recruitment, Doctor Robert Algie says the area's lifestyle is a strength that can be used to attract new physicians.

"We need to look at selling the community," says Algie. "I think this community as a lot more to offer, both medically, but also most importantly as a community, than most of the other communities we're competing with. We need to sell the facilities we have and the access we have to transportation. We also need to sell the recreational facilities that we have, both man-made and natural."

Algie feels the local recruitment and retention committee is taking the right approach in its search for more doctors.

Library Opens

The new Fort Frances Public Library is now open.

Chief Librarian Margaret Sedgewick says her staff are happy with their new surroundings.

"We worked very hard for this day," says Sedgewick. "We're not completely up and running in all areas, but enough for anyone who wants to take out a book or a movie or use our computers, that's ready for them."

Sedgewick says there's still some staff training to do, but expects all services to be available to patrons by their grand opening on June 21st.

Patrons who visited the Library on Tuesday were impressed with the new building.

Board Hands Out Awards

A former Toronto educator has been named the Rainy River District School Board's bus driver of the year.

Herman Rodriquez accepted the award last night on behalf of all the area's drivers.

"The parents can be feel quite assured that the safety of their children and well-being is being taken care of," says Rodriquez. "The people of the Rainy River district are well served by people who are very professional who take in account the safety of their students."

Rodriquez began driving bus after retiring from the classroom about five years.

A number of volunteers involved in F-H Huffman School's "Read to You - Read to Me program" were also honoured.

Human Resources Manager Diane Ross says the twelve individuals have been a big part of the students lives.

"The Readers, as they are referred to by the children, come every Wednesday morning throughout the school year for sixty minutes of reading and oral language with individual students in the junior and senior kindergarten program," says Ross.

Angel Lowe, who volunteers at Sturgeon Creek School, was also recognized.

Staff who reached 25-years of service with the board were also honoured.

Toll Booth Removed

Members of the Couchiching First Nations have brought down a toll booth on Highway 11.

Band members removed the booth last night at about 9 o'clock.

They opened it May 21st, charging one-dollar per vehicle to raise awareness about a highway land claim.

The band also called for funds to relocate six families living on what the band claims is contaminated soil from a former sawmill.

A band spokesperson says the reason for the removal of the toll booth will be explained in a statement later today.

Cancer Care Ontario Report Released

Cancer Care Ontario says residents in northwestern Ontario are living a lifestyle that poses a cancer risk.

The number of smokers and persons overweight are higher than the provincial average.

Michael Power of the Regional Cancer Centre says just cutting down on smoking would help reduce those rates.

"If we we're just simply to pull back to the provincial average of about 18 per cent of residents in the region smoking as opposed to 23 per cent, that five per cent gain would cut our lung cancer numbers in half," says Power.

The report card also shows the Regional Centre in Thunder Bay doing a good job in cancer radiation treatment.

Cancer Survivor Promotes Relay for Life

A young cancer survivor is encouraging people to support Relay for Life.

Madisyn Degagne is heading up a team for the Fort Frances event.

She says it's important for her give back to the Canadian Cancer Society.

"Experiencing cancer first hand and the overwhelming support of the community here in Fort Frances, I just really wanted to make an effort to give back," says Degagne, "because so many people have been affected by cancer."

Degagne's team includes several of her friends that make the team Pink Attitoode - Second Generation for the June 25 event.

Local Physicians Week - Part 2

We continue our series on the doctor situation in Fort Frances.

Local officials say another four physicians are needed.

Doctor Robert Algie says a provincial moratorium on new doctors twenty years ago is partially to blame.

"With the growth of population, the loss of those 10 per cent of physicians over the years on a yearly basis," says Dr. Algie, "and the increased complexity of providing primary care. We're dealing with sicker people in our offices. People who used to die of heart disease are now living and living with cognitive heart failure. Diabetes is also increasing. There's a large increase load and the number of family physicians they used to feel is appropriate is just not adequate."

Algie says the shortage is being felt the greatest at Riverside Health Care Facilities who are forced to bring in locums to staff the emergency room.

"The emergency department is struggling to stay open on a week-by-week basis. Local family physicians who are still involving, which is only five of us, are doing their best to provide time to the emergency department, but to take care of sick patients in hospital and try to be available to their patients in the community at the clinic. About one-third of all emergency medicine shifts are being provided by physicians who travel from outside the community to provide care."

Tomorrow, Dr. Algie looks at local efforts to attract new physicians.

Library to Open Today

(Fort Frances Public Library Photo)

The new Fort Frances Public Library will open its doors to the public for the first time today.

The technology Centre will also open, but staff say there will be limited services available.

A more official opening will be held June 21.

Detour Announced

There will be a traffic detour in Fort Frances' north end today.

A section of Fifth Street, east of Portage Avenue, will be shutdown beginning at 7 a.m.

The closure is to allow crews to work on a newly installed water main.

When complete, crews will then close a section on the east side of Fifth for similar work.

The Portage Avenue underpass will remain open to traffic during the work.

Young Men's Conference a Success

The first ever young men's conference is being hailed a success by organizers.

Nineteen students, most in grade 8, gathered at Quetico Provincial Park for three days last week.

Crossroad's School principal Gord McCabe says the focus differed from a conference held annual for girls of similar age.

"The young women's conference is geared towards a leadership theme," says McCabe. "With this program, what we wanted to do is to gear towards students who wouldn't normally get this type of opportunity."

Participants were involved in several outdoor adventures, along with planning and goal setting.

Spring Bear Hunt

There are renewed calls to bring back the spring bear hunt in Ontario.

Terry Quinney of the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters says the demise of the hunt ten years ago has resulted in big increases in the number of bears.

"To minimize the risk to people and maximize the benefits of this wildlife resource for Ontario society, the Ontario government needs to reinstate the spring bear hunt," says Quinney

Quinney says the province's so-called BearWise program has done little to control an expanding black bear population.

Contact North Getting Upgrade

Contact North is upgrading its facilities.

The distance education facility has been given $3.5 million in provincial funding to modernize it's video equipment.

CEO Maxim Jean-Louis says it will enhanced the delivery of services.

"In some cases we are going to introduce some of those leading edge video conferencing learning technologies that are going to make things that much better," says Jean-Louis.

Jean-Louis says the government helps Contact North with upgrades on a regular basis.

Mental Health Services Report

Mental health and addiction services are two topics being studied by a new provincial government group.

Committee member Sylvia Jones says they'll be bringing their report to various provincial ministries for their consideration.

"There was a number of concerns, both First Nations and rural, with prescription drug abuse," says Jones. "Oxycontin being one that comes to mind."

Jones says the remoteness of the communities consulted make it hard to provide mental health and addiction services.

Couchiching Toll Booth Vote

There could be a vote coming in Couchiching First Nation on its toll booth on Highway 11.

A Thunder Bay newspaper is reporting today that Couchiching Chief Chuck McPherson plans to let the community decide the fate of the toll following his meeting with provincial and federal ministries last week.

The toll has been in place since May 21st.

Fire Still Burning at Quetico

It's eased elsewhere, but the Ministry of Natural Resources says the forest fire hazard still remains high in the Quetico Park area where three fires are still burning.

All three were started by lightning last week and are being observed by the MNR.

Meantime, the easing of the fire situation has allowed the MNR to send crews to northeastern Ontario to help fight wildfires there.

Cost of Dying in Ontario to Rise

A Conservative MPP says come July 1st it will cost more to die in Ontario.

Peter Shurman says families will have to pay up to 13-hundred dollars in taxes or remembrance services when the HST takes effect.

When the HST is implemented, remembrance service items will see an eight per cent tax hike.

Physicians' Apprection Week

It is Physicians Appreciation Week in Fort Frances.

As part of the week, B-93 will be examining the local doctor situation with Doctor Robert Algie who began his practice back in 1981.

"I grew up in northern Ontario in Sault Ste. Marie but my great-aunt and uncle, Jean and Tom Harrison lived in Fort Frances, so I was aware of the community and been here before," says Dr. Algie, "so I was aware of the community and been here before. There was some familiarity with the community so it was really a foreign concept to me. But I was looking for small town experience as I wasn't sure what I was going to do with the rest of my career so it was 'let's give small-town primary care practice a shot and see how it goes."

He says the reasons the brought him to Fort Frances are the same reasons he's stayed.

"The ongoing challenges in terms of practising in a small rural setting are still appealing to me. Being able to participate in emergency medicine, taking care of people in the community, in the home and in long-term care, that diversity is really appealing to me and continues to keep my interest. You can't practise it any better than you can in Fort Frances."

Tomorrow, Algie will talk about some of the reasons behind the doctor shortage impacting our communities.