Around the North

The City of Timmins is pushing ahead with up to $3 million in recommended upgrades to its water-supply systems. The city recently received recommendations for improvements to its four water-treatment plants from three different engineering firms.

Falconbridge Ltd.'s announcement to develop the Montcalm nickel mine provides an excellent opportunity to build a ring road for truck traffic around Timmins, say city planning officials.

Six months after the City of Timmins delivered a new $3.2-million call centre to TeleTech Holdings Inc., the company has yet to deliver a client.

The possibility of developing a northern francophone centre for innovation in technology education is being explored for the northeast.

Leaking molten metal at Falconbridge Ltd.'s Kidd Creek copper smelter in Timmins forced the smelter to be shutdown in early August.

The opening a new nickel mine in Montcalm Township by Falconbridge Ltd. could create 200 jobs by next year. Advanced exploration is underway at a site 70 kilometres west of Timmins, with the potential of bringing a mine into production in late 2002.

Escalating hydro costs shut down the Kidd Creek metallurgical division in Timmins for a couple of days for the second time this summer. The heat wave that gripped much of Ontario in late July and early August resulted in soaring hydro costs.

Timmins city council has released a municipal budget that offers an overall tax decrease of 3.34 per cent, but only the business community will see the cuts. The large industrial class will receive a 17.

Fed up with high gas prices, Timmins politicians are calling on the federal government to eliminate the gas surtax and want the province to step to regulate gas taxes to benefit consumers.

A new ecotourism attraction dedicated to sharing the lifestyle of the Cree culture is scheduled for completion some time this fall near Moose Factory.