Around the North

The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund announced it will pump $5.5 million for infrastructure improvements in the Thunder Bay area. Most of the money will go towards local roadwork. Over $800,000 will be used to attract more call centres to the city.

The Thunder Bay Port Authority reports that a total of 660,000 tonnes of cargo was shipped from the port of Thunder Bay in the month of September. This volume is down about 70,000 tones from the same period last year. Year-to-date totals show 5.

Thunder Bay's Candy Mountain Ski Resort is shutting down and its owner is concentrating its snowmaking machines at Loch Lomond Ski Area.

Delegates attending the Northwestern Ontario Associated Chamber of Commerce's general meeting in Dryden are calling on the province to keep agricultural research centres in Thunder Bay and Emo open.

Unable to find enough employees to fill seats, Omega Direct Response is closing one of its Sudbury call centres in October and consolidating its operations in one downtown site.

Algoma University College is teaming up with Sault Ste. Marie's Innovation Centre and the public utilities commission in proposing a $6.1-million information, communication and technology (ICT) centre at the Queen Street campus.

Kirkland Lake's Foxpoint Resources reports some new ore-grade intersections in its gold exploration work from its surface drilling program. Two new veins have been discovered on its Lake Shore, Wright-Hargreaves, Teck Hughes properties.

Kenora Municipal Telephone is looking at purchasing a fibre optics network at a cost of $980,000. The network would provide local residents with a number of new choices for data circuits and long-distance services.

The De Beers' Victor project on the James Bay coast is at a standstill after talks between the diamond producer and the Attawapiskat First Nation broke off in late September.

Snowmobile tourism in the North received a $15-million provincial boost for trail development over the next four years.