North Bay

Chef and restaurateur Glenn Sheridan wanted to keep his participation in a culinary competition to himself. But after winning his preliminary round, the owner of Le Bon Marché in North Bay found it was anything other than a well-kept secret.

For the Community Waterfront Friends (CWF) in North Bay, a dream is turning into a reality. What was once a plan on paper is now appearing on the former rail lands.

Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli will lead a sales mission to the Ring of Fire some time this winter. The Ring of Fire is about 530 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay and is the site of a cluster of world-class, multi-generational chromite deposits.

There's a “green veil” hanging over Temagami that its mayor wants lifted, just enough, to entice mineral development. “It is a brand, and an image, we are struggling with,” said Mayor John Hodgson. “We can have both mining and tourism.

Some fake rocks, a cardboard sign, an old rope and a short skit was all it took to captivate the members of the Dragons' Den. But it was Guy Courchesne's niche product and sales figures that impressed the panel of the popular CBC program.

It took only a matter of hours for the business that Jennifer McNutt Bywater and Brent Bywater built over the past 20 years to go up in smoke. But as Vested Interest burned in downtown North Bay Jan. 3 and 4, the couple was determined to start again.

Don't expect to find a box store or an industrial plant any time soon in Callander.

Although past attempts to organize hoteliers in North Bay have not always been successful, a new group is making progress. HOST (Hospitality Organization Strengthening Tourism) is working at bringing more people to the city.

Six years ago, Gord Cardwell bought a property in Powassan with five horse stalls and a small arena so he could resume his passion for riding.

The City of North Bay wants answers from Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty on why a GO Transit rail coach contract was awarded to Quebec interests instead of the Crown-owned Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (ONTC).