By Ken Kellar
Editor
kkellar@fortfrances.com

A trio of international partners have once more signed a declaration aimed at preserving the beauty of the night sky. Fort Frances mayor Andrew Hallikas journeyed to Minnesota’s Voyageur National Park on April 15, to sign a now-annual joint proclamation alongside International Falls mayor Drake Dill and Ranier mayor Dennis […]

By Tanya Hammond
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Review-Mirror

Lanark, Leeds and Grenville Addictions and Mental Health (LLGAMH) team based out of Brockville is reporting a sharp rise in young men seeking support for gambling-related problems, reflecting an Ontario-wide trend highlighted in a recent study, which showed an alarming 300% increase in calls to the province’s mental health helpline. […]

By Carl Clutchey
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Chronicle-Journal

Rural residents living in areas just outside Thunder Bay braced for the prospect of flooded roads late Friday, as warming temperatures and a rainy forecast elevated the risk for ice jams, rising rivers and accelerated melting of an unusually deep snow-pack. “We have been on flood watch all day (Friday), […]

By Matt Prokopchuk
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
NWOnewswatch.com

KENORA — Nearly 150 employees at the Weyerhaeuser TimberStrand Plant in Kenora have voted to join the United Steelworkers union. In a media release issued Friday, the union said it has added 147 workers, who voted 97 per cent in favour of joining the Steelworkers. Prior to the vote, those […]

By Mike Stimpson
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
SNnewswatch.com

OTTAWA — The Ontario government wants to go fast on connecting the Ring of Fire to the highway system, but conservation scientist Adam Kirkwood cautions that haste carries risk. “There are definitely quite a few risks,” Kirkwood, a research associate with Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, told Newswatch. Financial risks are […]

By Carrie Ivardi
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
TBnewswatch.com

THUNDER BAY — Kaveh Lozoomi-Garmroodi’s cell phone was connected to the blue Dodge Ram truck that was tracked to the scene where Samatar Warsame’s body was found, according to testimony heard in court this week. Information gathered during the first 24 hours following the homicide of Warsame in Thunder Bay […]

By Maya Ekman
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
NWOnewswatch.com

GRASSY NARROWS — “Dogs really are man’s best friend,” says Jason Cherry, who led the efforts to rescue Caesar, a husky mix dog, from a rock crevice in Grassy Narrows earlier this week. On April 14, Caesar sadly passed away after three days of community members and travellers from as […]

By Randy Barba
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Bullet Point News Stouffville

While welcoming the removal of federal and provincial taxes on newly built homes, Stouffville Mayor Iain Lovatt says significant questions remain around a new push from Ottawa and Queen’s Park to reduce municipal development charges (DCs) across Ontario. Announced March 30 by Prime Minister Mark Carney and Premier Doug Ford, […]

By Clint Fleury
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
TBnewswatch.com

THUNDER BAY – The city’s finance and administration standing committee unanimously endorsed city staff’s recommendation to lower the large industrial tax ratio from 2.73 to 2.61, while the commercial ratio remains at the provincial threshold of 1.98, and the multi-residential ratio remains at 1.99. “I’m happy to see a phased-in […]

By Julia Lawrence
Local Journalism Initiative
Reporter
The Green Line

Nearly 300 members of the new Toronto Tenant Union gathered this weekend to finalize the vision for its work in the city and to bring in new leadership. The York South-Weston Tenant Union and Climate Justice TO recently merged to form TTU, which provides city-wide resources and advocates for all […]

By Maggie Macintosh
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Winnipeg Free Press

A North End warehouse has been converted into a multi-purpose design studio where students can sew ribbon skirts, print 3D models and launch businesses. The Winnipeg School Division celebrated the grand opening of its Waabishkaa-Makwa Lab last week. The first-of-its-kind “cultural learning lab” embeds Indigenous teachings into project-based learning activities. […]

By Clint Fleury
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
TBnewswatch.com

THUNDER BAY- The city’s road manager says crews are working on filling potholes, but the weather is imposing some challenges. “We do have crews out, four to six each day, along with the Python trying to fill those holes best we can right now. It is a challenge because there […]