Around the North

The call is out for nominations for the Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce Business Awards and the 2011 Athena Award. This year, the chamber introduces two new awards.

Sault College is getting $4 million from the province for a new state-of-the-art training institute for students studying in the health sciences field.

Laurentian University in Sudbury is the recipient of a $1-million investment from Xstrata Nickel, an endowment that will go towards the creation of the Indigenous Sharing and Learning Centre.

The Red Lake Regional Heritage Centre has opened a new exhibit that spotlights this northwestern Ontario's community's aviation history.

Starting on September 6, Porter Airlines will offer a third daily flight to Toronto out of the Greater Sudbury Airport. That will bring the number of return flights to three: one leaves Sudbury at 6:05 a.m., one leaves at 2 p.m.

The federal government is contributing close to $1 million to the Mother Earth Renewable Energy (MERE) wind farm project on the M'Chigeeng First Nation on Manitoulin Island.

A focus group being held this week in Sault Ste. Marie will gather input from stakeholders on the marketing of locally produced goat (chevon) and lamb. The group takes place on Thursday, June 23 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday, June 24 from 1 p.m.

The Northern Ontario School of Architecture at Laurentian University has received another windfall.

The Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) has established an economic development fund with $30 million committed over 10 years from the province.

Taranis Contracting Group of Thunder Bay has landed an $11.4 million contract to repave Highway 11/17 west of the city at Kakabecka Falls.