Monday, December 16, 2013

Cruisers Over-Stuffed

OPP photo
A huge show of support from Rainy River District food banks.

Area residents helped stuff 37-and-a-half cruisers in the OPP's annual stuff a cruiser campaign held in Fort Frances, Emo and Rainy River.

Constable Anne McCoy is thankful to those who donated food and other items fur local food banks.

McCoy says the food will help them get through want is a normally busy time of the year.

The campaign also filled four ambulances and brought in a cruiser full of diapers.

The items are being distributed to the Salvation Army, the United Native Friendship Centre and Sunset Country Metis in Fort Frances, the Emo Food Bank and the Rainy River-West End Food Bank.

An earlier campaign in Atikokan helped fill ten cruisers.

More Food Drives

Area food banks are getting more support this week.

Staff and students at J.W. Walker School in Fort Frances are holding their own food drive today and tomorrow to help those in our community.

Food Bank Use On The Rise

The demand for food banks across Ontario is growing.

The Ontario Association of Food Banks finds 375-thousand people now relying on food banks every month with over 16-thousand first time users identified this year.

Executive Director Bill Laidlaw says it's an trend that has been on the rise in the past decade.

Laidlaw says those on social assistance, seniors, single parent families and students among the greatest users.

NDP Calls For HST Removal From Home Heating Costs

Provincial NDP are renewing their calls to have the HST removed from the cost of home heating.

MPP Michael Mantha introduced a private members bill on the final day of the fall sitting.

Mantha says with recent examples of government waste and the threat of huge increases in electricity rates in the near future, removal of the sales tax is needed more than ever for people already struggling to pay their bills.

Debate on the bill isn't likely until sometime in the new year.

LHINS Get A Review

Regional health authorities will get a review in the new year.

A provincial legislative committee intends to hold public meetings in late January and February to review the Local Health System Integration Act.

It include a meeting in Thunder Bay on February 3.

The 7-year-old act led to the creation of 14 Local Health Integration Networks, including one for the Northwest, to oversee the planning, integration and funding of local health.

Fatal Weekend Accident

One person is dead following a motor vehicle accident west of Thunder Bay.

OPP says the 53-year-old man died yesterday afternoon after a pick-up truck rolled over on Highway 11-17 west of Thunder Bay near Finmark road.

His identify has not been released.

Trains Moving Again

Trains are moving again on the CP rail line in northwestern Ontario.

A derailment about 10-kilometres east of Ignace forced the closure of the line early Saturday morning.

Fourteen grain cars left the track.

No one was injured.