A joint meeting between delegates of the Concerned Citizens’ Committee (Kenora) and the Fort Frances Community Action Group was held in Kenora on April 20.
Both groups discussed the lack of citizen involvement in local municipal decisions due to special interest politics, which exclude the democratic rights of community taxpayers.
Of further interest is the lack of transparency on the part of the Kenora and Fort Frances municipal councils in divulging information to its taxpayers, as required by law under the Privacy and Freedom of Information Act.

Janice Beazley, acting chair of the North West LHIN, announced yesterday that Tom Sarvas has been appointed to the board of directors.
Sarvas’ appointment by the Lieutenant Governor in Council was endorsed by the Health and Long-Term Care minister George Smitherman, and is effective as of April 2.
Sarvas is a chartered accountant and a partner in the firm Buset Sarvas LLP.
He brings to the LHIN more than 25 years of experience as an auditor for all types of not-for-profit social service- and health-related agencies and organizations.

After many months of deliberating and crunching numbers, town council will wrap up the 2008 budget in the coming weeks.
On Monday night, council voted unanimously in favour of a tax scenario that will see residential tax rates jump 3.19 percent, or $57.16 per $100,000 of assessment.
Multi-residential will go up 3.496 percent (or $140.57 per $100,000 of assessment) while commercial will increase 1.071 percent (or $58.92 per $100,000 of assessment).

The Rainy River District Social Services Administration Board’s cost apportionment formula for municipalities will not be altered after the majority of members voted against looking into a change during a recent meeting.
At last month’s meeting, Peter Van Heyst, representing the municipality of Chapple, suggested looking at the possibility of changing the cost apportionment formula because smaller townships feel they are paying too much.
The apportionment schedule is what decides how municipalities are billed by DSSAB.

Asselin Transportation and Storage Limited has been fined $8,000, and Eldon Irvin Mose $2,000, plus victim fine surcharges, after pleading guilty to failing to comply with conditions of the company’s certificate of approval.
Court heard that Asselin Transportation and Storage Limited operates a business for the collection, handling, and transportation of non-hazardous liquid industrial waste.
Mose is the president of the company.

FORT FRANCES—With all the surveys completed for the local Business Retention and Expansion (BR&E) project, and work now underway to ultimately devise an action plan based on those results, the initiative is seen by some as a key exercise to help keep—and attract—businesses to Fort Frances.

The Women’s Business Network in International Falls, sponsored by the Small Business Development Center, met for the second time on Feb. 14 at the Coffee Landing Metro.
Fifteen local business women heard a presentation from Julie Schumacher, RRCC Customized Training Specialist, on the importance of goal-setting and strategic planning.
Schumacher outlined the process of strategic planning, highlighting the importance of utilizing measurable goals, having a mission statement, and a vision of where you want to go with your business.

The Fort Frances Airport will receive $4,700 as its share of Transport Canada’s $40-million funding injection into 49 safety projects at the nation’s airports.
The money will be used for a decelerometer, Airport and Parks Superintendent Bill Caul noted last week, which is used to test braking action on the runway.
“It’s replacing our current one with a more up-to-date one,” he explained.

Whether they want to supplement sales from their storefront business or sell strictly online, entrepreneurs have a whole world of potential customers at their fingertips thanks to the Internet.
As such, the Rainy River Future Development Corp. and Northwest Business Centre is holding a three-hour workshop on how to sell and market products and services online next Thursday (March 13) at La Place Rendez-Vous here.
From 6-9 p.m., participants will learn about enhancing and maximizing their website, online security, cost-saving Internet marketing strategies, and a whole lot more.

For a fifth year, the Rainy River Future Development Corp. is looking for participants for its customer service challenge—and interested businesses only have one more week to sign up.
Program co-ordinator Crystal Godbout said this morning that 21 district businesses have signed up so far, but she’s hoping to see that number reach at least 30 before the Feb. 15 deadline.
“It’s not going too bad,” she remarked. “There’s been a couple coming in every day.”