Around the North

Adam Tonnos, sales manager at the Sudbury-based BESTECH, has been recognized on the national stage, having been awarded the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy, and Petroleum (CIM)'s prestigious Past Presidents' Memorial Medal.

Construction work has begun at Apollo Gold Corporation's Black Fox Mine, 75 kilometres east of Timmins, to prepare for initial underground mining of ore in the third quarter of 2010. The operating open pit mine is now seeing work by Cementation Inc.

Construction has officially begun on Ontario Power Generation's (OPG) $2.6-billion Lower Mattagami Project, the largest hydroelectric generating construction project in Northern Ontario in 40 years.

The new leadership for Miocene Minerals, a company spun out of Sudbury-based Wallbridge Mining Company Limited (TSX:WM), has been officially appointed.

Four Timmins-area entrepreneurs have received a helping hand from the province to get their new businesses up and running. The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) is providing $25,000 to the following: -D.

Some of the most dedicated women leaders in the North were highlighted at the 13th Annual Influential Women of Northern Ontario Awards 2010, held at Sault Ste. Marie's Algoma's Water Tower Inn on June 1 and Thunder Bay's Victoria Inn on June 3.

Nelson Baker is retiring as director and vice-chair of Rainy River Resources. He was responsible for acquiring their highly prospective Rainy River gold project in Richardson Township near Fort Frances in northwestern Ontario.

Community development officers from across Ontario are converging on Thunder Bay in mid-June. The 17th annual Ontario Association of Community Futures Development Corporations conference will be held at the Valhalla Inn, June 10 to 12.

Canadian steel producers want to provide "fresh insights" into the economic impact and future prospects of their industry.

Residents in Blind River will have their own low-cost renewable energy supply. The northeastern Ontario town received a $49.