Council opts to hike taxi fees

The bylaw to raise taxicab fees here was passed without a hitch during last night’s regular town council meeting.
This new amendment means the rate of $2.95 for the first .25 km will jump to $3.35.
And the additional increments of $0.10 for every .050 km now means an increase of $0.10 per km over the previous rates.
These increases largely are due to the rise in gasoline prices over the past few months.
Other fees for deliveries, waiting time, and luggage and package transportation will remain unchanged.
Council also passed a bylaw last night to amend an agreement with Paul Bock for a limousine service, which increased the rate for such a service both to and from the airport.
As well, council also discussed the recommendation from the Planning and Development executive committee to maintain the “open space” status of the property on the 1100 block of Nelson Street.
For now, the lot will remain zoned as open space, maintaining the status quo.
But council made it clear that nothing is etched in stone and that at some point in the future, should it be deemed appropriate for the town’s needs, council could re-zone it as “surplus.”
Meanwhile, the bylaw to authorize the levying and collection of a special charge of taxes upon the Business Improvement Area also was passed last night, which is, in essence, the approval of its annual budget.
The BIA used the money collected to finance such things as contract work, conferences and courses, advertisements and promotions, repairs, plants and trees, and office rent.
The collection of the tax is limited to the designated BIA area, as outlined and approved by the Ontario Municipal Board in 1979.
Also last night, council discussed the nuisance bear agreement, in which the Ministry of Natural Resources will give the town $20,000 towards the cost of bear annoyance and removal.
The town receives about 50 calls annually from concerned residents about a nuisance bear, and from the time the call is received up to the response, possible tranquilization, and removal, the cost to the town ranges between $350 and $500 per call.
Though not all of these calls result in the removal of the animal, the province has undertaken the responsibility of addressing nuisance bears, and MNR will provide $400 per bear, at a total of $20,000.
Under this agreement, the town now has an obligation to properly document all bear incidents, the administration of which partially will be offset by the $20,000.
As well, a presentation was given by Garry Potter, co-ordinator of Northwestern Ontario Crime Stoppers Inc., on its upcoming merger with northern Minnesota.
The newly-founded Crime Stoppers unit will include Fort Frances, International Falls, and Koochiching County, making it the first “truly international” Crime Stoppers community, he explained.
The launch is set for Saturday, Sept. 11 at 12:01 a.m., with a ceremony to be held in International Falls at 1 p.m. that same day.
“Due to the closeness and proximity of the borders, we thought we would dedicate this launch to the victims, families, and survivors of the attack in New York [on the World Trade Center],” said Potter.