By Laura Balanko-Dickson
ad Megan Walchuk
Staff writer
lbalankodickson@fortfrances.com

A wave of anti-LGBT comments aimed at Borderland Pride has sparked a request for Emo council to denounce hate. Borderland Pride recently won a Human Rights Tribunal Hearing against the Township of Emo and Mayor Harold McQuaker, which found that the Townships’ refusal to pass a proclamation ackonowledging June as […]

The holiday season is a time of celebration, joy and togetherness. But for the many homeless and unwanted cats and kittens in the Rainy River district, it can be a time of incredible suffering and despair. No one understands this better than the small, but dedicated group of volunteers at […]

By Laura Balanko-Dickson
Staff writer
lbalankodickson@fortfrances.com

According to Sonia Mastrangelo, Assistant Dean for the Faculty of Education at Lakehead University Orillia and Director of Research at the Applied Self-Regulation Knowledge Research Network, a body of peer-reviewed research suggests positive relationships between teachers and students are critical to student success rates. Moreover, she thinks teachers need to […]

Riverside Foundation for Health Care announces that its annual Christmas Appeal, a crucial fundraising campaign that raises up to $40,000 annually to support vital healthcare initiatives, has been impacted by the ongoing Canada Post strike. Typically distributed by mid-November, this year’s appeal letters—one for the east end and one for […]

The Spirit of Christmas was held December 1. This year was its first time in the Couchiching FN Multi Use Building, which was beautifully decorated for the event. Approximately 175 people attended. The event had two new additions this year. There was “pick a present”, which was thoroughly enjoyed by […]

By Carl Clutchey
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Chronicle-Journal

Rural patients who must travel to Thunder Bay and other cities for medical care can now get more of their costs covered under tweaks to the province’s Northern Health Travel Grant program. Starting on Sunday, people who submitted an application to the program no longer had to apply a 100-kilometre […]

By Clint Fleury
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
TBnewswatch.com

THUNDER BAY — Fort William First Nation Chief Michele Solomon said she is “disappointed” after hearing that a proposed nuclear waste disposal site will fall on Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation’s traditional territory. “The voices of opposition have not been considered in the selection process scenario. I think that they really […]

By Clint Fleury
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
TBnewswatch.com

THUNDER BAY – Federal government reform of the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program (PGWP) has worried city officials and businesses about the impact on the local economy. On Monday, Coun. Kristen Oliver, chairperson of the inter-governmental affairs committee, brought forward a memorandum calling on the federal government to delay the implementation […]

By Clint Fleury
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
TBnewswatch.com

THUNDER BAY — The legislation that governs municipal elections in Ontario is in need of an overhaul.  Ontario’s Municipal Elections Act (MEA) will be 30 years old by the next election and the Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario (AMCTO), is calling for its modernization. Coun. Kristen […]

By Dave Baxter,
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Winnipeg Sun

The province is putting the onus on Manitoba’s rural health authorities to clean up needles used to inject drugs and offering funding to help them create “comprehensive” disposal and cleanup plans. “To help provide support while keeping our communities safe and healthy, the Manitoba government is mandating that all regional […]

By Clint Fleury
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
TBnewswatch.com

THUNDER BAY — Thunder Bay police service has confirmed one individual was found dead in their tent on Thursday. A second person who had been living in an encampment died in hospital overnight, according to Holly Gauvin, executive director of Elevate NWO. “Usually with a drop in temperatures, we see […]

By Sandi Krasowski
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Chronicle-Journal

The announcement of $758 million in federal funding for the purchase of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) Line-2 subway cars is encouraging news for Thunder Bay’s Alstom plant. During Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland’s announcement last week of the federal government’s investment of $1.2 billion over 10 years for the […]