Around the North

FedNor is contributing $91,625 towards the Municipality of Greenstone's acquisition of a water booster pumping station.

A FedNor contribution of $25,000 under the Youth Internship Program will enable a young northerner to gain experience in the field of economic development and gain valuable work skills in North Bay.

Trojan Technologies of London, Ont. has been awarded a $1-million contract to supply North Bay with an ultraviolet drinking-water disinfection system. The UV system was chosen as a stop-gap measure in preparation for a water filtration plant.

Unemployment rates in the North Bay were higher in June than in the same month last year, according to figures released by the North Bay office of Human Resources Development Canada.

More than 600 applicants in North Bay lined up at a three-day job fair in late July for a shot at 250 part-time and seasonal jobs at the new Sears outlet.

Thirty new jobs will be created at JKS Boyles in North Bay after their parent company purchased one of the largest suppliers of diamond-drill equipment in the mineral exploration industry.

Low gold prices have some mining companies aiming to lower costs per ounce of gold through mergers. A recent acquisition of Homestake Mining Co. by Barrick Gold Corp.

Falling metal prices caused Falconbridge Ltd. profits to drop in the second quarter. The mining giant reports it earned $55.8 million in July in the three-month period ending June 30. That compared with profits of $126.

About 300 workers at Marathon Pulp Inc. are bracing for a month-long layoff beginning in August as the mill's Quebec-based owners shut down operations to get rid of excess inventory.

A Vancouver realty company managing the sale of surplus miners' homes in Manitouwadge reports the houses will likely sell for less than $40,000 each.